north central pennsylvania small towns? (St. Marys, Bradford: transplants, daycares, house)

[momverybusy]

Wow - nobody had anything to say about McKean County - what about north central pennsylvania. When I checked with one area's chamber of commerce I was informed that there are no daycare facilities in or around the town. That makes me wonder - are there no 2 working parent families in that area or is it that everyone is related to each other? Anyone have any thoughts?

[Dawne]

By north central, do you mean Mansfield, Wellsboro, Sayre, Athens, etc? I'm sure there are daycares in those areas. If you could be more specific I think people could help more.

[momverybusy]

The first time I tried, I put in McKean County but never got any responses so I thought I was being too specific . I was wondering about housing, schools, employment opportunities, etc. Basically, my husband was contacted by a recruiter and informed of a job opening in his field (healthcare) in McKean County. I work in human resources/payroll/training. Our closest relatives would be about 2 hours away, so once I found work we would need daycare (my sons are 8 & 4). When I was emailing someone from the Smethport area, I was told they have no daycare but some people do babysit in their homes. Not to be rude, but without knowing someone's background I'm not comfortable with that idea. That is assuming there are even employment opportunities in that area for someone in my field?

[Dawne]

It's been a long time since I've been up in that area of the state, but from what I remember it's pretty remote and isolated. I would think you'd have a hard time finding something in your career field. You'd probably have to travel a bit to work. I'm with you on the daycare - you don't just move into an area and send your kids to someone's house without doing a lot of research first!

[mdb06]

Dawne is right, north-central PA is remote and isolated, especially the farther north you go. Head Start programs are common here, however they are income based so your children may or may not be eligible. Churches in rural areas often run preschool/daycare programs so you may want to call and then visit a few. Also, call the school district. They should have a list of preschools and after-school care sites in the area.

[momverybusy]

Thanks for the ideas. Most of the daycares around where I live aren't associated with the area churches, I hadn't thought about that. Great idea. We wouldn't make a move until the school year is over anyway, hopefully we can plan a weekend trip to the area and check things out.

[jsn2007]

You may want to check out Bradford, Pa or St. Marys, Pa as good places to live. Both offer the day-to-day conveniences that you would expect anywhere else. I recommend St. Marys over Bradford though, because there are many large corporations in St. Marys that would offer employment. Bradford is rundown and crumbling, making it a very poverty stricken place. St. Marys, however is a much more affluent community and offers two excellent school systems for children. Daycare facilities shouldn't be hard to find in either community.

[momverybusy]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've been to St Marys before but not Bradford. I've always thought that area of the state would be a great place to have a camp or something like that, but I don't know how it is year-round. I like that I know people at the doctor's office and grocery store, etc and it took a long time to get to that point where we live now. How are they with transplants? In southwest pa, if your family hasn't been here for 3 or 4 generations, you're an outsider.

[jsn2007]

Ok... Sorry about the last post... It didn't say exactly what I wanted it too. Anyways, Im not completely sure of how to answer that question. I live in St. Marys but also in Bradford (college) and I find that newcomers are often pretty welcome. I have read in other posts that it isn't always the case though... lol. Bradford and St. Marys are the largest towns in the region and offer roughly the same selection of stores. They are similar in size, but many things about the towns are very different. For instance, good luck finding a nice house in Bradford-there aren't many. Most are in very rough shape and are poorly maintained. St. Marys is a little more isolated than Bradford though, and it takes roughly 30 minutes to get to a decent shopping mall. I think I read somewhere that you were actually considering Smethport. Smethport is a very, very small town, with a population near 2,500 people. It is a nice little town, but adjusting to a town that size might be difficult for someone used to a larger city.