Northumberland County???

[PAman]

they've hit the nail on the head, but have faith...Someday soon people will realize what's there, low real estate, potential to open business, and let us be honest, unless you're living in a super rich suburb, schools will never be "superb" or "top notch." The schools up there are servicable for the community, MCA if i'm correct has a fairly young campus up there, and if you can do the private school thing Lourdes in Shamokin has a very high college placement, spoken to the prinicipal up there several times, they're actually in ok shape despite low enrollment.
Like its been said, not the the most diverse place except for probably every european country being represented in the area, makes for a fun place to be(though I'm sure it was completely out of control fun in the 40s and 50s, as these places are unfortunately mere shells of what they were, but to me, it just means potential!!)

[Dawne]

If only one could be sure the values would go up and not continue to go downward due to the decline of the coal industry and the smaller family-owned mines in the area...

I just watched "This Old House" and saw a stained glass restoration person who bought property in the Boston area for $140,000 in the 1980s and it's now worth $3 MILLION!! How's that for increased property value? I doubt Northumberland County will see anything even a fraction of that, but it's nice to speculate.

[ScranBarre]

Our home near Pittston has nearly doubled in value since 1996. Appreciation here is so high because the Pittston Area School District communities are now marketing themselves as being ideal commuter locations, being 10-15 minutes from either Scranton or Wilkes-Barre. I talked to a local CPA the other day who said she just moved to a newer development in Pittston Township so she could be near her family in the Taylor area and her husband's family in the Wilkes-Barre area. When we moved to our subdivision my father worked in Scranton, and my mother worked in the Wilkes-Barre area. As they say "Location, location, location!" As for me, I don't care how "convenient" it is to drive everywhere on the freeway; I want to move into a TRUE neighborhood with sidewalks, porches, friendly neighbors, etc., which is why I'm heading to Scranton.

[mustangtiff21]

Originally Posted by bnjwhitney

We are stuck in the south and really want to move back north. PA seems like the reasonable place to go. Love the state. NJ is way too expensive and PA is close enough that we can still visit family and friends. My sister lives in NE PA, closer to the New York border in Hallstead. I miss her but I don't want to be that far up. The Northumberland area seems like a nice area. The taxes seem to be reasonable anyway. I like quite a few of the houses I've looked at on the internet. We had thought of PA before, but more towards the Poconos, which I see as a big NJ suburb. Never thought of moving further in. I am looking for a town where kids are out riding bikes and playing. Where we are now, you never see any kids outside. It's weird, there are swing sets and basketball hoops but never any kids. The town in Jersey we came from there were always kids out, riding bikes, playing basketball at the park, doing something. Here there's nothing. We've been here almost two years and nothing. We really have no neighbors where we are either. You have to be in a community to have neighbors. We live on almost 5 acres. I miss people and neighbors and kids. My kids are bored out of their minds. I can't wait to move but I also need to know theres work. I like the Selinsgrove area too. I'm not sure where to look thats why I am here. I am still open on the area. I do office work, my husband is an electrician. I have two boys that also need work. One is a mechanic the other hasn't decided yet. Any help is greatly appreciated.

I would not recommend Hallstead either. I was born and raised there and the economy is in bad shape there. I personally moved away from the area...and though I miss it at times.....I could not move back. The rest of my family is even moving down here now. I think the other areas your considering would be a better choice over Hallstead. I wish you the best in your choice!

[donsabi]

bnhwhitney,
I am originally from PA and moved south for retirement. Big mistake! After a few years in NC and SC I moved back to PA and I am so glad I did. This time I rented a townhouse to have time to look around before buying. I have decided on the north central area. Lewisburg, Sunbury, Montoursville, and surrounding towns. I have traveled much of the US and I find the friendliest people to be in PA. (PA has it's jerks too, but just not as many as other areas). I think you would also be very happy in PA.
Good luck with your move.
Don

[Frankieboy]

I used to own a home in Beach Lake, Wayne County, PA for almost 3 yrs but had to move back to the NYC suburbs of Staten Island to "regroup". Im a 49 yr old man with a wife and 12 yr old son. We're looking to rent a 2 bedroom apt somewhere near route 78, like Northumberland county. Working and communting isn't an issue for me, but finding a special school for my son is, plus living fairly close to the NJ state line for easy back-n-forth to Staten Island to visit family. I don't want to be in a high populated place, but not desolate either. I need a clean, low-crime area, near stores like Walmart.
I read another persons post that Northumberland doesn't have great schools.
They said, try Union, like towns such as Lewisburg, Selinsgrove, Danville, Columbia, Bloomsburg...Is this right?. Is this the way to go?

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by Frankieboy

I used to own a home in Beach Lake, Wayne County, PA for almost 3 yrs but had to move back to the NYC suburbs of Staten Island to "regroup". Im a 49 yr old man with a wife and 12 yr old son. We're looking to rent a 2 bedroom apt somewhere near route 78, like Northumberland county. Working and communting isn't an issue for me, but finding a special school for my son is, plus living fairly close to the NJ state line for easy back-n-forth to Staten Island to visit family. I don't want to be in a high populated place, but not desolate either. I need a clean, low-crime area, near stores like Walmart.
I read another persons post that Northumberland doesn't have great schools.
They said, try Union, like towns such as Lewisburg, Selinsgrove, Danville, Columbia, Bloomsburg...Is this right?. Is this the way to go?

I think you have Northumberland County confused with Northampton County. Northumberland County is in the Central Susquehanna Valley and is nowhere near the New Jersey state line. Northampton County is in the Lehigh Valley and borders the Delaware River. Union County is even further west of Northumberland County and is home to Lewisburg. Snyder County, just south of Union County, is home to Selinsgrove. Columbia County, which is just west of Hazleton, is home to Bloomsburg. The town of Columbia is in Lancaster County, near the Maryland border. Danville is in Montour County, which is wedged between Columbia County and Northumberland County. The Central Susquehanna Valley is a great place to raise a family for sure, but it's not convenient to either New Jersey or I-78. I think you're confusing it with Northampton County, which is home to Easton and Bethlehem.