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Northeastern Pennsylvania Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pocono area
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Old 11-04-2010, 08:20 PM
 
539 posts, read 1,065,540 times
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Here's the Times-Leader article where I got the 40% figure from:

NAACP’s eye cast on W-B Area | The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA (http://www.timesleader.com/news/NAACP_rsquo_s_eye_cast_on_W-B_Area_10-17-2010.html?searchterm=minority+teachers - broken link)
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Old 11-05-2010, 05:35 AM
 
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They make 40% of the student population not the whole city. I believe that number more than the one from school matters.
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Old 11-05-2010, 07:17 AM
 
13,253 posts, read 33,433,755 times
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School Matters get's their stats from Standard and Poor's. I really have no idea which source is correct, I just thought 40% seemed high. This site also gives school demographics - James M Coughlin Junior/Senior High School, Wilkes Barre Pennsylvania / PA School Profile, Ranking, and Reviews - SchoolDigger.com But, this discussion is probably not the direction that Sheena wanted this thread to go. I apologize for jumping in.

Sheena, have you found the cost of living (groceries, electric, etc.) about the same or higher then where you moved from?
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Old 11-05-2010, 07:47 AM
 
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It doesn't seem high to me. I know in my son's class of 23 kids, 12 are black. It was about the same last year.
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Old 11-05-2010, 12:54 PM
 
Location: The New England part of Ohio
23,958 posts, read 32,283,727 times
Reputation: 68020
Well lets see, groceries are way less expensive here and I shop at Wegman's, which is probably the most expensive choice - but I love that store! Better than anything we had on Long Island!
I can't tell you about utilities because the house needs a bit of work before we completely move in-
the house's interior had been really let go by it's elderly former owner - but the painter we are using is meticulous and professional and he is painting the entire interior of the house for one third of the price that it would cost on LI!
Clothes - slightly less expensive - but WAAAY less expensive because there is NO TAX!
Gasoline - less expensive by about 30 cents per gallon.
Durable goods such as appliances, furniture alas, the same
Manicures and pedicures - more - I found this strange at first, but LI is over run with Asian run nail
salons and almost every woman does this on a weekly basis, so these factors may depress the cost.
You can get a mani-pedi for $ 25 ! I have found it to be more costly in PA.
Hair Salons the same - Good quality salons seem to charge the same amount here.
Haven't had my hair cut or highlighted since moving, but the upscale places seem to be priced the same or perhaps a bit higher.
restaurants - less
school tuition my kids went to public school in NY but I checked tuition prices for a school comparable to Holy Redeemer on line (compared it to St.Anthony HS in Huntington NY)
OVER $1000 less per student!
Salaries are about the same!

So over all color us VERY VERY Happy!
Thanks for asking!
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Old 11-05-2010, 12:57 PM
 
Location: wilkes-barre
1,973 posts, read 5,260,443 times
Reputation: 1003
My daughter is in Dan Flood elementary in the north end. The white kids ARE the minority in her class. There are now more black and hispanic kids in her class then white kids. I have laways questioned the demographics figures for Wilkes-Barre. The census always seems to show Wilkes-Barre at something like 98% white, but what part of W-B is that? My neighborhood is at least have black and hispanic, probably more, and that's North End (which was always considered one of the whiter neighborhoods), and most of the other neighborhoods look the same to me. We aren't as deverse as other large metro areas, but 98% white is assinign to anyone living in the city proper.
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Old 11-05-2010, 02:08 PM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,613 posts, read 77,425,796 times
Reputation: 19101
Quote:
Originally Posted by sheena12 View Post
Getting back to Wilkes Barre and the "little white coal miner's houses" - I have a question.
I hope that it will not sound naive - my background is in Sociology not Urban Planning or Accounting,
so at the risk of sounding silly I will post this idea-

Wouldn't those little houses work fine for first time buyers? Couples with one or two children who want to enter the real estate market.
My first house was a 1950s Long Island Cape Cod style house. Very boxy no open floor plan - but it was mine.
And it cost 189k! The afore mentioned homes sell in the 30s and 40s!

Would these work if the city in some way bought them - to prevent them from being flipped - which they are as I type, or used by out of town slum lords.

I am a huge believer in home ownership, which I believe acts as a social and economic stabilizer.
Rather than rip them all down could anyone conceive of a way that this could work?
When I wrote couples I meant it in an inclusive way. Single parents would be another group.
I do not think this would appeal to the older baby boomers for a multitude of reasons.
Any thoughts?
1.) No need to feel "unqualified" due to your background in Sociology. I have an Accounting background, and even though I have no in-depth knowledge of Urban Planning beyond all the related books I've read about the subject matter I still make my opinions known. There are some on this sub-forum who think only certain people can speak freely on here if they have "paid their dues in life" (whatever that means), but I'm not amongst them.

2.) I understand what you're saying. I generally don't advocate for decimating our history, but, at the same time, if you ever want to make such neighborhoods in Wilkes-Barre attractive to larger modern young families, then the existing housing stock largely won't suit the bill. Singles? Sure. Newlyweds? Sure. Unmarried couples? Yep. People with one child? Uh-huh. Single-parent households? Yes. People with numerous children? While feasible I don't think many of today's families of 5 or more want to live in a house with one small bathroom on a postage-stamp-sized lot if they could afford a larger home in the suburbs. If homes currently occupied by aging couples are sold when they die off to singles or childless couples, then the city's population will continue to stagnate. Pine Ridge, the newer subdivision in between Miners Mills and Parsons, is a good example of bringing suburban-styled housing into the city, and I'm sure many families WITH children probably live there. Ditto Barney Farms in South Wilkes-Barre, where Mayor Leighton lives.

The inability for me to ever afford my own home is one of the many reasons I've chosen to move out of Northern Virginia and into Pittsburgh. I'm going to tour a 90-year-old home tomorrow in the Steel City, and I may very well be making an offer on it before the end of the year, pending my ability to secure an FHA loan and favorable results of an inspection. The home's listing price is $45,900. You couldn't find ANY detached single-family home in NYC, Long Island, DC, NoVA, etc. for that price, even a place needing work. There are no "starter homes" left in much of the BosWash Corridor, but that's where Wilkes-Barre truly shines. Many of those homes are being renovated (kitchens with modern granite counters and stainless steel appliances, installation of laminate flooring, updating wiring/plumbing systems, new roofs, etc.) The good thing about Wilkes-Barre, though, is even once those homes are renovated they are STILL generally affordable to the middle-class (low-$100k range). In most other areas that's not the case.
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Old 11-05-2010, 02:13 PM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,613 posts, read 77,425,796 times
Reputation: 19101
Quote:
Originally Posted by W-B proud View Post
My daughter is in Dan Flood elementary in the north end. The white kids ARE the minority in her class. There are now more black and hispanic kids in her class then white kids. I have laways questioned the demographics figures for Wilkes-Barre. The census always seems to show Wilkes-Barre at something like 98% white, but what part of W-B is that? My neighborhood is at least have black and hispanic, probably more, and that's North End (which was always considered one of the whiter neighborhoods), and most of the other neighborhoods look the same to me. We aren't as deverse as other large metro areas, but 98% white is assinign to anyone living in the city proper.
Anecdotally I think Wilkes-Barre may now have the smallest percentage of white/non-Hispanic residents in the area. We probably shouldn't derail this into a discussion about Wilkes-Barre's racial make-up, but I wouldn't doubt it if 40% of students at Wilkes-Barre Area were now minorities.
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Old 11-05-2010, 02:27 PM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,613 posts, read 77,425,796 times
Reputation: 19101
Well, Sheena, you may be in good company because a Brooklyn-styled deli is preparing to open its doors Downtown along West Northampton Street. According to the owners they've been receiving non-stop calls all day as they've prepared to open.

He explained that they chose Wilkes-Barre as the location for their restaurant because, “We looked at about 20 places between here and Scranton and found out Wilkes-Barre is developing nicely and the city is really picking up so we gave it a try.”



Big Daddy’s serves a bit of Brooklyn | The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA (http://www.timesleader.com/news/Big_Daddy_rsquo_s_serves_a_bit_of_Brooklyn_11-05-2010.html - broken link)
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Old 11-06-2010, 05:42 AM
 
2,760 posts, read 3,939,867 times
Reputation: 1977
Quote:
Originally Posted by sheena12 View Post
Well lets see, groceries are way less expensive here and I shop at Wegman's, which is probably the most expensive choice - but I love that store! Better than anything we had on Long Island!
I can't tell you about utilities because the house needs a bit of work before we completely move in-
the house's interior had been really let go by it's elderly former owner - but the painter we are using is meticulous and professional and he is painting the entire interior of the house for one third of the price that it would cost on LI!
Clothes - slightly less expensive - but WAAAY less expensive because there is NO TAX!
Gasoline - less expensive by about 30 cents per gallon.
Durable goods such as appliances, furniture alas, the same
Manicures and pedicures - more - I found this strange at first, but LI is over run with Asian run nail
salons and almost every woman does this on a weekly basis, so these factors may depress the cost.
You can get a mani-pedi for $ 25 ! I have found it to be more costly in PA.
Hair Salons the same - Good quality salons seem to charge the same amount here.
Haven't had my hair cut or highlighted since moving, but the upscale places seem to be priced the same or perhaps a bit higher.
restaurants - less
school tuition my kids went to public school in NY but I checked tuition prices for a school comparable to Holy Redeemer on line (compared it to St.Anthony HS in Huntington NY)
OVER $1000 less per student!
Salaries are about the same!

So over all color us VERY VERY Happy!
Thanks for asking!
Sorry to disagree Sheena but the food prices are not lower here compared to where I shopped in Pat-Med area, and they sales are no where near the sale prices I use to get in Pathmark or even Meat Farms...I also dont know where you got your gas but a 10 cent difference is all I ever see...my water bill is 3xs what it was on the Island and Hair cuts are more. BUT, not having LIPA and my property taxes being soooooooooooooooo muchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh lower makes up for any other of the things being high.
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