NEPA Towns (Scranton, Washington, Plymouth: neighborhood, to live in, nicest)

[rcb1966]

Where do you live now..White Haven - (between Wite Haven & Mountaintop)

What do you like about where you live now..Semi-rural setting, but close enough to Wilkes-Barre (15)mins., Rte 80 - (5 )mins., Rte 81 (5) mins.. Good school district. Nice neighbors & I can find work in my business either in the Wyoming Valley or the Poconos.

What I dont like....I don't like the winter travel, I don't like the politics in our county, I don't like the conditions of the local roads, I don't like the lack of services per the amount of real estate tax that I pay.

And if You had to move to another town/city in NEPA--- Where to and Why. I would move to more central PA if work was conducive to it. Elysburg, Catawissa, Bloomsburg....I like the "old school" mentality in this region. The simplicity of life seems to have not lost its values in this area as much as NEPA. People still leave the keys in their cars here & the front doors unlocked.

[The Commish]

Where do you live now?

Glenmaura for the summer.

Deal with it.

What do you like about where you live now?

Duh.

And if You had to move to another town/city in NEPA--- Where to and Why?

Probably the Abingtons. Or those quasi-mythical downtown apartments/lofts in Scrannin' or Wilkes-Bear. Why? Abingtons give you some nice space in the almost-country next to other nice spaces. I wouldn't necessarily put up a McMansion. I personally like well-designed smaller spaces that have nice stuff in them. Which is a good segue for why I like downtown apartments/lofts: they are smaller spaces that I can put nice stuff in, instead of paying for a mortgage for a large "monument to nothing." Bah. Double Bah. Triple Bah.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by The Commish

Where do you live now?

Glenmaura for the summer.

Deal with it.

What do you like about where you live now?

Duh.

LMFAO! Well stated! Watch out for those random suicidal turkeys though! One flew right into my friend's windshield along Glenmaura National Boulevard a couple of years ago!

[marchawg]

Since I've only lived here in Dickson City for 2 weeks, I'll comment on the last place I lived in NEPA: Tunkhannock.

The Good
Tunkhannock is quiet, especially if you don't live in the town proper. I lived near Lake Carey (not on the lake) and it was nice and peaceful. One thinf I really miss is being able to burn garbage at any time.

The Bad
Tunkhannock suffers from a distinct lack of things to do, especially on the outskirts. Deer are horrible on cars. Many backwards redneck types. Insular feeling from townsfolk.

Where I Would Live
I'm not really sure. I like Towanda but it feels even more isolated. I think I'm just not quite set on NEPA. I like to visit, but this area depresses me.

[nyctransplant]

Originally Posted by Summering

Brodheadsville......Why I like it........Because it doesn't have a gate and rules ( I did that for 8 years, here there is just 10 keep it neat rules, on my deed) I felt very "free" the day I moved in...

What I LOVE about it.......Its peaceful, and complete.....the views of farms and mountains are awesome. It has a joy about it.

What I don't like........We truely need a department store. I wish we had a regular downtown area also.

Where I would move to.......I'd move to Harveys Lake....because I grew up by many lakes in NJ......Arrowhead Lake, Indian Lake, Rock Ridge Lake, Cedar Lake, and Estling lake.......even later Lk Hopatcong. So........I would really love to again be "by a lake"

Hi! I live in the lake winola area - Village of Mill City - peaceful, private, yet close to all i need. I too, winter in south carolina - where do you go?

I'd like to move to a smaller house near marywood in greenridge, i think. i'd like sidewalks and be near the college and parks.
Coincidentally, a former new yorker - manhattan and bensonhurst brooklyn. we have a lot in common. can't afford nyc again but i would love it!

[nyctransplant]

I owned a business in tunkhannock, live nearby, and that's our school district - yes, boring, yes beautiful in the endless mountains, and yes, you'll never find folks wanting to be involved with anything or join the world in progress, nor will you find much in the way of places to go or things to do. Ever. It's been stagnant for a long time, and sadly, our young folks head out as soon as they graduate - most don't return. it's a shame because it is so beautiful and peaceful.

[nkotb]

I live at Lake Winola - have lived in many differnet cities in our country. Since I'm thinking of retirement my ideal would be walking distance to downtown Dalton for the summer and New Smyrna Beach for the winter !!!

[businezguy]

I live in Smithfield, basically a part of East Stroudsburg.

What I love about my town is its proximity to everything. I am less then 3 miles from I80, less then a mile from 411 and rt 209. There are 4 grocery stores less than 2 miles from my home, and 7 in less than 4 miles from my home. I have access to tons of shopping all of which is very close to my home.

I also love the novelty of living in NEPA. I went out for a drive the other day and drove past such beauty and amazing and interesting stops and sights. I learned about all types of stores and restaurants that I didn't realize were so close to my home. I also saw a huge national park, and a smaller local park all of which I didn't know about. There's tons of lakes and lake communities, and I just saw some small ski slopes that will be perfect to start my son out on when he turns 2 1/2 (when I started to ski).

It's funny because when I lived in NJ I was closer to work, but the thing about NJ is you have to drive far for everything else BUT work. Good restaurants, fun family places, parks, zoos, lakes, skiiing, shopping, grocery stores, etc. were all much further away then they are where I live in NEPA. Sure I drive more, but when I factor all of that in, a surprising amount of my extra commute time is really reduced by the time I save when I arrive at home.

I love my choice of moving to NEPA, and I love the community I live in.

My only regret right now is many of the small businesses on the cross road to the road I live on are failing, and leaving empty, broken down buildings in their wake. This doesn't make me regret living there, as much as it does to see this happening. I know that things will turn around for my area in the long run though. Houses in my community are selling like hotcakes, and new construction is actually being pursued and is necessary. All of this means we'll see new small businesses in the area over the next few years.

I wouldn't choose to live in another area in NEPA. Any other area I might choose for other reasons is too far from work for me to justify. I love my house and community, and I'm grateful for the opportunity I have had to live here.

[notkaplan]

I live in Gouldsboro. I like that The area is rural and peaceful. We have lots of trees in the yard. I love nature, and I love the house. What I don't like is that it is in Pocono Mt school district, so our taxes are the highes in NEPA. I also miss the city (Scranton) too.

If I were to live anywhere else in NEPA it would be back to Scranton. Even though I like living in a rural area, there is something about cities I love too, and Scranton is one of the nicest medium sized rust belt city in the US. Everything is convienient, you can walk to schools (in fact you have to) churches and stores, all while living in a quiet, well kept old fashioned neighborhood with neighbors who are down to earth and caring. Scranton is a quiet, conservative (socially, not politically) throwback to the days when people were happy. Walking through its neighborhoods and talking to the people it's almost like you stepped back in time. The downtown is beautiful with things to do. I love that I can find restaurants that serve my favorite food (Mexican and Latin food) made by real Latino people and not some far away corporate restaurant. Although there seems to have been an increase in crime in Scranton lately, it's still safe by national standards.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by notkaplan

If I were to live anywhere else in NEPA it would be back to Scranton. Even though I like living in a rural area, there is something about cities I love too, and Scranton is one of the nicest medium sized rust belt city in the US. Everything is convienient, you can walk to schools (in fact you have to) churches and stores, all while living in a quiet, well kept old fashioned neighborhood with neighbors who are down to earth and caring. Scranton is a quiet, conservative (socially, not politically) throwback to the days when people were happy. Walking through its neighborhoods and talking to the people it's almost like you stepped back in time. The downtown is beautiful with things to do. I love that I can find restaurants that serve my favorite food (Mexican and Latin food) made by real Latino people and not some far away corporate restaurant. Although there seems to have been an increase in crime in Scranton lately, it's still safe by national standards.

I hate to admit this, but even though I'm a rough-and-tumble 22-year-old male I did just shed a couple of tears here to have read this honest, heart-felt, and very eloquent depiction of Scranton. THIS is the city I've grown to love and appreciate my entire life (albeit from the suburbs so I'm sure the city folks will be on here slamming me shortly). I get goosebumps when walking around on a First Friday and looking up at the "Electric City" sign lit up at night as a testament to the city's heyday as a pioneer in utilizing electricity for mass transit options. I shared a powerful first kiss with a wonderful guy while overlooking the waterfall at Nay Aug Park (No, there wasn't anyone else around before the right-wingers start griping). I can remember hearing about how a friend's baby's eyes lit up wide as they drove through the Holiday Light Show at Nay Aug Park in 2008, and I myself was awestruck by the two competing next-door neighbors along Arthur Avenue across the street from the park who vied for the title of "Top Dog on the Block" from passers-by with their amazing holiday displays.

Sure, the people of Scranton may be socially-regressive in how they think universities are a "burden", how they touch the screen in every election to vote for the entire Democratic party without a second thought, and how they take bets to see what downtown business ventures ought to fail to spite the mayor, but overall it's the premier medium-sized Rust Belt city in America in which to call home. When I did my Hyde Park/West Side photo tour I couldn't believe how "Leave it to Beaver"-like the neighborhood was (for the most part). People said "How ya doin?" as I passed by them on the sidewalks as they sat on their front porches, children were enjoying some sort of end-of-schoolyear "Fun Day" at a few neighborhood elementary schools while parents supervised and/or directed traffic, and American flags were visible draped from front porch overhangs on nearly every block. THAT is where I want to raise my own family someday---not in some disgusting suburban cul-de-sac near Pittston where everyone is too self-absorbed with one-upmanship to truly care about their neighbors.

Scranton may be far from perfect, but I know I'm going to miss its ambiance for quite some time when I'm living four hours away in NoVA. I'll even miss people like Les Spindler, Bill Jackowitz, and Fay Franus because in their own minds they think they are "helping" the city and it says a lot about a place when so many people put their integrity on the line for public scrutiny to put their necks out there to try to make some sort of a difference. My own rapidly-growing township never had well-attended monthly meetings, and the gripes were more often than not ironically growth-related. I've never felt "attached" to Pittston Township and will never consider raising my family here as a result. However I spent as much time as I could just parking my car in Scranton and meandering around on foot to get a good lay of the land. I know the Scranton of 2025 will be far different than the Scranton of today (hopefully the city will be a progressive power house by then), but it will still always be "home" to me.