Scranton? (Washington, Middletown, Taylor: apartment, low crime, homes)

[sunset76]

I'm looking to move Pennsylvania, and I need to know if Scranton is an ok city, overall for being in the Northeast. The thing is, I want to be within an hour or so from Middletown,NY but in a bigger city like Scranton. I don't want a city where crime is out of hand, and I need somewhere where there is stuff to do like shopping,parks,etc. I'm a single girl,so safety is no.1 for me,so if Scranton is having drug arrests and shootings every other night, no way. Thanks.

[WasPA]

Originally Posted by sunset76

I'm looking to move Pennsylvania, and I need to know if Scranton is an ok city, overall for being in the Northeast. The thing is, I want to be within an hour or so from Middletown,NY but in a bigger city like Scranton. I don't want a city where crime is out of hand, and I need somewhere where there is stuff to do like shopping,parks,etc. I'm a single girl,so safety is no.1 for me,so if Scranton is having drug arrests and shootings every other night, no way. Thanks.

I have friends who last year took and apartment in the Hill Section and they're delighted (an educated, lively couple); She walks to nearby Nay Aug park with the dog, just a few blocks to the Scranton Cultural Center where the Philharmonic performs (and they are excellent) as well as 'road' shows, ballet, etc. are staged; downtown is not far at all, the University is nearby , the neighborhood is beautiful, convenient to the cineplex, the malls and so on (by auto). Not a bad life...check out the various photos of the Hill section posted by forumer "Scranton Wilkes Barre:........

[snapline]

If you need to be one hour from middletown, NY Scranton is not the answer. Too far. More like an hour and 35-40 minutes. Do a mapquest directions search. Should verify same.
PLUS as far as what I can see being in the northeast myself, there sure seems to be a 'gang issue' in the Scranton / wilkes-Barres area. It was not there five [5] years ago but it is now.
snapline

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by sunset76

I'm looking to move Pennsylvania, and I need to know if Scranton is an ok city, overall for being in the Northeast. The thing is, I want to be within an hour or so from Middletown,NY but in a bigger city like Scranton. I don't want a city where crime is out of hand, and I need somewhere where there is stuff to do like shopping,parks,etc. I'm a single girl,so safety is no.1 for me,so if Scranton is having drug arrests and shootings every other night, no way. Thanks.

For a city of 75,000 residents, Scranton actually has among the lowest crime rates per capita in the state of Pennsylvania. We're about 90 minutes west of Middletown, NY via I-84, so I don't know if that would be a deterrent to you or not. Nevertheless, if you want to live in a relatively-urbanized area in PA within a reasonable drive to Middletown, Scranton is bascially your only option, as the stretch along I-84 is nothing but quiet country towns and an occasional seasonal vacation community. The only real part of Scranton to "avoid" at this point in time would be South Side, as much of the city's crime has been concentrated in that region in recent years. The "Hill Section", which was a hotbed for murder, carjackings, etc. as recently as the mid-1990s, has largely been cleaned up and restored to being a very liveable neighborhood. I'm sorry to say that there was just a stabbing at a convenience store along Mulberry Street last night in the city, but violent crime is rare, and it often targets those who, arguably, "deserve it" due to their involvement in illegal activities.

If I had to recommend any neighborhoods to you, here are my picks:
HILL SECTION: Rent/housing prices have been climbing here, but a few bargains may still be found. The Hill Section includes the campus area of the University of Scranton, Nay Aug Park, Community Medical Center, Everhart Museum, and many tree-lined streets with stately historic homes, which make for an excellent jogging atmosphere. Depending on where you live in this rather large neighborhood, you'll be within walking distance of either Nay Aug Park or Center City (or both if you're in good enough shape to tackle long walks uphill and downhill on a frequent basis, such as yours truly). U.S. Senator-elect Robert P. Casey, Jr. resides here with his family.

GREEN RIDGE: Another historic, albeit it "flatter" neighborhood about a mile north of Center City, Green Ridge offers more of those tree-lined streets, historic homes, and low crime. Prices here are slightly lower, overall, than the Hill Section, as it's not an up-and-coming "trendy" area to move to and walk downtown. This neighborhood is home to Mayor Christopher A. Doherty and Councilwoman Janet Evans, both of whom are bitter political adversaries who, ironically, live near each other on North Washington Avenue. How's THAT for "friendly neighbors?" LOL!

WEST SIDE: West Side is an enigma to me, so I'll leave the description of this neighborhood to member "ConorsDad" who actually lives in West Side. It's a geographically-large neighborhood, just like the Hill Section is, and there's a separate "downtown" area along North Main Avenue. Housing here is very affordable, and crime, while on the rise in recent years in some parts of the neighborhood, remains relatively-low.

MINOOKA: Located in the extreme southern reaches of Scranton near to the Moosic border, Minooka is another working-class neighborhood that has low crime, affordable housing prices, and some attractive housing.

EAST MOUNTAIN: Home to Lake Scranton, East Mountain is a somewhat affluent portion of Scranton, with a blend of established homes and newer developments, some of which, near Elmhurst Boulevard and the lake, are quite extravagant. Views from this neighborhood are magnificent (Be sure to check out the Route 307 Overlook as you enter the city from the southeast). Crime here is low, and housing is varied in pricing and availability.

[ScranBarre]

Here's links to a few threads of photo tours I have taken in the city of Scranton.


Green Ridge:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/penns...enjoyment.html

Hill Section:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/penns...l-section.html

Center City:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/penns...-part-one.html

Hope this helps a bit!

[FightinPhils]

To expand on SWB's description of Scranton, I would say West Side has a little bit of everything. A majority of it is smaller, modest, but well-kept homes. Parking seems like it can be tight in some spots, but that's pretty much all of Scranton....but a majority of streets in West Side have alleys behind them, allowing for a driveway or garage in the rear. There are some areas to be avoided, but only a few, basically anything past the east side of Main Ave, and around Luzerne and Washburn Streets. There's nowhere near the amount of stately older large homes in West Side, but they can be found...mainly on parts of Main Ave, and in the areas of Oram St and St. Ann's St. Also, one thing I like about West Side is it has its own Main Street (Main Avenue), with a lot of shops, restaurants, etc, giving it more of a small-town, community feel than other sections of the city. Plus, I know you're single, but if you have kids like me, I find the schools in West Side to be somewhat superior to other sections, and especially the fact that West Side has its own high school, which isn't nearly as large and crowded as Scranton HS, which serves the rest of the city....plus, and I'm sure SWB can appreciate this, West HS is a beautiful old building, an example of how Scranton has some of the best architecture in this part of the country, while Scranton HS is a new building that looks like it was stolen from the set of a Star Trek movie.

Another plus to West Side is that homes are still relatively affordable in good neighborhoods.

Personally, I think any section of Scranton would be fine, although I would avoid South Side, and I would avoid the area of the Hill Section immediately surrounding the University of Scranton, because you'll be sure to hear some chants of "Toga Toga" while you're trying to sleep.

[-Liz-]

I lived in Scranton for two years and fell in love with it--I lived in the Hill section. The city is growing and becoming more culturally diverse with each passing day. It's still a bit rough around the edges, but give it ten years--you probably won't recognize it

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by -Liz-

I lived in Scranton for two years and fell in love with it--I lived in the Hill section. The city is growing and becoming more culturally diverse with each passing day. It's still a bit rough around the edges, but give it ten years--you probably won't recognize it

I agree, and it's nice to meet a fellow local optimist for a change. Most of the city's "naysayers" are those who still have the 1990 image of a city just hitting its "rock bottom of despair" and who have allowed themselves to wallow around in that self-loathing state, completely oblivious to the growing arts/cultural scene that is breathing new life into much of the city.

Liz, if you don't mind my asking, what particular part of the Hill Section did you live in? I've fallen in love with the lower areas (Clay Avenue, North Webster Avenue, Taylor Avenue, Olive Street, Pine Street, etc.) to the north of the university and roughly due east of the hospitals on Jefferson, but I was also considering the Arthur Avenue (Upper Hill) area to be closer to Nay Aug Park so that I could walk my children there in the future more easily. I suppose I could do both---the "Lower Hill" when I'm single and/or in a relationship without children and find it more important to be near my downtown office and the "hub" of nightlife activity, and then relocate a half-mile uphill nearer to Nay Aug Park for the children.

My goal is actually to find a more "distressed" property somewhere in the Hill (within walking distance to downtown) and then lovingly restore it to its former grandeur, as I love both architecture and city-living. Unfortunately, a recent drive through the Hill Section didn't show me any TLC-requiring properties on-the-market, but hopefully that will change within a few years. I plan to attend graduate school at the University of Scranton after I'm finished here at King's, so I'll hopefully be able to live in an off-campus apartment for a year as well to give me a better "feel" for the neighborhood and permit me to scope out new listings more easily.

Say what you will about the Electric City, but it certainly has rebounded greatly during my brief lifetime. I still remember watching the implosion of much of Lackawanna Avenue for the Steamtown Mall project way back in the early-1990s, and around that time I recall most city residents were thoroughly disgusted by their city. Now, as we enter 2007, civic pride is bouncing back left and right, and I'll be happy to be a part of that by restoring my own home, raising my family, paying my taxes, and opening up my own downtown business within the next decade. It's not perfect by any means, but Scranton is a good fit for me.

[ScranBarre]

Also, Liz, if you don't mind my inquiry, why did you leave the city? Was it because of a lack of municipal services, fears of violence, the tax burden, or were you simply in search of more "room to roam", as I saw in your other post that you apparently built a log home? I'm not nosy. I'm just hoping to make a successful bid for mayor in about a decade or so, and I'm trying to get as much feedback as I can about what's keeping people out of the city at a time when commercial reinvestment in the downtown seems to be booming. I want to hear now about what the city is doing wrong so I can develop soulutions to rectify these problems that I can hopefully implement when I'm sworn in. Thanks!

[mm_mary73]

Originally Posted by conorsdad

....but a majority of streets in West Side have alleys behind them, allowing for a driveway or garage in the rear. .....but if you have kids like me, I find the schools in West Side to be somewhat superior to other sections, and especially the fact that West Side has its own high school, which isn't nearly as large and crowded as Scranton HS, which serves the rest of the city....plus, and I'm sure SWB can appreciate this, West HS is a beautiful old building, an example of how Scranton has some of the best architecture in this part of the country, while Scranton HS is a new building that looks like it was stolen from the set of a Star Trek movie....

Yes, I wondered what that "thing" was! West Scranton used to have classes that were 400+ students large compared to my class of 123 students! WS also had a pretty good football team, tho not as good as ours . I love the alleys - don't see them here in NC ((sigh)) Plus, much construction down past end of 16th Street - I think an intermediate school is there now? Used to be all wooded and FULL of blackberry bushes.....