Northeastern Pennsylvania Photo Tour: PART ONE (Scranton, Tunkhannock: appointed, house, neighborhoods)

[bamboosmom]

Paul, it is located on Harmony Road which is right near the river. This is what it seems to be on the little map the mls gives you. It looks like 171 is near there too.

[bamboosmom]

Scranton, it's one mile from Rt. 81.. I will have to find out about that area.

[bamboosmom]

I just googled the Great Bend area and I think I will pass on that house.
Flooding was bad there. Ok, now off to find a place that doesn't flood!

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by Griffis

That is a fine looking town. I mean that. NE Penn. is an area my wife and I have looked at a lot (hope to find a librarian job and relocate at the end of the year.)

Also interested in any smallish Poconos towns that are recommendable (love to see some pics of towns in the Endless Mts. area too. hint hint.)

Your wish is likewise my command! As far as "smallish" Pocono towns are concerned, I often recommend Moscow to people---It's just far enough away from I-80 (by about two interstate exits) to make it undesirable for the NY/NJ commuter crowd and its associated sprawl that has begun to ravage the Stroudsburg/Monroe County area, yet it's still only 20 minutes to shopping, dining, and nightlife in Scranton. Moscow has an annual "Country Fair" that is a great way to unwind with good food and to mingle and make new community friends. I'm not sure if you have children or not, but the North Pocono School District is among the top academically in the entire NEPA region. Moscow is also nice in that it has a "country" feel without all of the "rednecks"---The town is mostly home to professional couples who commute to work in Scranton (especially in the newer developments such as Independence Ridge, Harmony Hills, and Windsor Hill). There's also a library in town if you're seeking employment.

I'd also recommend Thornhurst to you both if you truly wanted to "get away from it all", but you have a whopping 25-minute drive or so to Blakeslee, Moscow, or Pittston to gas stations, grocery stores, etc. I don't ever really foresee Thornhurst being gobbled up by the PA-NYC daily commuter crowd as Monroe County has been, but it's just too far from everything! Overall, Monroe County in general is a place I'd tell you to avoid. Some of the communities, such as Blakeslee or Tobyhanna, may appear nice now, but within 10-15 years they'll double in population (just like Stroudsburg did) bringing with it more traffic, noise, and crime.

I think three towns you'd especially love in the Endless Mountains include Tunkhannock, Factoryville, and Montrose. Tunkhannock, the county seat of Wyoming County, is home to a "Bedford Falls" type of setting, with a main drag lined with specialty shops, restaurants, and a restored theatre. Surrounding residential neighborhoods are leafy, well-kept, and have historic architecture (I personally can't wait to take some pictures!) There's a library in town, as well as a hospital, churches, two grocery stores, a Wal-Mart, a Perkins, a golf course, fast-food, and other conveniences. The only downside is that it's about 35 minutes away from either Scranton or Wilkes-Barre for all of your more "urban" needs, which may be especially burdensome during snowy weather.

Factoryville may be a bit of a better bet for you---Being about fifteen minutes closer to Scranton and only about ten minutes from Clarks Summit, while still having a country feel. The town is home to Keystone College, which infuses a bit of culture into the town. However, the college is commuter-oriented, so there isn't as much in the way of a "youthful" scene in Factoryville as you'd expect from a "college town."

Finally, Montrose is the county seat of Susquehanna County. Home to an annual blueberry festival and a true "town green", Montrose can fool a first-time visitor into mistaking it for a New England village. The town is smack dab in the middle of Susquehanna County, about 40 minutes from Scranton and 30 minutes from Binghamton, NY, via I-81.

I think your two best bets would be Moscow or Tunkhannock overall (Factoryville doesn't have much of a real estate market other than the occasional home that gets listed when someone dies off). I'll be posting pictures of both towns in upcoming threads!

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by bamboosmom

Paul, it is located on Harmony Road which is right near the river. This is what it seems to be on the little map the mls gives you. It looks like 171 is near there too.

Be vary wary of people who are selling in droves to get away from the river. I even saw one listing online in Conklin, NY where the realtor described the interior photos as "pre-flood." Generally, no matter how peaceful the Susquehanna River may look as you drive by it---STAY THE H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS AWAY FROM IT! LOL! The Flood of 2006 was a bit unique though---Excessive runoff from up to a foot of rain in some areas was simply too much for ANY region to handle! There was even basement flooding in my development, and we're about 400 feet higher than the river at around 900 feet above sea level! In this sense, pretty much any poor drainage areas were fair game to June's flooding, which is why pretty much every county in NEPA was eligible for Federal Disaster aid.

In general, steer clear of the river. However, PA's rainy-ish environment and sloped terrain make it fair game to runoff problems even away from the rivers too. I can't guarantee that you'll find a truly "Flood-free" spot anywhere in the area, as a foot of rain in three days could even flood basements on hillsides (just like my neighborhood!)

[paintballer1708]

Amazing tour. Scranton is really coming back. Reminds me a lot of Canton, Ohio. Its got a downtown that is really getting invested into, and some newer highrises going in. Keep the pictures coming. Also, how is Wilkes-Barre doing? I dont hear to many good things about it there.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by paintballer1708

Amazing tour. Scranton is really coming back. Reminds me a lot of Canton, Ohio. Its got a downtown that is really getting invested into, and some newer highrises going in. Keep the pictures coming. Also, how is Wilkes-Barre doing? I dont hear to many good things about it there.

Wilkes-Barre is about where Scranton was in the early-1990s---Just hitting rock bottom and starting to take initiative to pull itself up from the depths of despair. This past year has seen a sharp rise in crime in the city of Wilkes-Barre, which has lead to a general feeling of concern and fear in many residents. Turkey Hill Minit Markets, banks, and even now other businesses (including a local jewler and NEXTEL store) are frequently the targets of robberies, as locals try to feed their drug habits. The only good thing about Wilkes-Barre's crime is that it almost never physically harms an innocent person. Generally, if you're getting shot, then more than likely it's because you shortchanged your Newark drug supplier who came into town to "settle the debt."

Generally speaking, Wilkes-Barre would be a much nicer place to live if Mayor Leighton would just see the importance in beefing up police saturation patrols. In the mid-1990s, Scranton's "Hill Section" was a neighborhood to be feared---Notorious for gang fights, murders, and muggings. Thanks to the vigilance of fed up neighbors, as well as heavy random police saturation patrols, most of the vermin fled the Hill Section faster than a bat out of hell! Now, you're beginning to see new investment occurring in that same neighborhood---Out-of-state investors are purchasing multi-unit properties, rehabilitating them, and then renting them out to college students and downtown professionals. There is a sense of "community" again in the Hill Section, and I'm sure Wilkes-Barre's neighborhoods could be just as vibrant if Mayor Leighton would get off of his sorry rear-end and take a similar "No B.S." attitude towards the crime element in the Diamond City.

Besides the crime issue, the downtown is forging onward with a sudden growth spurt in 2006. A new Barnes & Noble and Starbucks are both slated to open in a few weeks. A new nightclub has just opened, as well as "Campus Billiards", and "La Poblanita", a new Spanish bakery. A new movie theater opened several months ago in center city and serves as the Wilkes-Barre area's only cinema. The F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts was just given an extensive makeover. The hulking "Hotel Sterling" building, long-vacant, is in the process of being converted to loft housing and ground-level retail. The Murray Complex, an old warehouse, is also being converted into a mixed-use project of loft housing, nightlife, and shopping. Market Street Square will be the site for a new visitors' center, and extensive "River Commons" improvements are scheduled to begin next year, including the "calming" of River Street with narrower lanes and more trees, making it safer for office workers to meander across the street to the new RiverWalk. I've also heard rumors that King's College is planning to expand across North Main Street, acquiring two long-vacant eyesores for loft housing for faculty.

From a commercial standpoint, Downtown Wilkes-Barre, while currently paling in comparison to Downtown Scranton, will quickly catch up to the Electric City in half the time it took for Scranton to make the same amount of improvements. The city will still be in a somewhat "disorganized" state for several more years, with continuing population declines leading to a loss of tax revenue and a resulting decrease in police patrols. However, once enough private investment pours back into the city, and the crime rate stabilizes, I think you'll see Wilkes-Barre becoming an address of distinction once again.

In summary, Wilkes-Barre is just rounding the corner from rock bottom and is starting to trend in an upward direction. Currently it's still a bit of a "sketchy" address to call home, but in 5-10 years the quality-of-life in the Diamond City will improve dramatically.

[MrTudo]

Great information and I'm looking forward to your continuation!

[Griffis]

ScrantonWilkesBarre,

Thanks so much for your info! I will concentrate all my librarian-ish powers of research on the places you mentioned. So cool of you.

Also like to say-- it is so refreshing to hear someone speak who is so knowledgeable and realistic, yet proud of the place they call home.

(I can't say the same for Oklahoma.)

Wish me luck on finding a place in one of those great-sounding towns you mentioned!

[Delray Patty]

to scranton...wow the pictures were great..especially the hill section what
beautiful old homes....Makes me want to move back to Pa....wish I could
afford it....Thanks for sharing wonderful pics with us....