Which LV area might be BEST for Me? (Scranton, Wilkes-Barre: crime, house) - Lehigh Valley - Pennsylvania (PA) -Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton - City-Data Forum

soulsurv · 07-20-2010, 08:47 AM

Hi...some of you may know I've been looking for a new area for a couple of years now. However, my Mother's illness and eventual death and now my Dad's impending passing have put a monkey wrench in my plans.

I am placing my home in SE PA on the market in a few weeks and am nervous about where to go. NJ didn't really work out, and I believe I'd like to move a bit North.

Criteron:
semi-rural area with perhaps an acre; unrestricted fencing (front & back). Also, I don't want to be "bothered" in the event I should foster an extra canine or two.

Not-too-humid/hot summers; heavy winters are fine. (could NOT deal with another summer like this in suburban philly)

$ 225-300 price range and prefer one-floor ranchers (splits & bi-levels okay, but no colonials)

Reasonalbe taxes (under 5K a year)

no "family-oriented communities"

Prefer open-field areas to heavily-wooded

Prefer natural gas heat to propane and electric

natural streams, lakes, rivers and dog-friendly parks nearby would be wonderful.

Do not want to be anywhere near hunting

Public/private school or two within a 15-mile area, as I will be sub-teaching until I formally retire. Quality of district unimportant.

Any ideas, Folks???

JohnZ963 · 07-20-2010, 07:09 PM

Maybe the non-tract house areas of Upper Macungie. Lots of random ranch homes here and there, and taxes are reasonable. Places further out like North Whitehall, Allen, Moore, the Nazareths, etc. are more in line with your general criteria, but utilities like gas aren't abundant in the non-tract house areas, and there is going to be hunting anywhere there are large tracts of undeveloped land.

soulsurv · 07-20-2010, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnZ963

Maybe the non-tract house areas of Upper Macungie. Lots of random ranch homes here and there, and taxes are reasonable. Places further out like North Whitehall, Allen, Moore, the Nazareths, etc. are more in line with your general criteria, but utilities like gas aren't abundant in the non-tract house areas, and there is going to be hunting anywhere there are large tracts of undeveloped land.

Thanks, John; I'll do a computer search on those areas and feel them out. The sound of gunshots would definitely spook one of the two dogs...so that's a consideration. THANKS AGAIN.

toobusytoday · 07-21-2010, 05:32 AM

As a rule of thumb, the further west you go towards Berks county, the more house/land you can get for your money. We paid the same amount for our house in Lehigh County as we sold one for in Delaware county and got a similar house. I would look around Trexlertown. Rural and non-hunting is not an easy combo. Good luck with your job search, teaching jobs are awfully hard to come by.

PeeAye Native · 07-22-2010, 05:30 AM

For your requirement for weather, I'd say you want to be north and west of the Kittatinny Mountain ridge, ie., when you drive north on the turnpike and go through the tunnel, you want to be north of that mountain.

And for sub-teacher jobs, you want to be close by bigger towns and cities, but not really in those towns and cities for the land you want. So think of outlying areas to Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. Town names that come to mind: Shavertown and Dallas N of Wilkes_Barre, (there's really too many to mention here), outlying parts of Dummore near Scranton, also Waymart and Forest City. There are many, many town names that might work for this, why not make a few drives through those areas and see what catches your attention.

I'd avoid the Poconos small towns and cities. But that's just me,

kellyi · 07-22-2010, 07:53 PM

Check out Bushkill township in Nazareth Borough....it's where we are moving and has everything in your criteria minus maybe the natural gas.. It's Beautiful!!!!!!!!

soulsurv · 07-24-2010, 05:34 AM

Thanks, PeeA and Kelly. Don't think I want to go so far as Scranton, but will look a bit south. What do you think of East Strausburg? They have some gorgeous homes. Is it a high-crime area?

pennsynative · 07-24-2010, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kellyi

Check out Bushkill township in Nazareth Borough....it's where we are moving and has everything in your criteria minus maybe the natural gas.. It's Beautiful!!!!!!!!

Actually Bushkill Township and Nazareth Borough are two separate areas. If you are interested, you can check out Bushkill Township in Northampton County. Nazareth Borough is more in-town.