People considering moving to Scranton welcome (Pittsburgh, Pittston: crime rate, mortgage, hotel)

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

As an outsider, I'll say that Scranton looks no dirtier then any small city I've visited. City's just are not sparkling clean.

On the subject of staying and working to improve a place or moving, I think that that is a very individual decision. Our whole family (parents, siblings, my husband and I) moved from our hometowns 30 years ago. That doesn't mean that we don't still think about them or wish that they would be better or even perhaps desire to move back. One of the reasons I moderate the Delaware forum is because I still care about my home state and my hometown. Actually, after living in Delaware for most of their adult lives our parents moved back to their native states. You never know where you'll end up.

As I've said before, it's good for newcomers to know the good as well as the bad. But if someone, especially in this economy, is moving here because they have a job, then I think the best thing to do is to point them to the places that will suit them best and steer them away from the bad. They can easily pull up posts about the local government corruption if they care about that. When people say they have a job in Allentown we generally tell them not to move to center city and promote the West side of town or the adjoining city of Bethlehem, or the small towns surrounding the city's.

Good post. I just want to clarify that I have no issue whatsoever with people moving away from their hometowns. Whether a good economy or a bad one, people should be free to move where they so choose. As the saying goes, "Bloom where you are planted". While I completely understand the frustrations on weluvpa's part and steelcity's sentiments, I believe there is a disconnect between the two. From what I understand, Dan has worked passionately to improve his city only to run into brick walls. His bitterness is understandable to me (finally!). Paul has very good points too but it's hard to see them through much of the denigration of the area and it's residents.

I think Wilkes-Barre is on the upswing and I hope all residents continue to support the efforts being made to improve the city.

[weluvpa]

Deleted on my own....IT'S NOT EVEN WORTH IT...Pathetic.

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

Deleted on my own....IT'S NOT EVEN WORTH IT...Pathetic.

Oh well....

[weluvpa]

Yeh well I'm tired of the editing, deleting and what not that goes along with responding to posts that have been made by people(not you) that have no idea what it is like to live in this city, pay taxes in this city and have to rely on the lack of services in this city as well as the roads, debt and on and on.....

Its not worth posting because no matter what happens the posters that preach unicorns and rainbows are right and those of us that ACTUALLY LIVE IN THE CITY are wrong. No offense, but driving through a city doesn't give you any clue of what it is like here.

Hell, I can drive through East Orange NJ and see huge mansions from the days past and awesome buildings and what not, but stop and get out or try to live there and you'll be a statistic in less then a day....

Just because someone was raised in Luzerne county means nothing and adds no credibility to their posts about Scranton. BUY A HOUSE HERE if you want an opinion on the city.

Pittston is not Scranton, not even the same county last time I checked...

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

Yeh well I'm tired of the editing, deleting and what not that goes along with responding to posts that have been made by people(not you) that have no idea what it is like to live in this city, pay taxes in this city and have to rely on the lack of services in this city as well as the roads, debt and on and on.....

Its not worth posting because no matter what happens the posters that preach unicorns and rainbows are right and those of us that ACTUALLY LIVE IN THE CITY are wrong. No offense, but driving through a city doesn't give you any clue of what it is like here.

Hell, I can drive through East Orange NJ and see huge mansions from the days past and awesome buildings and what not, but stop and get out or try to live there and you'll be a statistic in less then a day....

Just because someone was raised in Luzerne county means nothing and adds no credibility to their posts about Scranton. BUY A HOUSE HERE if you want an opinion on the city.

Pittston is not Scranton, not even the same county last time I checked...

I agree that unless you actually live somewhere (or have lived) then you can't form an educated opinion on what it's like on a day-to-day basis. Even someone like me who spends a fair amount of time in Scranton can't give a solid opinion on what it's like as a resident.

[bloominscranton]

I do think for those moving from a very populated area Scranton/Wilkes-Barre might be a good temp place to get familiar with NEPA. Say a 6 month- year rental, I would just never advise buying in Scranton...I wish we had waited to purchase because now I feel stuck and will never break even on our house. I feel bad saying that because more home ownership would help the tax base and there are some good things about Scranton; it is just the bad has tipped the scale even in the short time (5 years) I have lived in the city.

[theatergypsy]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

It just sounds to me as if a few of you would most certainly benefit from a change of scenery. I'm glad NYRangers 2008 finally left to move to the Promised Land of Blakely Borough, and I truly do wish he'll be happier in the Mid-Valley area. I know weluvpa and one more of you (bloominscranton perhaps, or is it sues1?) stays in the city due to family-related commitments and hope to leave in the future. What excuses do the rest of you have to be living in a place you find to be so repulsive? Call me Goldilocks because I hated my hometown and then hated Northern Virginia, the place I moved to, even more. Finally, though, the third city I chose, Pittsburgh, is my own personal paradise and fits nearly all of my criteria perfectly. Life doesn't require you to spend year after year after year chained to a place that makes you miserable.

With that being said looking back at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre I can safely assure those of you pondering relocating to the area that Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties are NOT the Hell on Earth some on here would lead you to believe. They offer a mediocre quality-of-life at a mediocre price point. If you don't want to pay the sky-high taxes that living in the supposedly "better" areas entails, then it's a great area. If you want top-notch public services, amenities, cultural/educational opportunities, etc., then, no, it's not a great place. I plan to relocate back to the area---most likely to Wilkes-Barre---once my parents age in order to help my sister care for them. It's not a terrible place to live; a lack of visionary leadership (you people seriously elected morons like Janet Evans, Chris Doherty, Greg Skrepenak, etc. and expect sympathy?) seriously hampers the area's economic potential being fully realized.

I certainly agree. Life doesn't require you to stay in a place where you're unhappy - when you are single, with no children, no aged parent to care for, in a rented apartment, - you can pick up and move anytime. Unfortunately, not everyone lives YOUR life.

As far as your snide "you people" remark, how can you say such a thing? Do you seriously think that the people who are expressing their dissatisfaction with the city administration actually voted for the miscreants? I assure you they are not looking for sympathy. They want help.

I'm hopeful that the folks who come here looking for information about the area are smart enough to sift through the responses and make an informed decision on their own.

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by theatergypsy

I certainly agree. Life doesn't require you to stay in a place where you're unhappy - when you are single, with no children, no aged parent to care for, in a rented apartment, - you can pick up and move anytime. Unfortunately, not everyone lives YOUR life.

As far as your snide "you people" remark, how can you say such a thing? Do you seriously think that the people who are expressing their dissatisfaction with the city administration actually voted for the miscreants? I assure you they are not looking for sympathy. They want help.

I'm hopeful that the folks who come here looking for information about the area are smart enough to sift through the responses and make an informed decision on their own.

[bloominscranton]

Originally Posted by theatergypsy

I certainly agree. Life doesn't require you to stay in a place where you're unhappy - when you are single, with no children, no aged parent to care for, in a rented apartment, - you can pick up and move anytime. Unfortunately, not everyone lives YOUR life.

As far as your snide "you people" remark, how can you say such a thing? Do you seriously think that the people who are expressing their dissatisfaction with the city administration actually voted for the miscreants? I assure you they are not looking for sympathy. They want help.

I'm hopeful that the folks who come here looking for information about the area are smart enough to sift through the responses and make an informed decision on their own.

Thank you!

[MaggieZ]

weluvpa, that's very true and you are right in saying what you say..Scranton could be a beautiful place, I lived there from '88 till about '95 and the decline was sad. Parts of the city were going to pot and you didn't feel safe anytime, day or night, towards the mid nineties. Jobs were beginning to be very scarce. I was there when Steamtown mall opened its doors and thought the area would get a positive boost from it. I moved back in '03 or so and it was downright depressing and aliens had moved in and taken over Southside..Even Minooka was not what it used to be so I "got out of Dodge"..I still love Scranton, the memories of it..not what it has become ...it's a crying shame