Photo Tour of Scranton's Hill Section (Wilkes-Barre, Dunmore: middle-class, apartment complex, lofts)

[ScranBarre]

Hello everyone. Before attending this afternoon's Scranton City Council meeting, I ventured all over "The Hill" in East Scranton for my latest photo tour. I was inspired to head here on account of a PM I received yesterday from a member with an interest in moving to this neighborhood. This is also a neighborhood which I have a similar interest in relocating to in the future to raise my family.

The Hill Section is a geographically-massive section of the city that is bounded roughly by Jefferson Avenue on the west, Arthur Avenue to the east, Roaring Brook to the south, and Dunmore to the north. Within its boundaries are the University of Scranton, Moses Taylor Hospital, Community Medical Center, Temple Israel, Prescott Elementary School, Audubon Elementary School, Nay Aug Park, and the Everhart Museum. Housing options here range from rowhomes and fixer-uppers on up to ornate historic mansions. There's also a popular apartment complex know as the "Lofts @ The Mill" here which currently has a waiting list, as well as two newer townhome projects---one on Olive Street and one on North Webster Avenue.

Crime has plauged this neighborhood in the past, but it has since largely cleaned up its act. I've roamed all over the Hill Section, and I have yet to feel "threatened" by anything I've come across. In my opinion, the neighborhood continues to be "up-and-coming."































































































Hill Section Homes


Looking across the Midtown area of the city from the Hill.



Looking towards South Side.


Olive Street Townhomes


New townhomes along North Webster Avenue


The University of Scranton continues to expand along Mulberry Street.


Moses-Taylor Hospital


Temple Israel

[PBCboy]

Thanks for the great photos!

[lookin'for"home"]

Paul-
What a nice way to start my day and have my coffee.

Looks so promising...

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by lookin'for"home"

Paul-
What a nice way to start my day and have my coffee.

Looks so promising...

Thanks. I think "promising" is the key word here. The "Lower Hill" was a haven and hotbed for crime for quite a number of years, right on up through around 2000, when it started to make the turnaround it is currently on. Vestiges of that "sketchy" past still remain, as there are a lot of fixer-uppers and homes that have peeling paint in this neighborhood, but a lot of the criminal element has since vacated the Lower Hill (South Side seems to be their new favorite target). I'd love to buy one of those homes in need of some TLC, restore it to its original grandeur, and then move my family in. The "Lower Hill" is a very short walk to the University of Scranton and downtown, which will make it even more attractive as Center City continues to rebound in the upcoming years with new stores and nightlife.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by PBCboy

Thanks for the great photos!

Thanks for checking them out. I also had about two dozen more of the "Upper Hill", including several of the Lofts @ The Mill complex in the Petersburg part of the Upper Hill and Mansour's Market along Prescott Avenue, but I must have somehow deleted them, as I now can't find them anywhere on my hard drive.

"The Hill" continues to be a neighborhood in transition. It started off as the city's most affluent neighborhood, home to many wealthy Jewish business owners and coal barons. Then, it fell into a state of crime and disarray for a while. It is only in recent years that people are once again starting to fall in love with this neighborhood and are trying to make it an "address of distinction" again, especially amongst young professionals and upper-middle-class empty-nesters who are looking to live within walking distance of a downtown environment. "The Hill" just oozes potential from every block, and I was happy the other day to see so many contractors, painters, landscapers, etc. out and about working on homes there. People are once again willing to invest in their homes, their neighborhood, and most importantly, their city. If they saw it on a collision course with disaster once again, I doubt you'd see people spending several thousand dollars at a clip on home improvements (part of the reason why the Scranton Lowe's store is always so much busier than the Wilkes-Barre store I suppose).

I would caution you to most certainly visit the neighborhood for yourself first before making any hasty investment decisions. A home that might look gorgeous on Realtor.com could be right next-door to a home that is collapsing in onto itself. A home that you might think would be a nice, quiet place to settle into might be right across the street from an elementary school or the University of Scranton's ever-expanding campus. Places like Mansour's Cafe & Market, The Lofts @ The Mill, and the upcoming Colonnade 401 have given this neighborhood a hint of "trendiness," one which I hope will not cause property values to climb too quickly before I'm able to purchase my first home in a few years.

Have a great day,
Paul