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We currently live in NY and it's too expensive. We are looking for a 3 bedroom condo or home and our budget is 225K or less. We also need good schools and to be close to a city so I can find work, I am in sales. I know this is a tall order, but we have found some places in the midwest where we can do this, but we are hoping to stay closer to NY.
There are several communities in Northeastern Pennsylvania that would keep you closer to NY, have affordable housing, good schools for your children, and last but not least, a job in sales. I would suggest looking in the Scranton suburb of Clarks Summit and Abington Heights School district, or Wilkes Barre suburb area called the "Back Mountain" with the very desirable school district of Dallas. While I am currently a resident of Wilkes Barre, I have lived in Northeastern PA for about 30 years. I look forward to your questions and/or comments. "It's a great day here in NEPA!"
Alot can be said of Harrisburg Metro area. Give it a look. I came from Chicago in 88, and would never go back. BTW- the west shore is the better part of town.
There are several communities in Northeastern Pennsylvania that would keep you closer to NY, have affordable housing, good schools for your children, and last but not least, a job in sales. I would suggest looking in the Scranton suburb of Clarks Summit and Abington Heights School district, or Wilkes Barre suburb area called the "Back Mountain" with the very desirable school district of Dallas. While I am currently a resident of Wilkes Barre, I have lived in Northeastern PA for about 30 years. I look forward to your questions and/or comments. "It's a great day here in NEPA!"
I second this. However, I wouldn't necessarily write off some of our more "in-town" and/or urban areas either. I know the Wilkes-Barre Area School District has some decent schools, and the Scranton School District usually scores above-average on standardized tests. I'd gladly recommend the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area to anyone, as it has a quieter pace than NY with a much lower overall cost-of-living and similar "NY-style" amenities (minor-league sports, an award-winning Philharmonic, off-Broadway shows, Starbucks, etc.)
Some of my selections include the following: West Pittston: A quiet, riverside, tree-lined Victorian-themed town with an annual Cherry Blossom Festival and that "everybody knows your name" type of setting. Be advised that the blocks nearest to the river flood, on average, every few years, but several blocks away from the river, there are still attractive neighborhoods. This town is also roughly midway between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, which would give you approximately a 20-minute commute to either city if you should happen to land a job at a downtown office (or a 12-minute drive to the Montage professional area). Available housing is often in short supply, so if you like this town and see a nice home, then POUNCE!
Dunmore: A medium-sized bedroom community to Scranton, Dunmore has a "small city" feel to it. The Hollywood section, near to Marywood University, is a jogger's dream, with tree-lined streets and historic homes galore. The town has a 1% wage tax, which is still lower than several surrounding communities. The "Dunmore Corners" area is a traditional "downtown" area with a variety of specialty shops, including a candy store, bridal gallery, garden store, etc. Housing options here generally start at around $150,000 for a nice three-bedroom, 1.5 bath home. The town is less than ten minutes to Downtown Scranton.
Kingston: A medium-sized bedroom community to Wilkes-Barre, Kingston sits opposite the Susquehanna River from Downtown Wilkes-Barre, and many professionals opt to live in Kingston and walk to work across the Market Street Bridge on warmer days. Kingston, which, along with Wilkes-Barre, was ravaged by a major flood in 1972, has tree-lined neighborhoods, sidewalks, and well-kept homes. The town has a blend of neighborhood stores and shopping areas, from barber shops, beauty salons, banks, and pharmacies, to the United Penn Plaza, which is home to Talbot's and other upscale shops. Kingston is largely flat and is also home to Wyoming Seminary, arguably one of the finest private schools in the Commonwealth. Be weary of the river though and purchase flood insurance; this past June had 200,000 people heading for the hills as the levee nearly failed!
Pittston Township: My own hometown of Pittston Township is among the most rapidly-growing communities in the metro area, with several new housing developments, the new "Pittston Crossings" shopping center, and the "CenterPoint" commerce park all slated for next year. Housing prices here are generally $140,000-$250,000, but some options can be found at both ends of that spectrum. The Pittston Area School District, which I am a product of, is actually better academically than what most give it credit for: A low SAT average doesn't necessarily mean that individual students can't take full advantage of the many AP courses offered to become standouts. Most housing options here are decidedly "suburban" and have been built since 1970, and there are very few, if any, "walkable" neighborhoods that come to my mind---I often have to drive somewhere else to go for runs because traffic congestion on Highway 315 has been becoming increasingly worse with each passing year and each new planned project. We're becoming known as the "Commuter Hot-Spot" of the region for our location equidistant to both the city of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, being just fifteen minutes from each via I-81.
P.S. "Advocate", it's nice to see someone else with a love and passion for our region; I hope enough of us can band together to rid the area of the "nay-sayers" and help Scranton and Wilkes-Barre on their continuing renaissances.
Last edited by SteelCityRising; 12-21-2006 at 12:39 PM..
Reason: Annexation
Location: I live in NYC, but, own a home in West Pittston.
13 posts, read 128,996 times
Reputation: 16
SWB and Advocate... and anyone who reads this... PLEASE.... can a former area resident who left Pittston 30 years ago - find happiness living 24/7 in her West Pittston home?
I was offered a job today for a whopping 35,000 - I bet I can parle it into something wonderful..... I have a seriously low mortage and know it's cheaper to live there.
I second your opinions "ScrantonWilkesBarre" with my favorites being West Pittston or Kingston. I'm not as familiar with Pittston Twp. but know it's a great commuter location between Scranton & Wilkes Barre.
Also, thanks for your comments SWB. My optomism remains strong about this area and I know the "nay-sayers" will be kicking themselves soon!
Now, for HomeInWestPittston, what are your major concerns? Will you be working in the area? Do you have a home there now or will you be looking for one? Write back; we'll put our heads together!
SWB and Advocate... and anyone who reads this... PLEASE.... can a former area resident who left Pittston 30 years ago - find happiness living 24/7 in her West Pittston home?
I was offered a job today for a whopping 35,000 - I bet I can parle it into something wonderful..... I have a seriously low mortage and know it's cheaper to live there.
Realistically though - any opinions?
L
Honestly, without a bit more information about your personal preferences, Advocate and I are going to have a difficult time being of much assistance to you. There's a huge cultural shift as you progress between Greater Pittston and the Big Apple; my family and I just dined out tonight at Parente's, a newer Italian restaurant in Downtown Pittston, and just about everyone in the establishment knew everyone else! There's less of an emphasis on materialism and consumerism, for sure, here in Greater Pittston as opposed to NYC/North Jersey. You'll go from hearing people at the hair salon in NJ talking about their new Volvo to hearing people at the salon in Pittston talking about their new little niece or nephew, if you catch my drift. People here just aren't quite as concerned about "images" and "keeping up" as they are in the immediate NYC area, perhaps with the exception of the "trendier" areas such as the Abingtons, Back Mountain, Glenmaura, and Mountain Top.
West Pittston is still the type of town where neighbors come together to help each other. My uncle lives about a block away from the river on Montgomery Avenue, and whenever the floodwaters threaten to creep up the road, I've never ceased to be amazed by seeing how neighbors pitch in to help each other move their possessions to higher ground. Also, a recent freak windstorm blew down a large tree in my uncle's backyard and into the attic of his historic home, and his neighbors showed him support and offered assistance in clearing it away. (Living right next to the mayor doesn't hurt either I suppose. LOL!)
I'd gladly recommend West Pittston anyday to anyone. Pittston itself is continuing to rot and decay with very few shimmers of hope on its horizon for a rebirth, although two new upscale condo towers are slated for construction next year on the riverfront---Perhaps the foot traffic generated by these new units will help to create a demand for new downtown businesses? I kind of gave up on my little "Pittston 2020" pet project for revitalization, as people, overall, just didn't seem to be too interested in it. (I also didn't have the time to commit to being a community redeveloper while double-majoring at King's College, working nearly full-time at Lowe's, and sitting on other committees). Nevertheless, the convenience that Greater Pittston has to both Scranton and Wilkes-Barre shouldn't be overlooked---That is what, in my opinion, is beginning to fuel the recent housing boom in Greater Pittston. West Pittston itself is home to two new developments---River Shores, a small, upscale, gated community along the river near Pride Mobility, and Ledgeview, a cookie-cutter development of townhomes and two-story homes across the street from Blue Ribbon Dairy. When you have dually-employed couples in which one spouse works in Wilkes-Barre and the other one in Scranton, opting to settle down in Greater Pittston is a no-brainer for commuting ease.
$35,000 should be adequate to live comfortably on in West Pittston, assuming you live within your means and don't overextend yourself to "keep up with the Jones's", as many in NJ, for example, do.
Please feel free to ask away as much as you'd like! I love West Pittston because it's such a picturesque little town, and I'd be more than happy to address all of your concerns!
Moved to Fl 3 years ago, from PA. I have lived in Dunmore, Scranton, Taylor, Drums and Hazleton. Yup, I am moving back. Why? Because I realized what I gave up. FL brought out the worst in us....our attitutes, behavior...everything. Why? Because we are surrounded by people from NY and NJ, and rude is just the way they know how. We miss "old Wilkes Barre".....miss the very down to earth, "coalcracker" people. Yeah, granted, some parts are bad in both scranton and wilkes, but, guess what? I would go trough those "bad parts" any time, at any day! People call that "bad parts of town" haven't seen anything yet.....Come to Port Saint "Lousy" FL and Fort Pierce FL, and yeah, there is something to worry and scared about !
Can't wait to sell my house (anybody wants to own one in FL? $262.000 it's yours...lol), and move back to where I came from and belong, Scranton/ Wilkes Barre/ Hazleton.
Thought the grass was greener on the other side, and had to open my mouth and swallow my foot.....lol.
Thought the grass was greener on the other side, and had to open my mouth and swallow my foot.....lol.
There are many people who thought that the "grass was greener" only to learn about how good they really had it in this area. Sorry to hear you had such a time in the Sunshine State, but am glad to hear you're rejoining the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Area!
We are fortunate here to not see crime of the levels in some other areas of our country. I am a resident of South Wilkes Barre and despite the bad rap this particular section of the city has, I have not had anything happen to me or my family. Also, my neighbors and I would not hesitate to call police to report any suspicious activity. Citizens need to be more active (ie. maybe just cleaning up the curb in front of their house, picking up litter instead of letting it lay around, turning on their porch light, etc.). Things don't change overnight! I just want people to be more proactive and not turn a blind eye to their community. I think we owe it to ourselves and our children. Sorry about the "mini rant"! It is a beautiful day here in NEPA!
If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.
Maya Angelou
^That is such a great saying. Thank you WBA, and welcome to the forum.
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"It's a great day here in NEPA!"
Be weary of the river though and purchase flood insurance; this past June had 200,000 people heading for the hills as the levee nearly failed! 
There's a huge cultural shift as you progress between Greater Pittston and the Big Apple; my family and I just dined out tonight at Parente's, a newer Italian restaurant in Downtown Pittston, and just about everyone in the establishment knew everyone else! 
Moving back
