Considering a Move to Hanover/Gettysburg... Talk to me about Schools, Youth Sports and Cost of Living

[ZeroCool]

Hello all,

Wife and I are once again in discussions for moving... we've gone down this road a few times over the years but we are really, REALLY outgrowing our house. I was hot and heavy for the Harpers Ferry area a few years ago but that was a firm no from the wife after looking into schooling and youth sports opportunities. I'm now putting together a case for the Gettysburg/Hanover PA vs the Maryland area for lots of reasons I probably don't have to mention here (cheaper housing, hopefully overall lower cost of living, beautiful scenery and, uh... guns).

Getting feedback from our great members here on cost of living, public schooling and youth activities/sports compared to Maryland would be fantastic! I'm in Anne Arundel County now, for what it's worth.

We have two girls, both currently in Elementary school (one about to go to middle school). School and youth sports/activities (soccer, specifically) are a large part of of our life and we are very committed for that to continue. Our concern is less opportunity and competition for our children in PA vs MD. My guess is its a lot closer to MD in PA than it was in WV but some reassurance would be good.

I'm hoping for some feedback on the following:

• Can anyone outline the cost of living differences in those areas compared to MD? I've heard things like lots of additional taxes (school, county, etc...) in PA but I can't find a lot on the subject. Is the overall tax burden greater in PA than in MD?
• Can anyone speak to the state of Hanover and Gettysburg public schooling compared to MD?
• Can anyone speak to youth sports/activities in the area? Hoping for strong programs with good pool of competition...

As always, I truly appreciate any/all feedback.

 

[Variably1913]

I can't speak to any of your questions, but as I'm sure you know the Gettysburg area is lovely.

 

[GunBum]

My parents lived in New Oxford, PA (about halfway between Gettysburg and Hanover) after my dad retired. One of my brothers and his ex lived with them for a few years before they moved closer to York. I contemplated moving near them when I relocated to MD. Luckily I’ve gotten back out to free America. I opted for the less free MD at the time so my commute was shorter.

Taxes: Do your math. MD hits you hard, but doesn’t nickel and dime you with a bunch of little BS taxes like PA does. Don’t forget to consider the cost of car registration and inspections. The cost of houses was so much cheaper that it washes out a lot of the differences.

Schools: My opinion is that there is no big difference, or PA is going to be better. Slightly less liberal teachers. My niece and nephew seem to be decently educated. I had kids in schools in GA, AL, OR, UT, and MD (all graduated now). My opinion is that MD (Frederick County) was by far the worst of he bunch, so PA can’t be that bad.

Sports: Get prepared to do a lot of driving. There are strong competitive soccer, rugby, lacrosse, baseball, etc. However, the population is a bit more diffuse than areas closer to DC and Baltimore, practices and games might not be that close. Living in Frederick, we played teams from Gettysburg and Hannover, and they were all competitive.

General thoughts: That area of PA is very blue collar even compared to the Frednecks. You’d be surprised how many people live in PA and work in MD, so it must work. The guy who was across the street from my parents worked at the Pentagon and made the commute for 30 years before he retired a few years ago.

Don’t forget to figure in the cost of the commute. I’m not just talking about gas prices. You also need to account for an extra time and traffic. I sure as hell don’t miss my long commute and the traffic.

 

[llkoolkeg]

We live in Carroll County, MD just South of Hanover and our girls ran track and played soccer competitively. Public schools suck so ours went to Christian schools, Carroll Lutheran in Westminster and Delone Catholic in Hanover, where they received an excellent education. Delone is competitive in PIAA girls sports, defending basketball champion, good soccer, good track, good volleyball, etc. The best school recently for girls soccer is Fairfield, PA public H.S. but again, public schools suck at classical education. Education taxes are stiff in PA but we are just this side of the Mason-Dixon. Lots of good club teams for both soccer and track to augment local youth house league offerings.

 

[slsc98]

….The guy who was across the street from my parents worked at the Pentagon and made the commute for 30 years …

Whoa.

D*mn.

Wow!

 

[mtlcafan79]

My parents moved out of Annapolis to that area once they retired. Saved on retirement taxes getting out of state. Property taxes were lower, but the school taxes made up the difference to basically the point of being almost identical in the end.

 

[Tomcat]

Look at school taxes. Across the street or next door can be a different school district with a huge difference in taxes.

 

[gamer_jim]

We moved from MD to Hanover PA in 2019 and love it here. I cant write much now but feel free to PM me. Ill have a better response in a few days.

 

[135sohc]

Whoa.

D*mn.

Wow!

Know someone who made the drive from Dulles to Pax River everyday for years before retiring. It was worth it to him I guess.

 

[Mack C-85]

There were multiple van pools that ran from the Hanover/York/Gettysburg areas to Fort Meade everyday.

As had been said....The big thing to watch is the Education Taxes, each school district has it's own tax, and it can vary widely.

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[gamer_jim]

Can anyone outline the cost of living differences in those areas compared to MD? I've heard things like lots of additional taxes (school, county, etc...) in PA but I can't find a lot on the subject. Is the overall tax burden greater in PA than in MD?

We don't have kids so I'll speak to this issue.

The short answer is it is cheaper.

It's difficult to compare apples to oranges. MD's tax structure is so different than PA's. In PA the local government is a township which controls taxes and codes. I would NOT recommend living in York County Penn Twp (not to be confused with Penn Township of Chester County). Penn Twp is on the eastern side of Hanover PA and has a lot of wonky codes which are arbitrarily enforced. Unfortunately if you want a good school then South Western school district is one of the best. We have friends with kids that are in that district and they love it for their kids. The down side is we pay $4000 a year in freakin' school district taxes. School districts can levy their own taxes by a vote. This happened in Spring Grove school district where they raised it substantially one year. That said, the schools are nice and the folks we know with kids that go there say the education is good.

Other things to consider:
* We pay a 1% income tax to York County. We don't pay anything to MD. We also pay PA state income tax at a rate of 3.545%.
* Vehicle yearly safety inspections (and emissions), about $50 per vehicle
* electricity cheaper. We pay $0.06/kWh whereas in MD we were at $0.11 when we left in 2019.
* I'm on public city water and sewer about $100/month so I don't know if there is a septic tax like in MD.
* Trash in Penn Twp is $4/bag, bags are 40 gallon, usually one a week and we have mandatory recycling. Other townships have different schemes.
* gas prices are higher in PA than MD but if you commute to MD then get gas there
* it seems food and other prices are a bit lower here, I can't quantify that but it seems lower to me.
* School tax in South Western school district is high, but if you live in another district it can be much lower.
* no freakin' bottle tax or other weird taxes.
* driver's license is $50 for 4 years.
* home owner's insurance was about 1/2 of what we paid in MD and our house here is about 3x bigger.
* auto insurance in MD for 2 old vehicles was $560/mo and here for 2 newer vehicles is $414.
* natural gas is $0.41843 per therm (whatever that means)

I would say overall we are saving about $500/month here. Again, it's hard to quantify because of MD's weird tax structure. If you can live in Adams County (just west of Hanover) then they are cheaper in taxes and fewer codes.

Oh and did I mention I got my CCW less than 48 hours after dropping it in the mail?

Let me know if you have any other questions. Overall it's been a good experience for us and we're glad we moved.

 

[Mack C-85]

* We pay a 1% income tax to York County. We don't pay anything to MD. We also pay PA state income tax at a rate of 3.545%.*

Most Counties in MD have a "piggyback tax" which is figured as a percentage of your state income tax.

Does Maryland have county income tax?

Maryland's 23 counties and Baltimore City levy a local income tax which we collect on the state income tax return as a convenience for local governments. The local income tax is calculated as a percentage of your taxable income.

Specifically, counties in Maryland collect income taxes with rates ranging from 2.25% to 3.20%. Additionally, there is a statewide income tax in Maryland, with a top rate of 5.75%. These combined state and local taxes place Maryland in the top half of U.S. states for income taxes.Jan 1, 2021

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[gamer_jim]

* We pay a 1% income tax to York County. We don't pay anything to MD. We also pay PA state income tax at a rate of 3.545%.*

Most Counties in MD have a "piggyback tax" which is figured as a percentage of your state income tax.





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I don't understand what this has to do for a PA resident? I don't pay MD state nor county any taxes living in PA working in MD.

 

[Mack C-85]

I don't understand what this has to do for a PA resident? I don't pay MD state nor county any taxes living in PA working in MD.

Sorry, I read it as a comparison of living in MD vs. PA.

i.e. "MD Counties don't collect a 'County' Income Tax." Yes, they do.

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[ZeroCool]

I wanted to wholeheartedly thank everyone for their feedback. Special thanks to gamer_jim who really went above and beyond! I'm starting to learn a little more about differences in taxes between the counties as well. I appreciate you bringing up the vehicle inspection as well as that wasn't on my radar. I think both of my jeeps would pass but they havent been inspected for quite a while. How "strict" is inspections there? Every year is pretty rough for an older vehicle...

I'm just seeing housing that is what I want at a price I can afford right over the border in PA - having a real hard time finding that pretty much anywhere in MD and if I'm going to be far away from central MD then may as well go to a different state for those 2A advantages...

The look is still ongoing. I have friends in Southern Maryland so that's an option as well but I personally think my wife and kids would be happier in PA - they just don't know it yet.

 

[gamer_jim]

I wanted to wholeheartedly thank everyone for their feedback. Special thanks to gamer_jim who really went above and beyond! I'm starting to learn a little more about differences in taxes between the counties as well. I appreciate you bringing up the vehicle inspection as well as that wasn't on my radar. I think both of my jeeps would pass but they havent been inspected for quite a while. How "strict" is inspections there? Every year is pretty rough for an older vehicle...

I'm just seeing housing that is what I want at a price I can afford right over the border in PA - having a real hard time finding that pretty much anywhere in MD and if I'm going to be far away from central MD then may as well go to a different state for those 2A advantages...

The look is still ongoing. I have friends in Southern Maryland so that's an option as well but I personally think my wife and kids would be happier in PA - they just don't know it yet.

Your welcome. I consulted almost no one when we moved here so I wish I had. Hopefully some other ex-MD's will respond.

I'll stress this again: If you have a choice live in Adams County. Lower taxes and even though they require yearly vehicle safety inspection but there is no emissions. This might help keep older vehicles on the road longer. When we moved here in 2019 I had a 2008 Chevy Cobalt with 250k miles. It ran great and still getting upper 30's MPG. However the check engine light was on and they would require a fix or waiver after spending $1,200 A YEAR! worth of work on it. My mechanic said it was probably a valve and would require a few thousand to fix so I ended up trading it in for $500 on a newer car. I miss that car.