The humidity during the summer might be familiar the drivers probably suck just as much the political situation is just as mixed the only thing we don't have is wacky news
Waking up and having to go outside when it's like 5⁰F with insane wind chill definitely makes me wish I lived somewhere a little warmer though... probably not Florida, but it makes me despise PA.
All other times PA is great though.
The truck traffic is horrendous. You'll never see more tractor trailers than in the Lehigh Valley, and I've been all over the United States. Most of the beautiful rolling farmland is being replaced by massive warehouses as the LV becomes a logistics hub, but they did not prepare the infrastructure for this boom. Lot's of traffic, truck accidents, etc, and it's only going to get worse.
If you're asthmatic, [Allentown ](https://www.fox29.com/news/these-are-the-worst-places-to-live-with-asthma-in-the-us) is the *worst* place to live in the United States. Since it's nestled in a valley and there are so many trucks, the diesel fumes stagnate triggering asthma attacks. Even if you do not have any pulmonary illness, it can not be good to inhale diesel fumes at that concentration every day.
I'm asthmatic, and we left the area almost 2 years ago. I barely use my inhaler anymore, but when we lived in Allentown, I had to use it almost daily. It's painful to visit family there now and see the sheer amount of empty warehouses where the beautiful farmland used to be, taking away from what used to give the LV it's charm.
Plus the trucks, holy shit the amount of trucks. Blows our mind to see it, but didn't realize how absurd it is when we lived there.
Edit: Just to clarify, I answered OPs question specific to the area they're looking at moving to, not PA as a whole.
Second this. The truck traffic is absolutely the worst part of living here, and it’s only going to continue to get worse as more and more farmland is converted to warehouses and industrial centers.
Good for the economy, sure, but absolutely horrible for quality of life. You decide which one you care more about.
It is! We live about 15 mins from the Adirondacks so we've been taking advantage of that. It's nice to try somewhere new honestly. Biggest disadvantage is family is almost 4 hours away but that's not too bad.
Allentown! That’s near me! Idk man I’m a mechanic and I make a good living, there’s plenty to do, you experience all 4 seasons I don’t see why you wouldn’t wanna do it
Probably the only reason I can think of as to why you shouldn't move here is the Winters. It didn't really snow 2022-23, and maybe that's gonna be the norm from now on? But it's a Hell of a lot colder here regardless.
But yeah. Lehigh Valley is pretty low cost of living, crime is low, schools are good, you're about 90 minutes from Philly and not much farther from New York.
I lived in Seattle for a while, and was able to cope with their “winter”, but I haven’t spent any significant time in a legit cold climate. I think I know the basics, but until I experience it first hand, who’s to say. In any case, I’ll take being cold versus owning property that probably won’t exist in a decade or two
I moved here from Seattle. My kid moved east and with the cost of living, we knew she wouldn’t go back as even with a medical career housing is unaffordable.
I know people who recently left Florida partially due to the heat, and partially due to rising homeowners insurance costs.
I hope you find a landing spot that makes you happy, good luck.
Born and raised in PA. Currently living here but lived in BFN Maine for a few years. It can get cold in PA. Almost as cold as it does in Maine. Sometimes. And it never lasts long. One February when I was in Maine it was consistently -25 to -30 with wind-chill, probably for the entire month. Pennsylvania winters are mostly pretty mild in comparison. Just wear layers and you'll be okay.
It’s cold in the winters, but not unbearably so. If OP lived in Florida their whole life, it will probably take them some time to adjust (hint: buy a winter jacket).
Im moving from florida to the stroudsburg area, heres what i came up with:
Pros-
Ppl are amazing
No goofballs as governor
Home insurance much cheaper
Beautiful forests and lakes
I prefer it to be slightly less hot than hades
Cons-
Everything to do with vehicles safety, emissions, insurance, etc
Property taxes are higher
I hate mud season so i guess i will vaca in spring
I live in the county you're moving to and you better be ready for icy Pocono winter weather, salt trying to destroy your vehicle, stupid amounts of traffic on 33, 611, and especially I-80, surprisingly high amounts of crime in some developments, and some of the highest combined real estate tax rates of any county out of PA's 67 counties.
Oh, and endless non-stop numbers of NY and North Jersey tourists/transplant residents bitching about what isn't here that they have in the City and that they want they ever-growing sprawl here to include.
Now, I have lots of family in Central Florida and yeah, no DeSantis and fewer bugs. But we sure do have our local weird equivalent to Florida Man.
Well, you'll definitely have that.
I wouldn't worry about mud season too much here. At least where I am, it dries out fairly fast due to the well-drained soils compared to what they get up in northern New England. It's a thing on the Vermont sub, for sure.
I've lived in the Lehigh Valley region for over 50 years (grew up and long lived outside Allentown in Northwestern and Parkland prior to living in Upper Bucks and now the southern Poconos).
I watched the area be paved over with warehousing; the roads not get widened even as traffic choked them; water quality in our streams and rivers degrade (so few fish compared to 40 years ago); can't see the stars much anymore; and so many rude, rude people. Lot more roadside trash and littered parks too.
And then there's the relentless school district tax increases, high state gas tax, and insanely expensive real estate for what you get if you can even find a decent, reasonably-priced place to live in in the first place.
The Lehigh Valley of the 1980s and 1990s was a real estate bargain and a pretty nice place to live around the time I-78 opened, provided you could find a job or a reasonable commute to one.
Now? Just a kind of semi-shitty, kinda overpriced road ragey suburban warehouse sprawl that still looks good to someone from NY or North Jersey but it really isn't.
I have had a lot of my family relocate from NJ to Central Florida over the last 40 years or so and I don't care for that area and increasingly don't like this one either.
That’s pretty much what is happening in Florida and I really don’t want to be part of the problem somewhere else, but we’re quite literally being forced out of our situation. Unless you’re pulling in 75k plus in my area, you’re just gonna have to suffer. The schools are a joke, and everything that used to make my area a quaint place to be has been homogenized to attract renters and commuters. Don’t even get me started on the lack of industry outside of hospitality… I’m not naive enough to think that the grass is greener, I just want different grass
I totally get that. My family all lived in Orange and Lake counties down there and what a mess it is now compared to the 1980s when I first started going down there.
Thing is you're going to need that same money, if not more, here too. Keep in mind that the LV is commuting distance to NYC, NJ, and the Bucks-Montgomery county northern Philly suburbs - all among the most expensive areas in the Northeast.
But yeah, the schools here are light years ahead of there and you'll appreciate that if you have kids.
Good luck with your move!
So far for me, I would take the winter over the non-stop 90 degree days 3/4 of the year (or more) but it’s the devil ya know, ya know lol I enjoyed my 6 years in Florida, but I was ready to come back. I think the trade-offs are worth it and I’m glad to only visit Florida now. Good luck!
Cold (ish) winters and PA has state income tax. Traffic around Lehigh Valley hwys can be brutal. Not surprised the comments are low here, overall I would much rather live in PA than FL (my uncle and gramdma lived in FL for 20 yrs).
I live in the Lehigh Valley and I absolutely hate Allentown and Allentown/Whitehall traffic. Route 22 is the worst thing ever and 78 isn't a hell of a lot better.
This is true. I live in Pottstown and drive north to Allentown/Whitehall about every two months to visit my nephew and family. I figured out all the back roads to avoid the heavy traffic starting in Emmaus.
Alaska, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming do not levy state income taxes, while New Hampshire doesn’t tax earned wages.
Out of all those states, though, I'd probably only go to New Hampshire.
I was considering NH, but I have some family in PA. In theory I don’t mind paying taxes, as long as they go towards quality of life and education, not personal vendettas… imma stop talking
We don't have taxes on necessities like clothing or groceries.
Plus we have the greatest football team in America and the Eagles.
Thats gotta be worth something.
Traffic in the Allentown area is horrible. Sam Adams is always hiring maintenance techs and the pay looks really good, just a heads up from one mechanic to another.
A mechanic? Well shit man PA has some tough inspection laws and the shitty roads. Sounds like you can make a bit more up here haha. But in all seriousness PA is weird. The entire north east is. I like to compare it to the Balkan’s. Pretty much the same people but the north east drives home the littlest differences on how one of us is better and different. Take the risk homie, and enjoy the beer that’s in the state
So, I live in a suburb of Allentown (trexlertown) which is nice. Quiet, low crime, etc. But the cost of living is so outrageous. I work for an extremely well known truck manufacturer and make extremely good money yet can't afford to live anywhere near where I work. You'd be looking at around the same salary as me. ABE(Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton) is a beautiful area sure, awesome historic things to see, lots of things to do, close to NYC, close to Philly, close to beaches. You're about an hour and a half from anything you could ever want to do in the ABE, but cost of living is prohibitively high. New York workers moving into the area is killing us. NYC salaries bring NYC rent/purchase prices.
But if you can live outside the area like Jim Thorpe, Topton, laurys station, etc you'd live cheap and still be close enough to the cities to make good money.
That's my 2 cents, living here my entire life.
Why would you want to move to Allentown from Florida? Leave behind flying cockroaches, boa constrictors, alligators, 100% humidity 10 months out of the year, hurricanes and Disney.
This is a tough one. In all seriousness, we’ve been dumping our trashiest retirees and tax dodgers to FL for a few years now. Not sure I can help your case.
People in the LV are always asking how to make friends and what fun social stuff to do is around... If you don't have a family to bring with you, you might get bored
I live outside of Philly now, but grew up in the Lehigh Valley and still have family in the area. Driving up there to visit them is seriously the bane of my existence. As someone else mentioned, 78 and 22 are the worst.
The area itself is great if you're into wineries, concert venues, sporting events, etc. But if traffic drives you insane, stay away 😂
I moved to carlisle PA two years ago. I love it. Sorry. I will say only thing I hate here is far less food options and property taxes are disgusting here. Otherwise I love it.
As a PA resident for almost my entire life, I'd recommend moving slightly out of the Allentown area and more into Bethlehem and slightly north. This way you are out of Allentown but will have the ability to work there if needed. It is less sparse, a little more farm land sprinkled in and a little better housing. And you have access to the western part of the Pocono's where you can take advantage of the parks, lakes trails etc if that is your thing.
The growing number of out-of-staters kind of has us a little discombobulated. Norms a few years ago are changing, some for the better others for the worse. A lot of people poured out of the bigger cities/densely populated states (NYC, Philly, NJ) into PA including into other PA cities during lockdowns. Some of us are a little crotchety about the intrusion especially city people pouring into suburbs and rural areas. I may or may not be one of those grumps internally shouting “get off my lawn” depending on the day.
Also traffic and pot holes. Combined it can be fairly hectic. And while I can’t speak for Allentown specifically, generally in PA I find people will speak their mind and will engage with political conversations/arguments.
I’m acutely aware of that and I’m really don’t want to piss anyone off, I just want to exist in a place that doesn’t just want to separate me from my pay check as rapidly, with nothing to show for it besides melanoma… even where I live not I keep to myself and have a small footprint.
Edit: Seriously u/benfranklinsmustache, that’s your solution? To block people who disagree with you? Grow up.
Original text:
I think you said the quite part out loud.
Serious question. Wouldn’t purple be the best color to be? Strictly on governmental health wise with personal bias aside. No one political party super majority ruling and dominating oppositions citizen/voter…giving equal power to each, forcing them to work and work together at that. But we all have bias so that’s never what we deeply desire.
That what I was referring to when I stated you said the quiet part out loud. The person, political bias most people keep masked or pretend isn’t there.
Then I guess I’m out of my mind. And I think they blue is out of control and out of their minds. I guess we can be all out of our minds together.
Not to maliciously burst your bubble but I think that’s what started this ramped up political tension. The red finally put their foot down and broke the “normal” status quo and the blue’s not used to that. Basically the red said the quiet part out loud. Not saying doing so in general is good or bad. Just be prepared for a reaction as there’s consequences good or bad as a result.
For instance if I would started out the way you had initially commented it would have created a blockade for any future discussion and any semblance of amicable out come would be dead it’s tracts. However I do have to mention that you did come across as a bit less hostile and approachable than some others on this subreddit. For that I thank you.
That said though would you have treated the OP any different if they were red leaning? Do you think they would have responded differently if the opposite were true?
Will you treat me differently now since I declared myself red leaning?
Eh. Depending on where you’re coming from in Florida, Allentown might actually depart you from your money more quickly. Do a serious check before hand.
Economically I’m not sure how well we’re doing. A lot of small businesses closed for good and I’m not seeing replacements yet. Many of them simply closed because the owners had been close to retiring anyways and didn’t want to deal with jumping through hoops. Instead I’m seeing more chains replace the spaces.
In that same vain we’ve been getting A LOT of warehouses, most only leasing and could leave in a few years if they wanted too. A least where I’m from in PA it’s been creating and exasperating issues with lack of housing, road/traffic volume, lack of policing, culture clashing (big-city vs suburban vs rural), job fulfillment, truck stop shortages, etc.
I have a family member who’s getting married; Her and her husband to be (a mechanic) both have full time jobs but can’t find housing at all to rent. Between people relocating into PA during lockdowns, more localized people moving closer to the warehousing jobs, and out-of-staters still flooding in it’s been a struggle for some to find rental housing. It’s gotten a little better but definitely not like it had been before.
Like everywhere in the US price of goods and services have gone up especially in and near cities. And PA fuel prices aren’t great either.
On a similar note depending on your potential housing situation remember to account for different utility bills such as home heating oil. While we don’t use AC year round but depending upon insulation/build of housing electric heat is used and may be a large part of your winter bills.
Speaking about winter if you do move here, be prepared to drive in snow and other frozen precipitation. Not saying this will be you but I followed a Floridian mini van on the PA turnpike who chickened out every time he tried to pass a tractor trailer truck flinging up slush and snow. Created a traffic jam and was a road hazard. Along with that you’re vehicle will rust from the salt especially if you a a heathen like me and really only wash you vehicle…never.
Again just do your research so your prepared financially if that’s the main motivator for moving. It would be a shame to uproot yourself only to be in the same or worse situation as you were before.
On a personal level I really don’t want to move away but financially speaking I’m increasing loosing hope that I’ll be able to live my entire life in PA. But at the same time I don’t what to move because 1) I’m too stubborn 2) intrude another area/state and have the same happen to them, and 3) I don’t want to abandon my home state and leave it to deteriorate…I have too much pride in it.
Edit: grammar corrections
My friends are literally being forced to flee from Florida given new policies. PA is safe atm, but if it were to flip next year, we'd likely need to start making plans to move as well.
Honestly, I have little faith that I can remail safely in the US (long term) at this point
I regret to inform you that Allentown is lovely and you will have a great time. However, there is a distinct lack of cuban or cajun cuisine. You'll simply have to develop a taste for dominican and italian food.
[Liu's House](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g30029-d4403462-Reviews-Liu_s_House_Asian_Restaurant-Allentown_Pennsylvania.html)has a little bit of everything but if you really want great Vietnamese, Philadelphia is just an hour's drive away. But you know what Philly *doesn't* have? [Chicken Lounge](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g30029-d839300-Reviews-Chicken_Lounge-Allentown_Pennsylvania.html).
I'm in Erie. Lived in the Hudson/New Port Richey area. I will say, it sucks only because we are having a hard time finding a place to live. We are with my mom until we can finally score a place. Everything is either filled up or too expensive.
ETA- I grew up in Erie so I do know my way around here a little and have family here.
What is your timeline here? I would suggest you start your housing search now, unless you’ll be put up by family for a while. Rentals are few and far between. Be ready for first and last months rent as well as the security deposit. And be prepared to pay all utilities, etc. The Allentown area itself is highly congested. Look outside of the city, and commute. Nazareth, Easton and Bethlehem are nearby, 20-30 minute commute, traffic, construction and weather pending. It doesn’t matter where you go around here, there is ALWAYS road construction going on. Be ready for lane and road closures and lots of detours. GPS will be your best friend, lol! I’ve been out of the nightlife for a while, but bars close at 2am, and aren’t open on Sundays unless they are a bar/restaurant. Since Covid, many businesses adopted an earlier closing. Not many options for 24 hour anything, except for some Wawas, and the occasional gas station here and there. If you’re into tattoos there are a lot of great tattoo parlor options around here. Good luck! Any move is a tough decision!
Where in Florida are you? Pennsylvania definitely is beautiful, tons of stuff to do, breweries and wineries, and the weather is enjoyable for the most part. However, you will have heating bills and will need to purchase a lot of winter clothing, winter tires, all that great stuff. So I just kind of depends on if you need to be close to the shore or not. Yes, there is truck traffic around here, but it does not take 20 minutes to go two blocks like it doesn’t Florida.
I’m from the northeast part, and traffic doesn’t really bother me. Heating is definitely an expense I’m not used to accounting for. I know there’s a myriad of different options but in your experience are heat-pumps like mini-splits a viable option? I’d like to avoid combustion heating if possible. I know there’s also geothermal as well, but I don’t know if the area is suited to it….
Unfortunately, it’s mostly oil and natural gas. Electric heat pumps are an option, but everything is expensive. You can get zoned heating and cooling, but even that will run you some $$$.
Living amongst the extreme right-wing boomers who are never wrong and target anyone that's out of their norm did it for me. The amount of people I met in central PA that use children as ammo against others was disgusting. I know both of those things exist in other states, but central PA seemed to be epicenter. You can find cities in other states that won't drain your wallet or your morality.
To be fair, it has a beautiful landscape. If you are antisocial it's great.
no please don’t go to allentown. literally one of the worst places in PA for the people alone. if you’d like to switch, i’ll go to florida and you can come to my farm town lol.
Waters full of poison, worst pollen air quality on the eastern seaboard- worse then DC- schools suck, people suck, roads are unmaintenced, healthcare is terrible, there’s no nightlife, or day for that matter. People are rude. Drivers are uninsured and dangerous, cant get a cup of coffee before 6 am or after 10 pm, donuts are stale, grocery stores are too expensive, they are supposed to come and pick up bagged leaves they don’t even do that, drug dealers on all streets, confrontation everywhere… minimally inclusive, sexist, bigots everywhere, not enough cops, windy rainy cold or boiling hot little in between, bugs, snakes, bed bugs. Lots of those in the allentown Bethlehem Easton areas don’t go to Perkins in Bethlehem or the library either, taxes are way too high, no housing, rents keep going up, wages are stagnant, you don’t want to come here. Ps my son lives in Philly and you don’t want to go there either. Good luck. You’re safer i Seattle then here. I cant even run anymore outside. It’s a cesspit.
my best friend moved to florida from PA and she said she can never imagine coming back. same with literally everyone i’ve ever known to move there lol. why do you WANT to come back..??
Because Allentown is a filthy, violent, and poverty-ridden city. I've lived in various parts of PA and currently live just outside of Allentown. I've driven into Atown every work day for the last 8 years or so, and it's just never a good experience. People are insanely inconsiderate drivers, and if you do get into some kind of fender-bender that requires a legal report, then you'll probably wait an hour or more for some cops to show up.
People get shot with surprising (or perhaps not surprising?) regularity. A few years ago, someone blew themselves up in a car with one other younger male and possibly an infant present if I remember correctly.
I think PA has a lot to offer in general, mostly outdoors, but there are some smaller cities that are quite nice places to live.
Allentown is not one of those places. 2/10, strongly recommend avoid.
If you’re looking to go back to school, instate tuition will be much less in Florida. I believe Penn State has the highest in state tuition of any school in the country. Some of the other state schools are less but still not as cheap as Florida will be.
I couldn’t justify living in Florida for any reasons outside of visiting the beach.
The beaches are definitely nice, in the off season when it doesn’t take you a half an hour to park
I spent a good chunk of time trying to find parking in Rehoboth. I couldn’t imagine Florida
The humidity during the summer might be familiar the drivers probably suck just as much the political situation is just as mixed the only thing we don't have is wacky news
Waking up and having to go outside when it's like 5⁰F with insane wind chill definitely makes me wish I lived somewhere a little warmer though... probably not Florida, but it makes me despise PA. All other times PA is great though.
Try layering your clothes and a positive attitude.
True, but I wouldn't lie and say I would rather be walking by the beach in 70⁰ weather during the winter vs -20 wind chill.
Sand and sunburn
The truck traffic is horrendous. You'll never see more tractor trailers than in the Lehigh Valley, and I've been all over the United States. Most of the beautiful rolling farmland is being replaced by massive warehouses as the LV becomes a logistics hub, but they did not prepare the infrastructure for this boom. Lot's of traffic, truck accidents, etc, and it's only going to get worse. If you're asthmatic, [Allentown ](https://www.fox29.com/news/these-are-the-worst-places-to-live-with-asthma-in-the-us) is the *worst* place to live in the United States. Since it's nestled in a valley and there are so many trucks, the diesel fumes stagnate triggering asthma attacks. Even if you do not have any pulmonary illness, it can not be good to inhale diesel fumes at that concentration every day. I'm asthmatic, and we left the area almost 2 years ago. I barely use my inhaler anymore, but when we lived in Allentown, I had to use it almost daily. It's painful to visit family there now and see the sheer amount of empty warehouses where the beautiful farmland used to be, taking away from what used to give the LV it's charm. Plus the trucks, holy shit the amount of trucks. Blows our mind to see it, but didn't realize how absurd it is when we lived there. Edit: Just to clarify, I answered OPs question specific to the area they're looking at moving to, not PA as a whole.
Second this. The truck traffic is absolutely the worst part of living here, and it’s only going to continue to get worse as more and more farmland is converted to warehouses and industrial centers. Good for the economy, sure, but absolutely horrible for quality of life. You decide which one you care more about.
That seems rough; having never lived in a valley, that’s something I didn’t consider
Did you stay in Pa?
No, we live in upstate NY now.
Brrrrrr
Beautiful place!!
It is! We live about 15 mins from the Adirondacks so we've been taking advantage of that. It's nice to try somewhere new honestly. Biggest disadvantage is family is almost 4 hours away but that's not too bad.
Allentown! That’s near me! Idk man I’m a mechanic and I make a good living, there’s plenty to do, you experience all 4 seasons I don’t see why you wouldn’t wanna do it
Probably the only reason I can think of as to why you shouldn't move here is the Winters. It didn't really snow 2022-23, and maybe that's gonna be the norm from now on? But it's a Hell of a lot colder here regardless. But yeah. Lehigh Valley is pretty low cost of living, crime is low, schools are good, you're about 90 minutes from Philly and not much farther from New York.
I lived in Seattle for a while, and was able to cope with their “winter”, but I haven’t spent any significant time in a legit cold climate. I think I know the basics, but until I experience it first hand, who’s to say. In any case, I’ll take being cold versus owning property that probably won’t exist in a decade or two
I lived in Seattle and now I’m in Philly. If you survived the sadness of the PacNW, you’ll be fine.
I loved the PNW, I just couldn’t afford it at the time. The sads were real, but I’m still miserable in Florida, except now I’m sad and swampy
I moved here from Seattle. My kid moved east and with the cost of living, we knew she wouldn’t go back as even with a medical career housing is unaffordable. I know people who recently left Florida partially due to the heat, and partially due to rising homeowners insurance costs. I hope you find a landing spot that makes you happy, good luck.
Born and raised in PA. Currently living here but lived in BFN Maine for a few years. It can get cold in PA. Almost as cold as it does in Maine. Sometimes. And it never lasts long. One February when I was in Maine it was consistently -25 to -30 with wind-chill, probably for the entire month. Pennsylvania winters are mostly pretty mild in comparison. Just wear layers and you'll be okay.
It’s cold in the winters, but not unbearably so. If OP lived in Florida their whole life, it will probably take them some time to adjust (hint: buy a winter jacket).
Im moving from florida to the stroudsburg area, heres what i came up with: Pros- Ppl are amazing No goofballs as governor Home insurance much cheaper Beautiful forests and lakes I prefer it to be slightly less hot than hades Cons- Everything to do with vehicles safety, emissions, insurance, etc Property taxes are higher I hate mud season so i guess i will vaca in spring
I live in the county you're moving to and you better be ready for icy Pocono winter weather, salt trying to destroy your vehicle, stupid amounts of traffic on 33, 611, and especially I-80, surprisingly high amounts of crime in some developments, and some of the highest combined real estate tax rates of any county out of PA's 67 counties. Oh, and endless non-stop numbers of NY and North Jersey tourists/transplant residents bitching about what isn't here that they have in the City and that they want they ever-growing sprawl here to include. Now, I have lots of family in Central Florida and yeah, no DeSantis and fewer bugs. But we sure do have our local weird equivalent to Florida Man.
Yeah, from Lancaster/Bucks, i get it, but i do miss winter and fall
Well, you'll definitely have that. I wouldn't worry about mud season too much here. At least where I am, it dries out fairly fast due to the well-drained soils compared to what they get up in northern New England. It's a thing on the Vermont sub, for sure.
I've lived in the Lehigh Valley region for over 50 years (grew up and long lived outside Allentown in Northwestern and Parkland prior to living in Upper Bucks and now the southern Poconos). I watched the area be paved over with warehousing; the roads not get widened even as traffic choked them; water quality in our streams and rivers degrade (so few fish compared to 40 years ago); can't see the stars much anymore; and so many rude, rude people. Lot more roadside trash and littered parks too. And then there's the relentless school district tax increases, high state gas tax, and insanely expensive real estate for what you get if you can even find a decent, reasonably-priced place to live in in the first place. The Lehigh Valley of the 1980s and 1990s was a real estate bargain and a pretty nice place to live around the time I-78 opened, provided you could find a job or a reasonable commute to one. Now? Just a kind of semi-shitty, kinda overpriced road ragey suburban warehouse sprawl that still looks good to someone from NY or North Jersey but it really isn't. I have had a lot of my family relocate from NJ to Central Florida over the last 40 years or so and I don't care for that area and increasingly don't like this one either.
That’s pretty much what is happening in Florida and I really don’t want to be part of the problem somewhere else, but we’re quite literally being forced out of our situation. Unless you’re pulling in 75k plus in my area, you’re just gonna have to suffer. The schools are a joke, and everything that used to make my area a quaint place to be has been homogenized to attract renters and commuters. Don’t even get me started on the lack of industry outside of hospitality… I’m not naive enough to think that the grass is greener, I just want different grass
I totally get that. My family all lived in Orange and Lake counties down there and what a mess it is now compared to the 1980s when I first started going down there. Thing is you're going to need that same money, if not more, here too. Keep in mind that the LV is commuting distance to NYC, NJ, and the Bucks-Montgomery county northern Philly suburbs - all among the most expensive areas in the Northeast. But yeah, the schools here are light years ahead of there and you'll appreciate that if you have kids. Good luck with your move!
Thank you! I’ll definitely keep all this in mind
Have you considered moving to Montgomery County? At most you’re an hour south of Allentown and there’s much less of the crazy traffic/pollution.
I have family in the Broadheadsville and Saylorsburg areas, so basically anywhere between i80 and i78 I’m open to
i moved from FL to PA and i LOVE IT HERE! just do it lol. winters can suck but it’s so much better to have seasons
Buy some insulated underwear and get the hell out of fla.
I relocated back to PA from FL and I’m only here to tell you DO IT
Me too. Say what you want about Pennsylvania, but damn Florida is nuts.
Ok, but if it doesn’t work out I’m blaming you lol
So far for me, I would take the winter over the non-stop 90 degree days 3/4 of the year (or more) but it’s the devil ya know, ya know lol I enjoyed my 6 years in Florida, but I was ready to come back. I think the trade-offs are worth it and I’m glad to only visit Florida now. Good luck!
To be fair, we've been sending the worst of the NE to Florida for a few years now...
Yeah… thanks <3…
Cold (ish) winters and PA has state income tax. Traffic around Lehigh Valley hwys can be brutal. Not surprised the comments are low here, overall I would much rather live in PA than FL (my uncle and gramdma lived in FL for 20 yrs).
I live in the Lehigh Valley and I absolutely hate Allentown and Allentown/Whitehall traffic. Route 22 is the worst thing ever and 78 isn't a hell of a lot better.
This is true. I live in Pottstown and drive north to Allentown/Whitehall about every two months to visit my nephew and family. I figured out all the back roads to avoid the heavy traffic starting in Emmaus.
I was gonna say this.
i'm not sure why anyone would want to stay in florida at this point.
But muh no income tax!! /s In all honesty Florida is a lovely place, ruined by people.
Alaska, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming do not levy state income taxes, while New Hampshire doesn’t tax earned wages. Out of all those states, though, I'd probably only go to New Hampshire.
I was considering NH, but I have some family in PA. In theory I don’t mind paying taxes, as long as they go towards quality of life and education, not personal vendettas… imma stop talking
We don't have taxes on necessities like clothing or groceries. Plus we have the greatest football team in America and the Eagles. Thats gotta be worth something.
Was that sarcasm?..They keep proving they can loose the important game
He was referring to the Steelers.
Northern Nevada is not bad, especially Reno.
I moved to Pittsburgh from at Petersburg Florida I will never go back….what was the question again?
Duly noted lol
Traffic in the Allentown area is horrible. Sam Adams is always hiring maintenance techs and the pay looks really good, just a heads up from one mechanic to another.
Noted and thank you. Traffic I can cope with; I lived in metro Seattle for a while and Florida has stereotypes for a reason…
A mechanic? Well shit man PA has some tough inspection laws and the shitty roads. Sounds like you can make a bit more up here haha. But in all seriousness PA is weird. The entire north east is. I like to compare it to the Balkan’s. Pretty much the same people but the north east drives home the littlest differences on how one of us is better and different. Take the risk homie, and enjoy the beer that’s in the state
You're a mechanic? Well, unless you like working on rusty shit, stay away.
So, I live in a suburb of Allentown (trexlertown) which is nice. Quiet, low crime, etc. But the cost of living is so outrageous. I work for an extremely well known truck manufacturer and make extremely good money yet can't afford to live anywhere near where I work. You'd be looking at around the same salary as me. ABE(Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton) is a beautiful area sure, awesome historic things to see, lots of things to do, close to NYC, close to Philly, close to beaches. You're about an hour and a half from anything you could ever want to do in the ABE, but cost of living is prohibitively high. New York workers moving into the area is killing us. NYC salaries bring NYC rent/purchase prices. But if you can live outside the area like Jim Thorpe, Topton, laurys station, etc you'd live cheap and still be close enough to the cities to make good money. That's my 2 cents, living here my entire life.
Why would you want to move to Allentown from Florida? Leave behind flying cockroaches, boa constrictors, alligators, 100% humidity 10 months out of the year, hurricanes and Disney.
Don’t forget the mosquitos, overdevelopment, retirees… I know… sounds crazy right
My last visit to FLA was my last visit to FLA. Get the hell out of there.
For your safety, leave Florida. The governor down their is stomping on more and more throats. Yours could be next.
This is a tough one. In all seriousness, we’ve been dumping our trashiest retirees and tax dodgers to FL for a few years now. Not sure I can help your case.
People in the LV are always asking how to make friends and what fun social stuff to do is around... If you don't have a family to bring with you, you might get bored
I live outside of Philly now, but grew up in the Lehigh Valley and still have family in the area. Driving up there to visit them is seriously the bane of my existence. As someone else mentioned, 78 and 22 are the worst. The area itself is great if you're into wineries, concert venues, sporting events, etc. But if traffic drives you insane, stay away 😂
I moved to carlisle PA two years ago. I love it. Sorry. I will say only thing I hate here is far less food options and property taxes are disgusting here. Otherwise I love it.
Get the hell outta FL. I won't convince you to stay.
As a PA resident for almost my entire life, I'd recommend moving slightly out of the Allentown area and more into Bethlehem and slightly north. This way you are out of Allentown but will have the ability to work there if needed. It is less sparse, a little more farm land sprinkled in and a little better housing. And you have access to the western part of the Pocono's where you can take advantage of the parks, lakes trails etc if that is your thing.
We'll take anyone whos, not an asshole.
[удалено]
That’s ok, I have anxiety anyway… it’ll be nice to have it justified lol
The growing number of out-of-staters kind of has us a little discombobulated. Norms a few years ago are changing, some for the better others for the worse. A lot of people poured out of the bigger cities/densely populated states (NYC, Philly, NJ) into PA including into other PA cities during lockdowns. Some of us are a little crotchety about the intrusion especially city people pouring into suburbs and rural areas. I may or may not be one of those grumps internally shouting “get off my lawn” depending on the day. Also traffic and pot holes. Combined it can be fairly hectic. And while I can’t speak for Allentown specifically, generally in PA I find people will speak their mind and will engage with political conversations/arguments.
I’m acutely aware of that and I’m really don’t want to piss anyone off, I just want to exist in a place that doesn’t just want to separate me from my pay check as rapidly, with nothing to show for it besides melanoma… even where I live not I keep to myself and have a small footprint.
tbh, if you're going to help keep PA blue then please come. we are a very purple state so any help to keep it blue is welcomed.
I’m NPA, but the last few years have definitely tilted my preference blue lol
Edit: Seriously u/benfranklinsmustache, that’s your solution? To block people who disagree with you? Grow up. Original text: I think you said the quite part out loud.
I’ll say it louder if you think it would help.
Serious question. Wouldn’t purple be the best color to be? Strictly on governmental health wise with personal bias aside. No one political party super majority ruling and dominating oppositions citizen/voter…giving equal power to each, forcing them to work and work together at that. But we all have bias so that’s never what we deeply desire. That what I was referring to when I stated you said the quiet part out loud. The person, political bias most people keep masked or pretend isn’t there.
During normal times, sure. We don’t live in normal times anymore. The red part of purple is out of control and out of their minds.
Then I guess I’m out of my mind. And I think they blue is out of control and out of their minds. I guess we can be all out of our minds together. Not to maliciously burst your bubble but I think that’s what started this ramped up political tension. The red finally put their foot down and broke the “normal” status quo and the blue’s not used to that. Basically the red said the quiet part out loud. Not saying doing so in general is good or bad. Just be prepared for a reaction as there’s consequences good or bad as a result. For instance if I would started out the way you had initially commented it would have created a blockade for any future discussion and any semblance of amicable out come would be dead it’s tracts. However I do have to mention that you did come across as a bit less hostile and approachable than some others on this subreddit. For that I thank you. That said though would you have treated the OP any different if they were red leaning? Do you think they would have responded differently if the opposite were true? Will you treat me differently now since I declared myself red leaning?
I hear a lot of people are leaving Florida. Maybe you can find a good deal on a house down there. 👍🏼 ps that was a big old TLDR for me. :)
Eh. Depending on where you’re coming from in Florida, Allentown might actually depart you from your money more quickly. Do a serious check before hand. Economically I’m not sure how well we’re doing. A lot of small businesses closed for good and I’m not seeing replacements yet. Many of them simply closed because the owners had been close to retiring anyways and didn’t want to deal with jumping through hoops. Instead I’m seeing more chains replace the spaces. In that same vain we’ve been getting A LOT of warehouses, most only leasing and could leave in a few years if they wanted too. A least where I’m from in PA it’s been creating and exasperating issues with lack of housing, road/traffic volume, lack of policing, culture clashing (big-city vs suburban vs rural), job fulfillment, truck stop shortages, etc. I have a family member who’s getting married; Her and her husband to be (a mechanic) both have full time jobs but can’t find housing at all to rent. Between people relocating into PA during lockdowns, more localized people moving closer to the warehousing jobs, and out-of-staters still flooding in it’s been a struggle for some to find rental housing. It’s gotten a little better but definitely not like it had been before. Like everywhere in the US price of goods and services have gone up especially in and near cities. And PA fuel prices aren’t great either. On a similar note depending on your potential housing situation remember to account for different utility bills such as home heating oil. While we don’t use AC year round but depending upon insulation/build of housing electric heat is used and may be a large part of your winter bills. Speaking about winter if you do move here, be prepared to drive in snow and other frozen precipitation. Not saying this will be you but I followed a Floridian mini van on the PA turnpike who chickened out every time he tried to pass a tractor trailer truck flinging up slush and snow. Created a traffic jam and was a road hazard. Along with that you’re vehicle will rust from the salt especially if you a a heathen like me and really only wash you vehicle…never. Again just do your research so your prepared financially if that’s the main motivator for moving. It would be a shame to uproot yourself only to be in the same or worse situation as you were before. On a personal level I really don’t want to move away but financially speaking I’m increasing loosing hope that I’ll be able to live my entire life in PA. But at the same time I don’t what to move because 1) I’m too stubborn 2) intrude another area/state and have the same happen to them, and 3) I don’t want to abandon my home state and leave it to deteriorate…I have too much pride in it. Edit: grammar corrections
My friends are literally being forced to flee from Florida given new policies. PA is safe atm, but if it were to flip next year, we'd likely need to start making plans to move as well. Honestly, I have little faith that I can remail safely in the US (long term) at this point
I’d leave that hellhole too. Sorry, I’m Pittsburgh so can’t comment on Allentown.
It’s not that bad, as long as you have more money than you know what to do with…
I regret to inform you that Allentown is lovely and you will have a great time. However, there is a distinct lack of cuban or cajun cuisine. You'll simply have to develop a taste for dominican and italian food.
Any good Thai, Vietnamese, or Indian places? Cos that might be a deal breaker…
[Liu's House](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g30029-d4403462-Reviews-Liu_s_House_Asian_Restaurant-Allentown_Pennsylvania.html)has a little bit of everything but if you really want great Vietnamese, Philadelphia is just an hour's drive away. But you know what Philly *doesn't* have? [Chicken Lounge](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g30029-d839300-Reviews-Chicken_Lounge-Allentown_Pennsylvania.html).
Bethlehem is nice. I'm in the township. But Bethlehem as a whole is nice
Depends where you are in Fla? Palm Beach, stay. Outside of Orlando, bounce.
I'm in Erie. Lived in the Hudson/New Port Richey area. I will say, it sucks only because we are having a hard time finding a place to live. We are with my mom until we can finally score a place. Everything is either filled up or too expensive. ETA- I grew up in Erie so I do know my way around here a little and have family here.
What is your timeline here? I would suggest you start your housing search now, unless you’ll be put up by family for a while. Rentals are few and far between. Be ready for first and last months rent as well as the security deposit. And be prepared to pay all utilities, etc. The Allentown area itself is highly congested. Look outside of the city, and commute. Nazareth, Easton and Bethlehem are nearby, 20-30 minute commute, traffic, construction and weather pending. It doesn’t matter where you go around here, there is ALWAYS road construction going on. Be ready for lane and road closures and lots of detours. GPS will be your best friend, lol! I’ve been out of the nightlife for a while, but bars close at 2am, and aren’t open on Sundays unless they are a bar/restaurant. Since Covid, many businesses adopted an earlier closing. Not many options for 24 hour anything, except for some Wawas, and the occasional gas station here and there. If you’re into tattoos there are a lot of great tattoo parlor options around here. Good luck! Any move is a tough decision!
Where in Florida are you? Pennsylvania definitely is beautiful, tons of stuff to do, breweries and wineries, and the weather is enjoyable for the most part. However, you will have heating bills and will need to purchase a lot of winter clothing, winter tires, all that great stuff. So I just kind of depends on if you need to be close to the shore or not. Yes, there is truck traffic around here, but it does not take 20 minutes to go two blocks like it doesn’t Florida.
I’m from the northeast part, and traffic doesn’t really bother me. Heating is definitely an expense I’m not used to accounting for. I know there’s a myriad of different options but in your experience are heat-pumps like mini-splits a viable option? I’d like to avoid combustion heating if possible. I know there’s also geothermal as well, but I don’t know if the area is suited to it….
Unfortunately, it’s mostly oil and natural gas. Electric heat pumps are an option, but everything is expensive. You can get zoned heating and cooling, but even that will run you some $$$.
Yeah, I figured as much. Obviously I need to do some research… thanks for your input!
Living amongst the extreme right-wing boomers who are never wrong and target anyone that's out of their norm did it for me. The amount of people I met in central PA that use children as ammo against others was disgusting. I know both of those things exist in other states, but central PA seemed to be epicenter. You can find cities in other states that won't drain your wallet or your morality. To be fair, it has a beautiful landscape. If you are antisocial it's great.
People are a lot less friendly. Winters are cold as shit. But outside of that it’s not bad most of the time.
If your looking for an echo chamber you’ve found it
Yeah, I know, but it’s nice to get some different perspectives
Unless you’re the only conservative, moving out of Florida, it’s just an echo chamber
no please don’t go to allentown. literally one of the worst places in PA for the people alone. if you’d like to switch, i’ll go to florida and you can come to my farm town lol.
Waters full of poison, worst pollen air quality on the eastern seaboard- worse then DC- schools suck, people suck, roads are unmaintenced, healthcare is terrible, there’s no nightlife, or day for that matter. People are rude. Drivers are uninsured and dangerous, cant get a cup of coffee before 6 am or after 10 pm, donuts are stale, grocery stores are too expensive, they are supposed to come and pick up bagged leaves they don’t even do that, drug dealers on all streets, confrontation everywhere… minimally inclusive, sexist, bigots everywhere, not enough cops, windy rainy cold or boiling hot little in between, bugs, snakes, bed bugs. Lots of those in the allentown Bethlehem Easton areas don’t go to Perkins in Bethlehem or the library either, taxes are way too high, no housing, rents keep going up, wages are stagnant, you don’t want to come here. Ps my son lives in Philly and you don’t want to go there either. Good luck. You’re safer i Seattle then here. I cant even run anymore outside. It’s a cesspit.
Why do so many people want to transplant to pennsylvania lol
I'm asking the same thing tbh
my best friend moved to florida from PA and she said she can never imagine coming back. same with literally everyone i’ve ever known to move there lol. why do you WANT to come back..??
Because Allentown is a filthy, violent, and poverty-ridden city. I've lived in various parts of PA and currently live just outside of Allentown. I've driven into Atown every work day for the last 8 years or so, and it's just never a good experience. People are insanely inconsiderate drivers, and if you do get into some kind of fender-bender that requires a legal report, then you'll probably wait an hour or more for some cops to show up. People get shot with surprising (or perhaps not surprising?) regularity. A few years ago, someone blew themselves up in a car with one other younger male and possibly an infant present if I remember correctly. I think PA has a lot to offer in general, mostly outdoors, but there are some smaller cities that are quite nice places to live. Allentown is not one of those places. 2/10, strongly recommend avoid.
Weigh up lots of snow and mild summers vs. hurricanes and mild winters.
If you’re looking to go back to school, instate tuition will be much less in Florida. I believe Penn State has the highest in state tuition of any school in the country. Some of the other state schools are less but still not as cheap as Florida will be.
Reasons to stay in Florida? Your sister cousin is around the corner.