What's Scranton like? (Philadelphia, Wilkes-Barre, York: middle-class, ski resort, sale)

[izzymare]

I don't care for Scranton at all, but that's just my opinion. Make sure you do your homework before you pack your bags. Try staying there for a period of time, and don't make too much of this blog because these are only opinions.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by izzymare

I don't care for Scranton at all, but that's just my opinion. Make sure you do your homework before you pack your bags. Try staying there for a period of time, and don't make too much of this blog because these are only opinions.

I agree. Be sure to do your homework BEFORE moving here, especially from as far away as the Dominican Republic. Scranton's the type of city that you either love (myself, TheHighHat, ConorsDad, etc.) or hate (WeLuvPA, izzymare, greentown, etc.) with very, very few in-betweeners. I tend to "overhype" the city based on what I envision it to resemble in another decade once the new medical school, commuter rail line, riverfront reclamation, and residential loft projects are completed, and the others are realists who are looking at the city today.

Different strokes for different folks. Izzymare loves Stroudsburg; I don't care for it. I love Scranton; she doesn't. I think Wilkes-Barre is making a comeback also; Go Phillies disagrees. I think Pittston is an absolute DUMP that is only nice due to its convenience to OTHER areas; many others disagree. I think West Pittston is one of the nicest Victorian towns in all of PA; others won't even give it a chance because it has the word "Pittston" in it. You say poe-tate-oh, I say poe-tot-oh.

One thing I will say though on a racial level is that if you are indeed a native Dominican, you'll probaby fare better in Scranton as opposed to other cities in our area. Hazleton has become quite a racist city as of late---residents are largely too uneducated to realize that Mayor Barletta is only targeting ILLEGAL Hispanics, yet they go around witch-hunting the legal ones as well because they don't have anything better to do. People in Scranton don't seem to care as much about racial/cultural differences; there's even an annual Fiesta en Scranton and an annual Latin Pride Parade. Such events in Hazleton would draw people out with pitchforks it would seem.

As a 20-year-old, I can tell you that my generation is probably the most accepting and considerate one to ever grace this area---we don't take kindly to racists, and we make that VERY clear! The future is brighter.

[NYRangers 2008]

To me Scranton isn't that great. I'm only living here for now until I buy my own house, which will not be in the city. I do not like paying the highest wage tax in the state, I do not like the 25 percent tax increases coming, I do not like the condition of the roads or bridges. I don't like the fact that this administration has done nothing to help the flooding problems of some of it's neighborhoods and let's an illegal plant continue to operate within it's city limits. I don't like all the blighted houses you see in the neighborhoods. I don't like all the empty buildings you see downtown. I don't like the fact that the city hands out loans like candy to hair salons and trendy stores that will not make it and yet charges a out of line penalty for delinquent tax payers. I don't like that city invested so much into Nay Aug and it really doesn't look as great as it cost. I don't like that the city keeps selling land to non-profits and we're losing money from the tax rolls. I don't like that the administration has cut back our fire and police forces, thus breaking the contract with the unions. Should I go on. Exercise extreme caution before moving to Scranton.

[Mr Yuk]

You realize that while we pay a 3.4% wage tax, our property taxes are ridiculously lower than most other places. We pay a lot less for garbage pickup than nearby towns. Other towns pay $300+ or have to buy special bags which cost an arm and a leg. In Scranton we pay a flat $178, and we have the best pickup in the area....I can put pretty much anything out...furniture, junk, etc, and they take it. They don't do that in other towns...you're either on your own getting rid of such things, or they may have one day a year where you can put out ONE large item. Plus, living in Scranton, I find I can walk to a food store, pharmacy, church, school, parks, etc. Living outside the city, most of those things are a drive...so living in Scranton, I don't have to wear out my car and drive around at near 3 bucks a gallon for gas just to get to stores, church, and schools.

Blighted houses? Are you kidding? Do you really think that other places don't have blighted houses? Trust me, Scranton is doing OK in that department. Take a ride around Wilkes-Barre's neighborhoods and you'll see more blighted houses than in Scranton....you'll find a lot more blighted houses in Carbondale as well.

I agree with you about cutting the police. They need to beef it back up. But I couldn't care less about the unions. They are just as greedy as the mayor, and the only reason they are outraged is because its the mayor controlling the money and not them. The unions are not concerned about public safety, they're concerned about their wallets.

I disagree with you on delinquent taxpayers. I'm sick of picking up the slack for deadbeats who don't pay their taxes. If more people would pay their taxes on time, then TAXES COULD BE LOWER. I'll bet many of the same deadbeats who don't pay their taxes or pay them late all the time (in fact I know some who do this)...have money for cigarettes, beer, tattoos, etc.

[NYRangers 2008]

You do make some good points go phillies. I have lived outside of the city and have lived here in the city for a little over 5 years now. I know both sides. It's just my preference to move out of the city in the near future to buy my house. There's nothing really spectacular in my opinion to keep me here. Others may feel different.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by go phillies

You realize that while we pay a 3.4% wage tax, our property taxes are ridiculously lower than most other places. We pay a lot less for garbage pickup than nearby towns. Other towns pay $300+ or have to buy special bags which cost an arm and a leg. In Scranton we pay a flat $178, and we have the best pickup in the area....I can put pretty much anything out...furniture, junk, etc, and they take it. They don't do that in other towns...you're either on your own getting rid of such things, or they may have one day a year where you can put out ONE large item.

Isn't it hillarious how so many residents approach the podium griping about "outrageous city taxes" and "Draconian measures" even after I pointed out in the past how Dan pays less in annual taxes for two homes in the city than my parents do for our ONE home in the suburbs? To be fair our home sits on a lot that is about the same size as Dan's and his parents' homes combined, but the square footage of our home is likely equivalent to the square footage of one of the homes he financially maintains. The market value of each of those homes is probably in the low-$100k range, which would amount to the low-to-mid $200k range if he were to sell both of them. Our home is valued right around $200,000. Nevertheless, we still pay MUCH more for our one home than he does for his two homes, and I've pointed out in the past just how much higher taxes are on some homes currently for sale in the Abingtons vs. comparably-sized ones in the city that are also on the market. People in Scranton whine about how "expensive" it is too live there, while all I can think to myself is "Bullsh*t."

Originally Posted by go phillies

Plus, living in Scranton, I find I can walk to a food store, pharmacy, church, school, parks, etc. Living outside the city, most of those things are a drive...so living in Scranton, I don't have to wear out my car and drive around at near 3 bucks a gallon for gas just to get to stores, church, and schools.

This is the exact reason why I'm moving to the city, as are many others in my peer group (contrary to what the "gloom and doom" crowd says). Living here in the suburbs is hell, as we can't walk to anything (we don't even have sidewalks!) I drive a fuel-efficient small sedan, yet my gasoline costs are outrageous! I'd be thrilled to live in the Hill Section at some point in the future so I could walk to my childrens' schools, university lectures/seminars, my downtown office, Nay Aug Park, Mansour's, churches, and various merchants and restaurants, amongst others. You city dwellers take your convenience for granted.

Originally Posted by go phillies

Blighted houses? Are you kidding? Do you really think that other places don't have blighted houses? Trust me, Scranton is doing OK in that department. Take a ride around Wilkes-Barre's neighborhoods and you'll see more blighted houses than in Scranton....you'll find a lot more blighted houses in Carbondale as well.

Agreed. Pittston looks like an armpit as well; very few people in this town take pride in their homes. I walked with my partner today through the Hill Section, which is supposedly the "ghetto" of Scranton, yet we noticed very few blighted properties. Council continues to take action on removing blighted properties in South Side, improving the aesthetics of that neighborhood as well. People in Scranton take MUCH more pride in their homes than any other city in NEPA.

Originally Posted by go phillies

I agree with you about cutting the police. They need to beef it back up. But I couldn't care less about the unions. They are just as greedy as the mayor, and the only reason they are outraged is because its the mayor controlling the money and not them. The unions are not concerned about public safety, they're concerned about their wallets.

Unions suck! I just saw this morning that the average salary of a union worker in this country is about $67,000, which isn't too shabby at all! Nevertheless we have union member morons at General Motors in Flint, MI striking because they want more. I won't have any sympathy for them if and when GM decides to pull up stakes entirely and head overseas. If you're an uneducated factory worker earning $67,000 in a low-cost place like Flint, then you should be thanking your lucky stars, as many college graduates here in NEPA don't even make that much (my parents make just slightly more than that COMBINED, yet they are BOTH college graduates). The "entitlement" attitude that union members in this country have is laughable, to say the least. They have no marketable skills, they're being paid a VERY generous salary, yet they still say "Gimme more!" I would actually encourage GM to move overseas to put those spoiled union workers out on the street!

Originally Posted by go phillies

I disagree with you on delinquent taxpayers. I'm sick of picking up the slack for deadbeats who don't pay their taxes. If more people would pay their taxes on time, then TAXES COULD BE LOWER. I'll bet many of the same deadbeats who don't pay their taxes or pay them late all the time (in fact I know some who do this)...have money for cigarettes, beer, tattoos, etc.

Agreed. As I said to you in another thread, most council speakers have the following comments:

"I don't wanna pay taxes."
"I want free swimming."
"I don't wanna pay taxes."
"I want those who can't pay their taxes to be freeloaders."
"I don't wanna pay taxes."
"I want more police officers on the streets."
"I don't wanna pay taxes."
"I want free handouts from the city."
"I don't wanna pay taxes."

It's hard to have sympathy for these hypocrites. Either pony up or shut up! You can't have a tax-free city with superior services and amenities.

[blur01]

And what is it like?

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by blur01

And what is it like?

Dunder-Mifflin is actually just a fictitious paper company. You'd actually be surprised just how few vestiges of "The Office" there are here in Scranton. If our elected officials weren't bumblef***s, then they would have capitalized years ago upon the HUGE popularity of this NBC sitcom with some sorts of tourist attractions. We're finally hosting our first annual convention for "The Office" next month, which is expected to draw 100,000 people downtown, but I can't believe how late the city finally decided to capitalize upon the show's popularity.

You'll also be surprised to learn that the local fan base for "The Office" is very few and far between; most people around here just don't seem to "get it." Many locals like things like Beavis & Butthead or Ren & Stimpy, where you don't necessarily have to "think" before you laugh. I say this as I must sadly admit that I'm the only Frasier fan in this region that I'm aware of, even though the series was drop-dead hillarious if you actually had the intellect to interpret it. The same can be said for "The Office"; most people just don't want to wait through a few episodes to give it a chance to grow on them, even though it has put their city back into the national spotlight.

[dbkell2]

I am relocating back to the Wilkes Barre Scranton area. I am looking for employment in the finance field, I have many years in commercial collections and will receive my associate degree in business management/banking and finance. Need some assistance in some of the companies in that area

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by dbkell2

I am relocating back to the Wilkes Barre Scranton area. I am looking for employment in the finance field, I have many years in commercial collections and will receive my associate degree in business management/banking and finance. Need some assistance in some of the companies in that area

Most locals always whine about the lack of career opportunities, but here are some major employers in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre region:

MetLife
Prudential
Guard Insurance
Bank of America
Sanofi-Pasteur Pharmaceuticals
Lockheed-Martin
CIGNA HealthCare
PNC Bank
Pennstar Bank
Diversified Information Technologies
Keystone Automotive
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Pride Mobility Products
Benco Dental Supply
SmithBarney
Cinram
Seccas
Sallie Mae
CONVERGYS
Frontier Communications
Solid Cactus
Pepperjam

The Wall Street West initiative should have many more financial-related firms moving into NEPA in the next 5-10 years (Seccas is among them).