Relocation from NJ to Ashley, PA (Wilkes-Barre, Hanover: apartments, rentals, crime)

[Peterang]

I intend to relocte from NJ to Ashley, PA which is nearer to Wilkes Barre and
scranton. Anybody with knowledge of the city, please give suggestion and
information on housing (especially rental market-is it easy to get a rentl apartment), jobs and crime.

[ScranBarre]

Hey Peterang! I also live in Luzerne County, about 15 minutes north of Ashley, and I can tell you that there isn't a whole lot "happening" in this town. It's a very quiet, safe, former mining community, and as such many of the homes are in need of some cosmetic updating due to their age. There are apartments available for rent in Ashley, but house rentals may be harder to come by, as the town itself is rather small (pop. only about 3,000) You may want to check out Hanover Township as well, (known to the locals simply as "Hanover"), as this community surrounds Ashley and has many more housing options.

As I said, crime in this area is negligble---There is a growing drug problem in all of Luzerne County, but it hasn't caused the "big-city crime" to infiltrate here as it has in other areas (Just the occasional mini-mart hold-up). As far as the job outlook is concerned, there are mixed signals. Most in Ashley commute to Wilkes-Barre for work. Overall, the region has a scarcity of white-collar employment, so if you're looking for career options in the IT, systems analysis, financial services, etc. fields, then you're going to have a rough time securing employment. Retail and hospitality jobs are abundant, but they generally don't pay very well in our area (I earn $9.18/hr. working at the local Lowe's store, so I guess retail wages can be described as "average"). Blue-collar options are more abundant, whether you are involved in some sort of skilled trade or are just looking to work in a factory environment. Wages here, overall, tend to lag behind the rest of the nation, but low housing prices usually tend to narrow that gap significantly in the way of a lower cost-of-living. Luzerne County, overall, offers a "slower pace" than much of the rest of the nation, but in some cases that can be a bit of a "drag", especially when you're young and want our area to "catch up with the times" (i.e. ME! LOL!) ;o)

[Peterang]

Hi, Thank you for your information. You may wiah to send me information on Hanover. Thanks!

[EAGLES29]

I'M A LOW KEY BLUE COLLAR GUY AND I THINK I'D MIX WELL IN ASHLEY. I'M LOOKING TO BUY A HOUSE AND FIX IT UP IF NEED BE. ANY INFO OR IDEAS WOULD BE A GREAT HELP.