Wilkes-Barre, PA (Scranton, Back Mountain, Mountain Top: real estate, apartments, loft)

[veremiy]

Please help me. I got a good job in Wilkes-Barre, but I don't know anything about this city. I have to choose between Wilkes- Barre or Port Charlotte, Florida.

Thank you

[LJinPA]

Well for starters there's a big difference in climate...lol. Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda FL did have a hurricane (Charley in 2004) but they are probably recovered by now... I never been to Port Charlotte but I sometimes wonder if id take the hurricane risk over the long drawn out winters here...

If you don't mind the cold winters... Here in WB our winters are not so much severe as they are very long. Wilkes-Barre is very affordable, not too much crime though it has gotten somewhat worse. One of our biggest drawbacks is the lack of good jobs (unless you know the right people) but if you already have one then your set in that regard. I could help you better if your question was more specific though.

[I LOVE PA!]

if you do a search on Wilkes Barre in this forum, you will find lots of stuff. Poster, Scranton/WilkesBarre has put tons of info. here on it.
Best of luck to you!

[SteelCityRising]

I can't speak for Port Charlotte, but I can certainly tell you that after years of post-Industrial decline and neglect, Wilkes-Barre has a bright future again. In 1959, the Knox Mine Disaster caused a sudden collapse of the coal mining industry in the region, which left thousands unemployed. In 1972, the remnants of Hurricane Agnes stalled over Wilkes-Barre, causing the Susquehanna River to flood and nearly destroy the city New Orleans-style. Between the 1970s-1990s, urban sprawl was the biggest threat facing the city; flood and crime-weary residents packed their bags to newer housing developments in the "trendy" areas of the Back Mountain and Mountain Top, and merchants followed their consumers out to suburbia. By the mid-1990s, Wilkes-Barre seemed to be a lost cause.

However, since the year 2000, Wilkes-Barre has been enjoying a noticeable turnaround. In 2006 alone, the Diamond City Entertainment District was created, and a new Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, Club Mardi Gras, FUSE Martini Club, Bart & Urby's Bistro, Campus Square Billiards, and Wilkes-Barre Cinema 14 movie theater all opened their doors to an ecstatic city. The old Hotel Sterling complex is currently being revamped---the hulking tower has now been razed to the ground, and the historic corner edifice is in the process of being converted into 50-60 condos, class-A office space, and ground-level retail space. Just across the street, work is also well underway on the River Walk project, which includes the creation of two large portals in the levee wall along River Street to link the downtown with riverfront recreation, as well as the "calming" of busy River Street with a new tree median. The old industrial Murray Complex will soon be converted into loft apartments, restaurants, and stores. A new intermodal transportation center and visitors' center are also planned near Market Street Square. Historic streetlights now illuminate much of the downtown.

Real estate prices remain very reasonable in the city. However, Wilkes-Barre also has its fair share of caveats. Considering it only has 40,000 residents, it's a little disheartening to realize that it has a higher crime rate than that of Scranton, its sister city to the north, which has 30,000 more residents than Wilkes-Barre. Nevertheless, the average city resident is unlikely to be the victim of crime; it's mostly low-class scumbags targeting other low-class scumbags, if you catch my drift. The city also has the highest residential tax burden out of Luzerne County's 76 communities, which local officials blame on the fact that Wilkes-Barre is home to a very large number of tax-free status buildings (King's College, Wilkes University, county government structures, churches, libraries, etc.)

I attend college downtown, work on its outskirts, my father works at an office downtown, and my mother travels around its periphery for her career. I'm also considering an internship with the Joint Urban Studies Center in the city, which focuses on land usage policies, economic trend analysis, etc. for the metropolitan area. I'm very knowledgeable about the city as a result, and I'd be happy to help address any further questions you may have about it.

[princessjesusbopeep]

rowhomes! and its confusing to navigate!

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by princessjesusbopeep

rowhomes! and its confusing to navigate!

Yes. Wilkes-Barre is a confusing city to find your way around in if you're an out-of-towner. (I even get lost myself sometimes, and I've lived here for nearly 21 years!) However, there aren't really all that many rowhomes in Wilkes-Barre. Are you thinking of the projects along Coal Street?

[River Bum]

I think you should look into the projects on Coal Street, nice little community just waiting for new blood. Also a nice neighborhood on Schooley Ave. in Exeter which is the bed room community for Wilkes Barre.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by River Bum

I think you should look into the projects on Coal Street, nice little community just waiting for new blood. Also a nice neighborhood on Schooley Ave. in Exeter which is the bed room community for Wilkes Barre.

Somehow I think this post just oozes sarcasm. Every major U.S. metropolitan area has low-income projects, and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area is no different.

[mechtm84]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

Somehow I think this post just oozes sarcasm. Every major U.S. metropolitan area has low-income projects, and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area is no different.

I thought you were gone for good?

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by mechtm84

I thought you were gone for good?

I'm slowly-yet-surely losing my battle with my internet addiction. Sorry to disappoint you. Besides, after seeing how much negative, trivial vitriol about NEPA made it onto the forum from several new members after I left and how little was done to defend the region from its supporters (who I thought were more numerous than just myself), I think it might be a good idea after all for me to make perhaps a weekly pilgrimage back to this forum. I enjoyed living my "real life" away from the clutches of this forum, MySpace, Facebook, etc., but the allure of these sites is just too strong for me to resist. I'm going to try to only post here sparingly, but a full-fledged, "cold-turkey" walkout like I had hoped just isn't coming to fruition. Since I'm stuck in the house today due to the Nor'Easter, naturally, my mind wandered towards thoughts of the internet and this forum...