Progressive Changes in Northeastern Pennsylvania (Scranton, Atlantic: buying, theater, public schools)

[Cpt.Trips]

Originally Posted by bloominscranton

This thread derailed pages back! Could we please get back to the op or lock the darn thing. I am not thrilled with the area and regret buying my home, but I try to make the best of it and do not blame others for my stupid choices. Sorry, but I can't take the pity party on this thread anymore...

Last time I checked, nobody is forcing you to read anything you choose not to.

[bloominscranton]

Originally Posted by Cpt.Trips

Last time I checked, nobody is forcing you to read anything you choose not to.

Ummmmmm...ok...lol I am not annoyed or upset. I just do not get what the personal gripes have to do with progressive changes in NEPA?

[Cpt.Trips]

Originally Posted by bloominscranton

Ummmmmm...ok...lol I am not annoyed or upset. I just do not get what the personal gripes have to do with progressive changes in NEPA?

I'd like to respond by referring to one of my favorite singer, song writers and poets, Bob Dylan. From the song "The Times They Are A-Changin'" "Don't criticize what you can't understand" Kind of appropriate, don't you think?

[weluvpa]

Haha someone said "Progressive Changes" in NEPA...ROFLMAO

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Mr Yuk

"Better college opportunities??" For an area this size, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has a lot of colleges....2 Penn State branch campuses, the U of S, Marywood, King's, Wilkes, Misericordia, Lackawanna, LCCC, Johnson College, etc. I went to a local PSU campus and don't recall any corruption there and got a good education for my $$$. And the U of S, King's, Marywood, Wilkes all have high populations of students from out of the area, and a good percentage of the professors are from out of the area, so I don't think you have to encounter any local "good ol' boys" club to get a degree from those schools.

^ This. For all of the complaints I may lodge against the area for a wide array of reasons I can assure you that excellent educational options ARE available for the scant few in the area who so choose to pursue them. I graduated from a local high school (Pittston Area) that prepared me well to graduate magna *** laude from King's College with a degree that has now netted me a great career opportunity in a progressive city. Many of my classmates from Pittston Area are now physicians and attorneys. I am also considering pursuing my MBA.

I have no "crony connections", either. I did this on my own merit. The fact that only 14% of people in Wilkes-Barre have a degree at a time when 40%+ residents in most urbanized areas possess degrees says a lot more about the people who live in the area than it does about the prevailing higher education options. It also explains why the best we can ever hope for on the economic front are more CenterPointe-styled wastelands offering (mostly) low-wage distribution center jobs for those without degrees. It also explains why the area is screwed in the long-run when the influx of NYC/NJ residents drives up the cost of housing beyond the financial grasp of the natives who are working in those warehouses.

[weluvpa]

LOL....Like a college degree matters anymore. People with masters and PHD's are pushing burgers at fastfood joints..lolololol ROFLMAO.....

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by Cpt.Trips

I'd like to respond by referring to one of my favorite singer, song writers and poets, Bob Dylan. From the song "The Times They Are A-Changin'" "Don't criticize what you can't understand" Kind of appropriate, don't you think?

I'm pretty sure that she understands.

[sunsetonmytown]

Originally Posted by SterlingBusinessPark

I have seen a lot of posts criticizing the Northeastern Pennsylvania area and I wanted to highlight some of the efforts in the area to dispel the myth of Pennsyltucky.

Sterling Business & Technology Park, a brand new business and technology park has just opened in northeast Pennsylvania minutes away from Lake Wallenpaupack and at Exit 17 on Interstate 84. The park has 3 phase power from two separate substations, onsite sewer and water, available high speed bandwidth, and is the largest business and technology park in PA with a gray water reuse system. It is also completely greenfield. Less than 2 hours away from New York City. There is a core supportive business environment focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, and data driven services. The area has some of the best APP developers in the world. Northeastern Pennsylvania is known for its incredible scenery, extreme outdoor sports lifestyle, has an increasing arts and film community (18 Productions were done in NEPA during 2012 so far), and lower cost of operations, construction, and living. Still close enough to Scranton and NYC to visit restaurants, Broadway, and shop yet far enough away to be a good disaster recovery and data services center. Also perfect for back office operations and multi-tenant distribution facilities. Check out sterlingbusinesspark.com.

Enterprise Center Planned, a new business enterprise center is in the planning stages.

Lake Region Technology Center, in the planning stages leveraging the growing community of data driven businesses and digital media in NEPA.

The Cooperage, a new privately held building providing arts, entertainment, farmers market, and an overall progressive sense of community in Honesdale.

Business Venture Capital Fund being formed to provide access to capital to grow and expand business opportunity.

Pocono Film Commission supporting the arts and film production in a six county region.

Six Area Film Festivals bringing independent film to Northeastern Pennsylvania.

3 Active Regional Arts Organizations promoting opera, dance, art, performing arts, and music.

Extreme Sports Outdoor Recreational Activities.

Excellent Family Resorts, Camps, and Lodging.

Delaware River, The last Free Flowing river on the East Coast, canoeing, kayaking and rafting.

A large contingent of second home owners and NYC transplants provide access to a large group of diverse metro minded people.

Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau, if you want to see all that the area offers, visit 800poconos.org.

Farm Tourism, Farm to Table, and CSAs, living in the region you have access to some of the best food and food products grown on the east coast.

Radius 40, a diverse group of business leaders mentoring new businesses and young entrepreneurs.

East Stroudsburg - A rural slice of SOHO college town with outdoor cafes and nice retail shops.

35 Colleges and Universities providing unparallelled access to high quality educational resources.

Evergreen School, the only lead certified middle school in NEPA. Geothermal heating and other energy saving construction techniques. Overall the area has some of the best school systems.

The one thing I agree with in some of the posts is that it takes a while for people to get to know you in NEPA. If you make a effort to be part of area and meet people, you become part of a solid community that is much more accepting of diversity than many of the posts have indicated. To most people living here, good people are good people and that is all that matters.

you mean the over-development, over-building of NEPA, with homes built on top of each other, to prey upon the people living in deplorable conditions in NYC, NJ, Philadelphia, etc. and charge them 2x-3x the usual going rate for housing and services, that the natives of NEPA are accustomed to paying.

stop squeezing NEPA for money like a cash cow, it's our home towns, and after you get done bilking everyone for money under the guise of "progressive change", what we're left with is higher property taxes, drug dealers, crime, heavy traffic, higher unemployment, overbuilt housing projects and cramped living conditions, inflated property and home prices, with lower resale value due to glutted market, overworked roads and infrastructure, overstressed police forces with dwindling budgets, bankrupted cities of Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Hazleton, speed traps everywhere as townships fine people trying to raise money, and in towns that were once close-knit, no one even knows each other anymore.

these transients are all gypsies, if someone flapped a $20 bill at them, they'd move again- they are moving only for money, and that's a poor reason. Our families stayed here, even though there were relatively few jobs.

we didn't move to bilk another area

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by SterlingBusinessPark

I have seen a lot of posts criticizing the Northeastern Pennsylvania area and I wanted to highlight some of the efforts in the area to dispel the myth of Pennsyltucky.

Sterling Business & Technology Park, a brand new business and technology park has just opened in northeast Pennsylvania minutes away from Lake Wallenpaupack and at Exit 17 on Interstate 84. The park has 3 phase power from two separate substations, onsite sewer and water, available high speed bandwidth, and is the largest business and technology park in PA with a gray water reuse system. It is also completely greenfield. Less than 2 hours away from New York City. There is a core supportive business environment focused on entrepreneurship, innovation, and data driven services. The area has some of the best APP developers in the world. Northeastern Pennsylvania is known for its incredible scenery, extreme outdoor sports lifestyle, has an increasing arts and film community (18 Productions were done in NEPA during 2012 so far), and lower cost of operations, construction, and living. Still close enough to Scranton and NYC to visit restaurants, Broadway, and shop yet far enough away to be a good disaster recovery and data services center. Also perfect for back office operations and multi-tenant distribution facilities. Check out sterlingbusinesspark.com.

Enterprise Center Planned, a new business enterprise center is in the planning stages.

Lake Region Technology Center, in the planning stages leveraging the growing community of data driven businesses and digital media in NEPA.

The Cooperage, a new privately held building providing arts, entertainment, farmers market, and an overall progressive sense of community in Honesdale.

Business Venture Capital Fund being formed to provide access to capital to grow and expand business opportunity.

Pocono Film Commission supporting the arts and film production in a six county region.

Six Area Film Festivals bringing independent film to Northeastern Pennsylvania.

3 Active Regional Arts Organizations promoting opera, dance, art, performing arts, and music.

Extreme Sports Outdoor Recreational Activities.

Excellent Family Resorts, Camps, and Lodging.

Delaware River, The last Free Flowing river on the East Coast, canoeing, kayaking and rafting.

A large contingent of second home owners and NYC transplants provide access to a large group of diverse metro minded people.

Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau, if you want to see all that the area offers, visit 800poconos.org.

Farm Tourism, Farm to Table, and CSAs, living in the region you have access to some of the best food and food products grown on the east coast.

Radius 40, a diverse group of business leaders mentoring new businesses and young entrepreneurs.

East Stroudsburg - A rural slice of SOHO college town with outdoor cafes and nice retail shops.

35 Colleges and Universities providing unparallelled access to high quality educational resources.

Evergreen School, the only lead certified middle school in NEPA. Geothermal heating and other energy saving construction techniques. Overall the area has some of the best school systems.

The one thing I agree with in some of the posts is that it takes a while for people to get to know you in NEPA. If you make a effort to be part of area and meet people, you become part of a solid community that is much more accepting of diversity than many of the posts have indicated. To most people living here, good people are good people and that is all that matters.

Once in awhile someone makes a stab at trying to accentuate the positives of NEPA. I'd like to suggest that we get back on that track if possible. Feel free to start (once again) another thread about why the "progressive" element has ruined the area. Please use the DM feature if you wish to comment.

[weluvpa]

This place hasn't done anything, it doesn't exist yet. Its just a field with utilities.