I want to move to PA by summertime (Allentown, Bethlehem: rent, how much)

[ludie19]

Hi I am in my 30s and live with family in NYC. I work in the hospital as nurse. I want to move to PA because I want to move forward and buy a house and start a family. I don't think I can afford more than $300,000 house and am planning to keep my job in NYC until I find one in PA. Where should I move to that is a nice neighborhood and safe yet close by NYC? I keep hearing Easton is close but what are the good parts in Easton?

[julian17033]

To answer anything further about Easton and the greater Lehigh Valley that it exists in, it would behoove you to ask a moderator to move your post to the Lehigh Valley section of the Pennsylvania forums.

You will receive the information you are searching for.

[PacoMartin]

Generally people who move to PA to commute to New York often try and locate near these two Park and Rides where they can easily ride the bus to New York

Northampton County
Hellertown Borough. Interstate 78 at PA 412. [101 spaces] to Port Authority only
Northampton County, Bethlehem Township. PA 33 at William Penn Highway. [202 spaces] - to Port Authority or to downtown Manhattan (multiple stops around Wall street)

Bus fare is $523.50 for 40 one way trips, but you must use them all in 30 days. There is a grace period of one or two business days to cover holidays and sick days.

If you are worried about a good school district, then in the neighborhood of Hellertown is probably a better choice. But there are multiple choices.

You figure is adequate to get you a fairly wide range of homes. Most people try to sleep on the bus.

Buses begin at 4:20 AM and return as late as 11:45 PM so it should cover almost all normal shifts. Travel time is generally 2 hours to the Port Authority.

Easton can refer to a fairly small city of the name, or a much larger mailing address.

[blazerj]

It depends on where you will eventually work. Healthcare is huge in the LV. Why not get a job first and rent for a year until you get to know the area better. I'm sure you will have a few decent employment options depending on your specialty and what you want to do.

[Blueinterceptor]

Lehigh valley medical center is a huge medical complex. Larger than north shore by far. It's about 20 miles from upper saucon or coopersburg.

[maven2160]

Let me put things in perspective for you ludie19. I currently live in Salisbury School District of Allentown, PA. I work as a nurse in Brooklyn, NY. I work 12 hours a day, 3 days a week. I work the night shift. I get an average of 2-3 days off straight from work a week if a plan my schedule right. The two or 3 days straight I work, I spend with my mother in Brooklyn. After finishing those days of work, I spend the rest of the off days with my wife and kids in Allentown. The commute to and from NYC is not as bad most ppl think. I take the beiber bus from the Wescosville bus station which is only 5 minute car ride from my house in Allentown. It takes exactly 1 hour and 40 minutes to go from Wescosville to Port Authority Bus Terminal in NYC. Enough to catch up on reading, facebooking, sleeping, whatever. After the ride it takes me 20 minutes to arrive in Brooklyn, iron my clothes for work, sleep until 7 pm and leave for work @ 7:30 pm. The Salibury School District (its a public school by the way) is rated 8 out of 10 for elementary and middle school and 9 out of 10 for its high school as per the website greatschools.org. You can certainly be able to afford a house $300,000 or less in any of these 3 well to do school districts: Parkland, East Penn, Salisbury. I hope this helps you give you good incite in making your decision about PA.

[blazerj]

Originally Posted by maven2160

Let me put things in perspective for you ludie19. I currently live in Salisbury School District of Allentown, PA. I work as a nurse in Brooklyn, NY. I work 12 hours a day, 3 days a week. I work the night shift. I get an average of 2-3 days off straight from work a week if a plan my schedule right. The two or 3 days straight I work, I spend with my mother in Brooklyn. After finishing those days of work, I spend the rest of the off days with my wife and kids in Allentown. The commute to and from NYC is not as bad most ppl think. I take the beiber bus from the Wescosville bus station which is only 5 minute car ride from my house in Allentown. It takes exactly 1 hour and 40 minutes to go from Wescosville to Port Authority Bus Terminal in NYC. Enough to catch up on reading, facebooking, sleeping, whatever. After the ride it takes me 20 minutes to arrive in Brooklyn, iron my clothes for work, sleep until 7 pm and leave for work @ 7:30 pm. The Salibury School District (its a public school by the way) is rated 8 out of 10 for elementary and middle school and 9 out of 10 for its high school as per the website greatschools.org. You can certainly be able to afford a house $300,000 or less in any of these 3 well to do school districts: Parkland, East Penn, Salisbury. I hope this helps you give you good incite in making your decision about PA.

Just curious. How much more money do you make over working at Lehigh Valley or St. Luke's (assuming same hours, shifts, type of work)?

[maven2160]

blazerj

I truly dont' know how much nurses in LVHN or St. Luke's make. I can tell you how much I make. I work for a city hospital in Brooklyn. Every nurse that works for the city receive an across the board starting salary of $65,000. Your wage go up with experience and if you work the night shift. With just those 2 factors, your yearly salary can quickly raise to $74,000 minimum. Then comes overtime. With overtime, the sky is the limit on how much you can earn. I do have to remind you. Nurses who work for the city are least paid nurses besides those that work in nursing homes. The starting salary for nurses in private hospitals in NYC is a minimum of $75,000 base. I have a neighbor who is also a nurse in PA working for a private dialysis center. She has been working for her company for a little over 5 years and is considered a senior nurse. She said she is now making $70,000. That quickly discouraged me from trying to find a job in PA. I do not want to take 5 years to finally earn 70G when I can be earning that money just by working nights and with my years of experience.