NEPA seems to suffer from self esteem issues? WHY? (Scranton: transplants, crime)

[sheena12]

As a VERY HAPPY new resident of NEPA, have noticed a persstant presence of regional low self esteem in this region.

WHY?

The area is beautiful, amazingly affordable, replete with natural beauty and a plethora of places of higher education.
There are a multicplicity of events to satisfy any taste -

Recently I attended a Wholistic Fair in Kingston, hiked thruogh NayAug Park in Scranton, ha dinner at a wonderful Thai restaurant and luch at a vegan cafe.

I intended a really nice church and I intend to join.

My children started school at Holy Redeemer HS and although we are not RC we were very welcomed and I am happy and so are they.

We walked along the river front, and infact have done a lot of walking in general!
We have saved gas and used energy - ours.

We are purchacing a house with views of the mountains at a price that may buy a double wide in some places.

The Autumn has been beautiful! A real fall! Not one hot day, one cold day and BAM - winter! Nice moderate cool temps.

So we are happy! And I have to ask why the pervasive dispair?
When we say w have moved here people invaribly reply "Why... you have family in the area?"

Goota say we are confused.

Some have speculated that the lack of self esteem is somehow conected with the areas coal mining history.

I do not really see the connection.

If anyone has any ideas pease share!

Thanks!
Sheena

[varmintblaster]

Who are you conversing with?

Locals?
Recent transplants from the Big City?

The reason I ask is that you will get mixed reviews from different folks.

The majority of folks that I know think NEPA is a gem and would never trade it.

Some don't care for the winters, but that's about the only complaint I hear.

[frank754]

I agree with you, Sheena, I guess the people that have been here a long time may have the regional blues. My wife and I just moved here from Asheville NC in June. She's from the south (Richmond, originally), and doesn't like it here that much, but I do. As for myself, I lived north of Binghamton about 15 years, but the taxes and utilities are high up that way and I wanted to live somewhere new. Wilkes-Barre reminds me a bit of sections of Paterson NJ where I grew up, but I left there in the early 70's, still a teen then. I like the history and the old stuff, rather than the cookie-cutter new stuff you get down south, in NC as well as Florida. We left NC due to losing our work, and also the housing market which was once booming is a real bust, and we still haven't sold our place there at even 40% off appraisal, a nice mountainside place in the woods with the occasional bears, where you can shoot, etc., and have snow too in the winter.
If you go to the mall, Arena Hub Plaza, and places like that, there are mostly all the same stores and conveniences we had in Asheville, and a lot less of a drive to get there. Also the mountains surrounding the area are similar. Moving here we downsized, from a larger to smaller place, and from country to actually being in the city. My main concern is having to be wary about all the crime you read about in the papers.
We both work now too, my wife found some part-time minimum wage marketing work right away, and she's still doing that. I didn't even look for work for 2 1/2 months so I could fix up the house, plus I injured my legs a bit, but when I did look I got a job the first day I went out looking, as a software developer, but that too is only part time and temporary so far until I can prove my value to the company, but I've been there about 6 weeks now and they are giving me more hours.
It's very nice country here, as I can attest to that having toured the region off & on since I was a teen, though right now we are way behind on bills until we sell our other place and build up our income. We haven't been able to travel around much here, but we do go to some of the events that happen in the area, and enjoy them quite a bit.
Actually, Wilkes-Barre seems quite nice so far, but as far as Scranton goes, in all my travels over the years, it always seemed quite depressing and would never have considered living there. Just something about that place, though I do enjoy Steamtown and some of the sights there on occasion.
Here at our old (circa 1920) house, we've fixed up a lot, painted, etc., am putting in a security system and we still have all of our stuff & computers, etc., so it's just like home. Guess we're a bit geeky as we don't go out to try & socialize much, but most of our neighbors (whom we've met) have always been real nice.

[sheena12]

Mostly if not exclusively LOCALS!

And this has added to our confusion.
They are very very friendly - don't get me wrong!
And it is far easier at least in my relativly short experience to be accepted and to generally get involved than where I an from.

How ever when I tell people that we decided to move here and the ove was not forced or due to a distressed distant relative we get this look - as though we must have a screw loose or somthing.

What's wrong with a lower cost of living, natural beauty and really nice, if a little self effacing - people.

I do not miss NY one bit - but this is perplexing!

[WinterMadness]

the area is filled with backwards religious old people.

on top of that, we have a culture that glorifies ignorance, which is why so many college graduates leave the area, and its another reason why theres so few jobs worth having here. if you like hunting, drinking, going to church, riding quads and working crappy jobs then this area is everything you need.

[Summering]

I hear ya' Sheena.......I think maybe some are not listening to their own words. But, reading all the down things gets depressing.
I love both Scranton and Wilkes Barre. Admitting the downtown needs major work in Scranton....
But the general area around that I love.
Tell them you have so much to do and see you don't have enough hours in the day.

[varmintblaster]

Sheena - I think there is a possibility that you are reading too much into it.

The important thing is how you spend your time each day, and the types of folks you associate yourself with. Sounds like you got the right attitude and energy level..
Negativity begets negativity.


WM - a big problem with the youngsters of today is their utter lack of respect for their elders.
You should be so lucky to grow up to be half the person that those old backward religious people are.

[Summering]

Originally Posted by WinterMadness

the area is filled with backwards religious old people.

on top of that, we have a culture that glorifies ignorance, which is why so many college graduates leave the area, and its another reason why theres so few jobs worth having here. if you like hunting, drinking, going to church, riding quads and working crappy jobs then this area is everything you need.

There is also boating on many wonderful lakes. Motor boat or kayak, rowboat or paddle.
There is also flyfishing and regular fishing in wonderful streams.
Lots of parks for picnics and swimming.
Many places to hike, mountains and waterfalls....
The Arena with many shows and public figures.
Many festivals and fairs.....
Lots of wonderful golf courses....
Lots of movie theaters and the wonderful State Theater.
Flea Markets and Antique Store areas....
It would be ignorant to ignor all of those wonderful things.......
Young or Old......

[frank754]

Originally Posted by WinterMadness

the area is filled with backwards religious old people.

on top of that, we have a culture that glorifies ignorance, which is why so many college graduates leave the area, and its another reason why theres so few jobs worth having here. if you like hunting, drinking, going to church, riding quads and working crappy jobs then this area is everything you need.

That's exactly what it's like in the south, but the people don't leave, guess all the country songs make them proud of their roots. (LOL
But certain places like Asheville NC get a large influx from retirees, outdoor enthusiasts, etc. due to the mountains and some progressive culture, but they still have a long way to go. They do have a lot of New Age & environmentally friendly businesses too, and microbrews, cuisine, colleges, etc. there too.
Here in NEPA we do have an influx of people due to the beauty, affordability of the area and a lot of this is happening here as well, but maybe not as fast as we would like, nor as noticeably. Also, a lot of people here seem entrenched in the old-culture downtrodden working class mindset and the young folks haven't really tried as hard to build the community as in other places. It feels a bit like "back to the 50's". It may be a question of motivation, investment in the community,etc. But don't quote me, I'm fairly new here and can't see the whole picture yet. It does seem, though, that if a new business fills a niche, they can do quite well here, and there are quite a few talented folks in the area to get on the bandwagon. And if some transplants here get involved in this cycle they can do well too and help feed this cycle to eventually create some sort of renaissance. Though it's a depressed area, we're part of a much larger region by proximity to the NE mega areas (as Reston & others have said) and it's eventually going to fill out the entire area and improve the pockets that have so far lagged behind and we should take a turn for the better at some point. Just an observation...

[sues1]

I like NEPA, but i really dislike Scranton, and due to circumstances beyond my control, that's where i have to be now. I'm from Jersey and have always felt it home to me, i lived in NYC until i was 13, then moved to Jersey and it's where i grew up, went to high school, met my hubby and to me there is nothing like it. I know it's not perfect, but i love it.