New Yorker to PA (Scranton, Bethlehem: low crime, house prices, neighborhoods)

[roberalexa]

Which parts of PA are best for living and commuting to NYC. Low crime, nice neighborhood.

[ScranBarre]

I think you'll want to look at either Pike County, including the Milford and Matamoras areas, which is about 90 minutes from NYC, or Northampton County, which is about the same distance, and is home to Easton, Bangor, and Bethlehem. Both offer attractive neighborhoods convenient to both major highways and mass transit options. I believe we talked in the past about Monroe County, and after personally taking a WEEKEND drive out there (I've only usually ever been out there during the weekdays), I now realize that the Stroudsburg area is MUCH more congested than I ever remember it being! It took me a half-hour to get from I-80 in East Stroudsburg to the center of Marshalls Creek, a distance of only a few miles! Trees were coming down in a lot of the nearby areas for new housing; It was depressing to think that this used to be the world's honeymoon capital and is now nothing more than NYC's next bedroom community. Northwestern Monroe County, in areas such as Tobyhanna, Blakeslee, and Gouldsboro, still offer safe, affordable communities, but these areas aren't overcrowded yet with commuters for a good reason---They're too far! Definitely check into Milford and the areas north of Easton in Northampton County, such as Portland or Bangor.

[newmarlig]

Bucks County, including Holland, Yardley and Newtown. You can drive up I-95 to NYC, or drive to Trenton and take NJ Transit either into Penn Station, or to Newark and get on the PATH. The schools are excellent in those areas. You are also only about 45minutes from downtown Philly.

[roberalexa]

Yes we have but with the crime concern in the pocono area i am a bit skeptical. My wife is also worry about the commute. We were even thinking about Effort.

[roberalexa]

I am building with Falcon Crest Homes so I have to find out if the build in that area. Is there any other buses besides Martz to commute to NY.

[sreinc]

Martz seems to be the most popular as well as Greyhound.

Try parts of Wayne County as well. You may find Wayne, Pike, Monroe and even eatern sections of Lackawanna and Luzerne a possibility. They continuously speak of the addition of a railway to NYC/NJ that will be nice for commuters. It will be through the eastern parts of Lackawanna and Luzerne and stright through Monroe. There are many people in Tobyhanna area that commute to NYC, Pocono Farms is a gated community with security and I know of several people personally that commute from there.

[Delray Patty]

Unfortunately Martz is the only game in town..some years ago a businessman
tried to start up another bus company near the Marshalls' Creek exit...Well
the few buses he had were mysteriously set on fire....as far as I know they
never found the "culprits"..sad...They promised the trains 15 years ago when
we moved from N.J. to Pa...I used to take the train as a little girl with my
mother and sister from Hoboken N.J. to Pa...We stayed in a place called the
Rockview Manor in Shahola, Pa....You rented a room, and had kitchen
privileges and assigned table in the dining room...we would swim in the
Delaware River...nice times...sorry I'm getting nostalgic here..I was sorry to
see the trains stopped in the early 60's...I think someday they will bring them
back..they will have to.

[ScranBarre]

I agree with Delray Patty. The commuter rail is vital as NEPA continues to evolve from being a mostly rural, declining industrial area into being a bedroom community to NYC/NJ. Scranton has just received $15,000,000 to lure new white-collar firms from NYC in its efforts to market itself as "Wall Street West" (Aimed at convincing major corporations in Manhattan to set up cheaper satellite locations in Scranton in the event of another terror attack in NYC). I also know of several people who either currently do or used to commute between Lackawanna County and NJ and NYC for work, so a commuter rail line will HAVE to be re-established between Scranton and Hoboken soon.

Considering I plan on living in Scranton and commuting daily to NYC for employment, this train would be a GODSEND! (I don't seriously want to sit on a bus to NYC or battle the Jersey gridlock on I-80 on my own!) As more and more college students continue to graduate from Scranton-Area universities, there is a growing demand for white-collar opportunities that the region still, sadly, doesn't have. This is why I suspect you'll see a sharp increase in the number of college graduates, like myself, commuting between NEPA and NYC. The rail line IS a necessity!

[jerseyToPa]

I agree... a commuter train from PA to NYC would be very good for PA economy..lot of white collar jobs can move into PA...we could save a lot on gas...not pollute the environment with all the cars and buses that commuters have to ride on....it surely would be a BLESSING!!
Keeping this possibility in mind, would new Hope, Doylestown be a good place to buy a house in? How far is Furlong?
How easy is it to get to philly, princeton and maybe princeton junction trainstation from these places? How are the house prices here...could we find new single family homes in the low-mid 400s? Does it fall under central or lower bucks county? How are the schools like?

[winnie]

Originally Posted by roberalexa

Which parts of PA are best for living and commuting to NYC. Low crime, nice neighborhood.

Poconos near Milford is not bad. We don't have much crime here. The communities are really nice. The schools are good. It is pretty here.

I would suggest that you look into NY - Orange if you are going to pull off a commute to NYC. My dad has commuted to NYC for a very, very long time. going on 30+ years now. He commutes about 1:30 daily and I can't imagine trying to pull off a commute from Milford. That is nuts IMO.

Even look into Greenwood Lake, NY
Goshen, Walden, Warwick, Washingtonville, Monroe, Montgomery, Wallkill, Minisink Schools areas of Middletown. Terrific areas, great schools.

Southern NY has both train and bus to get into NYC. Really it is a great commute.

What is your price range for a home??