abington schools and wyoming area schools (Scranton, Wilkes-Barre: low income, violent crime, houses)

[findinghope]

these are the two districts we have narrowed down to, but now i want to make sure we pick the right one.
my interests now are what kind of extra curricular activities are offered as far as sports go. are they with the school or is it part of the community?
are there community indoor pools for year round swim teams?
is there a PAL or YMCA?

also are there any walking trails in either of these areas that are safe for "free" exercise?
thanks so much!

[thecoalman]

Sports are huge at Wyoming Area, sports are pretty huge in just about any district in the area. Not sure what they offer now but I know up until recently they had all the major ones, football, baseball/softball, basketball, swimming, wrestling, track.... Not sure if they have soccer or some of these other newer sports. I know they had fledgling hockey team at one point too. Wyoming area has its own pool, you'd have to check on it to determine if they still have swim team. I know up until recently they even opened it to the kids in the summer.

There's a YMCA in Pittston just across the river from West Pittston which is in the Wyoming Area School district. They have a very small pool.

West Pittston also has a community pool but this is the first year it wasn't open that I recall, not sure what they are going to do with it.

also are there any walking trails in either of these areas that are safe for "free" exercise?

The really only unsafe areas in most of the Valley is some neighborhoods in Wilkes Barre, I don't want t single them out but you're relatively safe just about anywhere. Overall there isn't a whole lot of violent crime except in some isolated areas. The d*i*k*e* along the river is pretty common area to walk. That starts in Wyoming.


The forum censor does not like the word ****. LOL

[mike02]

Originally Posted by findinghope

these are the two districts we have narrowed down to, but now i want to make sure we pick the right one.
my interests now are what kind of extra curricular activities are offered as far as sports go. are they with the school or is it part of the community?
are there community indoor pools for year round swim teams?
is there a PAL or YMCA?

also are there any walking trails in either of these areas that are safe for "free" exercise?
thanks so much!

I would choose the Abington Heights School District, which offers BOTH sports/extra curriculars in the community as well as the school.

There are plenty of parks in the Abingtons that have walking trails and other recreation such as the Abington Area Joint Recreation Park (near the Clarks Summit State Hospital), South Abington Park (by South Ab. Elementary), Dalton Streamside Park, the Lackawanna State Park (North Abington and Benton), and the Waverly Community House (indoor rec. for basketball and an outdoor playground, tennis courts).

Outdoor swimming is only available at the Lackawanna State Park unless you joined one of the country clubs. There are indoor community swimming leagues offered at Abington Heights High School called the Abington Gators. It's opened to non-residents of the district as well. Abington also has adult programs for swimming.

Other rec. sports leagues for elementary through high school would be the Abington Little League, Abington Youth Soccer League (both recreational and travel soccer), Abington Basketball, Abington Gators Swimming (as mentioned before), Abington Jr. Comets Football, etc. The Waverly Comm offers summer camps for kids. Baptist Bible College in South Abington offers both basketball and soccer camps. You really can't go wrong with sports and extra-curriculars in the Abingtons. If you pick up a copy of the Abington Journal or the Abington Suburban, there's usually advertisements for other extra-curriculars as well. It's a very involved, safe community.

I graduated in '02 but still keep up to date with what's going on. Abington Heights High School used to have a Rifle team, but has eliminated it recently. The High School offers varsity soccer, football, tennis, basketball, wrestling, swimming, volleyball, indoor and outdoor track, cheerleading, field hockey, golf, cross country, club ice hockey, etc.

[bsanva]

The YMCA closest to the Abingtons is the Scranton Y. It is about 10 minutes from most parts of the school district. Otherwise Mike02 covered it pretty well.
I believe Wyoming is more rural than Abington, but it is very highly ranked as well.

[Mr Yuk]

I would go with Wyoming Area. Its less of a sterile-suburbia atmosphere, which Abington is, and more of a nice small-town atmosphere...less uppity than Abington as well. Also Wyoming is in a much better location, a quick drive to both Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. Another plus to Wyoming is the trails along the levee...I would love to have something like that close to me.

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by bsanva

I believe Wyoming is more rural than Abington, but it is very highly ranked as well.

Not at all...Wyoming Area is right in the middle of the Scranton/WB metro...nothing rural about it. Abington actually has a lot of rural parts to the school district...Abington Heights is sort of a mix of sterile McMansion subdivisions and rural areas.

[mike02]

Originally Posted by Mr Yuk

I would go with Wyoming Area. Its less of a sterile-suburbia atmosphere, which Abington is, and more of a nice small-town atmosphere...less uppity than Abington as well. Also Wyoming is in a much better location, a quick drive to both Wilkes-Barre and Scranton.

It's the same song and dance and rhetoric said over and over again by jealous, miserable people who despise anything that is related to "Abington." I just posted a pretty well-rounded list of sports/extra-curriculars, along with parks in the area that provides the needs for the OP. The Abington Heights School District and the Abington Community offers everything the OP is looking for. I don't know much about Wyoming Area, so hopefully someone will post information about that community so the OP can see some comparisons.

Mr. Yuk, do you know anything about Wyoming Area or Abington Heights that is relevant to the needs of the OP? If not, why are you posting on this forum? Again, the typical anti-Abington crowd. Overgeneralizing an entire community. The OP also NEVER mentioned anything about close location to Scranton/WB. And, Abington also has many trails in their parks. So, I would say both Wyoming Area and Abington are equal in that comparison. Instead of driving through developments with McMansions, why don't you drive through the neighborhoods in Clarks Summit Borough? Has lots of character with that "small-town atmosphere" and not uppity. What is sterile-suburbia to you? I honestly could careless if the OP goes with Wyoming Area.... but to you, it's such a big deal because you have some sort of "agenda" to trash the Abingtons at every opportunity you get.

[jimazee]

There are some gorgeous rural and semi-rural areas in A-H school district. They are not sterile suburban. While there are parks in and near the towns, exercise walks and runs are possible on some local roads too.

You mention schools but have you found suitable housing in both districts?

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by mike02

It's the same song and dance and rhetoric said over and over again by jealous, miserable people who despise anything that is related to "Abington." I just posted a pretty well-rounded list of sports/extra-curriculars, along with parks in the area that provides the needs for the OP. The Abington Heights School District and the Abington Community offer everything the OP is looking for. I don't know much about Wyoming Area, so hopefully someone will post information about that community so the OP can see some comparisons.

Mr. Yuk, do you know anything about Wyoming Area or Abington Heights that is relevant to the needs of the OP? If not, why are you posting on this forum? Again, the typical anti-Abington crowd. Overgeneralizing an entire community.

And your snootiness is shining through.

Sports, extracurriculars, and parks? Every area has those things. That doesn't make Abington stand out. You Abingtonites are very full of yourself with your high-and-mighty attitude about the Abingtons being the best place to raise kids. What makes the Abingtons better than Scranton or any other town to raise kids? I know what you're thinking, and it most likely the typical racism that's always lurking under the surface in these pro-Abingtons posts. Translation: South Abington doesn't have any of those dastardly brown people and Spanish-speakers, so its better.

[mike02]

Originally Posted by Mr Yuk

Abington Heights is sort of a mix of sterile McMansion subdivisions and rural areas.

Since you turned the thread into everything anti-Abington with information that has NOTHING to do with the concerns of the OP, let me clarify this somewhat biased claim.

The so-called sterile McMansion subdivisions can be found mostly in South Abington TWP and Abington TWP. You might find small pockets of them elsewhere in AHSD, but those two municipalities are where most of them are concentrated. They DO NOT represent the typical Abington neighborhood.

The Abingtons are very diverse in terms of housing and neighborhoods. Yes, it's true there's not many low income areas, it's generally more middle class. Clarks Summit, Clarks Green, and Dalton are filled with early 20th century houses and many built in the past 30-50 years. You're right when you mentioned the rural areas which would be Newton-Ransom and North Abington. But everything in-between tends to be a mix of different styles of neighborhoods and housing ranging from old to new, modest to upscale, etc.