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Hello again my friends in the Garden State! Due to the continued scarcity of skilled employment opportunities here in Scranton, I'll likely be forced to commute after college graduation from Scranton into NJ for work. I've been looking at a few opportunities currently available in Morristown. I'd likely be taking I-80 East into NJ, and then exiting somewhere around Exit 39 onto Route 53 South into the Morristown area. I know the commute from Scranton the the NJ border will take me just under an hour, but how long do you fine folks think it will take to get from the Delaware River to Morristown? Another hour it seems? If so, then a two hour commute back and forth to work honestly isn't going to be too terrible. However, I may be understating the congestion issues in NJ---Just how terrible IS the rush-hour traffic on I-80 Eastbound between Lake Hopatcong and the Morristown area? Does two hours from the Scranton area to the Morristown area sound reasonably accurate?
I know people are going to think I'm crazy for commuting four hours each day to work, but when you cherish your hometown but aren't able to locate suitable employment opportunities (that pay competitively with similarly-sized, similarly-priced metropolitan areas in other parts of the state and nation), then sometimes you have to just grin and bear it! Hopefully, I'll be able to bank enough money from my NJ salary at some point to be able to head back to Scranton to open my own downtown CPA practice, so this Scranton-NJ commute should last ten years or less. Does two hours sound about right to y'all? Thanks!
You're probably not too far off. The big factors really are the time you're on the road, and the weather. 80 flows fairly well until around 7, then it can get kinda ugly. 80 can also be very sloppy and trecherous (sp) when there's snow, especially when it's that wet, icy, sloppy snowfall. That could easily add an hour or two to your commute.
You've also got to factor in sunglare, as you're traveling East in the am, and West in the pm, staring into the sun both ways. At some times of the year it's worse than others, as the sunrise/sunset times vary.
Have you considered the wear and tear on your car? You're going to be putting roughly 150 miles a day on, which is around 3,000 miles a month. Figure on an oil change every month, tires once a year, and a hefty gas bill. And lets hope that you aren't leasing, as you'll obviously be exceeding the mileage limits.....lol.
You're probably not too far off. The big factors really are the time you're on the road, and the weather. 80 flows fairly well until around 7, then it can get kinda ugly. 80 can also be very sloppy and trecherous (sp) when there's snow, especially when it's that wet, icy, sloppy snowfall. That could easily add an hour or two to your commute.
You've also got to factor in sunglare, as you're traveling East in the am, and West in the pm, staring into the sun both ways. At some times of the year it's worse than others, as the sunrise/sunset times vary.
Have you considered the wear and tear on your car? You're going to be putting roughly 150 miles a day on, which is around 3,000 miles a month. Figure on an oil change every month, tires once a year, and a hefty gas bill. And lets hope that you aren't leasing, as you'll obviously be exceeding the mileage limits.....lol.
Best of luck,
Bob
Thanks Bob for your thorough information! Actually, I've just heard some promising news out of the Poconos. "Wall Street West" is finally coming to fruition; the first firm will be opening in East Stroudsburg in mid-2007 with more to follow, eventually employing 18,000 people! For those of you who don't already know, Manhattan-based firms have been encouraged to branch out to at least one satellite location between 50 and 125 or so miles of NYC so that our nation's economy can continue to run smoothly for if and (when?) NYC gets smacked again by another terrorist attack; the Poconos fit this bill perfectly, and the location right along I-80 is hard to rival. I can just picture myself driving under an hour each way between Scranton and Pricewaterhouse or Citigroup in Monroe County vs. that treacherous two-hour commute I was dreading into Central NJ.
Last edited by SteelCityRising; 10-10-2006 at 09:26 PM..
Reason: Typo
Hello again my friends in the Garden State! Due to the continued scarcity of skilled employment opportunities here in Scranton, I'll likely be forced to commute after college graduation from Scranton into NJ for work. I've been looking at a few opportunities currently available in Morristown. I'd likely be taking I-80 East into NJ, and then exiting somewhere around Exit 39 onto Route 53 South into the Morristown area. I know the commute from Scranton the the NJ border will take me just under an hour, but how long do you fine folks think it will take to get from the Delaware River to Morristown? Another hour it seems? If so, then a two hour commute back and forth to work honestly isn't going to be too terrible. However, I may be understating the congestion issues in NJ---Just how terrible IS the rush-hour traffic on I-80 Eastbound between Lake Hopatcong and the Morristown area? Does two hours from the Scranton area to the Morristown area sound reasonably accurate?
I know people are going to think I'm crazy for commuting four hours each day to work, but when you cherish your hometown but aren't able to locate suitable employment opportunities (that pay competitively with similarly-sized, similarly-priced metropolitan areas in other parts of the state and nation), then sometimes you have to just grin and bear it! Hopefully, I'll be able to bank enough money from my NJ salary at some point to be able to head back to Scranton to open my own downtown CPA practice, so this Scranton-NJ commute should last ten years or less. Does two hours sound about right to y'all? Thanks!
The ride during rush hour, both in the morning and night on Route 80 East and West respectively is awful. You were thinking at 1 time about relocating to NJ and I mentioned a town called Netcong. Have you given further thought to relocating here for a couple of years? A 4 hour commute per day is awful, and that's not even taking into account the numerous accidents we hear about on Rt. 80 at exits 19, 34, the Denville exit, is it 38? and the worst of them all, exit 43 in Parsippany, which could make your commute even longer.
At least if you lived closer you could take side roads. Depending on the time, Sussex Turnpike which you could catch in Randolph and take to Morristown could cut your travel time significantly.
Thanks Bob for your thorough information! Actually, I've just heard some promising news out of the Poconos. "Wall Street West" is finally coming to fruition; the first firm will be opening in East Stroudsburg in mid-2007 with more to follow, eventually employing 18,000 people! For those of you who don't already know, Manhattan-based firms have been encouraged to branch out to at least one satellite location between 50 and 125 or so miles of NYC so that our nation's economy can continue to run smoothly for if and (when?) NYC gets smacked again by another terrorist attack; the Poconos fit this bill perfectly, and the location right along I-80 is hard to rival. I can just picture myself driving under an hour each way between Scranton and Pricewaterhouse or Citigroup in Monroe County vs. that treacherous two-hour commute I was dreading into Central NJ.
Well that sounds better at least.
What are they going to do though as far as expanding the roads in PA? I know my Husband has said that it's awful when he goes to Pocono Speedway, now with the possibilities of businesses expanding into PA and the Casinos that are supposed to be built, is PA doing something about the traffic situation?
Also what's the latest news on the Casinos going in?
Scranton, is there anything at all up in Binghampton for work????
I think it is wonderful that you cherish your hometown and everything, but how much are you going to enjoy your hometown when you are spending 20 hours a week on the road, 40+ hours working, and then using the weekend to recover??? And god forbid if your boss wants some OT!! You would be much better off moving a little closer to work and driving to Scranton when you have time. I know it is hard to leave home but believe me sometimes the hardest choices also turn out to be the most beneficial.
I would again advise you to look at least in Middletown NY for work, there is a larger division of Blue Cross Blue Shield there and a few corps, at least the commute would be less hecktic. The pay would also be decently competitive with NJ/NYC when you factor in all the variables, commuting time, wear and tear, gas etc...
What are they going to do though as far as expanding the roads in PA? I know my Husband has said that it's awful when he goes to Pocono Speedway, now with the possibilities of businesses expanding into PA and the Casinos that are supposed to be built, is PA doing something about the traffic situation?
Also what's the latest news on the Casinos going in?
Pennsylvania is doing what it does best; planning for the quick influx of cold, hard cash that will be coming in with new development without planning for corresponding quality-of-life issues. As such, I'd assume that I-80 in the Stroudsburgs will be bottlenecked even more than it is now at rush-hour in the upcoming years.
As far as the casinos are concerned, the first one in PA is scheduled to open sometime next month here in Wilkes-Barre (Mohegan Sun). I know there are two proposed casinos coming to the Poconos, but I believe both were in contention for the SAME license! I think the former Mt. Airy Resort seems to be the more likely victor at this point in time, as the new owner is a Scranton multi-millionaire and real estate magnate who is known to get dirty in politics from time to time. (Sound like Jersey?! LOL!)
Pennsylvania is doing what it does best; planning for the quick influx of cold, hard cash that will be coming in with new development without planning for corresponding quality-of-life issues. As such, I'd assume that I-80 in the Stroudsburgs will be bottlenecked even more than it is now at rush-hour in the upcoming years.
As far as the casinos are concerned, the first one in PA is scheduled to open sometime next month here in Wilkes-Barre (Mohegan Sun). I know there are two proposed casinos coming to the Poconos, but I believe both were in contention for the SAME license! I think the former Mt. Airy Resort seems to be the more likely victor at this point in time, as the new owner is a Scranton multi-millionaire and real estate magnate who is known to get dirty in politics from time to time. (Sound like Jersey?! LOL!)
Wow, Mohegan Sun is opening that soon?
I think they're going to have to put more then 1 Casino in the Poconos though, you guys are going to get a lot of people from North Jersey heading there to gamble as opposed to a 2 1/2 hour drive to Atlantic City. Also heard that some of the other resorts in the Poconos want to put in slot machines but gambling would only be opened to people who are staying overnight, not to many people from PA are crazy about that at all, and I can't blame them.
Yes. However, at that time Mohegan Sun will only be featuring slot machines. I believe next year may bring more options for gamblers. Personally, I'm an online blackjack superstar, so perhaps I'll have enough money to buy my new Prius in just a few short bets! (Or lose all of my life's savings at the same time!)
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeniseNJ
I think they're going to have to put more then 1 Casino in the Poconos though, you guys are going to get a lot of people from North Jersey heading there to gamble as opposed to a 2 1/2 hour drive to Atlantic City. Also heard that some of the other resorts in the Poconos want to put in slot machines but gambling would only be opened to people who are staying overnight, not to many people from PA are crazy about that at all, and I can't blame them.
As of right now, only two casinos in Monroe County are officially "planned." I'm sure more prospective entrepreneurs are just waiting by the sidelines to see how the others fare first before similarly applying for the proper permits, licensing, etc. The hope for Mohegan Sun is that the Wilkes-Barre area's economy will see a big boon from people from Northern NJ and the Southern Tier of Upstate NY flooding in to play. While this may occur; the downtown is too far from the casino to have any significant impact. While it would be nice if the Joisey folk would linger around a bit and check out some of the sites, if they're anything like the locals who currently flood into Atlantic City on the Martz buses, they're coming SOLELY to "win big!"
Then you have some, such as myself, who actually aren't too thrilled with the new casino projects. I fear that our area's crime rate will SURGE, yet local elected officials currently have no plans to increase police staffing. Also, traffic issues are HORRENDOUS right now on I-81; I expect that to worsen as well. Windy and mountainous Highway 115, known to locals as a death-trap, is the major artery linking Wilkes-Barre to the Poconos and NJ. I fear that a surge upward in traffic on this road may too cause more problems, especially in the upcoming winter. Personally, I would have liked to have seen Mohegan Sun develop a brownfield site somewhere in Downtown Wilkes-Barre's new "entertainment district" (Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, cinema, performing arts center, night club, billiards hall, etc. have all gone up in the past year!), instead of locating in the suburbs. I guess I'm outnumbered by the "MORE MOHEGAN!!!" crowd about 10:1 though.
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Thanks!
For those of you who don't already know, Manhattan-based firms have been encouraged to branch out to at least one satellite location between 50 and 125 or so miles of NYC so that our nation's economy can continue to run smoothly for if and (when?) NYC gets smacked again by another terrorist attack; the Poconos fit this bill perfectly, and the location right along I-80 is hard to rival. I can just picture myself driving under an hour each way between Scranton and Pricewaterhouse or Citigroup in Monroe County vs. that treacherous two-hour commute I was dreading into Central NJ. 
Personally, I'm an online blackjack superstar, so perhaps I'll have enough money to buy my new Prius in just a few short bets! (Or lose all of my life's savings at the same time!) 
