Considering moving to Scranton pa (Allentown, Bethlehem: transplants, foreclose, insurance)
Northeastern PennsylvaniaScranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pocono area
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Jaylene, Let me share this with you. Where I work, a new temp. started last week. We got to talking and I asked him how he landed at this factory. He said he has been bouncing around for awhile but his real goal is to get back to his landscaping. He said he has 13 years experience and is frustrated that nobody is hiring. He said he could do low level mowing for 8 bucks an hour, but that is a plain insult. As far as a handy man goes, there are many quality contractors out here that are licensed, insured and do top notch work. The problem is, for every one of them, there are 50 drunks with a hammer and a bucket of nails in their trunk that say they are contractors also. I don't doubt that your husband is of the quality type, but the question is how long will it take for him to establish his reputation so he can get regular work. Another thing to watch is the feed back you get from people on this board. It seems way too often that the people that rave about this area never lived anywhere else in their life. On a personal note, we moved out here 11 years ago to care give a family member. She has since passed, and just recently we put our house on the market. Bottom line, we cant get out of this area fast enough. It has done nothing but gone down hill, but thats another post. Hope this gives you something to think about.
Give Scranton a chance...there are many nice liveable neighborhoods, and you can get more house for your money. All of those towns are fine, but are no better than Scranton. I grew up near Jessup/Olyphant, and my West Side neighborhood is no worse than those towns....they are just as prone to crime. In fact, there was just a murder at a park in Jessup that has been known for shady activity. Scranton financial shape is not the greatest, but maybe this can be helped by decent working middle-class people staying in and moving to the city.
Not this:
There is no reason for those middle-class people to move to a city that is heavily taxed with many increases to come. There are NO jobs and more companies are leaving the city. Varrastro is gone and from what I hear there are two major companies slated to get out.
There is no reason to move into the city of Scranton other then cheap housing and you will get what you pay for. The cuts in police and fire are going to speed up the downward spiral that the city is caught in and it will never stop until it hits rock bottom, then maybe then the residents might wake up.
Give Scranton a chance...there are many nice liveable neighborhoods, and you can get more house for your money. All of those towns are fine, but are no better than Scranton. I grew up near Jessup/Olyphant, and my West Side neighborhood is no worse than those towns....they are just as prone to crime. In fact, there was just a murder at a park in Jessup that has been known for shady activity. Scranton financial shape is not the greatest, but maybe this can be helped by decent working middle-class people staying in and moving to the city.
Not this:
There is no reason for those middle-class people to move to a city that is heavily taxed with many increases to come. There are NO jobs and more companies are leaving the city. Varrastro is gone and from what I hear there are two major companies slated to get out.
There is no reason to move into the city of Scranton other then cheap housing and you will get what you pay for. The cuts in police and fire are going to speed up the downward spiral that the city is caught in and it will never stop until it hits rock bottom, then maybe then the residents might wake up.
The reality is what it is and to pretend that it is anything different is just foolish. Leading others to believe that this place is worth moving to is simply wrong and unethical. No matter how people move here NOTHING is going to change in this city. It will take 30 yrs to recover from the blackhole we are in and Doherty and his brethern will make it much.worse before they're gone or before there is literally nothing left.
The cuts in the police department aren't good, but that still doesn't make the suburbs any better...most of the other towns around here are run by Barney Fife police departments made up of mostly part-timers making 10 bucks an hour or so. And if you don't think the drug dealers and other criminals haven't moved into towns like Jessup, Olyphant, Jermyn, Blakely, etc...think again.
The cuts in the police department aren't good, but that still doesn't make the suburbs any better...most of the other towns around here are run by Barney Fife police departments made up of mostly part-timers making 10 bucks an hour or so. And if you don't think the drug dealers and other criminals haven't moved into towns like Jessup, Olyphant, Jermyn, Blakely, etc...think again.
so true--everything you all said-----imho--there may not be enough work for contractors here and when there is it will probably go to those with political connections-----fast food and retail may be the only areas left here where one can get steady work without "KNOWING SOMEONE"
When I read this "Intelligent" reply the other night I was just going to let it pass, but after some thought, I just had to respond. "Being a stillborn" as you put it, is of no way, shape or form in the control of the unborn child. Where a person chooses to move to is. To most people, this is a very simple concept to understand. This is not the case for ElectricCityMan. The sad truth is, when a person posts on a message board like this looking for some sort of intelligent feedback, there is always a moron who thinks they are funny but the fact is all they are doing is showing ignorance. To add insult to injury, when people say the people in NEPA are uneducated, all one needs to do is show them a post from ElectricCityMan as a shinning example of the keen analytical minds this area has to offer. I hope you are paying attention Jaylene, this idiot just may be your neighbor one day.
When I read this "Intelligent" reply the other night I was just going to let it pass, but after some thought, I just had to respond. "Being a stillborn" as you put it, is of no way, shape or form in the control of the unborn child. Where a person chooses to move to is. To most people, this is a very simple concept to understand. This is not the case for ElectricCityMan. The sad truth is, when a person posts on a message board like this looking for some sort of intelligent feedback, there is always a moron who thinks they are funny but the fact is all they are doing is showing ignorance. To add insult to injury, when people say the people in NEPA are uneducated, all one needs to do is show them a post from ElectricCityMan as a shinning example of the keen analytical minds this area has to offer. I hope you are paying attention Jaylene, this idiot just may be your neighbor one day.
As long as you're not my neighbor, I'll be happy. I, and my other uneducamated neighbors, wouldn't want to feel overwhelmed by your keen analytical mind while we're gulping down our moonshine and picking our banjos.
For the people that gave me advice..thank you...it's a shame that some of you used my thread as a bitchfest.police cuts / firemen cuts are being made everywhere in America. Open your eyes a recession is going on everywhere. Where I live there is more foreclosed homes then occupied homes. Homeless people are becoming just as visible and frequent as if I lived in a big city. Every corner of major intersections contains a person holding a sign will work for money. Major corporations have closed their doors, and ma and pop stores are way gone. Every city in America are having these problems at the moment. Haven't you guys seen the news with occupy going on ??? In times like these you shouldn't be putting your city down, you should be asking what can I do to make it better...it's how WE triumph through these times that shows you a true integrity of a city.
MY husband and I are considering moving to scranton pa in April. I would transfer from my position as an assistant manager at cvs, and my husband would move his landscaping company. What I was wondering is how good of a chance would he have as a landscaper/handyman in pa? He works hard and always provides reasonable prices.we would have a newborn so how is the daycare in Scranton as well? We come from rhode island that has overpriced housing, and the market of landscapers are flooded. Scranton pa seems like a good idea for us, but I have also read lots on the poor economy there. Approaching the year 2012 is the city revitalizing itself? And how good are the landscaping/ handyman fields out there? Any information would be great ....thanks!!
Getting back to the original post... If what I am seeing online is a true reflection of the average salary of a CVS asst. manager, your pay alone will cover quite a bit of the cost of living in the Scranton area. You may have to scrimp for a while until your husband gets on his feet but unless you have a rather high standard of living you should be fine.
I don't see anything in particular about Scranton that is different from any other place in America right now, but being from Rhode Island I suppose it would be hard to see which comments are anti-Scranton and which are just anti-government. Scranton and the surrounding areas are in a bit of flux right now, with the older population dying off. Homes are mostly from the 1920s, so your husband should have an easy time picking up work as a handy man if his work is good and his prices are reasonable. There was also recent flooding in nearby areas which has increased short term demand for contractors to an all time high.
There are a number of landscape companies already here, and it will be hard to compete with their volume which means a small business will have a hard time staying competitive. That is not to say that your husband will not find work, but it might not pay off as much as he would hope. It could be a good side/weekend business for him though, or he could apply with some of the established companies. I would suggest he look into some of the local modular home companies as well, or consider working for a snow removal business.
Rhode Island is a bit of a drive from Scranton but not that far, I would suggest that you visit for a day before you decide. The two of you are the only ones who can say if it's a good fit or not. There are a lot of positives about the area, although you probably won't hear about many of those on here...
Good luck.
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