Wellsboro/Mansfield/Tioga County (Scranton, Sayre: real estate, sex offenders, crime)

[strooby]

Hi...Hope someone can give me some information regarding Wellsboro/Mansfield area. From their websites seems to be a lot to do around there. (parks, skiing, horseback riding, etc.)

I am leaning towards moving to Wellsboro. Seems to be the town I am looking for. Small but has all the places you need to survive i.e. grocery store, movie theater, hardware storem, hospital/medical facilities etc. I also like the fact that Mansfield University is just down the road a bit. (I would like to get my degree in teaching)

Are the residents open to outsiders? I would like to be accepted. Unlike where I live now. I have lived here 5 years and none of neighbors seem to be very friendly. I really want a town where people are friendly and welcoming and truly want to know their neighbor. Where you walk down Main Street and recognize someone and stop to chat. A sense of community.

How is the high school? I can't seem to find a school "report card" on the high school.

I'm sure it gets cold and a lot of snow. I don't mind that too much, I had to deal with it as a kid.

Ok, so if you have any information about this area I would really appreciate hearing about it. Pros/Cons. I do plan on taking a trip up there this summer.

Thanks in advance for the info.

[strooby]

Does anyone know anything about Tioga County? Everybody seems to talk about Scranton area. I know all about the Scranton area. I have family who live there... it is a very nice area, but it too built up for me. I know Tioga County is a rural area. Has anyone visited this area and can give me information?

I currently live in Florida and to be completely honest it sucks down here. People are rude, the weather sucks. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The biggest problem with MS is heat can do a number on you. I can't deal with the heat down here.

Stress is not good either. To get places down here takes at least 20 minutes with traffic, maybe longer. I don't want to deal with the traffic, but I also don't want to be totally cut off. Hurry up and wait! That's what is like down here.

Wellsboro seems like a decent size town. Mansfield is only about 15 minutes away and has an University and more shops etc.

What I don't know is what are the people like? How are the schools? Cost of living? Anything information, please!

If you could suggest similiar towns to what I described would be great too! Please, help me get the heck out of Florida!!!

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.

[openless]

wellsboro is a small town population about 3500. it is very nice and has broad tree lined streets. it has a few chain stores (verizon, weis, mcdonalds) and then lots of independent stores, clothes, hardware, etc. the penn wells hotel is located there, the wellsboro diner, the native bagel, gas light inn and a great chinese place. a few banks, a post office and about 6 protestant churches. it is very beautiful if you like small towns, a lot of people end up retiring there and calling it home. check www.pennoakrealty.com for local home info, they have a lot of stuff thats not on realtor.com, and theyre friendly. a lot of people commute for jobs, some to williamsport, corning, elmira or towanda. you casically have to commute for any career oriented jobs. if you need a local job for smaller pay you could get one. mansfield is nice, the university has about 3K people go there, that really helps the town. it has leonard harrison sp, colton point sp, hills creek sp, little pine and a few otehrs. hunting and fishing are very popular in that area. i dont know much else about the schools but you can see kids walking down the street by themselves it seems safe. there is just like any other town in america s small drug problem. i dont know about any other crime, but that is a big area for meth lab siezures. thats not something you'd have to worry about if you dont mess with that stuff, but it helps to know.

[SisterSue]

Tioga County PA is an absolutely gorgeous place to live. The people are like people anywhere--some are friendly and some are just downright rude. Tourism is probably at the top of the list for revenue in the area. Needless to say the community especially Wellsboro is geared for tourists. Jobs are available especially in the summer but as with most communities with tourism at their heart these jobs are minimum wage at best. In the last few years several major businesses have closed sending the unemployment rate skyrocketing. Locals say this may hover around 11% which is of course accounting for those who are no longer officially counted but are still unemployed.With highway 15 courses through the county giving you access to major metropolitan areas so you can satisfy any craving you may have for a faster paced life. Life north of 80 is in my opinion simpler and more laidback. Change comes slow to this part of the world but it does come. More and more retirees are moving into the area because of the lower cost of living. And of course there are the people living south of 80 who summer in the area. Mansfield University located in Mansfield is the economic backbone of the community. The gown/town relationship is good. You will find many activities at the university open to local residents. Mansfield is known nationwide for their music program so if you enjoy awesome musical performances for a bargain this is the place! Now for the negative. Snow and cold are major issues even with global warming. If you need medical care for any reason there are hospitals in the area but lets just say you might want to use them for minor emergencies only. Crime. With the high unemployment and the ability to "hide" in the hills the area a state trooper told me a couple of years ago child abuse is high as are the numbers of sex offenders who move here from down state so they can hide. Production of meth is was also an issue a couple of years ago because of the rural nature. Will people accept you? I don't know the type of person you are but you might or might not find your niche. In all the area is my home and I love it with all its warts!

[jenn16929]

I dont know if you are looking for this info anymore or not but I lived in Tioga county for 24 yrs. My high school was a rival with the wellsboro school. Wellsboro and Mansfield are very high priced for real estate. It is the prettiest place on earth in my opinion and I have lived in all 4 corners of the US. I am planning to return here myself this year. My parents own a home in wellsboro and I graduated from mansfield university. The snow is ridicuous and the roads are bad in the winter. Summer is hot and muggy! Crime is about zero compared to any cities. There isnt much to do in these towns though. You have to go out of town if you want more than a bar. You can ride horse if you own one and some land. This is why drugs and drinking become a problem for teenagers, because there is little else to do. People arent any more friendly or rude than most places. The high school is good, safe, good program, good kids. I am a teacher by the way. Both towns have a college and are similar. Mansfield university and the town were never connected when I went there...they didnt mix. People needed the university for income for the town but resented students who went there. MU is a good school though. Its on a hill that will kill you to walk on and in the winter you lose your breath because its so cold up there. You can feel safe walking the streets though and that counts for a lot.

[Chad2002]

I live up here too and enjoy it very much. Wellsboro is very nice, but touristy. People are very nice and it's incredibly safe. Yes, there has been the meth lab issue, but it doesn't affect the people who live here in a direct way unless you intend to use. Much of the production seems to be tied to people from outside the region or ends up getting exported. Welcoming...I guess that depends, there are many people from NJ who've purchased homes here that have turned many locals sour toward newcomers, but that's only if you're the type that's condescending or complains about not having this, that or the other that you're used to living in ABC urban area. Otherwise, you'll find people to be very warm and helpful. Your MS has me concerned about living in Wellsboro. If I had a recurring medical condition that needed specialists, I would prefer to live closer to Elmira, NY (Arnot Health is very good), or east of Mansfield, say in Troy, which puts you within 1/2 hour of Elmira or Sayre, where Guthrie Healthcare is located, which was ranked very high nationally recently. Real estate is more expensive around Wellsboro and Mansfield compared to elsewhere in the Northern Tier, but compared to FL, it will all seem like a bargain.

[bobisjim]

The real estate prices and property taxes are high for the area. But they are lower than really any metro area. Wellsboro is a very safe town, if a burglary happens, which they rarely do, the whole town knows. You can leave your home unlocked, car unlocked, walk down the street and people will say hello. The town is relatively autocratic, but not in a bad way, the "town elders", zoning people try to keep the town very local, not really that many chain stores.

[sirron]

About ten years ago we took a trip down route 6 and stayed in Wellsboro for a couple of nights. Yes, it is very beautiful, and folks all seemed very friendly. We walked into a small local bar and were treated like old friends. It is a very pristine and relaxing atmosphere. I can't wait to take a long weekend up there again.