I Live in NY, and Don’t Want to Retire Too Far Away
Category: Best Retirement Towns and States
December 15, 2021 — The reality is most people don’t want to retire too far away from where they live now. The tug of familiar friends, relatives, and institutions can be very strong for some, even more powerful than wanting to be in a warmer climate. Yet their current abode might have become expensive, crowded, or taxing enough to make them think about moving to a new city or town in the same region. In this article we will explore some of the nearby possibilities for a retiree who lives in or near the New York City Metro or suburbs. For that matter, residents of New Jersey and southern New England might like these alternatives as well.
Obviously if one moves less than 500 miles away the climate is not going to be too much different. But the cost of living, the livability index, and the tax situation could change dramatically. The 10 places to retire mentioned here are just a few possibilities, they barely scratch the surface of the very livable retirement choices that won’t require you to move too far from where you live now.
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Comments on "I Live in NY, and Don’t Want to Retire Too Far Away"
Jem says:
Interesting, I have visited or lived in half of the towns listed in this blog article and have enjoyed each one, but Old Saybrook, CT would be the only one I would consider as a possible retirement town for me. I lived there for 6 years in the early 2000's. and found it to be a small, friendly, and very walkable town with a train station which provides easy access to both NYC and Boston for fun day trips. Being from Pennsylvania, I have been to State College a few times and never saw the draw (maybe because I am not a college football fan) but have friends who have retired there, love it, and are happy. Wellsboro, PA is a pretty and interesting small town with a lot of festivals, cultural events and a pretty downtown that is the perfect setting for their annual Dickens of a Christmas celebration. It is a bit isolated, with no city closeby , but the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon is there for hiking, rafting and kayaking and is pretty during all 4 seasons. Lancaster, PA is a town I have only driven through a few times and it is surrounded by pretty countryside for sure. The only town in NY mentioned here that I have been to is Skaneatles, NY , which is where we head to for a few days in the autumn of each year, and I thought was our private get away spot, but the secret is now out. Skaneatles is quaint, quiet, and very pretty, but I agree as mentioned in the article, it is a place for snowbirds, I'm not sure about retiring in such a small town. Actually, I am not looking to retire in NY or PA, but just wanted to add my thoughts about the ones mentioned that I have visited.
CJ says:
In response to Jem who was so informative and descriptive of the various towns listed in the post, and yet does not care to retire in either of them. Could she please share what town or state she is considering to retire to point us towards perhaps another area to consider? Your thoughts are valuable to all of us.
Alex86 says:
Jem, I understand I think, about your football comment and living in State College, but it is a nice place and has state parks nearby, many restaurants and a lot of cultural events and college sports to watch. We have relatives that live there and keep very busy. But with 40,000 students it didn't appeal to us. It seems there are also a lot of retirees there also which I thought was an interesting mix.
Jem says:
Hi CJ, you asked a great question and I wished I had an answer! Because I raised my family in Pittsburgh, that is my favorite Pennsylvania town but moved from there years ago. We still have a summer cabin in north central Pennsylvania- close to Wellsboro which is why I am familiar with the area. I will admit I don't know much about southeastern Pennsylvania maybe someone else can tell you more. I have been to Philadelphia many times but not familiar with towns in-between Pittsburgh and Philadelpha. To answer your question, I never thought of NY for retirement, although there are some nice retirement towns and communities there as listed on this site, and I actually never thought of leaving PA but we decided to become snowbirds spending a couple of winter months each year in the Florida sunshine, and still discussing where we will finally settle. Why we didn't decide on any of the PA towns listed in the article is because they are too small for us, but are nice places to visit.