More Photos of Scranton's Rebounding Hill Section (Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton: home, employment)

[MHavoc]

ScrantonWilkesBarre,

Thanks for the great posts and insight into Scranton. My wife is from PA and she wants to move back to her home state. However since I am an artist, I would like to be in close proximity to NYC. So we have agreed that the Scranton area might be a good compromise..... I noticed a Firehouse for sale in Kingston. What are your thoughts about that area? Additionally, I was looking at some of the commercial buildings in Downtown Scranton (on Loopnet) and thought they might be good for a live/work conversion. Do you know the City's general stance on a gallery/studio on the 1st floor and loft apartments on the 2nd floors? Any problems living in Downtown Scranton? Thanks.

[MHavoc]

The property in Kingston, PA is located at 22 E. Union Street.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by MHavoc

ScrantonWilkesBarre,

Thanks for the great posts and insight into Scranton. My wife is from PA and she wants to move back to her home state. However since I am an artist, I would like to be in close proximity to NYC. So we have agreed that the Scranton area might be a good compromise..... I noticed a Firehouse for sale in Kingston. What are your thoughts about that area? Additionally, I was looking at some of the commercial buildings in Downtown Scranton (on Loopnet) and thought they might be good for a live/work conversion. Do you know the City's general stance on a gallery/studio on the 1st floor and loft apartments on the 2nd floors? Any problems living in Downtown Scranton? Thanks.

Hello!

Kingston is a relatively-tranquil community, and it's an inner suburb of Wilkes-Barre, which is Scranton's "sister-city." Kingston (and the neighboring town of Forty Fort) is home to a large concentration of middle to upper-middle-class college-educated professionals (professors, engineers, attorneys, loan officers, physicians, sales representatives, teachers, insurance agents, etc.) There are some historic homes in the area of James, Charles, and Butler Streets, and there is an upscale development in the town known as "Green Acres." There's also a new complex of NYC-style Brownstone townhomes along Rutter Avenue called the "Dorranceton Towhomes": Dorranceton* Townhomes (http://www.dorranceton.com/ - broken link)

Kingston is popular with a lot of professionals because they are within close proximity to their offices and workplaces just across the bridges in Downtown Wilkes-Barre. Known as the "Diamond City," Wilkes-Barre has had a sketchy past ever since the Great 1972 Hurricane Agnes Flood, but there is a popular mayor in office right now, Thomas Leighton, who is bringing the city back from the depths of despair. The Downtown Wilkes-Barre of today is vastly-different than the Downtown Wilkes-Barre of two years ago, and the Downtown Wilkes-Barre of tomorrow will be quite different than the Downtown Wilkes-Barre of today. I attend college downtown at King's College, and my father works in a downtown office building, and we're both optimistic about the city's future. Just in the past 3 years since Mayor Leighton has been in office, the following has been accomplished to help the city "bounce back:"

-New Victorian-era Streetlights Illuminating Downtown
-New Downtown Movie Theater
-Two New Downtown Night Clubs (Club Mardi Gras, FUSE Martini Club)
-New Billiards Hall (Campus Square Billiards)
-New Barnes & Noble and Starbucks
-"River Commons" and "RiverWalk" Upgrades Well Underway
-Upcoming Hotel Sterling Mixed-Use Project
-Upcoming Murray Complex Mixed-Use Project
(Facility Design & Development, Ltd. - Northeast Pennsylvania Architecture Firm)
-Reinstatement of city's SWAT Team
-Hiring of 11 New Police Officers
-City Has Now Attained a Bond Rating

Here is a photo tour I snapped of Downtown Wilkes-Barre, which is just across the river from Kingston:

New Wilkes-Barre Photo Tour---"I Believe!"

Some potential "downsides" to Kingston include the fact that the topography is almost 100% flat (which is a blessing I suppose during snow storms), and also be aware that there was a major evacuation of nearly 200,000 people from the Wilkes-Barre/Kingston area in June 2006 due to fears that the levee system would be breached and we'd suffer a repeat of the Great Agnes Flood of 1972 (some of that panic might have been Post-Katrina hype). I think flood insurance might be mandated in much of Kingston, as the flat ground in town doesn't permit any "buffer zone" really if the levee should breach at some point in the future.

Kingston is part of the Wyoming Valley West School District, which I'd consider to be an "average" local school district. The community is also home to Wyoming Seminary, one of the top private schools in NEPA, as well as Bishop O'Reilly High School (which will be closing in a few weeks to merge into Holy Redeemer High School in Downtown Wilkes-Barre due to declining parochial high school enrollments in the region). Kingston is pretty self-sufficient commercially, with various businesses lining Wyoming Avenue (Route 11), Market Street, and Pierce Street. A new Lowe's Home Improvement store just opened near the town's border with Edwardsville, and that is expected to breathe new life into the empty strip malls nearby that were killed by the allure of the Wyoming Valley Mall/Highland Park/Arena Hub "big-box" sprawl corridor near I-81 just outside of Wilkes-Barre.

Some popular businesses in town include, but are not limited to:
Theo's Metro: An old popcorn factory renovated into a Greek restaurant.
Tudor Bookstore & Cafe: An independent book store and coffee shop along Wyoming Avenue that is popular with local authors.
Talbot's
Dairy Queen
ALDI Foods: A regional chain of discount groceries.
Pierce Street Deli: A Kosher-oriented deli popular with Kingston's Jewish community.
Main Bike World
Tommy's Pizza Corner
Walgreen's


The town is home to roughly 14,000 people, and crime, while in existence, is always of the petty variety. Neighboring Edwardsville has a major drug problem, but even that is being rectified (They just had another bust of 33 dealers just before Primary Election Day).

The particular property you are interested in is in an older, stable part of town, but the building sits just a stone's throw away from busy, four-lane Route 11(Wyoming Avenue), the major commercial artery through town. It might be a little irritating to attempt to find your "muse" while hearing traffic not far away.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by MHavoc

ScrantonWilkesBarre,

Thanks for the great posts and insight into Scranton. My wife is from PA and she wants to move back to her home state. However since I am an artist, I would like to be in close proximity to NYC. So we have agreed that the Scranton area might be a good compromise..... I noticed a Firehouse for sale in Kingston. What are your thoughts about that area? Additionally, I was looking at some of the commercial buildings in Downtown Scranton (on Loopnet) and thought they might be good for a live/work conversion. Do you know the City's general stance on a gallery/studio on the 1st floor and loft apartments on the 2nd floors? Any problems living in Downtown Scranton? Thanks.

Downtown Scranton is currently in the midst of a rebirth. Some city blocks that were one home to nothing but boarded-up windows and vacant storefronts are now teeming with window-shoppers. Some newer downtown businesses include:

Poochie (Gourmet Dog Bakery)
New Laundry (NYC-Oriented Women's Fashion Boutique)
Silver on Spruce (Jewelers)
Northern Lights (Espresso Bar)
Michael's Luxury Eyewear
Crazy Pineapple (Gifts)
P.J. Scanlan's (Restaurant)
Outrageous (Gifts)
Center Street Coffeehouse
Marquis Art & Frame
Martini Grill & Lounge
Occasions (Women's Formal Wear Rental)
Le Belle Cose (Gifts)
MaryAnne's Closet (Gifts)
Starbucks
The Original SoupMan (Themed Parody of Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi")
Thai Rak Thai (Thai Restaurant)
Vidas Tapas Bar & Grille (Tapas Cafe)
The Colonnade (Bed & Breakfast)


At the same time as the downtown is rebounding with new life, the city itself is rife with financial and political turmoils. The city, as "WeLuvPA" will sure to be chime in with, carries a hefty debt load of nearly $300 Million. The city's portion of property taxes are being raised 25% annually over the course of three years as a means to secure revenue. Also, Scranton is home to a wage tax of 3.4%, among the highest in the nation. In my opinion, the benefits of living in a city like Scranton far outweighs its negatives (as ConorsDad would attest to), but you'll have people like "WeLuvPA" who are seemingly miserable where they live but refuse to move to the suburbs. (Apparently people like him, Joe Pilchesky, Janet Evans, etc. would rather just sit and allow their rants and discontent to be aired instead of just moving to a greener pasture).

The smashing success of NBC's "The Office" has put Scranton onto the national map (as it's the base for the show's fictitious "Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company"). Paul and Mira Sorvino have also just announced that they are opening a new film office in Scranton, and their first film "The Trouble With Cali," was filmed here and will debut soon. In my professional opinion, Scranton is on the verge of sponging off of the new residents that have been flooding into the nearby Pocono Mountains for decades as they've fled NYC/North Jersey in search of a lower cost-of-living. Lackawanna County (Scranton Area) just showed its first year of population growth in 2006 after several decades of decline, which is promising news (even though the growth was only a few hundred people). The NY Yankees' AAA affiliate also just moved to Scranton from Columbus, OH, and Roger Clemens will soon be pulling in the fans left and right. There's also plans for a new medical school in the downtown, as well as an eventual commuter rail link between Scranton and Hoboken, NJ (where there would be a transfer to the PATH into Manhattan). It's truly not as "bleak" of an area as it was as recently as the 1990s, when it was nominated as runner-up for "Armpit of America" by a national publication.

There are several mixed-use projects on Downtown Scranton's horizon as well that will breathe new life into the city. As much as WeLuvPA will try to tell you that each and every one of them is destined to utter failure, I'm inclined to disagree and am taking a more optimistic approach. Hell, I plan to move to the city myself in a few years after graduate school to establish my own firm, purchase and rehabilitate an older home, and raise my family. If a
20-year-old can see beyond the tax rates, potholes, and political corruption to see potential in the Electric City, then I wonder why so many of my elders can't? It must be pretty sad to live in a world where the sky is incessantly falling, don't you think?

Some of the proposed mixed-use projects over the course of the next 1-5 years include:

Sixth Avenue
Jefferson Pointe
Connell Building
St. Peter's Square
500-Block of Lackawanna Avenue

I'll admit that a couple of these are a bit "shaky" right now, but I think all will eventually get off the ground. Sixth Avenue has been delayed, if I can recall correctly, because the developer is awaiting the long-anticipated replacement of the West Lackawanna Avenue bridge near to the property. The 500-Block of Lackawanna Avenue will someday house art galleries, artists' studios, restaurants, and retail stores, but one existing property owner in the block, Buona Pizza, has been refusing to allow the city to acquire his property through either eminent domain or negotations, so the project has been held up indefinitely. I'm all for retaining Buona Pizza, but even WeLuvPA has to admit that the current structure that houses the pizza joint NEEDS a facelift, one way or the other! The neighboring structures house Marc's Tattoing, The Artists-For-Artists (AFA) Gallery, and another business or two, and all are historically-significant (I'm hoping the developer plans to preserve their facades as part of the project). For the life of me, I can't figure out why so many people are so opposed to this project if Buona Pizza's needs can be satisfied?

There wouldn't be any "problems", per se, with living downtown, other than the issue of scarce parking and noise from traffic. Scranton's crime rate is quite low for a city of its size, and it's not the type of place where one has to fear getting mugged in broad daylight, if you catch my drift.

Feel free to let me know if you have any further inquiries about either Scranton or Kingston.

[SteelCityRising]

Wow! I just reviewed this thread after noticing a new reputation boost regarding it, and I'm shocked and amazed by just how much Dan (WeLuvPA) has managed to sour me on the Doherty Administration over the past six months or so. I truly do feel "enlightened." I went from thinking this man was a hero for transforming the downtown into an awesome tourist destination to thinking he was a criminal for fleecing this city of its financial solvency. Dan has since thoroughly convinced me that there is more to this city than meets the eye (in a negative context, unfortunately). It's amazing how one's perspective on an issue can receive a complete turnaround!

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

Wow! I just reviewed this thread after noticing a new reputation boost regarding it, and I'm shocked and amazed by just how much Dan (WeLuvPA) has managed to sour me on the Doherty Administration over the past six months or so. I truly do feel "enlightened." I went from thinking this man was a hero for transforming the downtown into an awesome tourist destination to thinking he was a criminal for fleecing this city of its financial solvency. Dan has since thoroughly convinced me that there is more to this city than meets the eye (in a negative context, unfortunately). It's amazing how one's perspective on an issue can receive a complete turnaround!

SWB...just realize that the truth is somewhere in between your prior "rose-colored glasses" view of Scranton and Dan's (and dohertydeceit.com's) gloom-and-doom sky is falling view. Don't fall into the trap of following lockstep with the council meeting and Joe Pilchesky sheep malcontents.

Is Doherty corrupt and involved in cronyism? My answer would be yes. But, name me even 1 NEPA politician who isn't corrupt and wouldn't engage in cronyism. There aren't any...including the malcontents' beloved Janet Evans. Never trust a politician, no matter what side of the political aisle they are on.

Also remember that the root of the DD.com/council crazy's anger is that the city employee unions don't have their hands in the cookie jar anymore. I don't agree with how Doherty has treated them, but I don't necessarily trust the unions either. The unions' anger is not rooted in a concern for the taxpayers...their anger is rooted in that Doherty is ruling the roost and soaking the taxpayers instead of them. That's it. So I don;t trust either side, personally.

Just remember to take an objective view of Scranton. its still a pretty good place to live, despite the political climate. And neither side in Scranton's political war is right. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

[weluvpa]

First off thanks Paul for noticing second Phillies do not lump me in with the DD crowd and I am not of the sky is falling mindset either. I call it like I see it and I am not a city employee nor have I ever been. I came about because this city is not helping its residents on many issues and they are tooo busy helping the business' that fail and putting money in all thier friends pockets. Just last night they are trying to transfer $239,000 from a RIVERBANK AND STREAMS fund to give to a salon, that doesn't seem right does it? No doom and gloom there, they are just giving the money away that could be used to help my neighborhood or the residents of North Scranton that live along Leggitts Creek. Just because they are corrupt and that they have always been does mean that one should sit and let it go on. Thats what sheep do. The status quo has taken us from a $7,000,000 surplus to almost $400,000,000 in debt in less than 6 years, where is the doom and gloom? Thats out of line for any city gov't to do, I call them out on it and I'm doom and gloom.......Come on give me a break I do not agree with DD all the time and do not agree with Janet all the time, but what I do agree with is that this city is being drowned in debt created by Doherty and his council 3-2 votes. If thats doom and gloom then I guess standing up for whats right and just in this city is doom and gloom. Never call me a sheep, I am independant of their crap and the sheep are really the ones that have put us here by following the over spending and over taxing shepard. Status quo has never gotten us anything in Scranton, its time for a change, Who? don't know yet but we are due for some changes or we will be bankrupt and distressed again.

[NYRangers 2008]

I'll second that. Dan is not a doomer or malcontent. He's a realist like myself. He presents everything with facts every time. He only wants the best for his city and family. This is evident from knowing him personally now for a few months. Do not call Dan a sheep. He follows no one. It's just that we're in a very dark era in Scranton. The only way to see the light is to get rid of Doherty and his 3 cronies on council. We need change and in a big way or else we will end up bankrupt and people will continue to flee the city by the thousands. If it sounds like I'm president of Dan's fan club, then so be it.

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by NYRangers 2008

It's just that we're in a very dark era in Scranton. .

Financially, we're not in good shape in Scranton, but were you here 15-20 years ago? In the 1980's, downtown Scranton looked like Baghdad after a bombing. It was almost completely boarded up. Lackawanna Ave where the mall is now was hideous....a haven for bums and hookers. So, while everything is not peaches and cream in Scranton right now, this city has seen worse times.

[NYRangers 2008]

I didn't live in Scranton back then but I do remember what you speak of in terms of boarded up buildings and hookers and druggies on Lackawanna Ave. In that respect the city is better. Scranton just has to get out of this financial mess Doherty has put the city in.