Mayfield Information (Scranton, Dunmore, Carbondale: apartments, insurance, crime)

[ruzzz]

Can anyone tell me something about Mayfield, PA??? Like what it's like to live there, apartments, shopping, etc. thinking of relocating.

[ScranBarre]

Mayfield is a very small community in an area just northeast of Scranton known to the locals as the "Mid-Valley." The town is fairly intimate---home to I believe two churches, a post office, an elementary school, a police station, two fire stations, and is primarily residential, with just a few mom-and-pop shops thrown in for good measure. Crime in the community is practically non-existent; the Mid-Valley had a minor streak of home burglaries earlier in the year, but in each of those cases the homeowners could bear at least part of the responsibility (most had left their DOORS OPEN for ventilation, as well as an invitation for would-be-thieves!) Well, duh! LOL!

The community is located about five minutes southwest of Downtown Carbondale, an old mining community that has basic conveniences such as grocery stores, a YMCA, a small hospital, a library, and a few more mom-and-pop shops. Most of your major shopping needs will be met in the Viewmont Shopping District of Dickson City, about fifteen minutes to the southwest of Mayfield via Route 6. Here you'll find all of Scranton's chain stores, including Borders, Target, Wal-Mart, Wegman's Foods, Sam's Club, Lowe's, Home Depot, Starbucks, Men's Warehouse, Pier 1 Imports, Best Buy, Gander Mountain, and the 90-store Viewmont Mall, which is anchored by JCPenney, Sears, and a third major department store that I can't remember (I believe it may have been a former Kauffman's that has been converted to a Macy's?) Dickson City is also home to a slew of chain eateries as well, some of which include Johnny Rocket's, Applebee's, Olive Garden, Charlie Brown's Steakhouse, TGI Friday's, Perkins, and various fast-food outlets, among others. Naturally, traffic congestion in Dickson City is horrific, as it's Scranton's only real "shopping district" (Although Downtown Scranton, with its newer upscale boutiques, and Montage Mountain, with its upcoming NYC-oriented outlet mall, are both rising in popularity for shopping and dining as well).

Mayfield is part of the Valley View School District, if I'm not mistaken, which has its high school about seven minutes away in the community of Archbald. Valley View is a fairly-good local school district---Not nearly as good as the more affluent areas such as Clarks Summit with "Abington Heights", but definitely a decent contender. If I am mistaken, then it's part of the Carbondale Area School District, which has its high school about five minutes north in Carbondale, and this district isn't really the greatest (although great private schools, such as Scranton Prep, are viable alternatives).

One thing I would recommend to you though is to potentially have a job lined up before moving here, as the Scranton-area job market can be scarce for skilled opportunities. There are plenty of jobs available in retail, hospitality, tourism, factories, clerical work, and warehouses, but IT jobs, for example, are as scarce as hen's teeth! There are a growing number of financial services institutions in our area though (some major employers that come to mind in and around the city of Scranton are Prudential Financial, Bank of America, CIGNA HealthCare, MetLife, Diversified Technologies, Cinram, and VaxServe, among others), so a job in Accounting, Financial Planning, Insurance Sales, etc. should be easier to come by. Engineering opportunities are available at the Tobyhanna Army Depot, roughly a 35-minute commute from the Mid-Valley via I-380. Teaching opportunities can be very cutthroat; getting into a public school district in our area is often a game of "who you know" instead of "what you know." Nevertheless, my sister was fortunate enough to snag a position as a secondary English teacher in our alma mater, Pittston Area, so I suppose anything is possible. Two other major employers in the immeidate area are Gentex, located in Carbondale, and Lockheed-Martin, located in Archbald.

As far as housing is concerned, the housing stock in Mayfield itself is on the old side. Newer developments exist in nearby Archbald and Olyphant if you are so inclined. Most of the region's "historic homes" are located either in Dunmore or in the city of Scranton itself, which are roughly a 20-minute drive southwest of Mayfield via Route 6. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!