Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Northeastern Pennsylvania
 [Register]
Northeastern Pennsylvania Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pocono area
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 06-29-2012, 09:25 AM
 
Location: Madison, WI
7 posts, read 9,391 times
Reputation: 19

Advertisements

When are you moving? September-November, still TBD
Where are you coming from? Madison, WI
Why are you moving? My wife works for Kraft and will be relocated to Wilkes-Barre for her new position with Mondelez (the Kraft spin-off). She was offered the job on Monday (June 25).
Where will you be working? I will be searching for the job. I have a BA in HR Management from Michigan State University. I am open to any type of management position.
Have you been here yet? No, we just had our second son two weeks ago. Kraft will be providing us with the opportunity to visit as our son gets older.

Will you buy or rent? Would prefer to buy but may need a short-term rental.
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? House, up to $250K most likely.

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Married, 2 kids, 4 and a few weeks.
Do you prefer public or private schools? Public unless the school districts aren't great where we live then off to private it is.
Do you have pets? Two dogs and a cat. A jack russell and a pug-beagle mix.
Do you want or need a yard? Yes, a yard would be preferred.
Are you keeping a car? Two car family.
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? The wife is active and I am calm and quiet.

What do you want to be closest to? Good schools. We think we want to be in Dallas, Crestwood or Wyoming school districts. We currently own and remodeled a circa 1880 home and like the character of older homes and don't mind fixing up a home a bit.

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? It would be nice to be in a neighborhood where our children can play with others in the same age groups. I prefer a diverse area but may not be likely in the region. I would like advice on which areas of the Dallas, Crestwood and Wyoming school districts to avoid. Every city has a bad area and we would like to avoid that as much as possible. We are aware of recent flooding in the region (last year?) and was wondering if this happens often or was a once-every-half-century type of thing.

Phillies, Pirates or Mets? Detroit Tigers but will be SWB Yankees fans as well.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 06-29-2012, 07:04 PM
 
Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA
28 posts, read 50,437 times
Reputation: 41
It is a nice area, but some of the locals do not like Wilkes-Barre because it has a few more minorities than Scranton.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-29-2012, 09:08 PM
 
4,526 posts, read 6,069,503 times
Reputation: 3983
how bout cause of the overabundance of white trash and in home drug labs-----if you want exposure to things you shake your head at on tv welcome to da valley-----in order to keep mostly away from the huge majority of scum stay up in the mountains and venture into the valley towns for supplies you cannot get in your better habitable areas such as dallas as to schooling----good luck---pediatricians----another wish for good luck--this area has a noticeable shortage of physicians that are keeping up with current medical info---all nepa hospitals are owned by 2 for profit companies--one based in tenessee and the other locally with a reputation that exceeds it's real medical delivery

btw----some of us are grumpy and brutally honest (am referring to myself)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-29-2012, 09:53 PM
 
452 posts, read 680,177 times
Reputation: 598
I'll tell you the same thing I've told many others. From Scranton down to Hazleton is a mess. The area is just going down hill and no real sign of anything positive to change the trend. Soon enough the rah-rah's will jump all over this post and tell you to "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" but do yourself a favor and read some of the local papers published on line. (Be aware that most of the crime and negative things are kept down to a minimum.) I wish you all the best but moving here is not a wise choice.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-30-2012, 05:08 AM
 
Location: Location: Location
6,727 posts, read 9,913,976 times
Reputation: 20482
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cpt.Trips View Post
I'll tell you the same thing I've told many others. From Scranton down to Hazleton is a mess. The area is just going down hill and no real sign of anything positive to change the trend. Soon enough the rah-rah's will jump all over this post and tell you to "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" but do yourself a favor and read some of the local papers published on line. (Be aware that most of the crime and negative things are kept down to a minimum.) I wish you all the best but moving here is not a wise choice.
But then again, the commute from Wisconsin will be a bear!

I'm not one of the rah-rah crowd. I call it as I see it. I'm not native to the area but I've lived in NEPA for 45 years and while I have watched a general decline, it ain't all bad either.

The flooding in the W.Pittston area was a never-before event. Not to say it won't happen again but not all of the area was inundated, (as some will have you believe). Dallas/Lake Lehman school districts are in what is known as the Back Mountain. Nice area, no flooding, but somewhat rural.

The Wyoming Area SD, not to be confused with Wyoming Valley West, takes in W. Pittston, Exeter, Wyoming, W. Wyoming, Harding, some of which are rural and some populated on tree-lined streets with older homes. Bet you'd like it.

Wilkes-Barre itself can be sketchy in spots, and in light of the changing demographic, the school system is having some problems with rival groups. But you need to look around.

The job situation is not the greatest, but there are some. It could take a while. Then again, maybe not.

I happen to love the area where I live, but not sure the SD would meet your criteria. If you can overlook that, (or opt for private) Kingston is a nice town. Forty Fort is small and quiet.

I always think that renting is a good idea because far from being a "big city" the area has so many small towns in a concentrated area that one side of the street can differ greatly from the other.

While there is some not-so-great stuff, it isn't all bad either. Come have a look. And congratulations on the new kid.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-30-2012, 06:17 AM
 
5,291 posts, read 6,122,809 times
Reputation: 5462
Your wife must have been offered a high executive position (and salary) with this new Kraft spin-off to induce you to want to move to our neck of the woods from the cosmopolitan environs of Madison, Wisconsin. In our area, there are not that many big companies that require human resources (personnel) managers and there is no shortage of candidates for the few such positions that do become available.

My advice to you is to visit our area, register with private and public employment agencies (PennsylvaniaJobs.Com - Your online source for jobs and employment opportunities in Pennsylvania), check real estate offices, drive around to get a feel of the place and then think long and hard about whether you really want to move here.

If you do move here, you may wind up in a job not in your field and probably not very professionally satisfying or perhaps become a stay-at-home dad. Good luck in any event.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-30-2012, 06:19 AM
 
452 posts, read 680,177 times
Reputation: 598
I must admire how the following passage was written.

"Wilkes-Barre itself can be sketchy in spots, and in light of the changing demographic, the school system is having some problems with rival groups. But you need to look around."

The truth is the area is having a growing problem with illegal Hispanics coming here from NJ and NY. "Rival groups" is more or less real estate agent lingo for gang violence over turf wars to deal drugs. And as far as school system's having "some problems", I don't consider a machete attack almost severing another students hand to be taken lightly. Once again, read local papers that post on line.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-30-2012, 06:30 AM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,613 posts, read 77,393,675 times
Reputation: 19096
Somehow the intense negativity in this thread doesn't surprise me. Even the legitimately HELPFUL responses are along the lines of "well, at least this area isn't exactly Hell...yet...but it's coming".

Besides sheena12 (who seems to be sputtering out) is there anyone left who is legitimately EXCITED about Scranton/Wilkes-Barre? We're all aware the area has immense issues---the highest unemployment rate in the state most of the time, the only major metropolitan area in the state whose core cities declined in population from 2010-2011 due to continued unchecked urban sprawl, an oversupply of low-wage warehousing jobs and a scarcity of career opportunities for those with degrees and specialized skills, inept political leadership (and resistance to elect someone like me who COULD revolutionize the area just because we're off-putting socially), a high cancer rate (that goes hand-in-hand with a high rate of smoking and obesity), lots of DUIs, a litter epidemic, mediocre public schools, taxes that are high relative to the services provided, an odd infatuation with Wal-Mart, unjustified homophobia, a dearth of medical specialists, etc., etc.

With that being said you are also in the very rare area that is an easy day-trip to either NYC or Philadelphia and still has inhabitable homes under $100,000. You have a beautiful mountain backdrop that I miss greatly. You have natural treasures like Ricketts Glen State Park, Harvey's Lake, Lake Wallenpaupack, Nay Aug Gorge, and Lake Scranton at your fingertips. You are replete with quaint small towns such as Jim Thorpe, Honesdale, Tunkhannock, Montrose, and Milford, amongst many others. People, for the most part, are friendly. Traffic congestion is a rarity---coming from someone who has lived in NoVA and Pittsburgh. You have great annual events such as La Festa Italiana, Wilkes-Barre's Fine Arts Fiesta, Pittston's Tomato Festival, Montrose's Blueberry Festival, Harford Fair, Pittston Township's Northeast Fair, Bloomsburg Fair, and much more that makes the area attractive for families. You have four distinct seasons. For entertainment you have minor-league hockey and baseball, two casinos, several malls and outlet centers, numerous nightclubs, and various headline concerts (which, admittedly, cater to those in the over-45 crowd).

No, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre isn't perfect, but spotlighting only the negatives in an effort to scare off any potential transplants will NOT help the area to improve itself.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-30-2012, 06:57 AM
 
28,164 posts, read 25,211,209 times
Reputation: 16665
How many of you live in Wilkes-Barre again? Or even in the valley? (besides theater gypsy of course)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-30-2012, 07:06 AM
 
Location: Location: Location
6,727 posts, read 9,913,976 times
Reputation: 20482
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cpt.Trips View Post
I must admire how the following passage was written.

"Wilkes-Barre itself can be sketchy in spots, and in light of the changing demographic, the school system is having some problems with rival groups. But you need to look around."

The truth is the area is having a growing problem with illegal Hispanics coming here from NJ and NY. "Rival groups" is more or less real estate agent lingo for gang violence over turf wars to deal drugs. And as far as school system's having "some problems", I don't consider a machete attack almost severing another students hand to be taken lightly. Once again, read local papers that post on line.
I don't consider any of the recent incidents in W-B to be taken lightly. I did not encourage the OP to "come here and enjoy all of the wonderful attributes of W-B". Nor do I think it's my life assignment to tell anyone how horrible it can be to live here.

The OP is coming. His wife has a job offer. I'm guessing it's a pretty good one for the corp. to move her here, including a "look-around" trip.

In view of that fact, I attempted to offer a general summation of the areas surrounding the city. Most people don't know until they get here how many small towns ring the immediate W-B area and how different they are.

And the Pittsburgh Oracle notwithstanding, not all respondents are negative. Nor should they paint a Thomas Kinkade picture. As Joe Friday said, "Just the facts."

For the record, I'm not a real estate agent, but I have played one onstage.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Northeastern Pennsylvania
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top