Pocono area: internet research, demographic & school information, growing exponentially, traffic

sukihaido · 10-16-2007, 06:20 PM

We may be relocating to the Pocono area from Pittsburgh and I've been doing as much internet research as possible. City-data seems to give more honest perspective of the area versus all the demographic & school information provided on real estate websites. However we will be visiting this weekend to see for ourselves. We will be meeting with an agent to view houses in Tannersville. Any feedback on the town? Also, another very important concern is the school district. From what I've read from many posts, Pocono Mountain SD appears to be growing exponentially as well as attracting some "undesirables". (I have 4 young children (7,6,4,5mo) and obviously want the best for them.) How are the schools/teachers? Their have been some fair reviews about PMSD but should we consider private school or other towns to consider?

karen_s · 10-17-2007, 05:16 AM

My in-laws live near Tannersville and have since the early 1980s. They have a beautiful home in a very nice location. However, they are becoming aggravated with quality of life issues, especially oppressive traffic during rush hours and weekends. If you are considering moving here, try to visit in December when Camelback is letting out and the Crossings are overrun with shoppers and buses - that will give you an accurate picture of what the Tannersville area traffic can be.

I commented in another post recently that my husband actually attended Pocono Mountain in the 80s. I would not want my children in that school system now, although Tannersville is Pocono Mountain East and not the much less desirable west. There are both Catholic and Christian school options in the the Poconos as well. The elementary schools are better than the high school IMO. One of the huge problems with the older kids is the lack of supervision by many parents who commute. There are kids home alone next to my in-laws for 3-4 hrs after school each day. Much of this area is rural and it's not like the kids can just walk down the road to the park or library either.

I wish you lots of luck with your decision. It definitely will be a contrast to Pittsburgh!

sukihaido · 10-17-2007, 11:42 AM

karen_s -

THANKS so much for the info. Smart idea to check it out in the winter. We're not sold on Tannersville but found a nice house in a nice development. Plus my hubby likes the thought of Camelback being in the backyard...until he experiences the traffic. Right now we live in a very "Mayberry" development which I LOVE and will miss but hope to find something similar in NEPA.

My husband is in sales and would work NEPA and I'm one of those stay at home uber-moms thats involved in everything from PTO to charities. We're very open to other locations - I definitely don't want to rush into finding the "perfect" home for my family. Like I said - Poconos was highly recommended to us. We've heard good things about the North Pocono school system and even the Abington Heights SD just outside of Scranton. Might be looking west of the Pocono area too.

bucs · 10-18-2007, 01:50 PM

Take a good look at the area before you commit to a house. Despite how the area looks on the map, it is no longer rural small town Mayberry. Most of the people who relocate here come from New Jersey and New York, and the area is becoming more diverse. As you head west of Monroe County you get more rural, but you are at a higher elevation and get more snow. It is pretty here no matter what time of year. If you like urban subdivisions you may try the Nazareth area. You can take a look at Stroudsburg as it has the only real downtown in Monroe County. Don't be pressured into buying if you would feel more comfortable renting for awhile and taking your time to look at different areas.

pocono pal · 10-20-2007, 08:57 AM

I moved here 3 years ago from Bucks County, The Bristol Township School District to be exact and my kids thrived in the Pocono Mountain School District. The negative comments you will hear are from the local yocals who have been here since Opie went to school here and it was more like Mayberry but all in all the schools seem great. What you are gonna notice about the school rankings etc.. are that they are not up there with North Pocono and say Pleasant Valley because the large influx of city folk are setting up camp inside of the Pocono School District because of the quick access to I-80 and the cities. So along with that you will have kids going to school without breakfast, a lot more broken home situations and social problems like that that are going to reflect hard on the schools numbers but I have had great experiences with the teachers and administrators from this school district. As far as caring for the kids they are superior!

sukihaido · 10-20-2007, 04:49 PM

Pocono Rick-
THANK you for your feedback on the Pocono Mountain School District. Its encouraging to hear some good things! We just spent most of the day with a real estate agent and saw so many lovely homes. I guess the best assessment will be a personal visit to the schools.

A few weeks ago the TODAY show aired a segment about the Decatur, AL schools. A real estate maven made a comment that the houses in that area were big, beautiful and affordable but the schools were poor. Citizens from that community were in an uproar because the test scores, data & other documented statistics did not show the level of teaching, extra curricular activities nor the pride, passion & participation from the community.

Anyway, we really like the Pocono area and I'm sure we'll be comfortable making our new home here. As long as we stay committed to our kids education they will do fine in any school district.