Moving back to PA? (Scranton, Lancaster: ski resorts, transplants, house)

[truepatriot09]

I moved to New Hampshire ten years ago, partly because I loved New England and partly because I hated living in Lancaster, PA (sorry to any Lancaster residents out there). Well, things are at a point where I'm looking to make a career change, my daughter is getting older and there would be some conveniences to be back near our families in PA. Plus we live in Mass now and the cost of living in PA is significantly less. We like to travel and we could afford to do more in PA, but I've always been a believer that it's important to truly love where you live because that's where you spend the majority of your time.

So here are the things I love about New England, and I'm hoping that some of you PA folks can guide me to places in PA where I'll find similar amenties (so to speak):

-Outdoors: we are avid mountain bikers/trail runners/adventure racers/hikers/climbers (we spent a year in CO before moving back to the Boston area)
-Downtowns: I love that almost all New England towns have a great downtown with tight knit neighborhoods. I don't want land, I want a little yard with a nice house that's within spitting distance of a downtown with cool shops and good local restaurants
-Organic food stores: we live at Whole Foods.
-Snow: I remember receiving very little snow in Lancaster (and my parents confirm this every year). Winters were bare. We are big backcountry skiers and my 3 year old absolutely adores downhill (this has been her first year). We love winter, but winters with plenty of pow.

Look, I know there are going to be differences, but if a few of these items can be crossed off I might be willing to come back to the state of my birth. Anyone out there have some opinions on the matter?

[Krisps]

Northern PA generally fits, and boy this year winter has had some pow (some areas in the nw have over 300" snow total already). I'd recommend you drive across rt. 6. Some towns I'd recommend are Warren, Smethport, Coudersport, Wellsboro (which seems to get a lot of hype here in the forums) and there are bunch of towns in Poconos. Not a ton of ski resorts in PA, but quite a few in the Poconos and a good one in the north central part (Denton) and in the western part there are a lot of resorts nearby in NY. There is a lot of mountainous public land in the north, so lots of great places for x-country skiing.

[Johnny C]

NW PA is the best for snow due to lake effect - lots of outdoor activities as well.

[SteelCityRising]

You may wish to check out Clarks Summit, PA, which is an upscale suburb about ten minutes northwest of Scranton. On the town's main drag is "Everything Natural," which is an organic market, and the town has more of a left-of-center tilt to it (a lot of transplants to the Scranton area settle in Clarks Summit or its surrounding suburbs). The town tends to be fiscally conservative and votes more along the lines of Republicans than its neighbor of Scranton, which is a Democratic stronghold, but as a younger gay male I can tell you that the LGBT community has a very strong presence in Clarks Summit, as does the arts/cultural community. Housing prices and property taxes are amongst the highest in the metropolitan area though, so you pay for quality.

Honesdale and Tunkhannock are nice as well. You may also like Lewisburg, Bloomsburg, or Carlisle. Best of luck!

[sr1234]

I used to live in NE and would love to move back (the cost/taxes are a big negative). I have to agree with the other posts...stay in the Northern PA area. Much more of a NE feel than anything south of I-80.

[chazztrons]

Im going back to NW PA in the Spring.

I agree with Johnny C. NW sounds like it would fit for you.

Good luck

[brw]

I am, for the most part, from CT and do find Lancaster to be rather limited in winter sports due to lack of snow, but great biking is to be had!!! Remember all the rolling Amish farmland. You should probably try northern PA, though - this area doesn't sound like a good fit for your important priorities.

[ki0eh]

How about Williamsport?

[Lion11]

Originally Posted by truepatriot09

I moved to New Hampshire ten years ago, partly because I loved New England and partly because I hated living in Lancaster, PA (sorry to any Lancaster residents out there). Well, things are at a point where I'm looking to make a career change, my daughter is getting older and there would be some conveniences to be back near our families in PA. Plus we live in Mass now and the cost of living in PA is significantly less. We like to travel and we could afford to do more in PA, but I've always been a believer that it's important to truly love where you live because that's where you spend the majority of your time.

So here are the things I love about New England, and I'm hoping that some of you PA folks can guide me to places in PA where I'll find similar amenties (so to speak):

-Outdoors: we are avid mountain bikers/trail runners/adventure racers/hikers/climbers (we spent a year in CO before moving back to the Boston area)
-Downtowns: I love that almost all New England towns have a great downtown with tight knit neighborhoods. I don't want land, I want a little yard with a nice house that's within spitting distance of a downtown with cool shops and good local restaurants
-Organic food stores: we live at Whole Foods.
-Snow: I remember receiving very little snow in Lancaster (and my parents confirm this every year). Winters were bare. We are big backcountry skiers and my 3 year old absolutely adores downhill (this has been her first year). We love winter, but winters with plenty of pow.

Look, I know there are going to be differences, but if a few of these items can be crossed off I might be willing to come back to the state of my birth. Anyone out there have some opinions on the matter?

State College might be added to the mix. I don't know how you feel about college towns, but State College is really some much more than one. There is a great downtown filled with cool places to eat and shop. Downtown also has a great farmer's market in the summer and many festivals all year. You will find homes in charming neighborhoods near downtown. Besides a farmer's market, Wegmans is close to a Whole Foods in my opinion and has a good selection of organic foods. State College is the perfect place for an outdoor lover, including skiing, mountain trails(Mt.Nittany is good) and biking trails. Plus, SC gets a good amount of snow. The public schools are on of the best in the state, for when your daughter is older. It is a place to consider.
Here are some links if you are interested:
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/...ch.fsb/65.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_C...,_Pennsylvania
http://money.cnn.com/video/#/video/m...ch.08.moneymag
http://www.downtownstatecollege.com/
http://www.centralpacvb.org/
http://www.hikemountnittany.com/