Pike County (Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, East Stroudsburg: for sale, real estate, modular homes)

[CampingMom]

Good morning!

Just curious about the area there. We are possibly considering a move to there. Hubby works in Goshen, NY and believe that this would be a better commute, less taxes than where we are now in Dutchess County. We are natives and getting forced out slowly.

Any suggestions about areas there-within a 30-40 min commute over 84? What about schools in the area? Don't want to deal with overcrowding again like we've got. Not looking to be in a HOA/Community deal. We'd like to have some space of our own and not in Mcmansion land. We've been to the area camping-Keen Lake area-but that's a bit farther out than is driveable daily. Neither of us want so spend our days driving for work. (I drive a school bus). We'd like to be within 25 mins or so of shopping for groceries(not looking to live right in town).

So give me the good, the bad, the ugly about what we might expect. Any insight on taxes, utilities too would be good(real estate agents don't always have that).

Thanks!

[bldginpa]

We are moving to Greentown in Pike County. It's about 30 minutes away from big box stores like Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart. Nice local supermarket and necessities like gas station, hardware store, luncheonette, auto repair, garden center, doctors offices. Good school system too. Even though schools were not a concern for us (our children are grown), it's still important for resale value. It's close to I-84 so you can travel east/west rather quickly. Taxes are lower than Monroe county. I'm used to Long Island taxes and utilities, so just about anywhere is less than what I'm paying! I have guesstimated my taxes to be somewhere around $3000.00 a year (school and town) for 1-acre lot/1600 square foot home.

[christina0001]

Milford is appx. 35 minutes from Goshen, so I'd think you would need to stay in Milford, Matamoras, Westfall, Shohola, maybe the northern most part of Dingman Township if you want to keep your commute under 40 minutes. All of these towns are in the Delaware Valley school district, which is very good. Westfall/Matamoras has a Cost Cutter and a SuperWalMart, Milford has a Grand Union, so you would be less than 15 minutes from a grocery store no matter which town you chose. If you like to have your own space and don't like HOAs, then I would check out Shohola first.

[memoriesbre]

I agree with Christina0001. The area of Milford is very nice. There are alot of HOA's though. You would have to look outside the communities to find what you are searching for. Shohola is a nice area and not far from what you need. Even Lackawaxen in Pike County is nice. There are homes that are in the country but yet close to everything too. Just north of Lackawaxen is the town of Honesdale and you can shop at the super Walmart, Home Depot, eat at Pizza Hut, Chinese food, and more.

[ScranBarre]

I just recently captured Milford and Westfall Twp. in a new photo tour. Check it out under the thread "Milford Photo Tour." I've been through the area many, many times, but this was technically my first trip to Eastern Pike County as a "destination", so my photo tour today was a learning experience as well. I was blown away by how nice Milford was.

The only downsides I saw to the town proper was its traffic congestion (I'd suggest that a bypass be built around town to alleviate this, but then I know Westfall-like sprawl would inevitably follow, which is a BAD thing), as well as the overabundance of realtors. As a first-time visitor to Milford, I thought to myself "are all of the locals looking to cash in on outsiders?" when I saw around a DOZEN real estate agencies crammed into this tiny town!

I've heard that the Delaware Valley School District is great from a number of people, and this encompasses much of Eastern Pike County (Bushkill is East Stroudsburg Area, and Wallenpaupack Area covers the Greentown/Newfoundland area). I can foresee Westfall Twp. continuing to succumb to wave after wave of sprawl in the upcoming years (I even think you'll see perhaps a small indoor "Pike County Mall" or a "Westfall Mall" spring up in 10 years along Route 209 with anchor stores as the population continues to grow in that area). I also saw an unsightly vinyl-sided townhome community behind the Staples store. Westfall Twp., overall, reminded me of Monroe County, and THAT is something Pike County does NOT want to replicate unless it is clamoring to become the next "bedroom community" to Manhattan, as Monroe County already is.

If I were you, I'd check into the area of Route 6 between Milford and Hawley (try Greeley, Lackawaxen, or Shohola). This area might be closer to an hour commute or so each way to Goshen, but traffic will always be light, and if you put on some nice music, that time will fly by. I don't foresee that particular area succumbing to sprawl pressures for quite some time, as it's just far enough "off-the-beaten-path" to make it unnoticeable to the NYC commuter crowd (unlike places such as Bushkill and Dingman's Ferry, both of which have now been discovered by them).

P.S. Our family used to camp for a number of years at Keen Lake! We loved it! I used to love that big red barn with the ceramics painting, the dances, and the other scheduled events. Paddleboating underneath that little tunnel was always a treat, as was that little one-room building where we'd watch movies. I also miss the hayrides! Some of the best memories of my youth were spent there. It's a shame my parents are soon selling our old camper! Keen Lake was more of a "resort" than anything else though with its scheduled activities---if you want to truly "rough it", then you'd enjoy Frances Slocum State Park, nearer to Wilkes-Barre.

[CampingMom]

Keep them coming!!!! These are great ideas and suggestions. I looked at ScrantonWilkesBarre's post on Milford. I've been to some of the businesses there over the years-we used to play a soccer tournment at a school right by McDonalds.

I'll do some more checking through the boards to see about Shohola-friends of ours had a camper at Trails End for the last 6 years or so. I've been to Hawley looking at modular homes too.

Keep it coming folks-this is great information. Oh-any schools there you know play field hockey? My kids are into that BIG time.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by CampingMom

I've been to some of the businesses there over the years-we used to play a soccer tournment at a school right by McDonalds.

That would be the Delaware Valley School District. I just drove by there as well today. I was going to snap a picture of it, but then I thought some guy in a car snapping photos of teenagers near the school might raise a few eyebrows. LOL! This school has a field hockey program. Check out the school if you'd like at http://www.dvsd.org

[digitalwoodshop]

The Shohola area is nice, that is where I am at. Delaware Valley is good, I turned out OK, Class of 75. I even know the Keen Camp Ground mentioned as I lived in Waymart as a kid. Lot's of houses for sale in this area. Fast growing area.

I hear the traffic at 5 AM, people heading for the city. They say it's a big traffic jam at 5 AM in Milford...

A good area to retire, quiet, but growing fast. Shohola is between Milford and Hawley/Honesdale. Like everything, taxes and prices are going up.

If you wanted a structured development look at places like www.masthope.org or .com

If you want freedom as long as you follow the Township Rules of Building and Zoning Shohola, Greeley, Lackawaxen is for you.

There is history here. Zane Grey, The Roebling Aqueduct
Erected by John Roebling, the engineer who built the Brooklyn Bridge.

"Go West Young Man".... Greeley PA to Greeley CO......

Berth place of the Rail Road.... Honesdale.

Eagles in your back yard.... River Rafting, Trails, History Everywhere....

Have Fun...

http://www.shohola.com/township/
http://www.lackawaxen.org/attractions.htm
http://www.pikepa.org/
http://www.hawleywallenpaupackcc.com/


I came back after being gone 27 years playing Navy and working for Sony. A nice place to retire. I have been around the world, 27 countries in my 20 years of playing Navy and was still glad to come home. This area has a lot to offer a growing Family and a growing Retirement Community.

Good Luck,

AL

The pictures are of a Red Tailed Hawk just outside my Shop window. Thought it was a Eagle at first. We have 2 Eagles in this area and a few more in Lackawaxen, PA area along the Upper Delaware River.

[Phish Head]

Nice pics. Does anyone know if there are Drive-In Movie Theatres in Pike County, or anywhere else nearby? We are going to be visiting soon to take a mini-vacation and would like to see a movie at an authentic drive-in....Thanks!

[digitalwoodshop]

There were 2 Drive in's one in Matamoras near the DV High School that is now a Price Chopper and one in Honesdale that is now the Ford Dealership.

At Scranton, 50 miles away there is the Circle Drive in, but have only been to the swap meet there.

Have a nice visit.

AL