Interested in Factoryville! (Scranton, Plum, Dickson City: hair salon, 2013, insurance)

[Out in 2013]

Greetings - Looking to settle in NEPA; saw a town called Factoryville. It looks like it has a college (Keystone College) but no factories!

Seriously, looking for a nice place to retire that is close (but not too close!) to family in upstate NY. Just curious about what the town is like (good and maybe not so good) - appreciate any and all feedback.

Thanks a lot!

[MatildaLoo]

I grew up about 2 miles outside of Factoryville and know the town very well. It's a nice little town with a very active borough council. The surrounding townships of Clinton and La Plume are also pretty active and the people there are very nice. This isn't one of those areas you hear about in NEPA where outsiders are allegedly unwelcome and your neighbors will look down on you depending on where you are from -- in fact, a lot of people who currently live and are active in the town come from all over the country and even the world! The borough's 2010 Civic League Person of the Year originally hails from England, and is one of the most active people in town.

Are you looking to live in town or in the surrounding townships? If you are looking to live in town, I am good friends with the borough's director of community development and the borough manager, so I can put you in touch with them.

Factoryville's advantages: it's a pretty little town with, as I stated, a very active borough council. They also have an active sportsmen's organization and women's league, and I don't believe you have to live right in the borough to be part of those organizations as long as you live nearby. The school district is not one of the top-rated in the area, but it is what you make of it: plenty of people (myself included) go on to advanced degrees and at least three people from my graduating class have their Ph.Ds. (hopefully in a few years I will be the fourth!). There is a grocery store right in town, although it doesn't have a huge selection it has various items, great hoagies, and is very convenient. Nearby are some great casual restaurants, including Gin's which has great pizza and wings. It's a quiet little town with relatively little crime, although tbqh last year they had a rash of vandalism but that was confined to the parks and the borough council caught the perpetrators. The surrounding area is nice as well and provides good country living.

Some of the disadvantages of living in Factoryville: you absolutely have to have a car. There is no bus route that stops in Factoryville proper. A COLTS bus used to stop in Dalton, which is about 5 miles down the road, but I'm not even sure if that is still running. Other than the grocery store, an insurance company, an appliance dealer, a handful of hair salons and a print shop there is little business in town. However, you will only be about 10 minutes away from Clarks Summit and about 15-20 minutes from Scranton and the shopping areas in Dickson City, so if you have a car it's no problem really.

That's all I can think of right now. Let me know if you have any specific questions about the town!

ETA: Christy Mathewson is also from Factoryville, and every August the community puts together a weekend full of celebration in his honor!

[PAhippo]

and the Tunkhannock Viaduct is pretty awesome. and creepy (to me anyway)

can't post a picture so if you want to see it, you'll have to google it.

sigh

[Out in 2013]

Thanks for the information on the town; my goal is to visit the area sometime this year (hopefully sooner rather that later - springtime). I want to retire - but not stop working. I just want to do something different in a quieter, in a much smaller commuinty. My wife and I have lived in NY, AK, CA (San Francisco) and now TX (Houston); the next place will be the one we want to settle down in and enjoy. Thanks for the great review (I saw so much written about Clark's Summit and Dalton - and not much on Factoryville - we'll just keep that our secret!). Thanks agin for writing.

[Out in 2013]

Are there any local places tp stay in Factoryville? I am assuming that Clarks Summit or a little larger town would be the closest place with a hotel.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Out in 2013

Are there any local places tp stay in Factoryville? I am assuming that Clarks Summit or a little larger town would be the closest place with a hotel.

In addition to Clarks Summit, which is between Factoryville and Scranton and has several hotels, Tunkhannock (the quaint county seat of Wyoming County, which Factoryville is a part of), also has a few accommodations.

If you're looking to retire in the area you should try to send a private message to member Retired Law 08. He moved to Clarks Summit from NYC a few years ago and loves it here now. His wife still power-commutes into the city to work (as do many others I know in NEPA due to the dearth of white-collar employment opportunities, but I digress). His daughter attends my own alma mater of King's College. I think Factoryville may be a very nice place to settle down---quiet, friendly, lower taxation than the Abington Heights School District (Clarks Summit Area), and a location just far enough off the beaten path to be out of the way yet still close enough to Scranton, Dickson City, Tunkhannock, or Clarks Summit for modern conveniences.

Here are some local lodging offerings:

Ramada Clarks Summit Hotel (Clarks Summit, PA) - Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor

Econo Lodge Clarks Summit (Clarks Summit, PA) - Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor

Shadowbrook Inn and Resort (Tunkhannock, PA) - Resort Reviews - TripAdvisor

Nichols Village Hotel & Spa - Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania

[MatildaLoo]

RestonRunner is right -- Clarks Summit and Tunkhannock are the closest placed with accomodations. There is also a motel off of I-81 Scott Exit, but I don't think you'd want to stay there.

As I mentioned upthread, let me know if you want further information.

[Out in 2013]

Thanks RestonRunner86; appreciate all the information. The Shadowbrook Inn looks quite nice.

Mitildaloo: I may take you up on your offer; I'll let you know when I may be in the area and can make an in person visit. Thanks again for your help.