need Wilkes Barre information (Scranton, Wilkes-Barre: apartments, loft, condos)

[nsa162]

I have been looking at moving to the Scranton/Wilkes Barre area. First i was looking in Scranton but there doesnt seem to be that many houses available in the area that i wanted (Hill Section). So i moved my search over to Wilkes Barre and found alot of houses on the market at a reasonable price.Is there a reason for that. Is Wilkes Barre bad? How is the Crime? I am aware that the city was evacuated in 2006. Which areas of the city are prone to flooding? Which areas should i avoid? Which areas have high crime? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

[KBlasi]

I'm much more familiar with Scranton so my answer will be biased. What I know is mostly from the news and word of mouth so don't make any decisions on this alone.

Wilkes Barre has a much worse reputation with crime compared to Scranton. I believe it is this public opinion that keeps house prices down there. They are very similar cities. It just seems to me that there are more "bad" sections in Wilkes Barre than there are in Scranton. I also noticed that the downtown is becoming a ghost town with large buildings with great architecture just rotting.

Scranton is taking a positive step in this direction. The downtown is much more clean and has many more businesses than in the recent past. Wilkes Barre has developed like crazy in the area of the Arena but let the rest of the city go. Scranton developed the downtown area and that positive influence is spreading through the city.

If you are thinking about moving, check out my profile and visit my website.

Best of luck!

[medicchik]

I lived in the Wyoming Valley for 32 years and worked as a paramedic before moving to GA four months ago.

I was closer to WB and in fact lived there once. First, where are you going to work? Commute times are not bad like in the major cities, but you have to consider inclement weather. Obviously, you don't want to work in Scranton and commute to WB.

Both have their fair share of crime, but WB definitely has some bad parts, but good parts as well. How much are looking to spend? If your budget is less than $100,000. I would suggest a community like Swoyersville, Forty Fort, Luzerne or Kingston. I lived in Swoyersville for a few years. It is a small town with approximately 6,000 residents, is close to many areas, and has one of the finest ambulance services in the area.

If you have a larger budget, I would suggest the Back Mountain (dallas, jackson township, Harvey's Lake), or Bear Creek. I lived in Bear Creek, it is beautiful and is very close to Interstate 80, Interstate 81 and the PA turnpike.

As for evacuations, it happens every so often with the flooding because a few rivers, mostly the Susquehanna run north to south through the valley. I evacuated nursing homes, hospitals and apartments as part of an ambulance service. I wouldn't discount the area because of floods.

The area does not have alot of high paying jobs or many technology jobs, which is why we moved. I think the last time I checked,, the average salary for the WB area was $22,000.

Feel free to contact me with any questions, after spending so many years on the ambulance, I am familiar with many areas.

[in2dadark]

Naticoke is the best place to live in duh valley by far. Low taxes, friendly people and great schools. Try to get something that is waterfront. The people are friendlier down by the riverside..

[DeLorean]

yeah I agree, Nanticoke has it's nice areas, plus the price pretty much anywhere in the City won't top $150,000, I'd say average price is closer to $90,000.

[SteelCityRising]

Wilkes-Barre is like any city---it has its desirable areas and its slummier areas. I photographed a large chunk of the Wilkes University area between Center City and South Wilkes-Barre, which is probably the most "attractive" part of town. Parsons and Miners Mills comprise "North Wilkes-Barre," and while neither of those two neighborhoods are aesthetically-appealing, they offer very low crime, friendly neighborhoods and some local conveniences. The city's downtown has begun to rebound. 2006 alone brought a new movie theater, Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, Campus Square Billiards, FUSE Martini Club, Club Mardi Gras, Bart & Urby's Grille, and a few other notables. The hulking Hotel Sterling tower has nearly been completely razed, and the rest of the complex will be converted to condos and retail boutiques later this year. The old Murray Complex is being redeveloped by Scranton businessman Daniel Siniawa into restaurants, stores, and loft apartments. The riverfront is currently being transformed into an urban oasis---two portals in the levee wall will allow downtown residents, office workers, and college students to head right to the riverfront for recreation and entertainment opportunities, which may complement a potential upcoming recreational lake in the river (currently being debated). King's College may soon be converting a very blighted property on the corner of North Main & East North Streets into loft housing for faculty. Wilkes University likewise continues to grow and has been increasing its downtown student population, generating more foot traffic downtown for potential merchants to latch off of. iGourmet.com, a local company, is also considering opening a new retail venture somewhere downtown that would sell culinary-related goods. The downtown is starting to "bounce back", and as the center city thrives, the surrounding neighborhoods will also bounce back.

[in2dadark]

Actually, I was being sarcastic about Naticoke. I think it's a dump.. And the taxes and roads are outrageous..