Need help finding a good area (Allentown, Bethlehem: real estate, low crime, mobile home)

[AutumnSunset]

Hello everyone,

I am looking to move to NEPA or slightly south or west to find a home in a good town. I am trying to avoid the Poconos, as I don't want harsh winters, or parts too far north of I-80, as they may experience the colder climates (please correct me if I am wrong).

I am trying to find towns with low crime rates (highest priority).

I am looking for a rural area but not so removed that I am on thin, twisty roads in the winters.

I am looking to be within 2-2:30 hours from NYC to visit family.

I am looking for a town that does not have the "trashy" element (no offense). Also a priority.

I am looking to be on one acre or more, so I don't want to be directly in town.

I do not want to be in a development or gated community.

I am considering these towns but do not know enough about them so please give me any feedback you may have:

Stroudsburg, Reeders, Bartonville, Scotrun, Snyderville, Sciota, Saylorsburg, Pen Argyl, Wind Gap, Gilbert, Kresgeville, Kunkletown, Jim Thorpe, Walnutport, and Bath.

I have seen homes in Stroudsburg, Scotrun, Saylorsburg, Jim Thorpe, and Walnutport.

Again, I am an outsider and don't know if I am looking in the right places.

All feedback- and any other towns suggested would also be appreciated.

Thank you.

[sheena12]

Hi AutumnSunset ! I am a transplant to NEPA myself. I wanted to live on a smaller piece of property, and in town, so I was looking for different things. I love the area, and while I am in a small city, the natural beauty of the region is never far away. In fact, I enjoy a beautiful mountain view from my rear deck, and the county is with in easy reach.

I don't know where you live now, but all of Northeastern Pennsylvania has a Continental Climate, which is characterized by four very distinct seasons. I formerly lived in a Coastal Climate, winters were milder, summers a bit cooler but humid and Autumn and Spring were brief.
I love the lifestyle here, and relocating was the best thing I have done, but the winters here are pretty harsh.

On the positive side, Autumn here is long and glorious! Judging from your screen name, that might be important to you!

I am not sure how well you know the area, because you said that you want to avoid the Poconos, but many of the towns that you listed are in thePoconos. So, you need to spend more time here, and familiarize yourself with the area.

Also, if you are looking for an acre or more, "thin twisty roads" will most likely be a part of your life. I too, did not want to deal with treacherous roads in winter, which was one of the reason that I wanted to be closer in town. There are some more accessible and convenient areas, but if you are looking for over an acre, you will be dealing with narrow twisty roads.
I am not sure where you are from but I know you must live near NYC since being close to your family is a priority, I am guessing that you are from the NY metro area. I am from Long Island, the North Shore. We lived in Stony Brook on a woodsy acre, yet shopping of all types was only ten to fifteen minutes away on mostly well lit, straight, well traveled roads.

It's not like that here. Also, owing to the topography, you will find the roads steeper and less flat.

As far as "non-trashy" areas, this is subjective, but I have a general idea of what you mean. Land here is far less costly, so even an area that is well thought of with large Mc Mansion type homes and a good school district, may have some older, rundown shacks or mobile homes. If you are from Long Island or Westchester, this might look odd to you.

I hope what I have written has been of some help, and if you need further assistance, feel free to contact me.

Sheena

[AutumnSunset]

Hi Sheena,

Thank you so much for your response!

Obviously I don't know the boundaries of the Poconos! Thank you for clarifying the area. I am trying to avoid the more colder parts- more or less north of I-80...?

I will be a NY transplant, from Queens. 9-11 being a big part of it.

I am sorry to read in other parts of the message board that some NY-ers brought a negative element with them. I am the opposite. I am law abiding, quiet, and make a very good neighbor. I hope to bring a positive element to where I settle in.

There is a house I am considering in Lehigh Township near Walnutport and I hope I am not making any mistakes. I still need to visit the town but in the meantime do you know anything about this area as far as it's reputation goes? I want a peaceful quiet town without a lot of the trashy elements.

Thank you so much. I have asked in the other forum and haven't gotten many responses.

Also of the towns I mentioned in my original post, can you tell me what are some of the better areas and what is not so good? If you have any other towns for suggestions I will take that into consideration too.

Thank you very much.

[DE_NePA]

"I'm considering Stroudsburg, Reeders, Bartonville, Scotrun, Snyderville, Sciota, Saylorsburg, Pen Argyl, Wind Gap, Gilbert, Kresgeville, Kunkletown, Jim Thorpe, Walnutport, and Bath."

The closer you are to Stroudsburg, the more conveniences you'll have, but the more congestion and riff raff as well, IMHO. Of what you listed, I'm partial to Jim Thorpe, but to get an acre, you will deal with narrow twisty roads. Sciota and Saylorsburg are very nice, Kresgevill and Kunkeltown, too.

[nunzia32]

HelloAutumn Sunset,
We moved to Bushkill from NJ. It is a gated community but they do an excellent job cleaning the roads & offers alot of amenities for the money. From the Stroudsburg area you will be about 2 1/2 hours to NYC depending on time of day etc. (you should be use to this even w/in the city boroughs). You seem to be looking at a very large & spread out area. You may want to tighten your area to make it easier. If your looking for 1 acre or more you will be further from the city centers anywhere. If you find something w/ that much land in Stroudsburg the pricing will be close to what you see back home.
This is a good site to check out any area:
Stroudsburg, PA real estate overview - Trulia.com

As far as weather, normally the farther west you go the more snow you get. But the past 2 years Philly got more snow then us.
I wish you luck with your search for a new beginning.

[AutumnSunset]

Thank you everyone for the responses. I appreciate getting the perspective of those of you who live there and know about these areas.

DE_NePA: I did like Jim Thorpe very much. I thought the town was beautiful and we did stop to have lunch and walk though the town. The crime rate is very low from what I have researched so far. This town is still high on my list of possibilities.

Nunzia: I also saw a home in Bushkill that I thought was very nice. It was in a gated community and the reason I am hesitant is because I heard with that sometimes the wrong element comes in...? Maybe I have been told wrong but I did notice when I went to see the house in this community, a car came through the gate behind me, and a second car jumped in way too fast, causing the bar to jerk and fall off the device. Car #2 just ran over the bar without a care and didn't even stop to try and put it back or even alert security. He was also wearing a bandana, listening to his radio loud in the car, and exactly the element I want to avoid. Maybe this one gated community was a bad example but it left me with a poor impression. I left wondering if he was part of the gangs I hear about invading certain areas. He certainly did not care about his own community or it's safety/well-being. Maybe I was just in the wrong type of gated community and didn't get to see the better ones...?

Can anyone tell me if Lehigh Township is any good?

Thanks again!

[beckycat]

Originally Posted by AutumnSunset

Thank you everyone for the responses. I appreciate getting the perspective of those of you who live there and know about these areas.

DE_NePA: I did like Jim Thorpe very much. I thought the town was beautiful and we did stop to have lunch and walk though the town. The crime rate is very low from what I have researched so far. This town is still high on my list of possibilities.

Nunzia: I also saw a home in Bushkill that I thought was very nice. It was in a gated community and the reason I am hesitant is because I heard with that sometimes the wrong element comes in...? Maybe I have been told wrong but I did notice when I went to see the house in this community, a car came through the gate behind me, and a second car jumped in way too fast, causing the bar to jerk and fall off the device. Car #2 just ran over the bar without a care and didn't even stop to try and put it back or even alert security. He was also wearing a bandana, listening to his radio loud in the car, and exactly the element I want to avoid. Maybe this one gated community was a bad example but it left me with a poor impression. I left wondering if he was part of the gangs I hear about invading certain areas. He certainly did not care about his own community or it's safety/well-being. Maybe I was just in the wrong type of gated community and didn't get to see the better ones...?

Can anyone tell me if Lehigh Township is any good?

Thanks again!

What county are you referring to? (Northampton, Carbon, or Wayne) Have you thought about Allentown or outside of Allentown? I see you have Walnutport on you list, but what about Bethlehem, Lehighton, Wind Gap, Pen Argyl, or Bath?

[AutumnSunset]

Hi- this is from my original message:

Originally Posted by AutumnSunset

I am considering these towns but do not know enough about them so please give me any feedback you may have:

Stroudsburg, Reeders, Bartonville, Scotrun, Snyderville, Sciota, Saylorsburg, Pen Argyl, Wind Gap, Gilbert, Kresgeville, Kunkletown, Jim Thorpe, Walnutport, and Bath.

I have seen homes in Stroudsburg, Scotrun, Saylorsburg, Jim Thorpe, and Walnutport.

Again, I am an outsider and don't know if I am looking in the right places.

All feedback- and any other towns suggested would also be appreciated.

Thank you.

[AutumnSunset]

Hi BeckyCat-

I am referring to Monroe and Northampton counties.

Thanks.

[DE_NePA]

Originally Posted by AutumnSunset

Thank you everyone for the responses. I appreciate getting the perspective of those of you who live there and know about these areas.

DE_NePA: I did like Jim Thorpe very much. I thought the town was beautiful and we did stop to have lunch and walk though the town. The crime rate is very low from what I have researched so far. This town is still high on my list of possibilities.

Nunzia: I also saw a home in Bushkill that I thought was very nice. It was in a gated community and the reason I am hesitant is because I heard with that sometimes the wrong element comes in...? Maybe I have been told wrong but I did notice when I went to see the house in this community, a car came through the gate behind me, and a second car jumped in way too fast, causing the bar to jerk and fall off the device. Car #2 just ran over the bar without a care and didn't even stop to try and put it back or even alert security. He was also wearing a bandana, listening to his radio loud in the car, and exactly the element I want to avoid. Maybe this one gated community was a bad example but it left me with a poor impression. I left wondering if he was part of the gangs I hear about invading certain areas. He certainly did not care about his own community or it's safety/well-being. Maybe I was just in the wrong type of gated community and didn't get to see the better ones...?

Can anyone tell me if Lehigh Township is any good?

Thanks again!

You should avoid that development where you witnessed the gate jumper. It is very, very unlikely that what you witnessed was NOT an isolated incident. That person either lives there, or is visiting someone like him there. To be clearer, I should have said the closer you are to NY/NJ, are, or as you go west the closer to an interstate you are, your likelihood of encountering folks like this goes up. (Mags, don't bother asking me what I mean by "folks like this").

Regarding Jim Thorpe, you should know that the tourist side of town gets very crowed on summer and fall weekends, but you'd never know it in the other half of town across the river, where most of the houses and the supermarket are.