Submitted by travelresearch t3_10z84n8 in Pennsylvania
Hey all!
My father is a senior on a limited income. We are looking about a 2 hour radius from our NJ home.
We came across the town of Pottsville that has some nice homes at ridiculously cheap prices. Can anyone tell me anything about the town?
Is it safe? Are there enough groceries stores nearby?
Any info or experience would be appreciated!
Thanks
The old Pottsville hospital is now run by LVHN and it’s improved. Also a new hospital on 61 by orwigburg is Geisinger St. Luke’s partnership.
I know about those and you're right - that's all true.
What I meant was regarding high-quality geriatric emergency care for an elderly person being moved into a town by out-of-state relatives with no family or friends in the area. They're living alone and in the event of a major medical crisis, having to be transported to the LVH or St. Luke's in the Lehigh Valley, etc.
>What I meant was regarding high-quality geriatric emergency care for an elderly person
Pottsville Hospital does not care where he moved from. They will provide the care he needs. Lots of old people in that part of Skook.
Thank you. Healthcare is definitely important. But the mining info is also very interesting!
If buying a house there, do due diligence on its age, quality of original construction and any subsequent renovations. Get a good home inspector. A lot of Coal Region towns have poorly-documented abandoned 19th century coal mine tunnels under them which as the timbers collapse can cause subsidence so proper insurance is important.
If renting, make sure it's maintained to safe standards by a reputable local landlord. Plenty of instances of our-of-town or out-of-state slumlords out there.
Finally pay attention to the immediate neighbors and the condition of their properties. Often fires break out and due to poor construction practices and non-existent fire code back in the day, an entire row of houses can go up just like that.
None of this is meant to scare you out of doing this but not many people move INTO the Coal Region. Traditionally, people like my great-grandfather have always tried to get OUT, lol.
Good luck with your Dad.
Lehigh Valley Health has a hospital nearby and so does Geisinger-St Luke's in Orwigsburg. Additionally there are multiple family practice clinics that are used to catering to geriatric patients. Healthcare availability has improved in that area outside of urgent care. I work for Geisinger and we had to close our UC and the MedExpress that was there closed awhile back too.
Look up the property tax and county tax. My brother moved to a few places in Pennsylvania that seemed to be cheap until utilities and taxes factored in. Lookup the county website and find the tax collector.
Electricity prices has really gone up in the state.
Skooks gonna skook
The amount of people addicted to drugs there is beyond normal. Meth, fentanyl, prescription, etc.
[removed]
Pottsville and the areas between it and places like Hamburg and the Reading suburbs are slowly coming up to speed.
Pottsville itself just had its two hospitals taken over by Lehigh Valley in the last couple years, so the quality of services there and at other offices in the area have increased a bit. There is also a brand-new St.Luke’s hospital that opened last year on route 61 between Pottsville and Orwigsburg.
Pottsville is deceptively large and has different neighborhoods. Not many homeowners actually live in the downtown area; most of the “city” homes are in the blocks that run up from the main drag on Centre Street.
There are a handful of local business owners who have hosted a spate of new restaurants downtown in the last 5ish years, and Yuengling is in the process of handing the reins down from Dick to his daughters, and they are hosting more and more events and becoming more involved in the community.
For someone older not looking for a big scene or anything, it’s really not a bad place. In my opinion, Pottsville is on the edge right now of which way it might go. Plenty of community really steering it in good directions, but also lots of county seat and “city” problems that the local government needs to adapt to quickly.
Pottsville and Orwigsburg would be the only two places in Schuylkill County I would want to live if having access to more modern services is at all important to you.
If the real estate prices are low, check out the property taxes, they might be high.
I live in the next county over and having driven through/eaten at restaurants/gone to state parks near Pottsville, it seems nice enough! It kind of has miniature-Pittsburgh vibes. The town center is fairly dense/urbanized
That’s great to hear, thanks!
Pottsville Hospital is across the street from Yuengling.
It is not.
I appreciate the links!
For someone older it should be ok. The population in these parts, even more so than the rest of America, is old. It’s hard to find decent work so young people don’t have much of a choice other than deal with it or leave. It’s a little nicer than places like Shamokin or Sunbury. I lived in Upper Dauphin for a few years I liked it much better. That’s more of a rural area though.
While I'm from north-of-the-mountain (thus considering all of Pottsville a hated rival), he'll be fine. Depending on what part of town he's in, there'll be plenty of shopping, and should be enough to do nearby that he can stay entertained. In the coming years, I think that this might prove useful to the seniors who are in a position to take classes there:
https://www.alvernia.edu/Pottsville
Good luck!
Do not under any circumstances move to Pottsville, or anywhere else in Schuylkill County.
?
[deleted]
Can u be specific about what makes it a shit hole? .
[deleted]
You're viewpoint is helpful
It sounds awesome.
Curious. Where would say is great?
For a pensioner, perfect. Quiet, cheap, enough pizazz for a retiree.
I love that description! Thank you!
The Cabella's down the road in Hamburg brought in some big convinces to Pottsville - Lowes, Walmart, Aldi's, restaurants, etc.
Pottsville is home to the original Yuengling brewery, which is kind if my Graceland 😀
I do love Yuengling!
[removed]
Cost of living is low, but access to decent healthcare is lacking. I wouldn’t suggest it for your dad.
Having good doctors and hospitals is a good point. Thank you
I live in Schuylkill County and have senior parents in Schuylkill County and regularly drive them to Allentown and Bethlehem for specialists as I also have to do for myself. If your father doesn’t have any family nearby, don’t let him move here.
Many of my older relatives were born and died in Pottsville Hospital, most of them older than 85. Pottsville is affiliated with LVHC.
Bigger question is what support system will your dad have in Pottsville? 2 hours is a long drive during an emergency. Does he have family here? Friends?
The cost of living is low because you get what you pay for.
There is absolutely no reason for anyone to move to the coal region.
The coal region is also perpetually about 30 years behind in just about everything urban areas offer.
Thinking about when a Buffalo Wild Wings opened in Selinsgrove and people lined up around the building for weeks.
Look up the property tax and county tax. My brother moved to a few places in Pennsylvania that seemed to be cheap until utilities and taxes factored in. Lookup the county website and find the tax collector.
Electricity prices has really gone up in the state.
My husband’s grandmother was born in one of those miner houses in Pottsville, lived her entire life there. She lived her last 12 years at Providence Place, which is a really nice assisted living place. She loved it. Gramma’s Restaurant was her favorite place on earth. Whenever we spent time with her, it felt like everyone knew everyone. That could just be because she lived there for almost 100 years, but it had a very small town vibe to it.
That being said, the hospital could only do so much for her husband, which was frustrating because they didn’t have family there to easily get them to a better hospital for frequent treatments & follow ups, etc. (we’re all in Philly area).
There’s a lot to do when you visit - big public pool, lots of hiking, kayaking, etc. Your dad might like that, too, if he’s an active senior.
Pottsville is more than 2 hours from NJ.
Maybe look at the Hazelton area, which is not far off I-80.
Thanks for the suggestion! I’m on the border of NJ/PA so Waze says it’s only about 1.5 hours actually! But, closer is definitely better
Look up the property tax and county tax. My brother moved to a few places in Pennsylvania that seemed to be cheap until utilities and taxes factored in. Lookup the county website and find the tax collector.
Electricity prices has really gone up in the state.
Look up the property tax and county tax. My brother moved to a few places in Pennsylvania that seemed to be cheap until utilities and taxes factored in. Lookup the county website and find the tax collector.
Electricity prices has really gone up in the state.
[removed]
[removed]
Allemaengel t1_j82b6f6 wrote
I grew up and still live not that far from there and yes, Pottsville looks better than it used to in the 1970s and 1980s. So for some people it's going to be intriguing due to it's affordability.
However, I think at least a minor concern is that if Dad has any kind of major medical emergency, he's not likely to get too-quality medical care super quick there compared to what you might be used to in NJ.
Also the housing is cheap because a lot of it's basically hundred-plus year old miner housing with rickety frame construction, several layers of crappy siding put on over the years, crumbling foundations, outdated electrical, bad plumbing/HVAC, asbestos, old roof, etc.
The Skook's gonna Skook, lol.