Submitted by gregv64 t3_113e3lj in Pennsylvania
gregv64 OP t1_j8qdbmj wrote
Reply to comment by Optimal_Spend779 in Moving to mountain region of PA-Tell me how it is? by gregv64
Do you think what i am chasing exists, somewhere? And where is “here”? Id like to hear your full take and experiences to this concluding thought.
We currently live half hour from Flint. People hear that and think we live in a wasteland, where in reality it couldnt be further from the truth.
Optimal_Spend779 t1_j8qdzg4 wrote
No, I don’t and I think your comments make you sound pretty naive. You can be weary of the public school system here all you want but a) catholic schools aren’t somehow magically immune to these issues, in fact I would argue they have the same issues plus others, and b) such a school that is 100% safe just doesn’t exist. “Here” being the entirety of Pennsylvania.
“I’m aware we are trying to have our cake and eat it too” - so I guess you’re at least a little self-aware after all.
gregv64 OP t1_j8qeesn wrote
If you read my opening remarks, youll see that we are from canada, and the american school system is foreign to us, being that our oldest is just going to start this september. All i have to go on is anecdotal evidence from people we know that have similar age children, which are only a handful. And what you read in the internet has to be taken with a large scoop of salt as everyone has an opinion, from all areas and walks of life..
I ask about “here” as im sure life and education/environment in philly is different than a valley in bradford.
I mentioned we are near flint. Life in flint and quality of education is a polar opposite of what its like in my little town, 30 miles away.
Yes I am naive to life in PA. I have never been, just drove through the mountain regions of southern NY, looked beautiful. And the homes, land in PA look gorgeous as well.
Pink_Slyvie t1_j8qjx0y wrote
>youll see that we are from canada
To be frank, Many of us would are dying to have an easy path to Canada, or just out of the US. Every election cycle I need to make sure my family is prepped to flee PA to a blue state, and possibly the country if it goes really south.
My advice, go back to Canada, it's going to get worse before it gets better here.
gregv64 OP t1_j8qkhnb wrote
If the real estate market and job prospects werent a wasteland...we would.
The average home price in toronto now is well over a million dollars and you need 200k income to qualify for a mortgage.
Sure toronto is a prosperous city...but houses are still near a million bucks 6 hours away where the major employer is tim hortons and a home hardware.
The same kind of jobs (of which there are 1/20th that are here) pay roughly 30% less while getting taxed more than 15%+ more than here., and sales and carbon tax is another 20% on much of the commodities you buy, gasoline, natural gas, oil.
Home prices and salaries were totally normal and inline 10 years ago. I don't understand how anyone survives there now as a new resident or new home buyer...
Pink_Slyvie t1_j8qko6z wrote
No one is surviving here either. Sure, you can move out to the boonies with terrible schools like you are asking about and get property and a house for dirt cheap, but unless you work remotely, good luck affording anything.
gregv64 OP t1_j8ql4dl wrote
This is the only way we are considering the move. I have a good remote job, can work it as long as its within US territory.
the PA geography looks much more pleasing to us than MI boonies (and MI land tax is outrageous!) We are somewhat bound by proximity to family...otherwise we'd be in some real mountains out west.
NY state is very nice too but..to hell with their taxes on taxes and front plates on cars.
Pink_Slyvie t1_j8qlc9z wrote
If I had the means, I'd take NY over PA any day. College provided for kids? Most won't ever save that much on taxes.
If you are *really* concerned with schools, Northern Baltimore County is a superb public school area, it's an expensive, but wonderful area, and can likely fit your needs. I can't think of anywhere in rural PA that even comes close.
gregv64 OP t1_j8qlo7p wrote
Thank you for your input.
What do you mean by "College provided for kids?"
Pink_Slyvie t1_j8qocbz wrote
As it stands, with several limitations, kids in New York state get full tuition covered by the state, up to 125k. Hell, most adults can take advantage of it too.
That alone covers the increased taxes for most individuals.
IamSauerKraut t1_j8s6l26 wrote
If your kids are smart and they grow up in NY, they have a good chance of getting into Cornell - NY's land grant school that is also an Ivy League school. A number of SUNY schools are top notch as well.
Optimal_Spend779 t1_j8s79d7 wrote
And what exactly do you think the job prospects and real estate market are doing pretty much everywhere in the US right now? You sound incredibly clueless.
gregv64 OP t1_j8s89og wrote
You clearly havent spent time looking for work in my field and don't pay attention to the canadian real estate market. Thats fine, i wouldnt expect you to.Real estate all over US is coming down, sales are still happening for solid pricing. I know this due to sales in my zip code. I see this as I watch prospective properties in areas I like. When they cut the price to a level Id feel comfortable with, others agree and listing goes pending. There is also a ridiculous amount of engineering work in MI, along with now-remote. The pay is also ever increasing in my field.
Canadian real estate prices are not coming down. Will they? maybe, i dont have a crystal ball. They have continued to go up until about December 2022. Now they are stagnant. Yet, somehow..people are still buying. i don't know where they get the money from.I mentioned earlier, the job prospects in my field in Canada are 1/20th of the availability as they are here. Cross border remote work is extremely rare due to taxation and business structures so that option is out for me.
Optimal_Spend779 t1_j8sew6b wrote
Yeah dude why would I spend time looking for work in your field when I don’t even know what field that is? Must be one that doesn’t require understanding of basic punctuation or grammar, apparently. Catholic school graduate? High quality education, clearly.
I see there are some issues in Canada I was unaware of, but you seem to be pretty uninformed about issues happening in the country where you currently live. Good luck I guess.
IamSauerKraut t1_j8s67t8 wrote
Maybe you should reconsider PA. Try northern New England.
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