Moving To PA Help!!

[Magda]

As a transplant from NJ I agree with ScrantonWilkesBarre and would definitely skip Hazleton altogether. There are many nicer surrounding communities. I live in a small town about 10 miles from Hazleton where I was able to buy a beautiful big old house for a quarter of what I would have paid in NJ.
The city of Hazleton has had a lot of potential for a long time but only seems to continue to attract the worst element of society. I believe this has much to do with the mentality of many natives of the area which keeps the area decades behind in many respects.
Especially when moving from such cosmopolitan areas as NY and NJ you may well have to deal with some severe culture shock here. Its taken an unbelievable amount of adjustment for me here and I still have to make periodic trips home to NJ to buy certain things and eat certain types food that I enjoy. If it wasn't for my job I would be long gone.

[Magda]

Post Script:

NPR this morning ran a piece about the illegal immigration ordinance in Hazleton and how it's effecting the city. The "provincialism" of the area natives was noted by the commentator who seemed to imply that it was due to the mindset of the locals that this ordinance came about in the first place.

[elcaptain87]

Yeah the population of Hazleton was expected to surge to 33,000 in 2005 from 23,000 in 2000. 10,000 people? 5 years? its crazy and the surge was almost entirely Hispanic. At the current moment, this has to be addressed which it has because now crime and drugs has increased significantly. However, with such a diverse population gained in only 5 years its pretty impressive. hazleton was 93% white according to the 2000 census with the 2005 estimation due to around 48%. also not as prominent but the african american population grew impressivly from less than 1% in 2000 to about 6%. so in my opinion hazleton shouldnt take advantage of this and help it work out for the better. immigrants are a great thing except when to many illegals come in. that region has been declining for years since the collapse of the coal industry but with cheaper taxes and safer enviorment its driving in droves of minorities from nyc and north jersey. and these people are reviving ghost towns, buying abondoned homes etc. luzerne and lackawanna counties have been 2 of the fastest decreasing county populations in the state. immigrants can help turn these areas around with proper help from local politicans.

[loose cannon]

The ordinance that the Hazelton Mayor passed is racially motivated.