Finding the Best Places to Retire Since 2006!
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
In the Bucolic Cumberland Valley of Southesastern Pennsylvania, Sleepy Mechanicsburg Has a Quaint Downtown, a Popular Street Fair and Tidy Neighborhoods
Sleepy Mechanicsburg is in the Cumberland Valley, an agricultural region, just west of Harrisburg, the state capital, and the Susquehanna River in southeastern Pennsylvania. It is a sturdy place, dating from 1807.
The quaint downtown has narrow streets lined with historic brick and clapboard buildings that house restaurants, boutiques, hardware shores, barbers, bookstore and the like. First Friday and Jubilee Days, which is one of the longest running street fairs on the East Coast, are held here each year. The Mechanicsburg Art Center is both a school and a gallery, and the Perfect 5th Musical Arts Center holds classes and concerts. The 1801 Frankeberger Tavern, which has a headless ghost, and the 1863 Station Master's House are two of the buildings preserved by the Mechanicsburg Museum Association. Paulus Farm Market has fresh produce, bakery goods and more. The Mechanicsburg Trees and Trails Environmental Center has a garden, an amphitheater, hiking and biking trails, as well as a bird watching blind.
Neighborhoods are well-kept with mostly brick Cape Cods, ranch ramblers, raised ranch ramblers and more. Residents also enjoy some very good, casual bistros and grilles. Area attractions include golf courses and a speedway. McCormick Park has creek access for kayakers and waders. The Appalachian Trail passes through nearby Boiling Springs.
Population: 9,500 (city proper)
Age 45 or Better: 42%
Cost of Living: 5% below the national average
Median Home Price: $375,000
Climate: This area has hot, humid summers and cold winters. Summer temperatures are in the 80s and 90s, and winter temperatures are in the 20s, 30s and 40s. On average, the area receives 40 inches of rain and 26 inches of snow per year.
At Least One Hospital Accepts Medicare Patients? No, but Holy Spirit Hospital is five miles away in Camp Hill and accepts Medicare patients.
At Least One Hospital Accredited by Joint Commission? No, but Holy Spirit Hospital is five miles away in Camp Hill and is accredited.
Public Transit: The county has an on-demand service
Crime Rate: Meets the national average
Public Library: Yes
Political Leanings: Conservative
College Educated: 31%
Is Pennsylvania Considered Tax Friendly for Retirement? Yes
Cons: None
Notes: Mechanicsburg is named after early workers who made Conestoga wagons and has maintained its population during the last decade. Harrisburg is just eight miles away. Home prices have dropped 2% since last year.
Recommended as a Retirement Spot? Yes
Pennsylvania:
Established by William Penn as a sanctuary for Quakers, the Keystone State was the site of two Continental Congresses. The Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution became products of the second congress in 1775. Pennsylvania also played a decisive role in the American Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg gave General Meade with a key win and put an end to the South's Northern Invasion.
The Appalachian mountains are Pennsylvania's backbone. The state has 140 miles of shoreline along Lake Erie and the Delaware Estuary. Five regions - the Allegheny Plateau, the Ridge and Valley, the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the Piedmont, and the Erie Plain - help provide a diversity of landscape and climate. Although Philadelphia, the state's most populous city, may experience some subtropical temperatures, the rest of the state can experience cold winters.
Pennsylvania's economy is one of the largest in the country and the world. It's a leading coal producer and the only state to mine anthracite. Fortune 500 companies based in Pittsburgh include U.S. Steel, PPG Industries, and H.J. Heinz. Locomotives for GE Transportation Systems are assembled in Erie. Mushrooms, apples, and Christmas trees are a few of the state's agricultural products.
Although it was the second state to enter the Union on December 12, 1787, Pennsylvania has recorded a large list of firsts. Betsy Ross made the first American flag in Philadelphia. Philadelphia is also the birthplace of the nation's first zoo. Titusville claims the world's first oil well.
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