Best place in Lackawanna County to live? (Scranton, Dunmore: low crime, new house)

[MatildaLoo]

Oh I missed the horses thing. Here's a list of some of the boarders in the area. You could probably find more through a Google search, too.

Horse Boarding in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania | HorsesPennsylvania.com

[ladyalicia105]

These towns you just listed with barns....are they in Lackawanna?

[auntieannie68]

Originally Posted by Riverside4ever

"Im looking for heavy Italian Catholic population"



Almost all the Italians I know are heavy... In one way or another ...

OT--i'm insulted

[MatildaLoo]

Originally Posted by ladyalicia105

These towns you just listed with barns....are they in Lackawanna?

Clarks Summit is. Pittston is in Luzerne County but if you move to Old Forge it is very close. Tunkhannock is in Wyoming County but isn't too far from Lackawanna County, either. Waymart is Wayne County, which would be the closest if you moved to Jessup. The other ones are pretty far away and I wouldn't choose them.

I'm almost positive that there are more than are listed on that site. I'm sure you'll be able to find them if you search the Internet though.

[ladyalicia105]

How is Clarks Summit and the surrounding towns? It seems to be bigger more expensive houses. Im trying to save some money by moving out of Jersey and Clark's Summit and the Abingtons seems pricey. Any other towns in Lackawanna that anyone would recommend me researching? Im hoping maybe there is some other perfect little town Im missing. I have to stress I dont want to live anywhere that floods. Im at the Jersey shore and my town flooded. I want to avoid natural disasters best I can

[Wells5]

Ladia Alicia, what are your priorities in order of importance? If it's a heavily Catholic/Italian area, then you want Old Forge, Jessup or West Pittston (which has larger homes and bigger yards but is in Luzerne County and parts are subject to flooding). If you want newer and larger homes on acreage with really good, competitive public schools, then look into the Abingtons or the Back Mountain, which is in Luzerne County. $250,000 will buy a decent home in Old Forge and also pay for any additions and renovations, which you may want to bring it up to your standards. You will need $375,00+ to purchase a newer home on 1 acre or more in the Back Mountain or the Abingtons.

[ladyalicia105]

375000 is definitely too expensive. Thats what a smaller house in Jersey costs. I would love a larger newer home AND be close to my culture and religion. So it seems I have to chose between the two. When I say NEW home most probably think I mean just built. but Ill take even the 60s or 70s. Ive seen listings for houses in Jessup Dunmore and Old Forge from 1900- 1940. That scares me a bit lol! My husband is not a handy man at all

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by ladyalicia105

Sounds like a place I would fit in perfectly. Does anyone know out of these 3 which schools are best in Old Forge, Jessup or Dunmore?

The schools are probably all about equal....decent, but not outstanding. All 3 are typical NEPA schools that value football above everything (Valley View (Jessup/Archbald/Blakely), Dunmore, and Old Forge). As much as I think my Valley View education was mediocre and the school could have been better with a little less emphasis on football and more on education, I still turned out OK (I think) and I managed to graduate from college. NEPA really doesn't have any deplorable failing schools.....you can get a good education in any NEPA district and do well in life if you apply yourself.

Valley View (Jessup) is a larger district than both Old Forge and Dunmore and may have more to offer in the way of courses and extracurricular activities.

Personally I would avoid Dunmore, not because of the schools, but because of the insular provincial mentality of the residents. Dunmore is like its own little world, the people think the world revolves around Dunmore and are suspicious of anyone who is not a born and raised "Dunmorean." Not to mention they revere a Dunmore "businessman" with ties to the mafia. The 2 years I lived there I could not wait to get out. I'm happier where I currently live in Scranton. I hear that Old Forge has a bit of this provincial mentality as well, but I don't know firsthand like I do from Dunmore. Maybe its the predominantly-Italian towns that have their own schools in the town that creates that "bubble" over the town, while Jessup is part of Valley View School District along with Archbald and Blakely.

If I had to pick from those 3 towns, I would go with Jessup.

[MatildaLoo]

Originally Posted by ladyalicia105

375000 is definitely too expensive. Thats what a smaller house in Jersey costs. I would love a larger newer home AND be close to my culture and religion. So it seems I have to chose between the two. When I say NEW home most probably think I mean just built. but Ill take even the 60s or 70s. Ive seen listings for houses in Jessup Dunmore and Old Forge from 1900- 1940. That scares me a bit lol! My husband is not a handy man at all

Something you need to realize about older homes like that, though, is a lot of them were built to last. Remember, homes built in the early 20th century were built during a time of no A/C and no electric heat, so if they were built correctly they were meant to withstand the elements. This may not be true in every case, but compared to the homes of the 1960s-1970s I'd be willing to bet that the earlier built homes will be sturdier.

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by Wells5

The Old Forge School District is OK. I believe that it only serves Old Forge, which keeps the city riff-raff out.

Define "city riff-raff." I could be mistaken, but reading the news around here shows that towns like Old Forge have plenty of "riff raff" of their own. From drug dealers to police chiefs and firemen molesting teenage girls.