Milford (Honesdale, Jim Thorpe, Matamoras: real estate, school district, prices)

[pixieshmoo]

That's it, just MILFORD. Tell me what you love, hate, what you do know, what you don't know but want to. etc. Just random Milford stuff for someone who may want to move there with a family.

[ScranBarre]

My opinion: Milford is overrated. Yes, the townspeople are friendly, and the minuscule downtown area is very inviting for an evening stroll, but I laughed my derrière off when a national publication listed it amongst one of the nation's "Top 10 Coolest Small Towns." I did a photo tour there back in 2007, and I asked myself "that was it?" when I had fully encompassed every angle of the community in a very brief amount of time. I know the allure of Pike County is its rural atmosphere and the sense of "being away from it all," but I also couldn't believe how bad the traffic congestion in town was for a community of what, like 1,600 residents?

I don't have anything bad to say about Milford, but I just don't see what all of the fuss and "hype" is about, especially when I find Honesdale and Jim Thorpe to be much more memorable experiences for travelers to discover and enjoy.

[mathjak107]

i agree , honesdale is such a nicer town .. marilyn and i also kept looking for the rest of milford when we were photographing it

[pixieshmoo]

Interesting, I've always pictured it to be huge, not city-like, but just a massive area to explore.

[MermanMike]

I agree with all the Milford comments so far. Nothing wrong with it per se, a fine place to spend an afternoon. I can't think of a good reason to relocate there though. Prices are inflated on real estate there. They set up a good media campaign to foster support for their town and it worked to a large extent, Milford magazine etc, and getting on the cute towns lists, but I don't think there is a lot of substance behind any of that. Honesdale is indeed much cuter, friendlier, more amenities, better real estate prices and housing crop, and not nearly as many cookie cutter chalet communities have taken over the forests up here.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by pixieshmoo

Interesting, I've always pictured it to be huge, not city-like, but just a massive area to explore.

A lot of locals say "I'm from Milford," but when you finally GRILL them about it you'll get an "Alright. I'm from Milford Twp., Westfall Twp., Dingman's Ferry, Shohola, Lackawaxen, etc., etc." Milford is just very, very dimunitive, and for the life of me I can't understand how it is so highly-regarded while Honesdale, which is MUCH nicer, in my humble opinion, is largely ignored by everyone.

[pixieshmoo]

Well, what about schools? On greatschools.net, DV rates much higher than Honesdale. That is a major concern for us with a move because we have school-age children.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by pixieshmoo

Well, what about schools? On greatschools.net, DV rates much higher than Honesdale. That is a major concern for us with a move because we have school-age children.

Academically Delaware Valley has consistently been VERY strong. However, it is also the type of school district where apparently everyone gets "inside" of each other (if you catch my drift). There was a highly-publicized scandal at Delaware Valley earlier this year due to the HIGH presence of pregnant teens and STDs.

[BLUEDIAMOND64]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Academically Delaware Valley has consistently been VERY strong. However, it is also the type of school district where apparently everyone gets "inside" of each other (if you catch my drift). There was a highly-publicized scandal at Delaware Valley earlier this year due to the HIGH presence of pregnant teens and STDs.

ScranBarre, well agreed. Happy that we are out of the D.V. district. Some people like it. Unless you have been on the inside it is hard to see the truth.

[kinpa]

Academically dv is a pretty good school, but it has a pretty big rep for kids getting into trouble, gangs, drugs. I would be nervous if my Grand-kids went there. My kids went to Wallenpaupack and my G-kids go there now, I am a bit nervous about that too, although not as much. Milford has Matamoras and Port Jervis so nearby that it almost feels like the same town. You are fairly close to just about anything you need. I come from the Rowland area, I would never say I come from Milford, however no one ever heard about Rowland so sometimes I will have to mention Milford, just to explain it.