Community Chat

[CrazyKittyLvr2]

I really would like to move and have looked online at various houses in various towns in PA and a couple other states.

Home prices in Erie seem to be somewhat lower than other places I've checked out.

Nice place or not?  Pros or cons? 

I know they get a ton of snow but I've heard they have snow removal down to a science. You would have have to have a good system if you get a ton of snow. Here I'm lucky if I see one plow by 5pm even if has snowed since early morning.

[Kachina624]

@CrazyKittyLvr2    Try to find a warmer place.  Would DD go with you?  How far are you willing to move from your family? 

[CrazyKittyLvr2]

@Kachina624   For warmer I would have to go south or out west. Have ruled those places out for a variety of reasons.

Don't want the middle, too flat and don't want to live in or near someplace called Tornado alley.

I have narrowed to somewhere in PA or the New England states.

DD going would depend on the place.  She mentioned Vermont as a possibility. I would do a days drive from family, no plane travel.

There is a lot to consider and things to look into before my final decision.

[cantdrive55]

The Chamber of Commerce had slogan awhile back, ""Erie-sistable". My experience has been positive: nice, friendly people.
-There is a very good healthcare network, with one hospital & doctors affiliated with UPMC,and Pittsburgh is about an hour south, and you are a short distance from the  Cleveland Clinic. LECOM has their medical, dental  & pharmacy schools there.

- The cultural life is well augmented by the colleges and universities there: PennState Behrend, Mercyhurst & Gannon to name a few.

- In the summer, world renowned Chautauqua Institution is less than an hour from Erie.   Erie does have a philharmonic orchestra.

-Shopping & restaurants are just okay, with Grove City Outlet mall just down the road. Wegman's has 2 stores and Aldi has 3.

-It's a beautiful area with Lake Erie, parks, hiking trails, wineries, etc.

I'd suggest you look into Lake Erie Living Magazine & their social media to get an idea of what living there would be like.

And, you are correct, the snow does not compare to Buffalo, NY, and Erie has a good handle on it. It's a beautiful region for all 4 seasons.

[CrazyKittyLvr2]

@cantdrive55 Thanks.  I saw a nice house and when I did Google Map you went up the road 5 minutes crossed Peach St, I think, and there was civilization, Wegmans, Target, Panara, CVS.

No traveling 20+ miles round trip to get the basics.

[cantdrive55]

Yes, that's true! Marshall's, Sams Club, TJMaxx, Kohls, are all along there. Erie has these neat network of access roads that run parallel to Peach that connect to each plaza so you don't have to go back out on Peach St., it's well thought out.

[Desert Lily]

@CrazyKittyLvr2  If you live near a Great Lake, you may want to be prepared for lake-effect snow.  I lived along a Great Lake for part of my life, and we always had more snow than those areas a little further away. But, living near the lake was a beautiful setting.

Crime rates, weather, education, employers, shopping, activities, etc. can be googled. Decisions are often based on what people have as their priorities.

Best of luck to you.

[RedTop]

@CrazyKittyLvr2 

I have family in Meadville, Saegertown, and Export, PA.   

My family in Saegertown deal with A LOT of snow, due to the lake effect off Lake Erie.   Not once have I ever heard them praise the county for their snow removal efforts!   Up until my cousin retired, they always had a 4WD truck to get them around in winter.  Their property taxes are very high.   

My cousin in Meadville lives right in the heart of town.  They are also retired; not out and about much, and their kids and grandchildren are within walking distance.

My cousin in Export does seasonal work, and is usually laid off during the winter months.  She and her husband enjoy being snowed in and having quiet time at home.  

My husbands aunt moved from DE to an area near East Springfield, PA for several years, and after 3 winters of extremely deep snow, she sold the house and moved back to DE.   She was raised in rural WV which is no stranger to snow, but she said what they dealt with in those short years in PA was no comparison to WV snows!   

[Group 5 minus 1]

Daddy died in the Veterans Home in Erie.

[cosmic1]

I live 40 miles north of Pittsburgh and Erie is another 88 miles north of me. So, it is more than an hour’s drive. I recall it taking around 2 hours to get to Meadville from Pittsburgh and Meadville is 55 miles from here, so another 33 to Erie from there.

They get a lot of snow! I don’t know how good they are at clearing it, but they get a lot of practice. We don’t usually get that much around here and in Pittsburgh, the streets are always in terrible shape.

On the positive side, it is really pretty up there. Lots of people from down this way go camping up there in the summertime.

Good luck if you decide to move to PA. It is a nice place to live.