Move from NJto North Poconos ? (schools, taxes, live)

[Chefkey]

Originally Posted by jimazee

Does anyone have actual statistics or is this all anecdotal?

Just wonderin'

Colorchic83 claims to have statistics, maybe they could post links to the evidence? Without direct knowledge to state otherwise I am giving the benefit of doubt here.

[bloominscranton]

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.

My family has had a similar expierence to yours. Over all we are happy with our move to Nepa, I complain about Scranton government and the financial nightmare we are in, so wish we had purchased outside of the city. But that desire to have purchased outside of Scranton is selfish on my part; we did what we said we were going to do for our youngest, keep him in his elementary school and allow him to finish his education with the friends he has had since 7. I am happy with the education he has received thus far, find medical care to be fine, and my husband has a great job.

[mathjak107]

we realized nepa was not for us after 5 years of ownership in the lake wallenpaupak area.

we live in queens ny but bought a home to retire to or so we thought.

more and more as time went on we realized just how much it lacked the things we would want as we aged.

no public transportation, lack of alot of choices in medical care and doctors, the fact everything is a drive to get to. limited stores in the area , the winters are pretty brutal with little to do daily , it even required a car to get to our mail box.

don't get me wrong , we loved it there , it was soooooo nice but the reality is it was nothing like living in a city when you retire.

even the fact so much time had to go into maintaince of the house and grounds or face paying someone to do everything for you became an issue.

if you felt you wanted to go back to work there was little in the way of jobs that paid above minimum wage.

so we decided it really was not for us and sold last july.

[colorfulchic83]

Originally Posted by Chefkey

Colorchic83 claims to have statistics, maybe they could post links to the evidence? Without direct knowledge to state otherwise I am giving the benefit of doubt here.

I don't have statistics on the percentage of transplants who hate living in Pa, but I know enough for it to be more than an exception. As for schools I believe I posted a link. Health care, recent articles in Times Leader, and one in the Scranton paper last year, both spoke about the poor quality of health care here, and lack of doctors. The papers are always speaking about the economy being poor here, and how Luzerne & Lackawanna counties have a large majority of children living in poverty. Before the lunatics who love to assume all are lazy spew their hateful rhetoric, this includes children of working poor parents. Jobs are NOT plentiful in the area, and its easy to do a google search and find more detailed statistics than you'll get here. Anyway, the OP hasn't replied so I'm done. I hope just hope who ever thinks of moving here, makes many visits and does thorough research, OFF city-data before taking the NEPA plunge.

One more thing, since I am a transplant from the NYC Metro area, I can give the OP a perspective that natives here cannot. Even suburbs here are different from suburbs in NJ. How the towns are managed is completely different. We don't pay for our trash in NJ, that's included in taxes. If you have young children, trash removal can get costly at over $2 bag/sticker.

I also am relatively young with young children. That changes a person's outlook. Someone who is single, in their late 40's+, childless, or someone who has no knowledge of life in the NYC metro in the last 10-15 years(yes things are different) can't give an accurate perspective because they simply don't have the same concerns. I took all the conveniences & amenities in NJ for granted when I live there. Climate is another issue, many of us didn't expect to affect us, but it does. Your health can suffer because there are less sunny days.

Its good people mention their family make-up & age bracket, how long they've lived here etc... That does help others understand where you're coming from. The bottom line, whether is the OP reading this, or another person looking to move do tons of research, and ask for the advice of those who share your ideals, and if possible your family make-up. What people need & want varies greatly depending on your family status & beliefs. So, yes, it does work for some, but for many it doesn't & they move back.
Read through the typos folks. My glasses have taken off again...

[colorfulchic83]

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

Haha yeah, I think I'll stop.

[colorfulchic83]

You can never survive in a fast-paced metro area either. Its not just people from NJ/NY who don't like NEPA. I met a professional couple from Australia, who traveled everywhere in America, and they too said, this area is the worst, and has the most depressed residents, unwilling to improve or even try to live in modern times. Like others have done, as soon as their contracts, or whatever else brought them here is squared away, they are leaving.

BTW, NJ is the most densely populated state in the nation, and people still go there to live. NEPA is losing population because usually you won't make it here, and honestly it is decades behind other areas, even some other rural areas. Like I said check stats OFF of city data and visit SEVERAL times before making a decision to move here.

Now, pardon me, but my ignore list of bitter, bigoted, old white men who are stuck in hyper hormonal adolescence grows.

[bloominscranton]

Originally Posted by colorfulchic83

I don't have statistics on the percentage of transplants who hate living in Pa, but I know enough for it to be more than an exception. As for schools I believe I posted a link. Health care, recent articles in Times Leader, and one in the Scranton paper last year, both spoke about the poor quality of health care here, and lack of doctors. The papers are always speaking about the economy being poor here, and how Luzerne & Lackawanna counties have a large majority of children living in poverty. Before the lunatics who love to assume all are lazy spew their hateful rhetoric, this includes children of working poor parents. Jobs are NOT plentiful in the area, and its easy to do a google search and find more detailed statistics than you'll get here. Anyway, the OP hasn't replied so I'm done. I hope just hope who ever thinks of moving here, makes many visits and does thorough research, OFF city-data before taking the NEPA plunge.

One more thing, since I am a transplant from the NYC Metro area, I can give the OP a perspective that natives here cannot. Even suburbs here are different from suburbs in NJ. How the towns are managed is completely different. We don't pay for our trash in NJ, that's included in taxes. If you have young children, trash removal can get costly at over $2 bag/sticker.

I also am relatively young with young children. That changes a person's outlook. Someone who is single, in their late 40's+, childless, or someone who has no knowledge of life in the NYC metro in the last 10-15 years(yes things are different) can't give an accurate perspective because they simply don't have the same concerns. I took all the conveniences & amenities in NJ for granted when I live there. Climate is another issue, many of us didn't expect to affect us, but it does. Your health can suffer because there are less sunny days.

Its good people mention their family make-up & age bracket, how long they've lived here etc... That does help others understand where you're coming from. The bottom line, whether is the OP reading this, or another person looking to move do tons of research, and ask for the advice of those who share your ideals, and if possible your family make-up. What people need & want varies greatly depending on your family status & beliefs. So, yes, it does work for some, but for many it doesn't & they move back.
Read through the typos folks. My glasses have taken off again...

I have only lived here since 2007 we moved here from LI, so that qualifies as recently and NYC metro. I know exactly what I left and why. We were homeowners on LI paying 1800.00 a month mortgage on a 3 bdr. 1 bath home on less than 1/4 acre and our taxes went up every school year! Without my husbands Vet exemption and star our taxes would have been 10k plus in a not so popular blue color town. With the exemptions they were just over 6K.

I have a school aged child as well as 2 adult children. We planned for 2 years to move up here, that was how long it took my husband to get a transfer in the Fed. government. One adult child stayed on LI, one is with us. My son that is with us has been gainfully employed for the majority of time he has lived here and he could be doing much better financially but chooses not to bust his arse for $. Your expierence is YOUR expierence.

[chuck172]

I live in N.W. New Jersey. I can't wait to get out. I'm looking forward to Wayne County Pa. People are so rude here. I pay 4 times the taxes here that I will pay in PA.
By the way, garbage p.u. isn't included in my taxes, I'm billed extra.

[mathjak107]

same where were in pike county pa . one pick up ,1 pail ,once a week , we were part timers, 70 bucks a quarter.

[Trucker7]

Originally Posted by colorfulchic83

BTW, NJ is the most densely populated state in the nation, and people still go there to live. NEPA is losing population because usually you won't make it here, and honestly it is decades behind other areas, even some other rural areas. Like I said check stats OFF of city data and visit SEVERAL times before making a decision to move here.

Who is going to NJ to live? The only reason why NJ population has increased is because of a higher birth rate than death rate and international immigration. Look at the US Census tables for domestic migration and you'll see that people are leaving NJ in droves.

BTW, I am a South Jersey transplant. I don't regret my move to NEPA, although now I wish that I had bought that house in Dunmore instead.