Carbondale???? (Scranton, Dunmore, Nanticoke: relocate, gated, apartment complex)

[vitodave]

My Brother in law is looking to relocate to the area.He has a fixation with Carbondale.I am not sure why!Having only driven through the area I do not know much about it.Any info on the area would be appreciated.
Why are the homes so cheap?
Local Jobs?
Schools?
I own homes both in pocono farms(tobyhanna) and Moosic how does Carbondale compare to thoose areas?
Are there any areas near Carbondale that are nicer?
Thanks in advance

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by vitodave

My Brother in law is looking to relocate to the area.He has a fixation with Carbondale.I am not sure why!Having only driven through the area I do not know much about it.Any info on the area would be appreciated.
Why are the homes so cheap?
Local Jobs?
Schools?
I own homes both in pocono farms(tobyhanna) and Moosic how does Carbondale compare to thoose areas?
Are there any areas near Carbondale that are nicer?
Thanks in advance

My apologies to decent people in Carbondale, but Carbondale is a dump. Its run down and ridden with white trash. Granted, they have a young mayor trying to turn things around and reinvigorate the boarded-up downtown, but that doesn't change that the town itself is run-down. The schools are bad...they consistently rank at the bottom of all area schools in their test scores. The houses are cheap because nobody really wants to live there. There's not much of an economy in Carbondale...most people there have to drive to Scranton for work.
If you want somewhere that is near to Carbondale but much nicer...look about 15 miles to the north to Honesdale, a very nice well-kept town with a thriving little downtown with different kinds of shops and restuarants, and plenty of outdoor recreation nearby. Otherwise you're best to look further down the valley closer to Scranton. But avoid "Garbagedale" at all costs.

[NYRangers 2008]

I agree. Stay away from Carbondale. Honesdale is much nicer. There may be a bit more of a redneck element in Honesdale, but way less of the "white trash" element conorsdad speaks of. Waymart is a nice little community too that is about 5 miles east of Carbondale on Route 6. Moosic is much nicer than Carbondale also.

[ScranBarre]

Alas, poor Carbondale. Ye be unloved by all, it would seem. I tend to lump Carbondale together with Pittston, Nanticoke, and Plymouth, all of which are in Luzerne County, because they are all archaic former mining communities that have never truly "rebounded" but are just oozing with potential from every nook and cranny. I wouldn't call it a "dump," and if I were a resident of Carbondale, I think being dubbed "Garbagedale" would be a bit offensive.

Yes, Carbondale's housing stock is mostly dirty and run-down, largely because these dwellings are owned by senior citizens, single mothers, and those on "fixed incomes" who refuse to sell their homes to anyone willing to rehabilitate them; they'd rather hold onto some shred of hope that they can someday fix them up themselves while they are totally ignorant of just how awful the town's aesthetics are as a result. In some towns, (including Scranton), a lot of lower-income people take pride in their properties to foster at least a "hollow" sense of vibrancy in their neighborhoods. I don't know why Carbondalians can't do the same.

Its downtown is largely boarded-up, a sign of the times as urban sprawl rears its ugly head in nearby Archbald. I like the fact that there is a YMCA in the downtown though; Scranton should have done that in its downtown as well instead of allowing its YMCA to locate in the suburb of Dunmore. A YMCA can serve as a great anchor to draw families back to the city. Another thing that provides me with hope is developer Daniel Siniawa's plans to convert a once-crumbling downtown block into some sort of mixed-use project with a hotel, restaurants, and retail stores. However, he's promised similar success in the form of 100+ new penthouse waterfront condos here in Downtown Pittston, yet the site has been sitting untouched forever now. An inquiry I sent to his company regarding the project went unanswered; rather I received a reply from one of his employees thanking me for my interest in the company and that he would "pass along the encouragement to Mr. Siniawa." I'd be more impressed if he'd finish one project before promising ten more to other areas; he certainly didn't "drag his feet" like this when it came to raping Dickson City of its open space for chain retail stores, did he? I guess he saw more "urgency" in promoting urban sprawl in Dickson City as opposed to helping to reinvest in these same urban cores that he helped to destroy in the first place. As such, this project leaves me quite skeptical when there are already so many others on his "drawing board" that have yet to see the first shovel dig in.

I thought the "white-trash" comment was a bit unfair as well. I was at the city council meeting in Scranton today. Trust me, Scranton has its fair share of "trash" as well, one of whom even wore a beer-promoting t-shirt to the podium to address council. The "white-trash" image is a regional problem, not one localized to specific cities or towns. Trust me, as a gay guy I cringe whenever some of these people speak, but I also realize you can't generalize an entire city as being that bad.

In my opinion, Carbondale, Pittston, Nanticoke, and Plymouth all have wonderful potential. They're just years away from fully-realizing it. I'm guessing your brother-in-law has a "fixation" upon Carbondale because the housing is so cheap. You know why? Residents have to commute all the way to Scranton for suitable employment options, and much of the housing stock, overall, is run-down. Would I pay more than $70,000 for most of those homes in town? Nope. You can only sell a home for as much as a buyer is willing to compensate you for it. When 75% of the town's housing stock has dingy aluminum siding, unkempt front lawns, peeling paint, etc., then it's hard to remain optimistic about its future.

I know there are some Carbondalians lurking around this forum. May I respectfully ask why so few of your townspeople take pride in their properties? Many of your homes are advertised by realtors as being "Handyman's Specials" or "Fixer-Uppers." Why didn't you all take care to properly-maintain them in the first place to prevent them from falling into such shambles?

[NYRangers 2008]

You are correct Paul. There are so called "white trash" in Scranton also. And I do have friends in Carbondale, and to say all are like that is unfair. I just notice more of it there. Maybe they can fix Carbondale up and make it more like Honesdale. Then they can get rid of that stigma called "Garbagedale".

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by NYRangers 2008

You are correct Paul. There are so called "white trash" in Scranton also. And I do have friends in Carbondale, and to say all are like that is unfair. I just notice more of it there. Maybe they can fix Carbondale up and make it more like Honesdale. Then they can get rid of that stigma called "Garbagedale".

That would be wonderful. I did a very popular photo tour of Honesdale, and it's hard to believe that those two "dales" are so close together while being worlds apart! What I think all of our struggling downtown areas need is more of push for residential units. Daniel and I have sparred over this idea in the past, but I feel as if enticing just a few hundred people into a few new downtown complexes can magically give a community the "shot in the arm" it needs to bounce back. Getting people to live downtown automatically creates a ready market for new existing businesses to feed off of and will encourage new business development to cater to this new foot traffic as well. I think that a lot of the vacant storefronts in Carbondale would fill right up if complemented with a new loft-housing apartment complex or some middle-class condos.

[NYRangers 2008]

I used to live in Honesdale and its a nice place to live. I also lived in The Hideout in Lake Ariel, which is OK if you like living in a private, gated community. I have lived here in Scranton for the last 5 years and have not really encountered any problems with crime or the like. Except for the high taxes and the issues brought up before, Scranton isn't all that bad. Then again I don't see myself staying here for the rest of my life.

[Hicksrun]

Carbondale gets a bad rap everywhere. While the downtown leaves much to be desired, the outer limits of Carbondale can boast cheap land. Greenfiled Twp, Vandling, and Waymart are close to Carbondale are decent small communities.

[vitodave]

Thanks for everyones input.

[FightinPhils]

In fairness, I'm sure there are some liveable Carbondale neighborhoods.....up on the hill, I believe its considered Carbondale's West Side, is not bad....but I'm not sure that is actually in the city itself, I believe that may be in Fell Township.

Also, I would avoid Simpson at any cost....also a pretty run-down town.

The major thing I find negative about Carbondale is its distance from most convenience like shopping, etc. You pretty much have to drive to Scranton or Honesdale for everything. It has all the negatives of city life...blight, crime, etc...but not really much of the positives of city life (shopping, recreation, etc.) You may as well live in Waymart, Jermyn, or Archbald if you're going to live as far off as Carbondale. Plus, like I said, if you hvce kids, the schools in Carbondale are lousy...consistently among the worst test scores in the area.