Help with Scranton (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown: section 8, apartments, rent)
Northeastern PennsylvaniaScranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pocono area
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I will be relocating to Scranton in the Spring. And I am in the process of finding an apartment. Green Ridge, Hill section, West side, South, North....
I guess what I am asking is what neighborhoods are better/nicer/safer places? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I understand there is a rise in crime up that way but I have lived in Allentown for the past year. In my previous visits to Scranton I have never even remotely compared it to Allentown. Is it that crime actually gets reported in Scranton why the stats are high?
Anyway, any help on the area is greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your reply Chris. It is a great help, because this job/move has come out of nowhere and I trying to figure things out quickly. I am sorry for your troubles, my family experienced similar things in the Allentown area when I was a teen.
What would the area closest to Nay Aug Park be reffered to? That didn't seem too bad and it wasn't far from downtown.
Is all of Scranton generally bad?? Maybe I should be looking more to the outskirts for a place, such as moosic or old forge??
The area by Nay Aug is the Hill Section. There are still some very nice homes around there, but there's also a lot of drug activity in the area. Plus it's close to the university of scranton, so loads of student apartments, a few bars, mini marts, etc. Plus the CMC hospital is right there, plus a grade school, so I'd have to say it's a busy area.
Moosic is still a decent area. Lots of smaller generally well kept neighborhoods. Plus there's a small shopping center tucked in there. Old Forge I'm not too familiar with, we generally just drive thru it via main ave, so I don't really get to see the neighborhoods.
Generally speaking while Scranton's violent crime rate has indeed been rising exponentially with the influx of poor minorities from the BosWash Corridor in the past few years, it is very rarely random in nature. Several years ago an elderly man's throat was slit right in broad daylight in Downtown Scranton as he simply went for his daily walk. That was probably the most grotesque random violent crime in the city I can ever recall, and to this day I still don't know if there's ever been an arrest (and if there has been what the motive was for the murder---botched robbery? gang initiation?) Property crime and quality-of-life issues seem to have always been an issue in Scranton thanks to a high proportion of low-life people residing in the city who lack class and generally have no regard or concern for their neighbors, but even then if you live in any urban environment the occasional drunken idiot urinating on your front lawn or the occasional car-keying/break-in is to be expected.
Scranton's main problem is that its police force is severely understaffed because the current mayoral administration refuses to admit there are crime concerns in the city. In the 1990s the Hill Section in particular was a near-ghetto. After intensive police saturations under the Connors administration the roaches there spread over to South Side. Now that the mayor has made South Side his gentrification "pet project" with the dog park, proposed library, blight demolition, urban forestry campaign, etc. the roaches are just scattering back over to West Side, which is now suffering. Once things get to be out-of-control there they'll be scattered to North Scranton (and eventually back into the Hill Section). The low-level thugs who can't hack it in NYC/NJ/Philadelphia flock to Scranton because they feel superior to the "Barney Fife" police force prevalent in much of the region.
I have traditionally been a "booster" of the city, but more recently since I've relocated to the South for career aspirations I'm realizing as someone on the outside-looking-in that the city wasn't quite the Valhalla I thought it was. People in Scranton remain steadfastly ignorant and opposed to change or progress. Take for example the proposed commuter rail line linking Scranton to Metro NYC. I can rattle off numerous areas that have seen an economic boon as a direct result of convenient commuter access to a major employment center, and I firmly feel Scranton and NEPA in general could experience the same benefits. With easy access between NEPA and white-collar employers you would see an influx of college graduates who have fled the region's economic collapse back into NEPA. These people would work in the city, earn higher salaries, and spend that money back in local businesses, helping to spur more economic development, revitalize neighborhoods, etc. Instead of seeing the positives that could be gained from this most in Scranton staunchly oppose the rail line, claiming it will "bring drugs to Scranton." I don't know what crack people in Scranton smoke, but Scranton already has a MAJOR drug problem, along with gang issues, and more lifelong unemployed Section 8 trash than you could shake a stick at.
Increasing the proportion of educated and white-collar people in Scranton will boost property values to the point where many of these low-lives will be priced OUT of the city, scattering to other areas like roaches. This is exactly what is happening as I speak near me in Washington, DC. The District of Columbia was traditionally an urban sewer. Now much of the city has been gentrified or is in the process of being revitalized, and all of the riff-raff has been isolated to Anacostia and parts of NE DC. Even there most are being pushed into Prince George's County, Maryland, which has seen its violent crime rate skyrocket as a result of DC starting to clean itself up. Scranton should do the same. People in places like Old Forge, Carbondale, Pittston, etc. will resent having Scranton dumping its "trash" onto them, but if people in Scranton weren't morons they'd realize that is a good thing for THEM and SUPPORT efforts to bring an influx of college-educated white-collar people into their city to gentrify it. Instead everyone in the city is opposing the rail line. This is just one of many concrete examples of how Scranton is forever going to have its potential "stunted" due to the sheer idiocy of its own residents.
I will be relocating to Scranton in the Spring. And I am in the process of finding an apartment. Green Ridge, Hill section, West side, South, North....
I guess what I am asking is what neighborhoods are better/nicer/safer places? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I understand there is a rise in crime up that way but I have lived in Allentown for the past year. In my previous visits to Scranton I have never even remotely compared it to Allentown. Is it that crime actually gets reported in Scranton why the stats are high?
Anyway, any help on the area is greatly appreciated.
I have always felt much safer in Scranton then in Allentown..IMHO.
You will probably love the area, its an amazing hub of an abundance of things to do.
I think you have been given a good idea of which area to move to.
The Scranton/Wilkes Barre area is improving and growing all the time.
However a train has been promised for at least 30 years...if not more.
If one ever does surface in our NEPA towns it will need to be an express train and not the normal stop and go trains, of which one would never get to their desination.
As of now the Martz bus out of the Monroe area to the city is going to rise to nearly $500 per month from close to $400. I don't know the figures out of Scranton. The cost, per the local news, is making many rethink their location far from the city.
I'm sure you'll find Scranton to your liking.......and the shopping in Dickson City is so convienent and complete. Your neighboring towns will be where to turn when you can't find exactly what you need.
Generally speaking while Scranton's violent crime rate has indeed been rising exponentially with the influx of poor minorities from the BosWash Corridor in the past few years, it is very rarely random in nature. Several years ago an elderly man's throat was slit right in broad daylight in Downtown Scranton as he simply went for his daily walk. That was probably the most grotesque random violent crime in the city I can ever recall, and to this day I still don't know if there's ever been an arrest (and if there has been what the motive was for the murder---botched robbery? gang initiation?) Property crime and quality-of-life issues seem to have always been an issue in Scranton thanks to a high proportion of low-life people residing in the city who lack class and generally have no regard or concern for their neighbors, but even then if you live in any urban environment the occasional drunken idiot urinating on your front lawn or the occasional car-keying/break-in is to be expected.
Scranton's main problem is that its police force is severely understaffed because the current mayoral administration refuses to admit there are crime concerns in the city. In the 1990s the Hill Section in particular was a near-ghetto. After intensive police saturations under the Connors administration the roaches there spread over to South Side. Now that the mayor has made South Side his gentrification "pet project" with the dog park, proposed library, blight demolition, urban forestry campaign, etc. the roaches are just scattering back over to West Side, which is now suffering. Once things get to be out-of-control there they'll be scattered to North Scranton (and eventually back into the Hill Section). The low-level thugs who can't hack it in NYC/NJ/Philadelphia flock to Scranton because they feel superior to the "Barney Fife" police force prevalent in much of the region.
I have traditionally been a "booster" of the city, but more recently since I've relocated to the South for career aspirations I'm realizing as someone on the outside-looking-in that the city wasn't quite the Valhalla I thought it was. People in Scranton remain steadfastly ignorant and opposed to change or progress. Take for example the proposed commuter rail line linking Scranton to Metro NYC. I can rattle off numerous areas that have seen an economic boon as a direct result of convenient commuter access to a major employment center, and I firmly feel Scranton and NEPA in general could experience the same benefits. With easy access between NEPA and white-collar employers you would see an influx of college graduates who have fled the region's economic collapse back into NEPA. These people would work in the city, earn higher salaries, and spend that money back in local businesses, helping to spur more economic development, revitalize neighborhoods, etc. Instead of seeing the positives that could be gained from this most in Scranton staunchly oppose the rail line, claiming it will "bring drugs to Scranton." I don't know what crack people in Scranton smoke, but Scranton already has a MAJOR drug problem, along with gang issues, and more lifelong unemployed Section 8 trash than you could shake a stick at.
Increasing the proportion of educated and white-collar people in Scranton will boost property values to the point where many of these low-lives will be priced OUT of the city, scattering to other areas like roaches. This is exactly what is happening as I speak near me in Washington, DC. The District of Columbia was traditionally an urban sewer. Now much of the city has been gentrified or is in the process of being revitalized, and all of the riff-raff has been isolated to Anacostia and parts of NE DC. Even there most are being pushed into Prince George's County, Maryland, which has seen its violent crime rate skyrocket as a result of DC starting to clean itself up. Scranton should do the same. People in places like Old Forge, Carbondale, Pittston, etc. will resent having Scranton dumping its "trash" onto them, but if people in Scranton weren't morons they'd realize that is a good thing for THEM and SUPPORT efforts to bring an influx of college-educated white-collar people into their city to gentrify it. Instead everyone in the city is opposing the rail line. This is just one of many concrete examples of how Scranton is forever going to have its potential "stunted" due to the sheer idiocy of its own residents.
Scranton is not even close to the communities that you speak of and the trash that is migrating here will do so due to low property values and lack of public safety.
DC is cleaning itself because it has a Metro? or is it because its our nations capital and has been an embarrassment for decades. The metro system that is linked to Amtrak has been in that area for some time and I don't feel the metro is responsible for the changes in DC. Again they are only pushing the trash around the city like they have done in Scranton. Just because one area has changed only means that another area has taken the hit.
You continue to compare this area to areas that on their worst day are far better financially and socially then this city or area for that matter. Lets try a apples to apples comparison of areas that have a commuter rail service that are less then a two hour train ride from a growing area that have the property values of this area in comparison.
Newark, The Oranges, Elizabeth in NJ. Great areas to live in you like red or blue for your colors, yet they have trains. You moved from the quiet little burbs of Scranton to basically the same burbs with a higher median household income. You have only seen things in passing. Move into NE DC and use the train and let me know how that works for you.
This is Northeastern PA, its a hole, a blip on the radar that didn't exist before the office, you wanted urban living well you left and moved right into the burbs, you moved into a gentrified community, but yet you seem miserable.
Back to talking about Pittsburgh again, well lets see how Mr. Onorato's smoke and mirrors hold up through the next election then we'll see.
I moved all over the world only to discover that I like it right here, detached from the rest of the world, a world unto itself. Only recently has this areas crime started to climb and hopefully we will be able to unseat this ass of a mayor and get things turned around.
The grass is not always greener, unless you know specifically which type of grass you are looking for and even then its not home.
In response to the OP, stay away from West Side, South side and becareful in areas of North Scranton. Greenridge area near Marywood is nice and sections of the hill are nice, but if you can swing Minooka or Moosic and Old Forge then by all means look at those areas. If you have never been here please do not expect much in comparison to even Allentown.
Remember that Go Phillies and myself live in the city and our friend ScranBarre lives in NoVA and split on the first train out of town, he also has never lived in Scranton either.....
I wouldn't recommend moving anywhere in the city of Scranton...even the nice neighborhoods. With the people that have been moving in to Scranton, nice neighborhoods have been changing to crap almost overnight. I like my neighborhood, but in the 7 years I've lived here I'm noticing more and more lowlife trash around, and its moving closer and closer. Crime has gone way up. And because of the crime, and the high wage tax, owning a home in Scranton is an albatross...you'll be lucky to ever sell it. I feel stuck here at this point, I want out, but I'd have to sell my house first because I'm in no position to take on 2 mortgages right now. I've noticed houses on the market in Scranton for 2 years.
If you want houses in decent safe areas but that won't totally break the bank, look in the Mid Valley, or maybe Old Forge or Moosic.
I have always felt much safer in Scranton then in Allentown..IMHO.
You will probably love the area, its an amazing hub of an abundance of things to do.
I think you have been given a good idea of which area to move to.
The Scranton/Wilkes Barre area is improving and growing all the time.
However a train has been promised for at least 30 years...if not more.
If one ever does surface in our NEPA towns it will need to be an express train and not the normal stop and go trains, of which one would never get to their desination.
As of now the Martz bus out of the Monroe area to the city is going to rise to nearly $500 per month from close to $400. I don't know the figures out of Scranton. The cost, per the local news, is making many rethink their location far from the city.
I'm sure you'll find Scranton to your liking.......and the shopping in Dickson City is so convienent and complete. Your neighboring towns will be where to turn when you can't find exactly what you need.
There are times I have feared for my life in Allentown. When I go to the store I am literally the only white face in a sea of Puerto Ricans. Practically noone speaks English. I actually was fired from a job in Bethlehem in 08 because I "couldn't communicate." Because everyone that worked there didn't understand English and I don't know ANY spanish. In order to get a a full-time job in the Allentown area you have to either be hispanic or at least know Spanish. You see ads in the paper and on craiglist constantly saying "looking for hispanic workers only." And to live on your own in Allentown/Bethlehem and Easton is even expensive. With the job I had, I could barely make a go of it living in either 3 of the towns, and I was always looking over my shoulder. Latin Kings, MS-13, Bloods, Crips, Pagans, Hells Angels (still many in Northampton and Pen Argyl believe it or not), skinheads, kkk....you name it the Allentown area has it.
Drugs are everywhere. I am currently in Nazareth back at home until I move to Scranton and even here, a town which has always had a reputation of being high-class, snobby, rich, well-educated, etc. And I can tell you the heroine problem here is insane. All the cops are dirty these days. Noone says anything, noone does anything because they know nothing will be done and/or they fear retaliation.
The fact that people in Scranton REPORT crimes is surprising to me. The fact that I read the times-tribune and see people they arrest brag about the gang they are involved in blows my mind. I can tell you that in Allentown or Easton I would fear for my life to even remotely talk to a police officer. Chances are I would be beaten to a pulp or worse. Here it's more casual, it's there and people act like it isn't a problem so TONS of crime goes unreported. The incident someone mentioned about random attack in a city of Scranton is like me being worried to walk the streets of Nazareth because a guy was beaten to death on his back porch. But I don't fear walking the streets here.
I don't want to make it a racial issue because it most certainly is not. But looking at city statistics, Scranton is over 90% white. Allentown has a 60 some % white population. Easton is 70% Seeing as how most gang activity people are speaking of is from the hispanic and african-american community it really pales in comparison to this area.
My friend I am moving with is finishing his tour for the military. He does not have a car. I have found the COLTS bus system to be FARRRR superior when compared to Lanta metro where most places you have to wait over two hours for the next bus.
I know Scranton isn't the holy grail or anything. I have severe asthma and the cement mills that are everywhere around here constantly bother me. I can breathe much cleaner up North. People say there are jobs in Allentown are and it seems like thousands flock here with this belief and when they can't get work it's drugs drugs drugs. There are empty businesses everywhere. Businesses in Scranton SEEM to flourish. Fact is after being unemployed for close to a year now, I found work in Scranton for more than I was making before, and rent will be much cheaper. If I would ever have a falling out with my friend (god forbid) I would have no problem making a go of it on my own.
Furthermore it seems like there is ALWAYS something going on up there. At the parks, colleges, downtown, whatever.... I can tell you there is NOTHING to do in the Allentown area. There is very few recreational spots and those spots are littered with crime. Almost everything to do in the city of Allentown is hispanic oriented. Musicfest used to be huge around here but it went from being a polka-abundant, elderly/young kids hangout to a pure stabbing drunken hispanic fiasco.
I am sure I will learn with time which areas to avoid. Greenridge and the hill section seem nice. College kids really don't bother me and I'll be working nights any way for now.
In addition I have learned earlier today that an old friend actually lives in the town of Taylor and he's going to help me around and figure things out. He also recommended Old Forge though, said he had lived there previously and had a great landlord.
I want to take the time to thank everyone for their feedback and advice as well as the warnings. They have all be taken to heart and I will remember them and be extremely cautious. I probably won't be back on because I don't really like going on the internet in general, haha. But thanks for all your help. Take care everyone. I'll try to sign back on in a month or so and be sure to comment what i think after-the-fact.
I have to strongly disagree. I am very happy in Scranton and the only time I ever feel uncomfortable is in Steamtowns parking garage. Maybe I just look at things differntly. We bought our home in N.Scranton in a nice neighborhood.
I have to strongly disagree. I am very happy in Scranton and the only time I ever feel uncomfortable is in Steamtowns parking garage. Maybe I just look at things differntly. We bought our home in N.Scranton in a nice neighborhood.
I like my neighborhood too...but I can tell, you this city is drastically changing FAST in just the 7 years I've lived here. A lot more crime around, and lots of shady characters moving in to once-safe neighborhoods. Now we're getting gang shootings.... I hope I'm wrong, but I just don't see it getting better, only worse. When these types move in, and then tell their homies and amigos back in Jersey, the Bronx, Philly, etc, how cheap it is to live here, how easy it is to get welfare, and how the police force is like Barney Fife and Andy, this city could be the ghetto really fast....
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