Northeastern Pennsylvania Photo Tour: PART ONE

[auntlucy]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

It's nice to be in great company! While many locals are doing nothing but complaining that Scranton and Wilkes-Barre are doing nothing but pumping millions into their respective downtowns while "neglecting" residential areas, what they don't realize is that when you have a blossoming central business district, that positive growth tends to spill outward in a radius around the downtown, helping to gentrify all surrounding neighborhoods as well! When you have a thriving, breathing 24/7 downtown with nightlife, shopping, employment centers, low crime, etc., people tend to want to LIVE near that as well, so housing values within a mile or two of the downtowns SURGE upward. We've already seen this starting to begin in Scranton, which started its revitalization efforts about five years prior to Wilkes-Barre. Housing values, which used to be similar to those in Wilkes-Barre, are now, on average, $50,000 higher than those in the Diamond City; it's very difficult to find a nice home in Scranton now for under $100,000, while Wilkes-Barre has many of them!







They're lonely and inconvenient for everyone I was depressed growing up so far away from playgrounds, childhood friends, etc. living in an isolated development full of mostly empty-nesters and young professional couples WITHOUT children, so loneliness caused me to become the boring person I am today (Do you know of any other teenagers who read the Wall Street Journal or research demographics?) I'm at the point now where I have to spend $30/week filling up my gas tank to get me from the 'burbs to Wilkes-Barre for college, and then BACK to the 'burbs, and then BACK to the city for work, and then BACK to the 'burbs, and then BACK to the city for committee meetings, and so on.




Even if it does take years, I'd take a large front porch, interior natural woodwork, hardwood flooring, french doors, stained-glass windows, etc. over neutrally-decorated, garage-dominated McMansions in the Back Mountain or Mountain Top anyday! I can't wait to have my own Victorian fixer-upper in Scranton's Upper Hill by age 30!




Once again, it's nice to live in a neighborhood where people want to get to know you, isn't it? Here in the 'burbs, we have people living right next to each other who still don't know each other's first names! People here in the 'burbs tend to care more about what Audi or Volvo you drive or how green your front lawn is as compared to who you are as a person and what you can contribute to society.




Just wait until the new "RiverWalk" project is complete next year; you can enter the portal at the end of Northampton Street and walk or jog right along the Susquehanna! I'm looking forward to sitting on a bench overlooking the river and mellowing out while working on financial statements myself next year! Our proximity to NYC/Philly is also a major selling point that the area doesn't advertise enough. We're just two hours from each city; just far enough to escape the urban problems, yet just close enough for fun day-trips!

Where do you live? Wilkes Barre sounds nice to me. We are tired of the unfriendly, crowded, air polluted, yuppie style subdivision living. We have our house in Ft Worth, TX for sale. We miss the trees, the streams, and the beautiful country of nepa. My husband and I are looking for a quiet, friendly, safe place to spend our retirement yrs. It would be nice to live in a safe area, with well kept older homes, tree lined streets and friendly neighbors who do not care to keep up with the Jones. I would like to be located within 15min or so driving distance from major shopping, but far enough away to have peace, quiet, and safe living. My husband is from Buffalo, NY and I was born in Carbondale, Pa. Anyone with suggestions email me. Thanks.

[Lehigh Valley Native]

I'd like to see an Allentown photo tour. I could give you a list of places to go to! )

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by Lehigh Valley Native

I'd like to see an Allentown photo tour. I could give you a list of places to go to! )

Allentown is on my "to-do" list for 2008, along with a second trip back to Bethlehem. I also want to check out the "hype" about Emmaus to see if it truly is one of the nicest towns in the nation, as reported by Money magazine.

[Lehigh Valley Native]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

Allentown is on my "to-do" list for 2008, along with a second trip back to Bethlehem. I also want to check out the "hype" about Emmaus to see if it truly is one of the nicest towns in the nation, as reported by Money magazine.

Emmaus is truly a beautiful small town. It has a very quaint downtown and beautiful side street communities.

When you venture down there, make sure you grab a Yocco's hot dog or a cheesteak at the Brass Rail.

[mossgirl10]

Hello I am looking to rent a 3 bedroom single home in the town of Factorville,Pa

[mustangtiff21]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

Hey there Rosanna! Well, I know that both Great Bend and Hallstead experienced flooding from the Susquehanna River back in June, but I'm not sure how extensive the flooding was or how far the damage was spread (We were worried enough with fears of the levee system breaking here in the Wilkes-Barre area). Your best bet would be to stop in at a small gas station or diner in Great Bend while visiting Susquehanna County and asking the locals about how bad the flooding was. WNEP showed images of the flooding in the town, but they didn't really stick to my mind, as I was mostly glued to CNN's coverage of the evacuation of 200,000 people from the Wilkes-Barre area!

I know the town is a quiet little country village along the PA/NY border, about fifteen minutes south of Binghamton via I-81. Low crime, clean air, and reasonable taxes are present here, but once again I'm not too sure about the flooding woes.

I know this was posted ALONG time ago...but if you need and info on Great Bend or Hallstead let me know. I was born and raised there! As far as the flood.....Great bend its self got flooded "on the flats" which is where the gas stations and all are. Where my parents house...which is for sale...is at did not. It all depends on where it was. And yes...the crime rate is LOW. Thats one thing I miss so much about back home! I live in SC now...so its alittle different in the big city compared to little great bend!