interested in sayre, pa (Bradford, Athens: for sale, real estate, low crime)

[cashisking007]

can anyone tell me what the area is like. we have no children, so schools aren't a concern for us.
it's all about the lifestyle.
what were looking for is a small town feel. low crime, nice neighbors.
clean neighborhoods.
I've looked at some real estate listings and the prices seem right.
i'm considering driving up from Pocono lake to take a look, but getting a locals view in advance would be invaluable.

[Magritte25]

I've never *lived* there but my father had to have frequent surgeries/procedures done at Robert Packard Hospital so we stayed there quite a bit. It's a very nice area. Very quiet and quaint. Good luck!

[cashisking007]

Originally Posted by Magritte25

I've never *lived* there but my father had to have frequent surgeries/procedures done at Robert Packard Hospital so we stayed there quite a bit. It's a very nice area. Very quiet and quaint. Good luck!

thank you so much for the response.

[ki0eh]

I always liked the telephone exchange (570)888-xxxx.

It's part of "The Valley" with adjacent Athens and South Waverly, and Waverly NY. Search the NY forum on Waverly and you'll find some opinions. I don't think there's much activity of any sort outside the Guthrie/Robert Packer complex. It is close enough to Ithaca NY (again, search the NY forums, for many more positive views) that some folks commute. The nearest shopping to "The Valley" beyond Wal-Mart will be found in the Big Flats/Horseheads area between Elmira and Corning. Corning especially has a lot more going on than "The Valley" but property taxes are outrageous.

You could also check out nearby Towanda. I've done some work with local officials there and it honestly seems to me that that community does more with what it has than "The Valley" area. Also pretty old homes, now with a riverwalk trail and a number of other improvements.

Outside of "The Valley" and Towanda, most of Bradford County (too easily confused by folks down here with the City of Bradford located hours to the west) is kind of hardscrabble, though often beautiful there have been some meth issues, unfortunately in common with other rural areas where if you don't do actual farm work there's maybe too little for youth to do. Although Troy has a number of really pretty houses, many of which seem perennially for sale.

Tioga County, PA just to the west (Tioga County, NY is to the north, another confuser) might offer a bit more in terms of things to do - outdoor activities there are much more accessible due to much more public land than in Bradford County, and there seems to be more local initative culture too but maybe that's just because I'm more familiar. Wellsboro has better regarded schools and is a bit pricier/cutesier than the rest of Tioga County PA. If getting your cost down is more of a priority than schools, try looking in Blossburg or in Elkland/Westfield.

You didn't mention anything about employment, it's tough. Working at Guthrie would be a tough commute from anywhere in Tioga County PA, the roads just don't go straight there.