Move from NJto North Poconos ? (Scranton, Dunmore: mortgage, how much, home)

[Chefkey]

Lisamariei, I did exactly what what you would like to do and it was a win win all around. Affordable homes and job salaries are the same but you will have to look for the right job. If you live within 10 miles of either Wilkes-Barre or Dickson City you will have all the shopping you will need at an easy travel time.

All the other horses**t you read here is just a bunch of trolls grunting from their dens.

Now I an gonna get on the troll bandwagon and say: STAY AWAY

[colorfulchic83]

Originally Posted by Chefkey

Lisamariei, I did exactly what what you would like to do and it was a win win all around. Affordable homes and job salaries are the same but you will have to look for the right job. If you live within 10 miles of either Wilkes-Barre or Dickson City you will have all the shopping you will need at an easy travel time.

All the other horses**t you read here is just a bunch of trolls grunting from their dens.

Now I an gonna get on the troll bandwagon and say: STAY AWAY

Really? Horse...? She was worried about culture shock and she WILL get it coming from NY/NJ. Schools are not as good when compared to comparable districts in NJ. Healthcare is garbage. Jobs are NOT plentiful, and salary is much lower. Here's some sincere advice Lisamarie, get off city-data if you want accurate information. Look up real statistics. The area scores low in many ways, especially salary & healthcare. If Pa salaries were the same there wouldn't be so many people taking that brutal commute to NJ or NYC. The area is KNOWN for its poor economy. Shopping is walmart & a couple of strip malls. Its NOTHING compared to what you're used to in NJ. Visit the area, visit the schools, visit the hospitals, and deal with the LOCAL people. Oh, be sure to tell the you're from NJ, just so you see how they treat you. The Poconos are OK, just less developed, but if you were to think of coming to the Wilkes-Barre are, you like many transplants will look to leave soon. Again, seriously, check out REAL statistics. Actually the Times Leader had an article recently about how poor & inadequate healthcare services are here, and how low patient satisfaction is.
Yeah, taking off rose-colored glasses and telling the truth is trolling. Whatever...

[Riverside4ever]

Originally Posted by colorfulchic83

Really? Horse...? She was worried about culture shock and she WILL get it coming from NY/NJ. Schools are not as good when compared to comparable districts in NJ. Healthcare is garbage. Jobs are NOT plentiful, and salary is much lower. Here's some sincere advice Lisamarie, get off city-data if you want accurate information. Look up real statistics. The area scores low in many ways, especially salary & healthcare. If Pa salaries were the same there wouldn't be so many people taking that brutal commute to NJ or NYC. The area is KNOWN for its poor economy. Shopping is walmart & a couple of strip malls. Its NOTHING compared to what you're used to in NJ. Visit the area, visit the schools, visit the hospitals, and deal with the LOCAL people. Oh, be sure to tell the you're from NJ, just so you see how they treat you. The Poconos are OK, just less developed, but if you were to think of coming to the Wilkes-Barre are, you like many transplants will look to leave soon. Again, seriously, check out REAL statistics. Actually the Times Leader had an article recently about how poor & inadequate healthcare services are here, and how low patient satisfaction is.
Yeah, taking off rose-colored glasses and telling the truth is trolling. Whatever...

I will comment on a few points you made ...
Healthcare varies to where your getting it .. There is bad doctors and nurses just like there are bad cooks in diners ..
School districts .. Yep they go from one extreme to another ... My Kids go to Wayne Highlands ( I live in Western Waynes district ) But my wife teaches In WH so my kids are allowed to go there .. BTW its the #2 district in PA .. So if you search out good healthcare and schools you can find em..

Jobs .. Thats a JOKE here in Pa .. all over Pa .. Very few jobs .. But if your creative you can florish . I made $100k without even trying too hard last year .. ( just doing odds and ends for people ) Pa is what you make it ... If you wanna hustle and strive for a goal its a good place to do it .. BUT if you want to sit back and wait for everything to come to you then PA is not for you .. There are two speeds up here .. Slow and STOP .. Im a hustler ( meaning Im always on the go .. Always looking for things to do ) .. And I run circles around most any Pa native in my work field .. Ive been in Pa 22 yrs from NYC .. I love this state and I love my life ... I'll never move again and I have met some FANTASTIC folks from here .. Ive also met some scum from other places .. But Pa is a good place .. It Is what you make it .. IMO

[SteelCityRising]

Has anyone actually READ the OP's initial inquiry to see that she said they were considering North Pocono and not just "THE" Poconos? There's a big difference. The North Pocono School District is in Lackawanna County and is within an outlying suburban area of Scranton that forms the boundary between the Electric City and "THE" Poconos. We're talking about communities like Mt. Cobb, Moscow, Daleville, Elmhurst, and Thornhurst here---not Stroudsburg, Shawnee-on-Delaware, Tobyhanna, the Lehigh Valley, etc. It's funny how the word "Pocono" is a curse word on this sub-forum. My hometown of Pittston Township, which is relatively highly-elevated, is home to an upper-middle-class subdivision called "Pocono Ridge Estates" yet it is NOT in "THE" Poconos. I'd suggest some of you learn a thing or two about geography before spouting off.

Getting back on-track the NORTH Pocono area is actually quite nice. Moscow is a quiet, quaint small town that is dominated by the North Pocono School District's campus, a large subdivision called Harmony Hills, and a small historic "village" area. I believe there's also a Rite-Aid on the edge of town. Just south is Daleville (in Covington Township) which has a large shopping center with a Shop-Rite grocery store, Hallmark Store, hardware store, bank, and other essentials. Further south is the rural community of Thornhurst, which is where you'd want to be if you want to be "away from it all". Further north of Moscow you hit Mt. Cobb, which I believe is the first exit of I-84 once it splits off I-380 just south of Scranton. The North Pocono Area is home to many more Scranton commuters than NYC/NJ commuters and has a different "vibe" than some Monroe County communities just 15 minutes further down I-380 and onto I-80.

The North Pocono Area has been growing, but it hasn't been growing as expeditiously as some areas nearer to the NJ/NY borders in recent years. If I were moving back to the area to retire I might actually consider living in the town proper of Moscow---assuming there were a few more walkable conveniences in the town by then other than the post office, Rite-Aid, churches, schools, and very little else.

[Cpt.Trips]

Good points River. I make no bones about the fact I left PA. because of what the influx of the minorities did to Hazleton and surrounding areas. I also can see the writing on the wall that this trend will expand and not end anytime soon. (From what I hear they want to annex Hazleton back to the Dominican Republic) I also met some great people in my time in PA. and still stay in touch with a few of them. What gets me is how people post that PA is resistance to change. People here welcome POSITIVE change, not the destruction of a way of life they had for generations. People in PA welcomed me from day one because I worked for a family business and did not sit back and expect the local tax payers to support me. The best way to be accepted in any new location is to be willing to become a part of that community and not try to change it into the place you came from. That is especially true when you migrate from a welfare ridden rat trap and just want to make "Yo gubmint check go furder".

[johnp292]

Originally Posted by Trucker7

Don't you just hate when someone makes a post requesting advise and never reply to the advise? Or worse yet, don't even bother reading the advise posted.

Did anyone else notice Trucker7's post? The OP is a one-post wonder who hasn't been back since 4 hours after she started this thread.

[Chefkey]

Originally Posted by colorfulchic83

Really? Horse...? She was worried about culture shock and she WILL get it coming from NY/NJ. Schools are not as good when compared to comparable districts in NJ. Healthcare is garbage. Jobs are NOT plentiful, and salary is much lower. Here's some sincere advice Lisamarie, get off city-data if you want accurate information. Look up real statistics. The area scores low in many ways, especially salary & healthcare. If Pa salaries were the same there wouldn't be so many people taking that brutal commute to NJ or NYC. The area is KNOWN for its poor economy. Shopping is walmart & a couple of strip malls. Its NOTHING compared to what you're used to in NJ. Visit the area, visit the schools, visit the hospitals, and deal with the LOCAL people. Oh, be sure to tell the you're from NJ, just so you see how they treat you. The Poconos are OK, just less developed, but if you were to think of coming to the Wilkes-Barre are, you like many transplants will look to leave soon. Again, seriously, check out REAL statistics. Actually the Times Leader had an article recently about how poor & inadequate healthcare services are here, and how low patient satisfaction is.
Yeah, taking off rose-colored glasses and telling the truth is trolling. Whatever...

Hmm? Last time I checked I did this very thing of migration she speaks of. Was I supposed to get a culture shock? Sorry that your scare tactics did not work. I have a high paying job, a nice house and I think the stores are just fine. I think Geisinger does a terrific job and my employers health benefits are good.

I can't comment on the schools as I have no children but I know of some of the good ones through friends.

I am writing from a perspective of personal experience having migrated here and liked the result. Not everyone is negative and unhappy all the time. There is way too much "Woe is me" on this board.

[colorfulchic83]

Originally Posted by Chefkey

Hmm? Last time I checked I did this very thing of migration she speaks of. Was I supposed to get a culture shock? Sorry that your scare tactics did not work. I have a high paying job, a nice house and I think the stores are just fine. I think Geisinger does a terrific job and my employers health benefits are good.

I can't comment on the schools as I have no children but I know of some of the good ones through friends.

I am writing from a perspective of personal experience having migrated here and liked the result. Not everyone is negative and unhappy all the time. There is way too much "Woe is me" on this board.

With all due respect, your story is not typical of most NJ/NY transplants. That's just reality. Glad it worked out for you, but still not typical. Have a great night!

[Chefkey]

Originally Posted by colorfulchic83

With all due respect, your story is not typical of most NJ/NY transplants. That's just reality. Glad it worked out for you, but still not typical. Have a great night!

True,statistically speaking I may be a minority with my experience. I just wanted to give the thread some balance when I read many viewpoints from the other end.

Many one time posters asking questions don't respond to our comments anyway. So much for our impassioned thoughts

[jimazee]

Originally Posted by colorfulchic83

With all due respect, your story is not typical of most NJ/NY transplants. That's just reality. Glad it worked out for you, but still not typical. Have a great night!

Originally Posted by Chefkey

True,statistically speaking I may be a minority with my experience. I just wanted to give the thread some balance when I read many viewpoints from the other end.

Many one time posters asking questions don't respond to our comments anyway. So much for our impassioned thoughts

Does anyone have actual statistics or is this all anecdotal?

Just wonderin'