living in Wilkes-Barre area? (Back Mountain, Kingston: hotels, house, transfer)

[momofcrawler]

Hi all,

My husband is considering a job in Wilkes-Barre and I was hoping to get some suggestions about communities in the area. We are a new family with an 8 month old son. We have previously lived in Northern California (which we loved) and are currently staying with family in Westchester County, NY.

We are looking for a community in the true sense of the word... a place where people are friendly, know their neighbors and where there are lots of local things to do. Eventually, the schools will be important too if we decide to stay long-term (we would like to). We are hoping to buy a house on a couple of acres but would still like to be in short driving distance to the stuff we like to do. We enjoy hiking and other outdoorsy things, swimming in summer, cross-country skiing in winter but we also like the stuff that cities have to offer: good food, different movies, art, music. As a mom, I'd also like to be around child-friendly stuff like parks, libraries, etc.

Any suggestions within commuting distance to Wilkes-Barre? Let me know if you need more info about us.

Thanks!

[W-B proud]

Anywhere in the Back Mountain may appeal to you. Trucksville, Shavertown, Dallas, Huntsville. That's rural enough that you can find a place with a few acres, but close to the city. Bear Creek is the same, as well as Mountaintop, Laurel Run. If you do not mind a more urban, "close together" neighborhood setting, then Georgetown in W-B twp. comes to mind. It's the type of town where all the neighbors know each other, generations of the same families have lived, and the neighbors look out for one another. Kingston and Forty Fort are also nice, but more urban towns that surround Wilkes-Barre

[momofcrawler]

Thanks so much, W-B proud, for your helpful reply. Looks like we'll be traveling to the area again soon so we'll be sure to check out the places you mentioned. These are great suggestions! Any suggestions for restaurants in the Wilkes-Barre area for lunch and dinner? We'd love to try something uniquely local so if you have favorites, please share! Thanks again!

[Magritte25]

Sweet Treat on Route 11 Kingston across from Wal-greens. Great food and great prices for breakfast....

Abe's Hot Dogs in Wilkes Barre on Barney St. for lunch.

[InfectedMushroom]

Hit up a church bazaar on the weekend nights for some really local cuisine. Rodano's on the square in W-B is another option with good food.

[W-B proud]

Abe's Hotdogs is a Wilkes-Barre landmark.

[ki0eh]

Youse might be interested in Susquehanna Trailers Hiking Club too.

[ScranBarre]

I would recommend the Back Mountain to you hands-down before anywhere else. Why I'm the forum's notorious anti-urban sprawl windbag I'm also not the type to steer you blindly to a place where you'll be unhappy. If you want a large yard to roam around on AND relatively friendly neighbors, then you should be able to find that in the Back Mountain (along with the highly-rated Dallas School District, despite the relatively high property taxes that fund it). The Back Mountain is pretty self-contained with its own gas stations, restaurants, banks, pharmacies, financial firms, etc., but most commute to Kingston or Wilkes-Barre to work via Route 309 (Cross-Valley Expressway).

My one gripe about the Back Mountain area is that even though it is home to between 35,000 and 40,000 residents from Trucksville/Shavertown on up to Sweet Valley over to Harvey's Lake and everywhere in between it still has no official "downtown" area for people to congregate and bump into their neighbors while having fun. Downtown Dallas is a laughing-stock with its one (one-and-a-half?) blocks that is being threatened anyways as a new rotary/roundabout is slated to be built here next year or the year after that. As Downtown Wilkes-Barre continues to improve with more nightlife, ethnic restaurants, shopping, etc. more and more of the "I'm afraid of getting shot in the city" types from suburban areas like the Back Mountain will be willing to come in, so in lieu of the Dallas area having its own "downtown" you may have all you need in the city proper of Wilkes-Barre, about 20 minutes away, on average, within a few years. The area near the Wachovia Arena is replete with nearly every chain restaurant and big-box store imaginable, along with a 90-store indoor shopping mall and a large slew of major hotels (with more on the way).

Bear Creek is a quieter area than the Back Mountain (1/10 the population), but I don't believe it has that "neighborly" feel you seek. The homes are generally much more spread out (even the massive Laurel Brook Estates neighborhood has an average of around 3 acres per home site), and a growing number of people here are power-commuting daily to the Lehigh Valley or Northern NJ for work, leaving less and less time for being "neighborly." When I worked at Lowe's I met several people from the Bear Creek/White Haven areas who were power-commuters, and judging by property transfers I'd say more are doing the same. There are no businesses really in Bear Creek; you'd have to drive to Wilkes-Barre for everything (and Route 115 can be HEINOUS in the winter!)

Restaurants? I've been living in Northern Virginia now since May, but I've been having a hankering for Hottle's in Downtown Wilkes-Barre (little hole-in-the-wall joint with good seafood by NEPA standards), Rodano's in Downtown Wilkes-Barre (good non-Old Forge-styled pizza), or Abe's for hot dogs. I'm a fan of Agolino's in West Pittston for their stuffed French toast for breakfast!

[sheena12]

I am now looking at a really nice large older home in Kingston - right across the river from Wilkes Barre.
I think that with out being "uber suburban" that Kingston and neighboring Forty Fort are places that are family friendly yet convenient to W/B - if that is where you need to be. I would check out these two communities!
Good luck!

[momofcrawler]

Thanks for all your wonderful suggestions... if this board is any indication, the people of NEPA are some pretty friendly folks!