Do you miss Pennsylvania? (Pittsburgh, Oil City: foreclosure, for sale, wages)

[sunseeker]

I loved living in Mongomery County. For me, it was far better than the Poconos. Lansdale area is very nice, actually, lots of nice places in Montgomery and Bucks County. A couple of not so nice areas in both counties too. But lots of pretty areas, parks, neighborhoods with well maintained homes with nice landscaping, lot of conviences, most store are very close. Housing wasn't cheap, but good quality of life.

[divinemom]

I grew up in Montgomery County and was blessed to have grown up there. I have an appreciation for cooler climates, historic homes, and trees. I now live in TX which lacks all of that. I remember some of the characters I used to know in PA. Now all I now know is yuppies. Oh, another thing about the sunbelt. I've never seen such bad looking skin. Big pores, wrinkles, sun spots. One more thing I see alot of now. 30 and 40 year olds here try to dress like their 20. Doesn't look good.

[usa1corey]

i spent 30 years in SE Pa before i moved to the great state of Texas. I love the history of Pa and there is a ton of stuff to do. The weather is not as bad as some folks claim on here, i have seen much worse (Iraq 130+). I always loved going downtown (Philly) for the day or the short drive to dirty Jersey! There is some really good jobs around Philly but that is where the hate comes in. I just cannot handle driving on those congested streets around Philly and suburbs. It's pretty bad when the state has to put up signs that read "beware agressive drivers"! I do miss a lot of Pa but don't think I would come back except for a visit.

[Tama]

Thought I would chime in. Have been in the South for years, but still return to PA because of family. Pa is home and I will always love it--warts and all! I miss the hills, the sweet corn, cool summer breezes, the green, green fields, the charming out of the way places, the colonial history, the first snow, the evergreens--the apple cider and fall leaves and most of all--my family. I don't miss the gray skies of winter, the grime after the first snow, the old towns that have seen better days , the heavy traffic, the dour faces ---and in Philly where I lived for seven years the rudeness. Here in the South if I call to ask if a business has a certain item they don't say "No" and slam down the phone. They ask everyone in the place if they know where this nice lady can find such and such. When a funeral procession passes all the cars heading in the opposite direction stop and pull over. Taxes and home prices are low. You could get a four bedroom, 2.5 bath home with a beautiful lot on a lake full of amenities like granite and hardwood for under $350k. For about $175k you could have a typical older rancher in a nice neighborhood with plenty of space and a nice lot. Sunny winter days are a joy. Flowers are everyone all year long. No winter coats or boots needed, the out of doors can be enjoyed all year long, the skies are blue all the time, people smile and relax and chat and are very polite--the other day I was getting out of my car at a convenience store and a young man who was walking away with a snack in his hand suddenly ran back towards the door. I assumed he forgot something. No-he was going back to open the door for me and I don't look 92! However, it can be provincial and the food is "different"--no cheese steaks or Shoo-Fly pie. The summers are HOT. Oh well-would I move back-- I guess I appreciate both places and wish I could live in both!

[Westernstarr]

I've lived in Pa most of my life, except for one year that we lived in eastern North Carolina to be close to my family, they all moved there from here. I've been back in Lancaster county almost 9 years now. The hot humid weather, and the hurricanes, and the tornados are what did us in. I have to say that the people were very nice, and we liked having the extra elbow room, and being close to the coast. We were so happy to be back here, but now Lancaster county is to crowded for us, and we are in the process of working out our move to northern Wyoming in 1 to 4 months.

[MB2]

Used to live in Dunmore, Scranton, Taylor, Drums, Hazleton. Currently live in Fl for about 3 years. Do I miss PA? Yes, Yes, Yes!!!!
It's called the quality of life, ahich I haven't been able to find here in FL.
Here in FL, there is not much change concerning the weather....just sun, hot, sun, hot. Yes, I agree too, that I haven't seen that much wrinkled and bad skin ever, anywhere else.
I miss the humble and down to earth, no nonsense people up in PA. I miss the lush green, rolling hills and trees, crisp and clear lakes, the humongous deer and wildlife, the first snow, having a fireplace lit, seeing the first blooms come in the spring, go to all the festivals and fleamarkets, sidewalks (sounds silly, but down here where I live in FL, we don't have ANY!!!!)
I miss my family.....
Yes, I do miss it terribly, and that's why we are moving back!
I had the best times up there, met my husband up there, have all my friends up there!!! Enough resons for me!

[stevo6]

[quote=ScrantonWilkesBarre;41083]Not all places in PA are economically-stagnant and depressing! My parents bought our three-bedroom ranch home here in the Scranton 'burbs for $110,000 back in 1996. As of 2006, it is now valued at around $180,000.

Hey SWB- thats what most people call slow growth! Seriously though, if there was no real investment made in the property over the 10 years thats not too bad. But its still slow compared to some of the boom areas in the South East or South West. More likely they did sink some money into the house, so the gain is something less(?). There some upsides to this sort of slow growth in my opinion:
1. You don't have economic crashes the way some places do- like western cities, NJ, Texas, to name a few. There is some stability.
2. You don't have a lot of get rich quick development.
3. You do have a lot of families because they can afford it, and therefor there is a lot of emotional investment in the communities.

If you are more the philosophical type, you should like PA. But if its all dollars and cents to you, then you might try elsewhere.

[mm_mary73]

Originally Posted by Westernstarr

I've lived in Pa most of my life, except for one year that we lived in eastern North Carolina to be close to my family, they all moved there from here. I've been back in Lancaster county almost 9 years now. The hot humid weather, and the hurricanes, and the tornados are what did us in. I have to say that the people were very nice, and we liked having the extra elbow room, and being close to the coast. We were so happy to be back here, but now Lancaster county is to crowded for us, and we are in the process of working out our move to northern Wyoming in 1 to 4 months.

WHOA! That'll give you more than enough elbow room - but don't they have tornados there also

[Westernstarr]

Hey mary

You're right It'll give us more of what we want. Don't get me wrong there's plenty of places in Pa with elbow room, but then you probably can't afford the houses ( Lanc. Co. ) or theres no work, plus you just can't compare the sceneries between here and there. As far as tornados are concerned from what I know its just extreme eastern Wyoming that has had the rare tornado, and not the rest of the state.

[ScranBarre]

[quote=stevo6;277605]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

Not all places in PA are economically-stagnant and depressing! My parents bought our three-bedroom ranch home here in the Scranton 'burbs for $110,000 back in 1996. As of 2006, it is now valued at around $180,000.

Hey SWB- thats what most people call slow growth! Seriously though, if there was no real investment made in the property over the 10 years thats not too bad. But its still slow compared to some of the boom areas in the South East or South West. More likely they did sink some money into the house, so the gain is something less(?). There some upsides to this sort of slow growth in my opinion:
1. You don't have economic crashes the way some places do- like western cities, NJ, Texas, to name a few. There is some stability.
2. You don't have a lot of get rich quick development.
3. You do have a lot of families because they can afford it, and therefor there is a lot of emotional investment in the communities.

If you are more the philosophical type, you should like PA. But if its all dollars and cents to you, then you might try elsewhere.

Well, I know that Scranton is a "slow growth" market, but that's really all that we can sustain for right now. According to the web site of Rediscover Scranton, since 2003 selling prices on single-family homes in the city have risen by one-third, and prices on multi-family units have risen by approximately one-half. While that is not a "boom" by any means, consider the following scenario.

As of 2003, I'd say that most homes for sale in the city of Scranton hovered around the $100,000 mark. As of 2006, that would have climbed to around $135,000. At the same time, real wages in the area remained flat, which meant that as housing prices showed modest gains, income levels did not. All that occurred was that purchasing a home became more difficult for young working families who watched as prices began to elevate at a time when they couldn't earn enough to be approved for a mortgage.

What worries me a bit is that as Monroe County continues to become NYC's newest "bedroom community", Lackawanna County and Scranton are the next most-logical targets for the spread of this "BosWash" type of development, as it creeps right up along I-380. New Yorkers and New Jersians can easily sell off their "average" $400,000 homes in their respective states and come to our area and plop that same $400,000 on a luxury McMansion loaded with upgrades on a suburban cul-de-sac while still commuting into the city. As the demand for new housing rises, so do prices, which aren't a big hit for the fat wallets of our new friends and neighbors from the Empire State and the Garden State, but they are a huge burden on the meager pursestrings of the local natives, especially considering our median family income is only somewhere around $40,000. I continue to see more and more lifelong residents of Monroe County who do not wish to commute to work in Parsippany or Manhattan moving closer to Scranton because they are being "priced out" of the Poconos' rising tax rates and housing prices. If wages in the Scranton area continue to stagnate at at time when prices continue to rise, fueled by the lust of greedy housing developers, then we're in for a rough ride ahead. Personally, my lifestyle as a single male who will have a graduate degree in a highly-demanded local field means that I'm not at all concerned with the rising cost-of-living, but what about those middle-aged couples with childrens' mouths to feed who are blue-collar and have little or no post-high school education? Those types of people are currently being "squeezed out" of NJ, and they're just starting to be pushed out of Monroe County. Is that the inevitable future of Lackawanna County as well, or will this residential growth from NY/NJ stop edging outward at some point? I don't quite think the locals take me seriously when I tell them that these frustrating financial situations are currently occurring just a half-hour away from the city of Scranton in Monroe County. If these trends continue, the Electric City could be facing "price wars" by 2020.