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We are thinking about moving to the Scranton Wilkes-Barre area. We live in Georgia and love Georgia, but my mom has brain cancer and is dying. My 82 year-old dad is finding it difficult to cope. They live in upstate NY, but my husband could transfer to Scranton or Pennington, NJ so we could be close enough to help my parents out. Well, we visited NJ looking for houses and decided that NJ definitely was not the right fit for us, so now we are considering NEPA. We have a 9 year-old boy we would enroll in the PA Cyber Academy, so I am not too worried about the schools. I have a few questions about the area. Are there fun things for a kid to do there? We lived in a town where there was nothing for kids and it was really hard on my son. How are the restaurants? Are the people somewhat friendly (we didn’t find the people in NJ very friendly compared to here in GA). Is the area near Marywood University a nice place to live? We prefer quiet neighborhoods. What are your favorite things about living in the area? Thanks to all those who respond!
My son goes to Marywood and will be living off campus near the school this year. My wife is not worried about her baby living off campus so that tells you it's a pretty safe area LOL. The school attracts a fairly middle class student body and it's predominantly female, and it's not a party school.
Scranton schools are in a lot of financial trouble, and I think they were taken over by the state this year. The AG may have said something about them being the "worst he's ever seen" and used some colorful language in describing the financial dealings of the school board. Something to think about as the city fathers try to figure out how to pay for the debacle without cutting their own salaries and those of their relatives in city government.
The restaurant scene is pretty decent for a small city, with sushi, Thai, Indian, and vegan readily available downtown, along with other cuisines.
Others on the forum praise other nearby towns, like Clarks Summit and Abington Heights. You might look there, too.
I can say this much right away, you'll be better in Scranton than Pennington. The Trenton area in Jersey is very crowded as is most of Jersey. New Jersey is also very expensive compared to Scranton. I'm thinking 4 to 5 times more for the same house you'll get in Scranton.
I see you are planning cyber academy for your son, one thing that is big here is school team sports. If you keep your children involved in the team sports they will keep busy and not have time for trouble. Problem being, if he is home alone he won't make those connections. There are other options for things to do such as trips to the numerous parks all summer and there are many agricultural fairs such as Bloomsburg in the late summer and early fall. I know a lot of people that like to go to the bowling alleys here in the winter and join leagues, you also have the local farm club teams playing in the Arena in Wilkes Barre which people get season tickets to. You've also got Knoebels Amusement Park and all the Mountain Skiing Resorts which most also operate water parks in the summer.
The restaurants are plentiful but mostly run of the mill, It's all good eating though. You have many options to choose from especially in the Wilkes Barre area there is just about any kind of food you would like to eat. I think in general you will find friendly helpful people, there are some posters here who will tell you everyone is backwoods and hates outsiders but that is not the experience I had coming here. Every one I have met has been nice and helpful.
If you prefer quiet neighbothoods though I would suggest your husband only work in Scranton and commute out of the valley to live. The Marywood area is very congested, just getting in and out of the area can be a real pain. The roads are not designed well in that area, there is really only one main road in, Drinker to Electric Street and it's all stop and go with traffic and lights. Houses around there are mostly single dwellings that are almost rowhome type singles and some twins. The area not too far from Marywood that you might like would be the Moscow area and it's surrounding communities. If he is willing to drive a little further you could keep going east on 84 and live around Lake Wallenpaupack. Living in the city is what it is, living in the city.
My favorite things about the area are the mountains, the nature and the beautiful places to visit year round like Lake Wallenpaupack. Just about anywhere you drive out of the valley you will find gorgeous country.
Pennington NJ is a charming small town just a few klicks north of me..it is not at all crowded and still maintains that rural feel. Beautiful well kept houses, both vintage and new..
I visit often, dine, get my hair cut there, have many close friends there.
It's close proximity to Princeton and Princeton University/RiderUniversity/ The College of New Jersey makes it a desirable place and mecca for the academic crowd.
There are about 5 well known and Nationally acclaimed private schools in the immediate area for your son..
It also is located in a most desirable commuting locale, rail to Philly and NYC..it's own exit/entrance to I-95 just minutes away.
Downside is of course the cost of living, housing and tax costs are prohibitive...but you get what you pay for.
Also, contrary to what people might think or choose to believe by media jokes about NJ, The Central NJ area is not at all crowded,
Especially in the Pennington -Hopewell area.
My family left the Wilkes Barre /Scranton area when I was 6... my Dad saw the handwriting on the wall and moved us to NJ..
I only go back to NEPA for nostalgic reasons, visiting the graves of generations of my family who settled there ...it does have a certain mystical appeal to me and others who have left it..
ButI would NEVER ever think of relocating there..
You are going to find an area that is indeed, in some areas picturesque, as Chefkey mentioned,
but you are also going to find an area depressed.. economically, socially, and with little or no intellectual stimulus.. second tier, at best dining, badly maintained roads, plus the weather is abysmal and mind deadening...
Hopewell Township/Pennington/Ewing NJ area is very upscale and very expensive. Have you checked on areas in PA near Pennington like Newtown, Solebury and Upper Makefield? All of those areas have highly rated school districts.
You haven't said anything about your housing budget and what your other requirements are. Suggest you fill out the sticky linked below.
Thanks for the tips, jtab4994. We plan to check out Clarks Summit and Abbington Heights. We have made a few stops in Clarks Summit when travelling on 81. I remember thinking it was nice. I agree with you, Chefkey that Scranton seems better than Pennington. We found the cost of living in Pennington a bit too much for what you get. We looked outside of Pennington, but weren't too impressed with NJ in general. It's just a personal preference. We felt it was overpriced for what you get, traffic was bad, many of the roads were quite terrible and there seemed to be a lot of unfriendly people compared to NEPA. I do understand that the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area is a bit depressed and that can be a turn off to some people, however, the mountains, parks, lakes and friendly people make it more appealing to us than NJ. I appreciate all the suggestions. They are very helpful.
Thanks for the reply, mr.magoo. We are looking to relocate for only about two years and we will not be selling the home we currently own. While Pennington, NJ is a charming town, we just didn't feel like NJ was the place for us. Both of our visits there had us frustrated. It seemed overpriced for what you get. Maybe we have been spoiled by the lower cost of living and newer homes where we live. At any rate, the real estate agents and others we dealt with were quite rude, by our standards, and many of the towns within commuting distance seemed sketchy at night. While I agree with you that the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area is quite depressed, it is closer to my parent's home (about a two hour drive, I think), the people seem much more down-to-earth and the prices seem more reasonable. I am curious how you, as both an insider and an outsider of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, would describe the people there?
Hi Wells5. I agree with you that the Hopewell Township/Pennington/Ewing NJ area is expensive, as is much of Bucks County. Since my husband's salary will be the same in Pennington or Scranton, it seems like moving to NJ would almost seem like taking a pay cut because the cost of buying a home and the taxes are so much more expensive. My parents live near Syracuse, NY, so the drive from Scranton wouldn't be that bad. We will be taking a trip up there in a few weeks to look around, so suggestions of quiet places to live in the area are much appreciated. We haven't decided if we should rent a home or buy at this point.
As others have mentioned you have the Clarks Summit area pretty close from Scranton, Abington Heights is pretty much an extension of Clarks Summit and there is the smaller yet nice section of the area called Chinchilla. It's all not very far from Lackawanna State Park which is a nice park to fish or picnic at, you can also kayak there and use other small boats that are allowed an electric motor. There is also a pool if you like to swim.
I mentioned the Wayne County area in my post when I wrote about Moscow and Lake Wallenpaupack. Lots of parks in that area, Gouldsboro State Park, Tobyhanna State Park, and Promised Land which is my favorite in the area. You can get a cabin along the water there and it is just beautiful. Lake Wallenpaupack looks like the ocean it is so big, the only downside being that it is mostly private lake front for homeowners, you have one public area near Wilsonville which we visit sometimes just to walk the water and it is immense in it's size and beauty. You could of course buy into the area by buying into to a place like Lake Wallenpaupack estates and having a boat slip.
If you got a place in Waymart you would be even closer to 81 which would get you up to Syracuse faster for visits. Waymart is small but it is around everything in that area and you have another park you could frequent close by called Prompton State Park. If you like going to the Zoo you also have Claws and Paws Animal Park nearby in Hamlin, PA if you stay closer to the Moscow area.
Another option is hopping on 380 south from Scranton and going to the Tobyhanna/ Mt Pocono area but that area is getting a little messy with a lot of migrant influx from the NY/NJ area. Still a nice area in general though I would just avoid the Pocono HOA communities as most them are scamming just to get you in and pay their monthly fees. You are stuck in those communities and the HOA acts like they own your property, you have all sorts of rules to follow and even though you own it is like you are renting because you need permission to do anything. If you buy a single in this area though the commute down 380 is easy and the area is nice.
Thanks for the reply, mr.magoo. We are looking to relocate for only about two years and we will not be selling the home we currently own. While Pennington, NJ is a charming town, we just didn't feel like NJ was the place for us. Both of our visits there had us frustrated. It seemed overpriced for what you get. Maybe we have been spoiled by the lower cost of living and newer homes where we live. At any rate, the real estate agents and others we dealt with were quite rude, by our standards, and many of the towns within commuting distance seemed sketchy at night. While I agree with you that the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area is quite depressed, it is closer to my parent's home (about a two hour drive, I think), the people seem much more down-to-earth and the prices seem more reasonable. I am curious how you, as both an insider and an outsider of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, would describe the people there?
I agree with you 100% about the people of WB and Scranton being much more friendlier than Jersey peeps.
But, I am referring to old time generational families of the area.
What I think what you are going to find is a great deal of the current denizens WB/S are NY/NJ transplants and they bring their attitudes and mores with them.
Yes, a good deal of Pennington/ Princeton area people are snobby and rude..some of that attitude is from living a privileged lifestye for generations, but there are also MANY North Jersey/NY transplants living in that area too, they came down in droves and moved into McMansions when all the prime farmland was sold off to developers starting in the early 197Os.
It is my humble assessment that the transplants snobby attitudes are borne out of insecurities that they are not quite up to snuff with the old time families/Gentry of that area.
Plus, anyone who has dealt with a NY /North Jersey individual can attest to the fact that they ( some but not all) can be somewhat pushy and rude..It stems from ( again my personal assessment and experience) of them having lived a highly competitive and fast pace of life.
I def agree with you about getting more bang for your buck in the WB Scranton area Real Estate wise.
I also would like to wish you the best of luck in your endeavors.
Last edited by mr.magoo; 06-02-2018 at 07:07 AM..
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