Will I be bored out of my mind if I move to NEPA? (Monroe: real estate, rental)

[evelina420]

We are considering buying in NEPA - found a house in Pocono Mountain Lake Estates (567) that we like. My husband will be commuting to NY but only 1-4 times a week. I will be staying home with our 2 year old. But now Im thinking if I'll be okay living there, coming from NYC - and is it even good for the child to be away form society. The house we like is 30 minutes from the store/town, 25 min to the school and pretty secluded - I dont think there are many neighbors within walking distance. I will pretty much have to drive everywhere... never dealt with that before. How do I deal with food shopping? What do I do all day? What about my kid? Will he be bored out of his mind?

My question really is - what do people, kids do there?

[Wells5]

The private communities in the Pike/Monroe area were built to be 2nd homes for folks from the NYC area. As NYC rental costs escalated and schools and social conditions deteriorated, many folks decided to move into PA full time and commute to work. These lake communities were built way outside of the towns because land was cheaper there and most city folks wanted to get away from the urban scene at least for the weekend. If you are used to the amenities of the big city and aren't inclined to entertaining yourselves, living full time in an isolated Pocono community will be boring and even monotonous.

That doesn't mean that you can't make friends with the locals in your community and nearby. Certainly if your child attends the local public school, you'll meet other parents who may have similar interests. So if you really want to get away, give rural life a try but know in advance what you can expect.

[PAhippo]

yup-what wells5 said.

but 2 yr olds are never bored. There will be all kinds of stuff for someone that age. A lot of it not involving electricity.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by evelina420

We are considering buying in NEPA - found a house in Pocono Mountain Lake Estates (567) that we like. My husband will be commuting to NY but only 1-4 times a week. I will be staying home with our 2 year old. But now Im thinking if I'll be okay living there, coming from NYC - and is it even good for the child to be away form society. The house we like is 30 minutes from the store/town, 25 min to the school and pretty secluded - I dont think there are many neighbors within walking distance. I will pretty much have to drive everywhere... never dealt with that before. How do I deal with food shopping? What do I do all day? What about my kid? Will he be bored out of his mind?

My question really is - what do people, kids do there?

They play with the neighborhood bear, climb 100 foot trees and jump their bikes off of dirt mounds.

Yout kid will be fine, get them a bike when they get older. She/he will find friends at school.

As far as the food goes you can plan for going to the store once every week or so, it's not ideal but freeze meats etc.

As for yourself what are you interested in? Gardening, if you're in rural area the sky is the limit. We have 30 tomatoes plants alone. There is lot to do in this area if you're interested in outdoor activities.

[Irish Eyes]

What about the area appeals to you? If the only answer is cheap real estate the area is not for you!

[theatergypsy]

You've already said it - you're going to be bored out of your mind. People live here because they were born here and it's the life they know, or they came here because they were tired of the crush of the Big City.

I have family living in Monroe County in what is a rural neighborhood. They are very active and involved in a variety of stuff. When they go food shopping, they go with a list and a plan. When you know what you're making for a week's worth of meals, you buy what you need. Forget running to the convenient every time you want a bag of chips or a 40 oz.

You can adapt or you can miss the hustle and bustle. Doesn't make you a bad person. The quiet life isn't for everyone. You can tell by the number of empty houses in the Pocono communities. A lot of people came and were captivated by the natural beauty, the lack of traffic, the lower housing costs/taxes. But the commute was a killer and when you grow up jumping on a bus/subway/cab, it can be hard to adjust to the sound of crickets and driving everywhere.

I hope you'll come to love it, but we won't hold against you if you don't.

That's why, when people come here and ask about this area or that, I tell them to find a rental and live here to see if it's really their cuppa tea.

[ecoscape]

If you like outdoors this is HEAVEN, I found to not have enough time to do all the thing I want to/hiking,biking,kayaking etc.

[charmed hour]

Originally Posted by evelina420

We are considering buying in NEPA - found a house in Pocono Mountain Lake Estates (567) that we like. My husband will be commuting to NY but only 1-4 times a week. I will be staying home with our 2 year old. But now Im thinking if I'll be okay living there, coming from NYC - and is it even good for the child to be away form society. The house we like is 30 minutes from the store/town, 25 min to the school and pretty secluded - I dont think there are many neighbors within walking distance. I will pretty much have to drive everywhere... never dealt with that before. How do I deal with food shopping? What do I do all day? What about my kid? Will he be bored out of his mind?

My question really is - what do people, kids do there?

I, too, came from NYC but minus a child. I'm located relatively far from stores, etc. The closest large supermarket is nearly 20 miles. I've always been one to shop just once a month working from a running list I keep so I don't have concerns about having to shop every week or every 2 weeks. If I run out of bread or milk I just run a couple miles up the road (like 7 lol) to the gas station.

As far as being bored, I don't like hustle and bustle and don't need to be kept constantly busy or entertained. I'm loving kicking back in my yard on the weekends with a book and enjoying the quiet. I would think since you have a little one, you'd want to socialize him a bit. Maybe some Mommy and Me type stuff, pre-school or join the YMCA.

[evelina420]

Well I love the outdoors and I myself am fine not being social all the time, like the quiet.. Im perfectly fine with my own company. I mostly worry for my son - I know he can keep himself busy and there is a ton other stuff to do there that involves the outdoors which i think is actually better but I worry about the lack of people conact for him, lack of friends - its not liek he can go to the playground and play with friends... even in the neighborhood/community you have to drive over to other kids' houses.

I also dont think I would mind driving everywhere but the cost of gas does worry me.. we arent rich and it makes me think I will spend a ton on gasoline just because i have to drive everywhere.... thoughts?

And yes, the food shopping worries me too - just so different I guess. What do you guys do for fresh produce? Its not like you can stack up on tomatos or avocado - they will go bad...

[charmed hour]

Originally Posted by evelina420

Well I love the outdoors and I myself am fine not being social all the time, like the quiet.. Im perfectly fine with my own company. I mostly worry for my son - I know he can keep himself busy and there is a ton other stuff to do there that involves the outdoors which i think is actually better but I worry about the lack of people conact for him, lack of friends - its not liek he can go to the playground and play with friends... even in the neighborhood/community you have to drive over to other kids' houses.

I also dont think I would mind driving everywhere but the cost of gas does worry me.. we arent rich and it makes me think I will spend a ton on gasoline just because i have to drive everywhere.... thoughts?

And yes, the food shopping worries me too - just so different I guess. What do you guys do for fresh produce? Its not like you can stack up on tomatos or avocado - they will go bad...

Driving to see friends or the get to the park is the norm in PA. You'll get used to it.

Oh, I underestimated my gas usage when we first bought. My car is great on gas but I do commute to NYC for work 2-3 times per week. Gas and tolls is around $400 just for that. I spend another $100 or so with weekend "running". That being said, gas is cheaper than NYC prices and I stop in Jersey and save even more.

I have a Farmer's Market held on Saturdays so I get my produce for the week than. Not all of it will go bad within the week. i try to buy some stuff slightly under-ripened- like tomatoes and avocados. You actually can freeze a tomato, you just have to use it from frozen- can't defrost it. I also have a small garden in my yard- tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, broccoli, green beans and lettuce.