British Ex-pat - Bangor PA (Bethlehem, Easton: houses, school district, college)

[N17]

Hi,

I am a British ex-pat, my wife I (an Irish ex-pat) have been living in the US for 6 years and are considering moving to the Bangor area. We are in our early 30's with a young family so are looking for a nice property with around 2 acres in the 450-500k price range. We currently live in northern Westchester, NY and that price range doesn't go very far here and the taxes are crazy!!

I work in Finance and need to commute to Jersey City 1-2 days a week so need to be close to I80/New Jersey. My wife is a registered nurse so we would like to live within 30 mins of a good hospital where she might get a job.

So I have a few questions about the Bangor and surrounding areas:

- is there a good sense of community and is it welcoming to outsiders? I have read some concerns in this area.
- how are the schools? We would definitely go public for elementary but would consider private for high school - how is Pius X?
- I am assuming restuarants/entertainment are probably sparse and we are looking for the rural feel but is there at least a main street with a couple bars/restuarants? If not where is the closest place for this type of thing?
- best way to commute to Jersey City (assume car) and how long would it take? Map Quest says 90mins but I would think at least 2 hours with traffic.
- I have seen some information about the possibility of the Hoboken commuter line extending out to E.Stroudsburg - does anyone know if this is actually happening and if so when?
- I know this is probably a stretch but is there any sort of British/Irish ex-pat presence anyone knows of?

Sorry for all the questions, thanks for your help!

[toobusytoday]

I'm sure you'll read or have read the other post from a recent Bangor resident. I think one of the problems with the Bangor area is that it does not get a lot of newcomers and is not known as a particularly friendly town. The school district that I live in plays Bangor in most of our sports and it's the only place where there is a fear of fighting. Years ago our mascot was beat up there. The nature and beauty may be great, but I would look at the whole picture.

Did you know that Bethlehem has a huge Celtic fest every fall? Celtic Classic Festival | 2012 Bethlehem, PA | Celtic Cultural Alliance | Highland Games and Irish Music Festival

[NEPA-x-pat]

I did my student teaching in Bangor back in the dark ages. It was in the dead of winter and trying to navigate the road from East Stroudsburg to Bangor was rough to say the least. The schools must have been modernized as the school I taught at was pretty beat. As I recall the kids were ok.

Not sure how it is today but you mentioned places to eat. Some of my old college buddies run a family restaurant in Wind Gap. Dietz's Tavern is really nice, comfortable and great food.

My cousin is a family doctor in Wind Gap and I know she loves living in the region.

My brother lives down route 33 in Nazareth. He too loves the region so there are a lot of nice places to live nearby.

[N17]

Thank you both for your feedback, I just read the other recent post you are referring to......it would seem that bangor is a "no go"!!

Any suggestions of surrounding towns that are relatively rural whilst still maintaining a sense of community, with good schools, easy access to shops/services and would be welcoming to "outsiders"?

I suppose the crux is that I would still like to be close to I-80 as I really want to keep the commute to Jersey City under 2 hours (to give you an idea my office is basically at the entrance to the Holland Tunnel)

Thanks again for taking the time to help me out!

[N17]

Actually close to I-78 would be OK too, just as long as it is within 1 1/2 - 2 hours commute to Jeraey City (not sure which is worse for traffic I-80 or I-78)

[loose cannon]

Good decision choosing not to move to Bangor. Ron Angle and his ilk need to be avoided at all cost. May I suggest West Easton?

[NEPA-x-pat]

Nazareth is a really cool little town. Consider it. There is a bus to NY that leaves from a park and ride lot nearby. There is a nice village square with a few places to shop and eat. Lots of great looking houses with all kinds of architecture. Several hospitals are in the region. Really good schools (at least my sister in law says they are. You can check them out online). Great sense of community there. Still a nice small town feel.

I think I saw earlier that your wife is of Irish origin. Take a visit to Jim Thorpe for a visit. It is about less than an hour away from Naz. Lots of Irish heritage there. There was an organization called the Molly McGuires that have a lot of history (famous and infamous) in the town.

Great place to visit, especially if you like hiking, whitewater paddling, and mountain biking.

[N17]

NEPAL x pat, thanks I will start looking around Nazareth, so far it looks nice.

Can anyone provide some insight to the commute via I-78 to Jersey City (basically to the entrance of the Holland Tunnell)? Is the traffic really crazy? I will be working from home 3-4 days a week so commuting will not be too onerous but would still like to keep it to 90 mins-2 hours max.

Thanks again to everyone, it's been very helpful.

[toobusytoday]

We drove into Manhattan two weeks ago for a tv show taping (well, my neighbor drove - I don't drive in NYC) and we were at the tunnel in just under an hour and a half and that was leaving at 7:30. Usually it's less but we did hit traffic.

[N17]

An hour and half on a weekday at 7:30am, with traffic....that's great!!