the most Un-New York City-ish towns in NEPA

[weluvpa]

Originally Posted by Mr Yuk

But didn't you move here from NJ?

Yep I did(not by choice), but my mother and family are from right here in good ole' Scranton...

[MatildaLoo]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I'd recommend Honesdale, Montrose (a tad too small perhaps), Tunkhannock (also perhaps a bit small), Palmerton, and Jim Thorpe in NEPA.

Montrose and Tunkhannock are facing housing problems right now because of the Marcellus Shale boom. Not sure if CourageMom is looking to buy, or rent first and buy later, but the influx of out-of-state natural gas workers has driven up the price of rentals in that area.

Otherwise, I agree that these towns sound right for what she is looking for.

[CourageMom]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I'd recommend Honesdale, Montrose (a tad too small perhaps), Tunkhannock (also perhaps a bit small), Palmerton, and Jim Thorpe in NEPA. In North Central PA I'd recommend Bloomsburg, Lewisburg, Selinsgrove, Danville, and perhaps even Muncy or Montoursville.

Steel City Rising..
First off, let me just say I'm feeling sorry about your car being vandalized.. That's too close to home and now you must have a whole new sense and vibe that surround the incident. Sending you true empathy. THat happened to me about two days after I got my first nice sound system installed in my car.. Really upset me..and a long time before the trust returned. Hang in there..know you are loved by many.

Okay now the question.. I do need to note the towns that are too small, and set them aside.
We have lived in a tiny-small town for a long time and crave something with more local activities and stores.

The towns you mentioned; Palmerton, Honesdale, and Jim Thorpe, of them
which has the most lively downtown,
which downtown is the biggest,
and which appears to be in the best shape (like a re-newed Main street)..
which is the most forward thinking/modern/hip/fun?

[SteelCityRising]

CourageMom, what you're seeking---a forward-thinking, hip, eclectic, artsy, retro-vintage (i.e. 1950s-era Main Street), etc. community that isn't too small---just may not be available in NEPA. I'd imagine you're looking for a place that has a similar vibe to places like Ithaca, NY; Burlington, VT; Boulder, CO; Portland, ME; etc., but just at a lower price point and a smaller size. If you weren't so set on NEPA I'd actually recommend Winchester, Virginia to you. When I lived and worked in Fairfax County, VA I was seriously considering buying my first home in Winchester, which has a cute historic Downtown with a pedestrian mall, and power-commuting to work everyday. Winchester wasn't as "progressive" or "trendy" as the other places I mentioned, but with a continuing influx of DC-area liberals the place was certainly becoming much more diverse, cultured, and lively.

My online pal Normie did a photo tour of Winchester:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/north...inchester.html

Of the places we've recommended to you Honesdale is the best fit, followed closely by Jim Thorpe. "Lively", "energetic", "hip", "fun", "renewed", "large Downtown", etc. don't exactly come to mind when I think of most of the other places.

These photo tours I took a few years ago when I still lived in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area may help you:

HONESDALE: http://www.city-data.com/forum/north...art-three.html

JIM THORPE: http://www.city-data.com/forum/lehig...hoto-tour.html

If you consider North Central PA then a few other considerations:

BLOOMSBURG: http://www.city-data.com/forum/penns...hoto-tour.html

LEWISBURG: http://www.city-data.com/forum/penns...hoto-tour.html

Bloomsburg and Lewisburg, as college towns, will have a "left" tilt to them with a bit more diversity, culture, "hip" things, etc. within them.

[MatildaLoo]

Originally Posted by CourageMom

Steel City Rising..
First off, let me just say I'm feeling sorry about your car being vandalized.. That's too close to home and now you must have a whole new sense and vibe that surround the incident. Sending you true empathy. THat happened to me about two days after I got my first nice sound system installed in my car.. Really upset me..and a long time before the trust returned. Hang in there..know you are loved by many.

Okay now the question.. I do need to note the towns that are too small, and set them aside.
We have lived in a tiny-small town for a long time and crave something with more local activities and stores.

The towns you mentioned; Palmerton, Honesdale, and Jim Thorpe, of them
which has the most lively downtown,
which downtown is the biggest,
and which appears to be in the best shape (like a re-newed Main street)..
which is the most forward thinking/modern/hip/fun?

Please understand that none of these towns are terribly big. I'm not sure what type of population you are looking for, but these are pretty small towns. If you are looking for something on par with Ithaca, NY, then SteelCity is correct--we don't really have that in NEPA.

Jim Thorpe is lively because of tourism. It was recently named the 4th most beautiful small town in America by Rand McNally and USA Today. However, I'm still afraid that it's not exactly what you are looking for. In terms of forward-thinking, there is definitely an artsy flair to the town and you'll see a lot of stores with rainbows on them denoting the gay influence in the town, which is usually a good indicator of a progressive area.

The problem, though, is that Jim Thorpe isn't what I like to call a self-sustaining town. In other words, you'd likely have to venture outside of borough limits for most of your needs. There is a grocery store but they don't have the best selection. There are some clothing stores but they are either vintage or geared toward a specific style; you probably wouldn't be able to buy most of your clothing in town. Your doctor would probably be in a different town.

Palmerton and Honesdale could feasibly sustain themselves: they each have a hospital, their own school district, and stores -- although Honesdale's biggest grocery store is out of town and the others, IIRC, aren't in walkable areas. The problem is that they aren't as "hip" as Jim Thorpe. The sidewalks roll up at night. You won't see a lot of people walking around downtown after a certain time, not because of safety reasons but because they've all gone home.

Bloomsburg and Lewisburg may have a college influence, but they are still kind of in the middle of nowhere. It would take a while for you to travel to any city of size. I'm not sure if that's important to you, but it's something to consider. Honesdale is the same way; god love you if you have to get to the Scranton area during bad weather for any reason. That mountain is not fun in the snow!

[sheena12]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

CourageMom, what you're seeking---a forward-thinking, hip, eclectic, artsy, retro-vintage (i.e. 1950s-era Main Street), etc. community that isn't too small---just may not be available in NEPA. I'd imagine you're looking for a place that has a similar vibe to places like Ithaca, NY; Burlington, VT; Boulder, CO; Portland, ME; etc., but just at a lower price point and a smaller size. If you weren't so set on NEPA I'd actually recommend Winchester, Virginia to you. When I lived and worked in Fairfax County, VA I was seriously considering buying my first home in Winchester, which has a cute historic Downtown with a pedestrian mall, and power-commuting to work everyday. Winchester wasn't as "progressive" or "trendy" as the other places I mentioned, but with a continuing influx of DC-area liberals the place was certainly becoming much more diverse, cultured, and lively.

My online pal Normie did a photo tour of Winchester:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/north...inchester.html

Of the places we've recommended to you Honesdale is the best fit, followed closely by Jim Thorpe. "Lively", "energetic", "hip", "fun", "renewed", "large Downtown", etc. don't exactly come to mind when I think of most of the other places.

These photo tours I took a few years ago when I still lived in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area may help you:

HONESDALE: http://www.city-data.com/forum/north...art-three.html

JIM THORPE: http://www.city-data.com/forum/lehig...hoto-tour.html

If you consider North Central PA then a few other considerations:

BLOOMSBURG: http://www.city-data.com/forum/penns...hoto-tour.html

LEWISBURG: http://www.city-data.com/forum/penns...hoto-tour.html

Bloomsburg and Lewisburg, as college towns, will have a "left" tilt to them with a bit more diversity, culture, "hip" things, etc. within them.

SteeleCity, - that type of place that you just described? Well that's looking very good to me right now!