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As a former NYer who did the commute, I can tell you it gets old really fast. There is no time to enjoy your house or your life. I used to work in Brooklyn and it would take me 2.5 - 3 hours one way on a GOOD day, add bad weather or an accident and it can become more of a nightmare.
If you really have your heart set on trying this out, I would highly suggest renting first, I wish I would have done that. I would also suggest possibly looking into another area that isnt sooo isolated. Where I used to live the closest supermarket was 20 minutes away you really need to consider these thing with the way gas prices are going up.
I would suggest you look into towns that are closer to NYC like Bethlehem. Your commute would be a bit shorter. It would feel more like your home on Long Island and there are many employers in the Lehigh Valley where you could possibly find a local job and enjoy your home and your family.
Sorry just logged on and saw all your helpful posts! thank you! how is the Wilkes-Barre area? would it be a good fit for my family? and how far is the drive to queens or long island to visit family and friends? what are good resources for finding a job locally, in particular in the court system?
Wilkes-Barre is even FARTHER from the city than the Poconos are. It's actually worse than coming from Scranton as Scranton is directly off I-380. To get to Wilkes-Barre you have to either take I-80 all the way out to Hazleton and then pick up I-81 or take I-380 to Scranton and then pick up I-81.
While I think the Poconos are a doable (but hellish) commute (often 3 hours), Wilkes-Barre REALLY isn't possible for a daily commute to Manhattan. That can easily be up to 4 hours at rush hour. The 2-3 hour quote you hear is from Monroe or Pike county - you're going to be way over in Luzerne County in Wilkes-Barre - way more west. It's got to be at least an hour to the Delaware Water Gap from Wilkes-Barre, even under good conditions so from there you're looking realistically at what is going to be close to 4 hour commute each way.
Going to visit Long Island/Queens from there depends on when you go and what the traffic is like since you're going to have to cut through the city somehow. Even under the best conditions it's over 3 hours.
The job market isn't good ANYWHERE right now, obviously, but northeast PA has been hit particularly hard (as the area was struggling job-wise before the recession.) Get a job there BEFORE you move out there because once you're out in Wilkes-Barre there won't be any easy ways into a major city for work if you can't find anything local.
Thank you so much lilyflower7 for all the great information. i definitely want to isolate the best areas for my family to live so I can then concentrate on looking for a job close enough locally to be able to get home and spend time with my family. Are there certain areas to concentrate on, whether in the Wilkes-Barre area or closer to NY/NJ for a more do able commute of 2 or so hours each way that is still safe, great for kids and with good schools?
Thank you so much lilyflower7 for all the great information. i definitely want to isolate the best areas for my family to live so I can then concentrate on looking for a job close enough locally to be able to get home and spend time with my family. Are there certain areas to concentrate on, whether in the Wilkes-Barre area or closer to NY/NJ for a more do able commute of 2 or so hours each way that is still safe, great for kids and with good schools?
You need to live in New Jersey to get a 2 hour commute door to door to Manhattan. You're not going to get it in any part of PA. The best case scenarios of commutes from the most eastern PA areas are really 2 and a half hours and these go higher as there's frequently accidents and bottlenecks on I-80 and I-78 in the morning. You can not catch a train from ANY town in PA into the city. If you don't drive the full way, you're going to have to bus it from somewhere (which means still time stuck in traffic but at least you can sleep) or drive into NJ and catch the train from somewhere like Dover.
Also, I need to add that the wages in Wilkes-Barre are NOT the same as in Long Island as someone said upthread. Long Island is basically NYC metro wages. The Poconos (and particularly Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) are much much lower why is why the real estate there is dirt cheap.
If you're deadset on moving to PA, check out the Lehigh Valley - commute will still be over 2 hours to Manhattan but at least the job market is better and you're closer to Philadelphia which means more opportunity and better wages.
Last edited by lilyflower7; 04-09-2011 at 02:32 PM..
You need to live in New Jersey to get a 2 hour commute door to door to Manhattan. You're not going to get it in any part of PA. The best case scenarios of commutes from the most eastern PA areas are really 2 and a half hours and these go higher as there's frequently accidents and bottlenecks on I-80 and I-78 in the morning. You can not catch a train from ANY town in PA into the city. If you don't drive the full way, you're going to have to bus it from somewhere (which means still time stuck in traffic but at least you can sleep) or drive into NJ and catch the train from somewhere like Dover.
Also, I need to add that the wages in Wilkes-Barre are NOT the same as in Long Island as someone said upthread. Long Island is basically NYC metro wages. The Poconos (and particularly Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) are much much lower why is why the real estate there is dirt cheap.
If you're deadset on moving to PA, check out the Lehigh Valley - commute will still be over 2 hours to Manhattan but at least the job market is better and you're closer to Philadelphia which means more opportunity and better wages.
Ok...that is not all *completely* true. You CAN commute from the Milford/Matamoras/Dingmans Ferry area to Manhattan in around 2 hours...1.5 hours outside of normal rush hour times. You can also do it from the Poconos, but I would not want my kids to go to any of those school districts. Delaware Valley...which covers Milford/Matamoras/Dingmans...is an *excellent* district. The Lehigh Valley districts are quite good as well...and it's around 1.25-1.5 hours to Staten Island from there. Both of these areas have housing prices that are above that of the Scranton/W-B area due to their proximity to NYC. (And in the case of Lehigh its also Philly)
Now then....if your looking to strictly move out of the rat race and into a cheaper area...and accept a lower paying job then Scranton/W-B is an option. It typically takes me between 3-3.5 hours to get from downtown Scranton to my inlaws house, which is off of exit 62 of the LIE. This is of course not traveling during normal high traffic times...no one would schedule that trip with the idea of hitting the GWB, Cross Bronx, Throgs Neck ect....during rush hour.
Regarding I-78 and I-80...I agree...they suck for traffic...I would suggest looking into the Milford/Matamoras area and taking 84E/17E/Palisades parkway...that tends to be a much easier commute and it puts you RIGHT onto the GWB...you CAN also take the train from Port Jervis..which is RIGHT across the river from Matamoras.
One other thing...if you DO still feel that W-B or Scranton are in the mix then the eastern Pocono region and the Lehigh Valley are each in the 1-1.5 commute range...those areas have pockets of jobs that would have a higher paying wage than the Scranton/W-B area proper.
Last edited by ofhs93; 04-11-2011 at 04:09 PM..
Reason: update
Ok...that is not all *completely* true. You CAN commute from the Milford/Matamoras/Dingmans Ferry area to Manhattan in around 2 hours...1.5 hours outside of normal rush hour times. You can also do it from the Poconos, but I would not want my kids to go to any of those school districts. Delaware Valley...which covers Milford/Matamoras/Dingmans...is an *excellent* district. The Lehigh Valley districts are quite good as well...and it's around 1.25-1.5 hours to Staten Island from there. Both of these areas have housing prices that are above that of the Scranton/W-B area due to their proximity to NYC. (And in the case of Lehigh its also Philly)
Now then....if your looking to strictly move out of the rat race and into a cheaper area...and accept a lower paying job then Scranton/W-B is an option. It typically takes me between 3-3.5 hours to get from downtown Scranton to my inlaws house, which is off of exit 62 of the LIE. This is of course not traveling during normal high traffic times...no one would schedule that trip with the idea of hitting the GWB, Cross Bronx, Throgs Neck ect....during rush hour.
Regarding I-78 and I-80...I agree...they suck for traffic...I would suggest looking into the Milford/Matamoras area and taking 84E/17E/Palisades parkway...that tends to be a much easier commute and it puts you RIGHT onto the GWB...you CAN also take the train from Port Jervis..which is RIGHT across the river from Matamoras.
One other thing...if you DO still feel that W-B or Scranton are in the mix then the eastern Pocono region and the Lehigh Valley are each in the 1-1.5 commute range...those areas have pockets of jobs that would have a higher paying wage than the Scranton/W-B area proper.
Right but even at the extreme edges the commute can easily go over two hours - particularly if you leave after 5 am in the morning. The OP mentioned a commute of "less than 2 hours" which is not the same as something that's normally a little over 2 hours and can often go higher.
Also, your mention of time to Staten Island is EXTREMELY misleading as most people who commute to NYC for work are going to Manhattan (and the rest typically are going to Brooklyn). If you plan on taking the ferry from Staten Island you have to drive all the way to St. Georges which is often a giant parking lot at rush hour. Even driving to Brooklyn via Staten Island can be a headache and I would think that it would take at LEAST an hour from the NJ crossings to the Verrazano unless it's super early.
I can't speak to the drive on the Palisades but the train from Port Jervis is a VERY long ride. It's actually the very tail end of NJ Transit from that location and you either have to change trains at Secaucus or take the PATH from Hoboken to get into Manhattan. A non-express train can take 2 hours or more to take the trip into Hoboken and that's not counting the PATH or any additional subways needed to get to work.
Yes, there are some beautiful areas of the Poconos and the Delaware Valley School District is nice but if you want to spend time with family, it's difficult to commute from there into Manhattan every day.
Taking on a very long commute adds up every day. I commuted across New Jersey from western side of Essex county to Princeton for six months. For metro areas that commute is as good as it can get as I was typically going the opposite direction of traffic (away from Manhattan) and took about an hour and a half in the mornings (leaving early) but I often had problems coming home where there as an accident or congestion and it wasn't abnormal for me to have to deal with 2.5 hours+ getting home at night. Spending that much time on the road adds up - both in time you can't do other things, frustration, gas, tolls, etc. I was exhausted and cranky by the end of the week and really only managed to do the commute as long as I did because I DIDN'T have a family.
In my opinion and in the opinions of most people, the best thing is to make the" whole move". Don't do it in haste. Select an area that you are interested in visiting, spend the weekend there, look at the prices of homes. If you like the area, start sending out resumes.
You just can't live in a sane way, be involved with your children and do that long hall commute.
The Wyoming Valley is even less costly than the Poconos. That's where we moved.
You can get a very nice stately older home with three or four bedrooms in good condition for under 200,000. Well under.
Taxes are very low here. The life style is more relaxed. The commute would ruin it all.
Best of luck, and feel free to return if you have questions.
I'm feeling a little bit overwhelmed with where to start, My husband and I, are a young couple (34 & 45 years old) with 2 boys one starting college in a year and the other starting pre-school. We are look to move to Pennsylvania we are looking for a good school district. We currently live in New York City, Manhattan.
My husband and I both were born and raised in New York City, and we both love our childhood in New York, however the City has changed some would say for the better and others would say for the worst, I happen to have lived through the 80’s where there was drugs and crime EVERY WHERE, now there is the same but in certain areas.
We are looking for a slower past of living and investing in a home we can both retire in.
We are currently looking at New construction homes from builders, LTS, Liberty, & RGB. We will be commuting from PA to NYC for a few years as both my husband and I work for the state of NY. I have been pointed to Monroe County, Middle Smithfield in particular, I DO NOT KNOW a thing about PA and would really welcome, appreciate, some advice and information as well cautions in regards to builders, school district and great place to live.
Ideally, we would like a nice, clean and safe area, 90 minutes give and take away from NYC, I am just not sure where to begin.
I'm feeling a little bit overwhelmed with where to start, My husband and I, are a young couple (34 & 45 years old) with 2 boys one starting college in a year and the other starting pre-school. We are look to move to Pennsylvania we are looking for a good school district. We currently live in New York City, Manhattan.
My husband and I both were born and raised in New York City, and we both love our childhood in New York, however the City has changed some would say for the better and others would say for the worst, I happen to have lived through the 80’s where there was drugs and crime EVERY WHERE, now there is the same but in certain areas.
We are looking for a slower past of living and investing in a home we can both retire in.
We are currently looking at New construction homes from builders, LTS, Liberty, & RGB. We will be commuting from PA to NYC for a few years as both my husband and I work for the state of NY. I have been pointed to Monroe County, Middle Smithfield in particular, I DO NOT KNOW a thing about PA and would really welcome, appreciate, some advice and information as well cautions in regards to builders, school district and great place to live.
Ideally, we would like a nice, clean and safe area, 90 minutes give and take away from NYC, I am just not sure where to begin.
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