Moving to Milford? (Scranton, York, East Stroudsburg: ski resort, transplants, homeowners association)

[Galwaygal]

Hello,

Originally from NY we have been living in SW Florida for the past three years. We love the winters here however the summers are just uncomfortable. I have to take our two children to the park very early in the am and be home again before ten o'clock as the equipment is too hot to tolerate. And then there are hurricanes, high taxes and traffic. We have been considering a move for the past two years and have gone to both NC and SC several times. Again there are just too many developments and it all reminds us of the deed restricted community that we now live in.

After extensive searching we are now very interested in the Milford area of Pike county.

Is anybody on this forum familiar with the schools there? There seems to be subdivisions there too, however, the lot sizes are bigger. Does anybody have any info on restrictions in these subdivisions? How is Milford itself? How big is the town and what is there to do in the area? Is it a good area to bring up a family and how far away are the malls?

Thanks in advance,
Galwaygal

[ScranBarre]

Milford is a very desirable area of the Pocono Mountains in which to reside. Monroe County, just to the south, is becoming increasingly congested with NYC commuters, but most of Pike County remains serene and unspoiled. The town of Milford itself is very small (pop. around 1,200), and the community namely consists of Victorian homes, a few mom-and-pop shops, and Milford has a small-town flair to it. The Delaware Valley School District serves Milford and its surrounding communities, and it offers many AP courses in its high school and relatively small class sizes. It's by far one of the better school districts in the Poconos.

As far as "urban essentials" are concerned, Milford itself has a very "anti-sprawl" attitude which I applaud very highly; It's rare to see a community band together to try to preserve its rural character. However, Westfall Township and Matamoras, approximately ten minutes north of town, offer Lowe's, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, etc. for your everyday shopping needs. There is no "mall" in Pike County as of yet (give it a few years), but you can easily access the Stroud Mall in Stroudsburg, about 45 minutes south via Route 209. The Viewmont Mall and the Steamtown Mall in Scranton are about an hour west via I-84. Middletown, NY may be a better bet for a shopping mall, as it is only about a half-hour away via I-84, but keep in mind that NY has more taxes than PA.

Pike County doesn't offer much in the way of entertainment, so be prepared to drive a bit if you move here. The Mountain Laurel Center for the Performing Arts is located in Bushkill Township, about 20 minutes south of Milford via Route 209, and it's also here that you'll find Bushkill Falls, a popular natural tourist area. Lake Wallenpaupack, noted for its excellent water recreation, is located about 25 minutes west of Milford via I-84. You'll have to commute either to Newburgh, NY (an hour East via I-84) or Scranton, PA (an hour West via I-84) for most of your entertainment needs. Scranton offers MUCH more in the way of family-friendly options, including minor-league sports (The "Red Barons" are the AAA affilliate of the Phillies, the "Penguins" are the AAA affilliate of the Penguins, and the "Pioneers" are Scranton's Arena 2 Football team), three shopping malls with a major NYC-style outlet mall on the way, a ski resort, an upcoming water park, several theaters, an excellent Philharmonic, several concert venues, several venues for operas, Broadway shows, etc., and just about every ethnic restaurant you could think of.

In fact, I'd recommend you moving a bit CLOSER to Scranton instead of to Milford due to its isolation. Scranton itself, while forging onward with a bit of a "yuppie renaissance", is financially-troubled and the school district isn't too stellar. However, you could find a nice compromise in the form of the North Pocono School District, rated among the top in the state. Here you'll find affordable housing, low traffic, and a MUCH shorter commute to Scranton for jobs, nightlife, etc. Look online at Realtor DOT COM for such towns as Moscow, Clifton, Thornhurst, Elmhurst, and Mount Cobb, all of which are 30 minutes or less from Scranton via I-380---Far enough away to avoid the congestion, yet still near enough to not be "isolated." The North Pocono area is also only about 40 minutes to the Delaware Water Gap, meaning that you could be in Midtown Manhattan in only about two hours for day trips.

The only real flaw I find with both Milford/Pike County AND North Pocono is that both areas WILL be succumbing to sprawl in the upcoming years. As Monroe County begins to fill up with NY transplants commuting into the city for work, the cost-of-living, traffic, and crime issues are continuing to push people FURTHER and FURTHER away from I-80, the lifeline between NYC and Stroudsburg. North Pocono is located just ten minutes from the Tobyhanna Martz bus commuter station into NYC, and that community is now home to several large-scale housing developments. I foresee the Moscow/Thornhurst area undergoing some "growing pains" within the next ten years as transplants move into Lackawanna County as well to avoid Monroe County's problems---The same can be said for Pike County.

I'm a lifelong resident of the Scranton/Pocono area, so feel free to direct further inquiries to me if you so desire! ;o)

[christina0001]

This question was asked recently by another user:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/penns...se-family.html

[kimwick]

We also are moving to Milford one day. We go up there every year. In fact we just got back. I will PM you on the restriction in different neighborhoods. I do know Milford just got hit with high electric cost. We liked Oak Ridge Crossing and Conashaugh ourselves.

[winnie]

Originally Posted by kimwick

I do know Milford just got hit with high electric cost. We liked Oak Ridge Crossing and Conashaugh ourselves.

They have kind of been dealing with the high electric issue for years, though their electric is still reasonable from what I was paying in MA.

Conasaugh lakes is very nice.

The issue with property here is that most buildable land is in private communities. These are 100's of acres that are privately owned, the town wont subdivide the land or put in public roads to access the lots, so the developer creates a community with a homeowners association. These usually have .25 acre to 2 acre lots, and most all of them include lakes, tennis courts, a clubhouse, and beaches, some hiking trails and some are gated with a school bus pickup point at the entrance of the community. There are probably 20 major communities up here.

Generally most community by laws state what kinds of buildings you can put on your lot (no shacks or eyesores), lake rules, some restrict the number of pets you may own (but I have found that it is not enforced unless you make trouble). Go to removed - click on Pike communities linkMost of the major communities are listed, as well as the dues and deed restrictions.

If you are not in a community, your lot size can be as little as .25 acres or less, or as big as you want. I recently saw 16 acres of waterfront property in Milford for under 100K. You can find a new house on 4 acres if you have the money to afford it - about 300Kish for those bigger houses on bigger lots.

A word to the wise, if you want a stick built house up here the wait for the permits can be tediously long. Some have waited 6-8 months. Modulars are quite popular up here as they do not need to be approved by the zoning comission. So keep this in mind if you decide to build. AND while you are looking at homes. Some homes I went into this past Dec while househunting were very pretty but very cheaply made. Ask WHO built the house. Ask about reputable builders.

They are putting in a new HOA across the street from me which is going to have 2-7 acres of land per home (this is Shohola TWP) and really nice homes with lake access..I don't know the name yet -think it is going to be Fox Hollow, any realtor will know what I am talking about. We are 10-15 minutes from Milford.

Mark and Sally Heiblem, Century 21 in Milford know the area very well and are a great, honest realtor team. I wholeheartedly recommend their services.
I used First Horizon's local office for my mortgage, and they gave really good services as well.

Milford schools are good, really good, Middletown is the place to go for shopping, the Galleria at Crystal run and the Orange Plaza have about everything you need, and is about 30 minutes from the Milford exit.

[Galwaygal]

Hello,

A big "Thank You " to all of you who responded to my post on Moving to Milford. Your responses were very informative and have helped us. I appreciate your time and effort.
Galwaygal

[DebbieG]

I am moving to Milford too. Where are the closest grocery shopping stores to log tavern road? We are building in a development right off of log tavern road.

[Suzer]

I just discovered that East Stroudsburgh has quite a few shopping and entertainment opportunities, and is pretty close to Milford. It has three theaters, including an independent film theater, which makes this city girl happy.

[geoffs]

Just take route 2001, Milford Road, a few miles north into Milford town. It's a beautiful little town with quite a few small stores, supermarket, and drugstores. If you're looking for something more like a Wal-Mart, there is one off route 6 in Matamoras, right on the New York border, it's about 10 miles east from your road.