Any Info on the Poconos area? (Scranton, East Stroudsburg: low income, insurance, crimes)

[roberalexa]

I agree with you and most of it makes sense but I am in the legal field and I don't think there are oppurtunities in northeatern part of PA. I might be wrong I will have to do some research. But I see your point. Thanks.

[WayneMeyers]

There is an evolutionary process that is currently seeing people migrating away from their employment in order to afford their own homes, less crowded conditions, etc.

We also have the technology to enable most people to work from home, at least part time. That infrastructure needs a serious shot in the arm from the federeal government.

Remove the commute all together, save billions of dollars in gasoline, stop polluting the environment, have more time to spend with your family, be home if there is an emergency, or kids get a snow day, etc. without having to miss out on work, etc.

So why, as a nation, aren't we seeking to embrace this as at least a partial solution?

Because no one is speaking up for the commuters. Another project I am working on is organizing a national group that will represent the commuter, and you can take a look at the beta site here: http://commuterclub.org/

[Kimberely]

Hey all. I am from New Jersey and came up to Lake Naomi for vacation. We fell in love with it, looked for houses and was supposed to sign a contract today for vacation home and read the article on front page of newspaper about violence and gangs. I'm very upset as I was hoping this would be a great family place to go on weekends. I spent my summers in Tamaqua PA as a kid and wanted same for my kids. Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated. Not sure if this is a sign or if I am overreacting. Thanks!

[ScranBarre]

Kimberley, just as in any area, there are some "good areas" and some "bad areas." Personally, I'd be a bit terrified to walk around alone at night in Downtown Stroudsburg, but crime has yet to spill into the gated and/or sprawling communities such as Lake Naomi, Pocono Farms, Indian Lakes, etc. Last week there was an incident where a gang of teenagers went on a spree holding up random people at gunpoint in Stroudsburg, East Stroudsburg, and Stroud Township, but the further north and west you move in Monroe County, the less likely your family will be to come into contact with criminal activity.

If it's any consolation, that gang spree last week was the FIRST "random" crime I've heard about in the Poconos in a VERY long time! For the most part, the ones who end up shot and wearing cement shoes are the ones who deserve it---The ones who get involved in bad drug deals, pointless fights over girlfriends, etc. If you're just a family strolling down Wisteria Lane, then you have nothing to fear! Keep your nose on the legal side of things, and you should be left alone. Dabble in drugs, gangs, etc. here, and you may just end up on the evening news.

In summary---Yes, you are just overreacting! LOL! Crime is EVERYWHERE, and the crime rate in Monroe County hasn't really "escalated." It's moreso a case of the number of crimes rising proprtionately to the rise in population. Monroe County will soon have a higher population than Lackawanna County (Scranton Area), so you have to expect the possibility of occasional crime when your population hits near to 200,000 when it was well under 100,000 not too long ago. Double the population---Double the number of crimes. I'm sure you'd see the same phenomenon in other fast-growing counties in our nation, such as Mecklenberg County (Charlotte, NC), Wake County (Raleigh, NC), Maricopa County (Phoenix, AZ), etc.

Don't do stupid things such as jogging at 3 AM in Downtown Stroudsburg with a Rolex on, and you'll be fine! LOL! ;o)

[Kimberely]

ScrantonWilkesBarre,
Thanks for the perspective. By the way, my grandfather was from Scranton. My grandmother was from Hazleton.

You're right, crime is everywhere. I'm not afraid of NY City, because I know it, so I guess it's a matter of comfort. Just don't want to put myself in the middle of anything if I can avoid it.

Thanks!

[ScranBarre]

You're quite welcome, Kimberley! I just read a front-page story yesterday in the Times-Leader newspaper here in Wilkes-Barre about the gang presence in the Poconos. Monroe County isn't becoming a "gang warfare free-for-all" as some would hype it up to be. There is a growing gang presence in the Poconos, and the main factor is all of these people MOVING here from NY/NJ, commuting 2+ hours each way to work, and then leaving their teenagers unsupervised and willing prey to be recruited by gang representatives who see these "bored" teenagers as perfect targets to grow their ranks. If parents would take a more vested interest in the whereabouts of their children instead of being more concerned with buying a new Range Rover to upstage the "Jones's new Land Rover Discovery", then there wouldn't even BE a gang presence in Monroe County!

I'm not saying this is the case with all of the NY/NJ transplants, but what do they honestly expect is going to happen if a representative from the Bloods or the Crips strolls into their neighborhood offering "fun and excitement" to their bored cul-de-sac teens? Basically, this problem is confined to both Stroudsburg and Pocono Country Place, a gated community of around 10,000 people. Any other development in the Poconos should be considered tranquil, safe, and a great vacation destination. Unfortunately, I foresee the ranks of teenaged gang members SWELLING into other developments as well as more and more people endure the Pocono-NYC commute in order to provide a "better life" for their children WITHOUT stopping to think about who will be watching them when they are out-of-state for so long!

[WayneMeyers]

Sorry, ScrantonWilkesBarre, but you are not totally correct. Crime is happening across the Poconos, including communities like Pocono Farms, but not all crime seems to make it into the headlines.

There was another AP article that came out this week stating that Monroe crime has doubled in the last 5 years, while Pike has decreased.

Gangs are run by economics at the high end, using our young people as pawns and playing them up with lies such as making them think they have power, respect, and prestige by belonging. Some are neglected kids with parents who spend too much time commuting to pay attention to their children, so they are looking for family. Whether or not these are hardened criminals or just misguided youth, they are being used to stake out turf, sell drugs, and otherwise make money for their bosses.

This is becoming a national problem, because any place where there is a market you will find gangs. The Poconos has tried to cover this up for years because of concerns of lost tourism and lost home sales. I've been pushing this on poconocommuter.com for over a year now to try and increase awareness.

I've been reading about gangs in Wilkes-Barre and the Lehigh Valley for a long time, it would be silly to think they would stay away from the Poconos, especially as the crop of kids became available with the population increase.

Lake Naomi is a nice community, and with a vacation home you can enjoy it without worrying too much. I would suggest getting an alarm for the house if you aren't going to live there all week long, just to be safe.

Keep this in mind - this is a problem, true, but it HAS been a problem. Considering, the few incidents to date mean that it isn't really that bad where you have to worry about walking down the street in a private community, but the police are aware of it and actively working to contain it. Now that the public is being educated that it really is an issue, hopefully we can work together with the police to make better progress in keeping this under control.

Good luck!

[winnie]

I live in the Milford area.

I don't see it as a high crime area. The schools are nice and after dark there are few kids or cars out on the main street.

We like it here, the housing is still cheap, the taxes are low and there is much outdoorsey stuff to do.

I can't speak for Scranton/WilkesBarre area.

We are NY transplants. DH drives an hour to work in NY. The taxes are driving people right out of Orange and Sullivan counties. If you can afford those areas good for you. Many families just starting out do not have a prayer of making ends meet in the NICE areas of Orange, Sullivan counties or even Buck's county, PA for that matter.

So they are moving up here and the natives are getting ticked. I know how they feel, I am ticked that the NYC transplants have made my hometown unaffordable! But so goes life...live and let live.

[christina0001]

Don't assume gangs are restricted to low-income areas. There are plenty of towns here in NJ where the children of well-to-do families are in gangs. They get no attention from their parents, who work 60 hours/week, and being in a gang makes them feel cool, powerful, and important. Princeton NJ has well established Blood and Latin King sects. As for the Poconos, I do believe there are enough parents with kids in gangs who up and moved to the Poconos to escape it...but it didn't work, their kids stayed affiliated with their gang ties and found a new market to peddle drugs, etc.

[regarese]

Lake Naomi is a nice community, and with a vacation home you can enjoy it without worrying too much. I would suggest getting an alarm for the house if you aren't going to live there all week long, just to be safe.



LOL-the alarm is great as long as a deer doesn't set it off driving the neighbors nuts while you make the almost 2 hour drive from Jersey to shut it off. That's what happened to my in-laws and their vacation home in Lake Arrowhead. The alarm has since been disconnected and they've never had a problem up there.