Mountain Top (Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, York: transplants, for sale, high crime)

[EnyaGirl]

Can anyone offer information about this town? My husband and I are considering moving there. Any info on homes, realtors, crime, employment, industry, etc. is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by EnyaGirl

Can anyone offer information about this town? My husband and I are considering moving there. Any info on homes, realtors, crime, employment, industry, etc. is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Mountain Top is the postal address for five semi-rural townships between Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton---Dennison, Dorrance, Fairview, Rice, and Wright. Adjacent towns such as Penn Lake Park, White Haven, Slocum Township, and Nuangola all combine with those five townships that comprise Mountain Top to make up the Crestwood School District, which is always in contention with the Dallas School District for getting the nod of being the "best" school district in Luzerne County. Whether this is because of above-average educators and a stricter focus on academics or sheerly because both of these school districts are rather affluent is beyond me (it's likely a combination of both). The population of Mountain Top is just under 20,000.

Crime is pretty much non-existent in Mountain Top, although there are issue with DUIs, vandalism (teens shooting paint balls and smashing mailboxes and whatnot). I can't remember the last violent crime to occur in Mountain Top. The last violent crime to occur in the Dallas/Back Mountain area was probably in January 2007 when a local gay porn producer was stabbed to death and had his home torched by a rival in a highly-publicized case. Otherwise both the Back Mountain (pop. 30,000) and Mountain Top areas remain very serene and tranquil.

Mountain Top is home to the Crestwood Industrial Park along South Mountain Boulevard (Route 309), and that is home to a number of blue-collar employers (distribution centers, manufacturing, etc.) Most Mountain Top residents are white-collars and commute either to Wilkes-Barre or Hazleton, both of which are perhaps 15-20 minutes away to the north and south respectively from most parts of Mountain Top.

Mountain Top's housing is expensive in relation to the region, but it is probably a bargain if you're coming from NY, NJ, SEPA, CT, MA, MD, VA, etc., where people laugh that we call $200,000 "steep" in price. Speaking of $200,000, you'll find that the vast majority of decent homes in Mountain Top will exceed $200,000 in price, inflated by the reputation of the school district and success in how Mountain Top attracts so many out-of-state transplants (so much so that there's a "Welcome Wagon" group here as well to help newbies become acquainted with their surroundings).

I live about 20 miles north near the Lackawanna County line (Scranton Area), but I have friends in Mountain Top and am relatively familiar with the community. Feel free to let me know if you have any more specific questions. There was also a short-lived member on here who was a realtor from Mountain Top, but we haven't heard from her in quite some time (maybe she got the boot from the moderators for soliciting too much?)

You'll find Mountain Top to be a semi-rural area that is becoming more and more of a full-blown suburb with each passing year and each additional housing development. Wilkes-Barre has a reputation for high crime (which is somewhat unfounded), so folks continue to flee there for both the Back Mountain and Mountain Top. Roughly 75% of Mountain Top residents probably live in some sort of subdivision or planned community with the balance residing in rural homes on acreage, old farmhouses, mobile homes, etc. Most roads are paved and well-maintained.

Here are some photos I have taken of Mountain Top:
































Hope this all helps a bit.

[EnyaGirl]

This has helped immensely. Thank you so much for taking the time to provide all of that information, AND pictures! What you are telling me is a bit contradictory to what we've been hearing from a few other people that have told us that Mountain Top is relatively untouched by the New York transplants, etc. We would like to find an area that is more rural, but close enough to Wilkes Barre (family and friends live there and we'd like to remain relatively close). We were attracted to Mountain Top because of it's proximity to Route 80 and 81, and also because we thought we'd have an easier time finding a home that's not part of a "cookie cutter" development or community. Could you recommend any towns or areas that are relatively close to Wilkes Barre (maybe more west of there?) that perhaps might be a bit more undeveloped, but close enough to some industry? My husband refuses to purchase a home in a community, and I happen to feel the same way, which is making homes very hard to find. Again, thank you for your time and reply.

[FightinPhils]

Sounds like Bear Creek could be right up your alley. Its a rural area that is due north and east of Wilkes-Barre up route 115. It seems more undeveloped and has less of the "cookie cutter" feel of Mountain Top. Yet its only about 10 minutes from Wilkes-Barre, and is convenient to the PA turnpike and I-81. Even further out from there would be the Thornhurst area, which is still within a half-hour of Wilkes-Barre.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by EnyaGirl

This has helped immensely. Thank you so much for taking the time to provide all of that information, AND pictures! What you are telling me is a bit contradictory to what we've been hearing from a few other people that have told us that Mountain Top is relatively untouched by the New York transplants, etc. We would like to find an area that is more rural, but close enough to Wilkes Barre (family and friends live there and we'd like to remain relatively close). We were attracted to Mountain Top because of it's proximity to Route 80 and 81, and also because we thought we'd have an easier time finding a home that's not part of a "cookie cutter" development or community. Could you recommend any towns or areas that are relatively close to Wilkes Barre (maybe more west of there?) that perhaps might be a bit more undeveloped, but close enough to some industry? My husband refuses to purchase a home in a community, and I happen to feel the same way, which is making homes very hard to find. Again, thank you for your time and reply.

You're quite welcome, and welcome to the forum! Actually, Mountain Top isn't at all "overrun" by transplants or anything, but there are certainly enough of them there to sustain a "Welcome Wagon" group and to make the Roman Catholic church in Mountain Top (St. Jude's) one of the largest in the region in terms of congregational size. 75% of Mountain Top is indeed cookie-cutter developments and communities, but you can still find an acre or two of undeveloped land along one of the two-lane roads outside of the communities here or there or an existing home. The Glen Summit section of Mountain Top is especially nice, as it is a small former resort village tucked away along Route 437 about midway between Mountain Top and White Haven with some older homes. It's only been in the most recent couple of years that some NY/NJ transplants have begun moving to the Mountain Top and Drums areas (as well as the North Pocono/Moscow area of Lackawanna County) to have a semi-rural/suburban alternative to the Poconos while still being in the same mountain atmosphere and surroundings.

You might want to look into the Bear Creek area, which is situated along Route 115 between Wilkes-Barre and Blakeslee. Bear Creek only has one cookie-cutter community known as Laurel Brook Estates, and the rest of the area has a semi-rural atmosphere with homes mostly outside of communities. Most homes in Bear Creek Village (near the lake) are very expensive, but homes in surrounding Bear Creek Township are much more reasonably-priced. Two recently-proposed major subdivsions have been rejected by the community as it tries to retain its rural charm and stave off impending sprawl creeping in from neighboring Monroe County. Similarly in Mountain Top there is currently a fight to stave off a new 335-unit housing development in Dorrance Township.

Mountain Top and Drums, in the long-term, will probably succumb to sprawl with many more housing developments on the way. The Back Mountain (Dallas/Shavertown/Harvey's Lake) is now at around 30,000 residents and continues to grow each day, so that for the most part wouldn't be an option of you're looking for an area that will remain quiet and unspoiled for the long-term.

I think your best bets would be in Bear Creek or the Northwest Area School District in the Hunlock Creek area, both of which would put you a 15-20-minute drive on average from Wilkes-Barre, yet both should remain relatively tranquil for years to come.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by conorsdad

Sounds like Bear Creek could be right up your alley. Its a rural area that is due north and east of Wilkes-Barre up route 115. It seems more undeveloped and has less of the "cookie cutter" feel of Mountain Top. Yet its only about 10 minutes from Wilkes-Barre, and is convenient to the PA turnpike and I-81. Even further out from there would be the Thornhurst area, which is still within a half-hour of Wilkes-Barre.

Yes. You and I are on the the same wavelength this morning. Bear Creek sounds like their best option to look into, as well as the Hunlock Creek area. If current growth rates continue Mountain Top/Drums in another five years will look just like the core of the Back Mountain---very suburban and sprawlish with traffic issues along Route 309. Bear Creek only has that one McMansion community of Laurel Brook Estates (on large lots may I add) and the balance of Bear Creek is rural. Hunlock Creek doesn't even have one planned community I can think of, but it is further from Wilkes-Barre than Bear Creek.

[JLStorm]

This is Enyagirl's husband, I wanted to thank you for all the replies thus far, they have been very helpful.

I wanted to ask another question that also seems contrary to what I have been reading in this thread. I spoke to a realtor and made mention of possibly looking for some land if we couldnt find an existing house that fit our needs, he simply brushed that idea off stating that land out there is really only available anymore through private deals and sales made through friends and that it really wasnt worth looking into.

Much of what he said doesnt seem to hold water with respect to what I am reading here. I mentioned to the realtor that we would look within a 20 mile radius of Wilkes-Barre and not just mountain top, he still seemed to think that land was not something which would be readily available.

Does this realtor know what he is talking about or is it time to find someone else?

[Chefkey]

Sounds like you have answered your worries. I had the same with the Realtor who sold to me here. She tried to show me homes in the worst areas and then showed up verrry late for the closing for a house we found and chose by ourselves. She still got the commision. Sounds to me like this may be her brother.

[Chefkey]

I drive by signs all the time in the area proclaiming land for sale. So I can't figure why they would say this other than they don't get a good commish on just land as the building holds the major value. Sounds like you have a hustler

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by Chefkey

I drive by signs all the time in the area proclaiming land for sale. So I can't figure why they would say this other than they don't get a good commish on just land as the building holds the major value. Sounds like you have a hustler

There is a plethora of land available in Luzerne County. Check out http://www.nepahomesetc.com and then do a search for land, and you'll find plenty of listings.