Best, So-So and Worst Towns in PA (Pittsburgh, Reading: appointed, fit in)

[Time2Moov]

Originally Posted by mom2X2

we are also looking to move to pa specifically hazleton. I heard the city itself was not so hot to live in but the surrounding towns were great. We lived in the Lower Macungie area around Allentown and HATED it! People were stuck up, neighbors didnt talk to you and there was generally a keep to yourself kind of weird attitude. We DO NOT want this again! My kids HATED it! We want friendly, stereotypical can I borrow a cup of sugar nice american town. Any good opinions about the Hazleton area. We have a 14 and 11 year old and 22 month old twins. I am a stay at home mom and want a good old fashioned friendly town to live in.

Let me know when you find a nice town in PA, doubt you will! Aside from a select few, I think Pennsylvanians are the worst people in the country. They're anti-social, rude, can't drive, and have the worst food I have ever tasted. I could write for hours recounting bad experiences with people in this state. The word "neighborly" is not in their creed. They also seem to be no smarter than a box of rocks. I cannot tell you how many times I've nodded my head in agreement talking to someone that was mentally unarmed, just to avoid pointing out their stupidity.

We moved down here 7 years ago to get away from NY cost of living. Well, since it appears to have followed us, we're headed back. The difference is marginal now (Montgomery County vs. Long Island). It's a little more in LI, but definitely worth it. I'm sorry, but to live here it would have to be like "Wyoming cheap". If you compare salary to housing down here, the ratio is now worse in PA. Buh-bye!

[soulsurv]

For those of you interested in SE PA, Delaware County contains quite a few nice suburbs. Some of the best school districts include Radnor, Wallingford-Swarthmore, Haverford, Rose Tree-Media, and Marple-Newtown, plus a host of private high schools.

Media, our county seat, is a lovely, historical town with a great mix of people from all walks of life, some excellent restaurants, local theatre and many community activities. Middletown, which my town borders, is part of the Rose Tree-Media district and contains a very community-conscious working farm named Linvilla Orchards - always something going on for the kids (petting zoo, hay rides, festivals, cartoon characters, etc.,) as well as acres of pick your own fruits and veggies, a farmers' market and some of the best pies you'll ever eat.

Within a 2-22 mile radius of my home is: Swarthmore College, Widener University, Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Rosemont Colleges, Villanova, Eastern College, Cabrini College, St. Joseph University, Immaculata College, University of Penn and Penn Medical, Veterinary Penn (one of the best on the globe), Jefferson University Medical, Temple University and Temple Medical, Drexel University, Hahneman (or whatever it is now) University, Phila College of Pharmacy, Phila College of Osteopathy, Phila. College of Textiles, several art colleges and musical conservatories, Phila College of Bible and a plethora of junior colleges, trade and technical schools.

Our county offers a short drive to the city with all it has to offer. I'll try to post some links later if time permits.

[Time2Moov]

Originally Posted by soulsurv

For those of you interested in SE PA, Delaware County contains quite a few nice suburbs. Some of the best school districts include Radnor, Wallingford-Swarthmore, Haverford, Rose Tree-Media, and Marple-Newtown, plus a host of private high schools.

Media, our county seat, is a lovely, historical town with a great mix of people from all walks of life, some excellent restaurants, local theatre and many community activities. Middletown, which my town borders, is part of the Rose Tree-Media district and contains a very community-conscious working farm named Linvilla Orchards - always something going on for the kids (petting zoo, hay rides, festivals, cartoon characters, etc.,) as well as acres of pick your own fruits and veggies, a farmers' market and some of the best pies you'll ever eat.

Within a 2-22 mile radius of my home is: Swarthmore College, Widener University, Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Rosemont Colleges, Villanova, Eastern College, Cabrini College, St. Joseph University, Immaculata College, University of Penn and Penn Medical, Veterinary Penn (one of the best on the globe), Jefferson University Medical, Temple University and Temple Medical, Drexel University, Hahneman (or whatever it is now) University, Phila College of Pharmacy, Phila College of Osteopathy, Phila. College of Textiles, several art colleges and musical conservatories, Phila College of Bible and a plethora of junior colleges, trade and technical schools.

Our county offers a short drive to the city with all it has to offer. I'll try to post some links later if time permits.

Hey there friend-o-mine. Now I know why you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, and I thought you were nuts as well. You live in the NICE part of PA. The part where men are men, and the sheep AREN'T nervous. We looked into moving over that way because we enjoyed being around there when we passed through. The people are nicer, the food is better, and the drivers are better. The problem is we could not get enough house for the money over that way. At those prices we may as well just go home to be near the kin-folk. If someone HAD TO move to PA, that is the only area I would recommend to people with no kids. I don't know enough about the schools to say anything one way or the other. We never got that far in our research due to the high cost of RE there.

Outside of that area though, you might be driving up the mountains but its all downhill from there. If you've ever been to Berks, Northern Montco, or Northern Bucks, I'm sure you can understand at least SOME of my perspective.

[xanadu]

Originally Posted by Time2Moov

The food I'll grant you. Just because New Yorkers have a more discriminating palette than those that enjoy squirrel stew and shoefly pie, I shouldnt hold that against them.

Hey! Don't talk that way about shoefly pie! Mmmmm... shoefly pie...

[soulsurv]

Originally Posted by Time2Moov

Hey there friend-o-mine. Now I know why you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, and I thought you were nuts as well. You live in the NICE part of PA. The part where men are men, and the sheep AREN'T nervous. We looked into moving over that way because we enjoyed being around there when we passed through. The people are nicer, the food is better, and the drivers are better. The problem is we could not get enough house for the money over that way. At those prices we may as well just go home to be near the kin-folk. If someone HAD TO move to PA, that is the only area I would recommend to people with no kids. I don't know enough about the schools to say anything one way or the other. We never got that far in our research due to the high cost of RE there.

Outside of that area though, you might be driving up the mountains but its all downhill from there. If you've ever been to Berks, Northern Montco, or Northern Bucks, I'm sure you can understand at least SOME of my perspective.

Well...I most certainly don't want to fight with you anymore When I saw your name I thought for sure you were going to bash this post. So this was a nice surprise.

Actually DELCO, as a whole unit is quite the dicotomy...dichotmy...****, I'm punchy - HOW do spell that word?? Anyway, there are parts which are quite rundown like poor, old Chester (once a highly-monied town), Darby, parts of Upper Darby, East Landsdowne. Then there are mega-weathly like parts of Radnor and Rose Valley (with to-die-for architecture). Unfortunately, what makes most of the local news are the drug gangs, car-jackings and robberies in Chester, Darby and parts of Upper Darby.

Prices: don't know where you are in Montco, but I thought the prices of both counties were more or less equal. Don't really know Montco that well except for parts of Ardmore, Narbeth and Hatboro-Horsham where my brother used to live. If you and your family are truly unhappy, that it's certainly best to go with another environment, particularly if you have family in NY. Life is too short. Keep your eyes open for a good deal. They "say" they're coming...I still don't see a significant decline in my area, but I keep hoping. I'd like to have more yard since I have two large dogs.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by bgtrk609

the poconos sucks too much ny nj scum

I'm a native Scrantonian, and I've likewise been immersed in the cultural shift that is currently happening in the Scranton Metro from PA to a mini-NY/NJ. (Which will probably hasten with the upcoming commuter rail link between Scranton and Hoboken). However, unlike 99.9% of the natives, I don't consider the newbies to all be "scum." I attend King's College, and I've made friends with many classmates from NY/NJ. I was in a solid relationship with an ex-Brooklyner for over a year, and I dated two former NJ transplants in the Poconos. I work at Lowe's, and I often find the more amicable people to be those with the NY/NJ license plates (which are in abundance on the weekends). I was friends in high school with a girl whose family relocated from Queens to the Scranton Area after 9/11.

Basically, buddy, like it or not the NY/NJ influence has arrived, and it's here to stay! I suppose I'm one of the only locals who is intellectually-enriched enough to realize "if you can't beat 'em; join 'em!" While many locals do nothing but try to make life miserable for the good people from NY/NJ, who are just moving to the Scranton Metro to better the standards of living for their families, based solely upon the negative criminal elements that have also arrived with this influx of new residents, I can distinguish between a hard-working family and a drug pusher. I've made it my business on here to ally myself with people from NY/NJ as they yearn to seek a "better life." Believe it or not, most of our ancestors did the same, boarding massive ships bound for Ellis Island, seeking a brighter future for their children in a "new frontier." The same can be said for PA---NYC and NJ are now a massive, overpriced, congested, suburban-sprawled wasteland devoid of hope; can you honestly blame these people for seeking a better life in the same way our ancestors did when they fled Europe?

My only gripe about the NY/NJ crowd is that they admittedly do think they are "too good" for our local small towns and urbanized areas, instead opting to build in massive newer housing developments that do nothing but decrease our open space and increase our traffic congestion and water runoff concerns. If enough of these people would move into urban areas such as Scranton and take the commuter rail into NJ/NYC for work, then the "Electric City" would truly be a thriving oasis of progress again! I just feel like crying to see block after block of neglected Victorian homes in Scranton while people from NY/NJ come in and tear down wooded hillsides for their posh new "villas." Why would you spend $400,000 on a McMansion in the Abingtons when you could spend half as much to purchase and renovate a home in Scranton into a Victorian showplace in a TRUE neighborhood---not those fake "Desperate Housewives" ones?!

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by bgtrk609

thats great one less ny scumpile to deal with go back to LI you pig. the reason people here treat you the way they do is because the attitude you pigs carry , funny thing is the people you ***** about are probably ny or nj scum just like you.remember you moved here , you need to adjust to our lifestyle. just go back to long island with the rest of the pigs. just so you know ,I travel the city and island on a regular basis , i have family on the island ,I prefer the city, but you are all conceited self centered,self loving,self worshiping scumbags ,f--k off a--hole

Nice way to stereotype people whom you've never even met! Did you ever stop to consider that harsh rants like THIS are what makes people from NY/NJ perceive themselves as being better than "Pennsyltucky?" Wow! I don't even want to take a gander of how you'd stereotype gay people (Nor do I want you to do so, as it would turn this thread into a heated debate that would likely lead to a moderator closing the thread!)

Like it or not, I'm a homegrown Scranton boy, and some of the claims from the NY/NJ crowd contain merit. As compared to NYC, many people around here do condone alcoholism, drive drunk at astronomical rates, beat children, spouses, and animals to a bloody pulp all too often on the 6 PM news, overprioritize high school football, take little pride in personal hygiene or their appearance (I work at Lowe's and see serve the wonderfully "fresh" 6 AM crowd, so don't try to argue with me on THAT one), and are very rude and ignorant in general towards any minority, whether they be Muslim, African-American, Hispanic-American, homosexual, etc. (Once again, as a gay person I've dealt with enough of those right-wing nut-jobs making slurs towards me to make my blood boil!)

If the conversion of our area towards becoming "little New York" means that people will value education moreso than sports, place a value upon furthering your education beyond high school, take more "pride" in your outward appearance, and become more open-minded and willing to embrace various minority groups, then I welcome this change with open arms! As far as the "scum" aspect is concerned, this would come with a massive, sudden influx of ANY population---It would be no different if Monroe County's population were to double every ten years on account of people from, per se, London, Tallahassee, Fon du Lac, or even Scranton flooding into Stroudsburg in search of better opportunities for their families.

Please try to keep an open mind before calling everyone from other areas "scum."

[deedee ramone]

ScrantonWilkesBarre, your'e young and naive.

Once the New Yawk City carpetbagers rive the property rates through the roofs, and local prices for daily goods follow suit as a result, and all local flavor has been chased out - you'll see them pick up the rugs, roll 'em up and head to the next spot.

RememberLong Island? New Jersey? The Pocconos? the lsit continues.

With the NY influx comes the crime, too, as Wilkes-Barre expereinces daily.

Mark my word, when you're older and have life experience you'll regret your naive optimism in lieu of cautious optimism.

NEPA isn't perfect, but New York is f'd up adn the state is the worse for it. NEPA will only mirror the rest of NY and becoem a burden on PA thanks to the carpet baggers who brign little with them outside of insane inflation of local pricing nad property, no jobs, no improvement in education (they ssimply ship their kids to the elite, mostly white schools near their exclusive, white collar enclaves) and the only New Yawkers who will come in and "contribute" to the community will be those looking to expand thier drug oeprations.

Moderation is key, but blind ignorance gets you into trouble. Look at IRaq and Bush. Same s@#t - different situation.

I'd add that NEPA's problems aren't improving .Wilkes Barre crime has not dropped and the Poccono's economic disparity (uber Rich New Yawk carpetbaggers and poorer locals and transplants who came for cheaper cost of living, ebtter way of life and to be AWY form NYC for all itnents and purposes only to see the same assclowns that made them have a hard time in NYC come in and bring back the same crap they initially escaped) only widens.

Again, you're naive to think there willbe much "good" to this. Shining a shoe that was covered in turd does not remove the fact that nobody sweepedup the crap.

The "Shine" is a rail station to kow tow to the carpet baggers who bring NOTHING to the local community but insane property rates that will be the death knell of the area once their white flight resumes when they've pillaged NEPA of what made it a great, new location to them in the first place.

It's time for NEAP to up the tax wammy on the carpet baggers like Jersey did: add an extra tax for tthsoe making their income outside of the state.

All of the sudden you'd see the true colors of the people who came here as they immediately start to crawl back to NYC to live.

I'd also add that your observations regarding Pittsburgh kind of brought a red light to your happy, cheerful gloss of things and tend to lead me to believe your lack of life experience might be painting false pictures of NEPA - both positive and negative. Bless you for being a great force of positivity and for your selfless desire to help people ehre, but I think you're missing the bigger pictuer of what really is happening in NEPA.

[willns]

I've lived in both the city of pittsburgh and suburban pittsburgh, and several places in suburban philly. I now live in Newtown bucks county. Living in the city of pgh, there are still a few decent neighborhoods (ever shrinking thanks to section 8 housing) and houses are dirt cheap...most for under or around 100k. Pittsburgh's suburbs are absolutely great. Some of the best school districts in the country (mt lebanon, north allegheny, upper st clair), friendly people, and you're close to EVERYTHING. Suburban housing in pgh runs from high 100k to whatever you can spend. the city of philly itself is a PIT...i dont even like driving through it lol. Philly suburbs are nice though. If you can afford Bucks County, newtown, upper makefield, yardley, doylestown, you get great schools, great restaurants and beautiful countryside. Housing is NOT cheap there though. Be prepared to spend over 300k for anything decent and for a house you would spend 500k for in pittsburgh you'll spend 900k for in bucks.

[Summering]

Originally Posted by Time2Moov

Let me know when you find a nice town in PA, doubt you will! Aside from a select few, I think Pennsylvanians are the worst people in the country. They're anti-social, rude, can't drive, and have the worst food I have ever tasted. I could write for hours recounting bad experiences with people in this state. The word "neighborly" is not in their creed. They also seem to be no smarter than a box of rocks. I cannot tell you how many times I've nodded my head in agreement talking to someone that was mentally unarmed, just to avoid pointing out their stupidity.

We moved down here 7 years ago to get away from NY cost of living. Well, since it appears to have followed us, we're headed back. The difference is marginal now (Montgomery County vs. Long Island). It's a little more in LI, but definitely worth it. I'm sorry, but to live here it would have to be like "Wyoming cheap". If you compare salary to housing down here, the ratio is now worse in PA. Buh-bye!

I must say I adore Pennsylvania. We moved here 10 years ago from New Jersey. On our trips up to PA from NJ, we would come upon strangers who would always give us a wave. The restaurants were full of happy people, ready to greet you and ask how your day was going. The charm of the people was enlightening. The people are more relaxed......and that took a bit of getting use too. I love to be able to drive and not have the crowds of New Jersey anymore to contend with. I have to agree that the tax savings are marginal to N.J. ,and would probably be used up in transportation costs with commuters.
All in all.....it has been a wonderful place to live, with so much to see and do hereWe have found some wonderful Malls and back ways to the Outlets.Yet, in the evening ......return to your one and two acre property, overlooking gorgeous mountains, and farmers wheat fields, and just sigh!!!
Go back to the crowds, congestion, and loose the friendship of these smiling people. That would never be for me.