Country Life or Suburbia?
My wife and myself are one year into our next phase of life after sending our youngest son off to college. We moved from Bucks County, PA to Sullivan County, PA in summer 2023. These areas are complete opposites of one another and people either think we are insane, or they are jealous of our decision. To give you an idea of the difference between the two counties, here are some statistics from the Census Bureau on the two areas.
Bucks County Sullivan County
Population 646,538 5,840
Median Income $105,398 $62,910
Bachelors Degree+ 43.8% 18.9%
Total Employers 19,658 158
Since I tend to have this conversation with people on a regular basis, I came up with my country life vs. suburban life comparison. What you enjoy and dislike about where you live is deeply personal and can change during different phases of your life as I have learned. I realize I am lucky to even have the choice of deciding what lifestyle to enjoy so I count my blessing every day.
Affordability: Not even close. My real estate taxes are 25% of Bucks County. Our car insurance went down $2,000 per year just by changing our address. Need a men’s haircut? Will $15 work for you. Day-to-day life is just a bit cheaper all around. Advantage: Sullivan County
Healthcare: I’ve never understood the rural healthcare crisis until I experienced it myself. Providers are few and far between with many offices focused on low-income clients with limited availability. My dentist is one hour away. We have access to the Geisinger system but still had to travel 30 minutes for a general practitioner manned by two physician’s assistants. Advantage: Bucks County
Weather:? Nine months a year of perfection. Three months of very grey and cold days. My temperatures are usually about 13 degrees cooler from southeast PA without a hint of humidity. I haven’t experienced a blizzard in Sullivan County yet that locks me in the house for days so that is a wildcard. Advantage: Sullivan County
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Housing: In Bucks County I lived in a very nice house on a postage stamp size lot. My house in Sullivan County is in a lake community with similar square footage at about 40% of the cost. I love living outside surrounded by trees and enjoying a campfire with neighbors. Advantage: Sullivan County
Culture: ?Need help at your home in Sullivan County? A neighbor is there to help. Summertime is filled with small town carnivals. ?There are absolutely friendly people in Bucks County but you are the outsider in Sullivan County if you aren’t looking to be conversational to everyone you come across. I’ll take that any day. Advantage: Sullivan County
Restaurants: I know it has become a cliché but I’m a foodie. I love to go to great restaurants and Doylestown and New Hope/Lambertville is packed with some of the best I’ve eaten at. Event day trips to Philadelphia and New York are easy trips to experience world class food. Sullivan County…not so much. Advantage: Bucks County
Education: My children are out of the school system now, but they received an incredible education and opportunities at Central Bucks School District. Sullivan County School District has fewer students in the entire district than there are in one grade of Central Bucks. It is tough to build the scale for education in small, rural districts. Advantage: Bucks County
Recreation: I’m not a Philly sports fanatic so this one was easy for me. I’m closer to Penn State. Every day I hike our lake and fish. I have beautiful hiking at some of the best parks in Pennsylvania nearby. With the reasonable prices I’m now even golfing again at Eagles Mere Country Club. I am much more active and engage with healthy lifestyle activities every day due to accessibility and affordability. Advantage: Sullivan County
Local Government: In the past ten years Bucks County evolved into the center of the universe as a swing county in a swing state. As a result, the rhetoric has become divisive as everyone fights for their tribe to be on top and push their agenda. It became exhausting and I enjoy being in an area with the temperature being turned down. Advantage: Sullivan County
Faith: I always enjoyed my relationship with Covenant Church in Doylestown. It was tough to find a church that was a fit for our family but we finally found CityChurch in Williamsport. Being a deeply personal issue, I’ve found you can find your people wherever you are and the results are what you make of it. Advantage: Push
Traffic: No explanation needed. Advantage: Sullivan County
When I was 25 years old I never thought in my life I would ever want to live back in a rural setting. Perhaps as the years go by we will become snow birds to escape the winter or find a second place to be near our children. For now, I’ll take my Sullivan County lifestyle and enjoy the happiness and reduced stress level that comes along with it.
VP/Commercial Lending Relationship Manager II at C&N
9 个月Beautiful work environment!
Retired and enjoying time to pursue personal interests and family
9 个月Steve, this looks beautiful my friend. Congrats on living out your dream. I'm sure you and yours will be very happy here out of the rat races of today. ??
Senior Vice President of Lending Services at Penn State Federal Credit Union
9 个月Enjoyed reading your post, Mark. I'm glad you've found happiness in the move you made! I grew up in the rural county of Bedford and have lived in small cities, but the best place I've found has been Centre County where we've got the advantages of both the University with culture, entertainment, a burgeoning restaurant scene, etc., while in five minutes out you can be in the country enjoying the forest, lakes, hiking, biking, etc. Sounds like you made a great choice!!
Mark, I hope to see you on the lake this summer. I caught a lot of fish, frogs, turtles, snakes, toads, and poison ivy around those woods and that lake. It's a very special place.
President/CEO at PACTOLA f/k/a Midwest Business Solutions
9 个月Mark: We bought a farm in NE Texas 3 years ago. The closest community has a population of 700. It is an event when someone comes down our road. One of the best decisions we were blesses to make.