Moving to NEPA (Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Back Mountain: for sale, real estate, rent)

[Acheung]

I have a job lined up in Wilkes-Barre and will be moving into NEPA in a few
months. I was hopng to find some good places to start renting homes. I have 2 children and a dog. Money is not that big of an issue, I would like to live in a quite and safe subberban area with a good school system. Also i would like my commute to be less than 45 mins. Any information would be helpful.

[bloominscranton]

I have heard good things about Kingston, Dallas, Mt. Top which I beleive are all close to Wilkes-Barre...I am in Scranton and for the most part am happy where I am.

[SteelCityRising]

I'm partial to Kingston or Forty Fort myself, but it all depends upon what sort of lifestyle in particular you seek. Kingston and Forty Fort are very peaceful and quiet if you're away from the busier streets, but you'll still have neighbors all around you. If you're looking for "elbow room" then I would check into Bear Creek, Mountain Top, or the Back Mountain. With the latter two areas though just be sure you check out the zoning of any adjacent undeveloped property so you don't end up like my parents, who moved to Pittston Township in 1996 when it was just a blip on the map and are now literally being surrounded by box stores and warehouses as the community grows.

Kingston and Forty Fort are both relatively flat, offer tree-lined streets and sidewalks, have mostly well-kept older homes, and are within close proximity to Downtown Wilkes-Barre or Route 309, which will put you at the Wyoming Valley Mall area (Target, Lowe's, Kohl's, Wegman's, etc.) in 10 minutes. A lot of my college professors lived in Kingston and would walk across the bridges to work in Downtown Wilkes-Barre on nicer days to get some exercise. The best school districts will be in Mountain Top and the Back Mountain, home to the Crestwood and Dallas School Districts, respectively, but I always figured these schools didn't have inherently better cirriculums or teachers; when you lump a bunch of children of physicians, attorneys, engineers, scientists, etc. together you'll probably tend to get higher test scores out of the group than in more working-class areas. I went to Pittston Area and thought I received an excellent education, even though the district has a terrible reputation. Sometimes those online rankings sites are flawed.

I would recommend looking into renting at Green Acres in Kingston. It is a quiet community near the paved levee-top trail (biking/running) and is a stone's throw from either Route 309 or Downtown Wilkes-Barre. There are also quite a few half-duplexes typically available for rent in Kingston, and they might even be comparably priced to a managed complex like Green Acres. Wilkes-Barre itself has been making a lot of strides in the past couple of years to turn itself around, but it IS a city, so if you're looking for quiet AND convenience I'd look just across the river in Kingston/Forty Fort. I think Bear Creek offers the best "bang for your buck" in the immediate Wilkes-Barre area if you're looking for a slice of country still near to the city, and other than one large-scale development (Laurel Brook Estates) it remains largely unspoiled.

[Acheung]

Thanks for all the help, I have been looking everywhere for a place, I have also considered buying a home. What about Tobyhanna and the rest of Monroe County. I do not mind a commute, but I have been told mixed things about the area.

[J5K5LY]

OMG No!!!! Not Tobyhanna! You'll be sooo sorry!!!!!!!!! Stay near Wilkes Barre or at least out of the commuting distance to NYC. I lived in Pocono Lake and commuted to Wilkes Barre for over 3 years and it was not a bad ride-40 min avg but with bad weather was much longer. Pocono Lake, Blakeslee, White Haven, all nice areas. Close enough to everything but far enough away for no congestion.
P.S. Bear Creek is gorgeous but pricey.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by Acheung

Thanks for all the help, I have been looking everywhere for a place, I have also considered buying a home. What about Tobyhanna and the rest of Monroe County. I do not mind a commute, but I have been told mixed things about the area.

Just curious, what is it about Tobyhanna's advertising that makes it sound so alluring to you? Are you looking for something that's suburban, semi-rural? You can find that much closer to Wilkes-Barre. Look at Mountaintop or Bear Creek instead.

[Acheung]

The only reason I was asking about Tobyhanna is when I looked online at homes for sale there seemed to be some nice homes with decent prices. I guess I should look elsewhere.

[J5K5LY]

Ok I'll lay it on the line.
Tobyhanna is home of Pocono Country Place and it is a slum full of inner city sewer rats and gangs. That does not mean all of Tobyhanna is bad but you will encounter these ghetto slugs when you go any where in the area. Crime is bad in that area too, thanks to these people. Of course the houses look good on the surface -BUT they were built substandard, cheapest possible, many before building codes were enacted, and slapped up in a hurry for the "Y Rent" fiasco. Prices there are low because of the horrible area. Read the other threads on here about Pocono Country (crappy) Place and you will have a pretty good picture why I am warning you to avoid that area!
Ok there! I said it!

[DavidWebb]

Originally Posted by J5K5LY

Ok I'll lay it on the line.
Tobyhanna is home of Pocono Country Place and it is a slum full of inner city sewer rats and gangs. That does not mean all of Tobyhanna is bad but you will encounter these ghetto slugs when you go any where in the area. Crime is bad in that area too, thanks to these people. Of course the houses look good on the surface -BUT they were built substandard, cheapest possible, many before building codes were enacted, and slapped up in a hurry for the "Y Rent" fiasco. Prices there are low because of the horrible area. Read the other threads on here about Pocono Country (crappy) Place and you will have a pretty good picture why I am warning you to avoid that area!
Ok there! I said it!

This is VERY true of APCP...it's nothing but a dump that needs to be bulldozed to ashes...it's been debated here on this forum time and time again with those that are currently living there defending it as if it's some prime piece of real estate...trust it isn't!!! Avoid Tobyhanna and any area close to APCP!! The Y-Rent fiasco created nothing but trouble up there selling homes for inflated prices on homes the owners weren't able to recoup later that's why you'll see homes advertised there for what seems like "good" prices...there are more better alternatives...keep looking, take your time, and don't settle without doing further investigation...I've been coming out here since '96 and now living out here since '07...good luck!!

[notkaplan]

Tobyhanna is cheap for a reason! I don't even want to get into it but most of Monroe county and the Pocono's are very nice, but Tobyhanna is a slum.