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I live in Wilkes-Barre and have lived here all my life. I acknowledge that it certainly has it's problems but I love this city. The people who live here, for the most part, are good people. OP's wife already has a job offer here and I suspect OP would be able to secure a job here as well. There are opportunities here for people with the right qualifications.
We have many historic homes in the city, some of which are for sale in the OP's price range. Wilkes-Barre is rich in history and pride. We have:
-two universities
-a wonderful library system
-beautiful architecture
-a first rate theater
-an up and coming downtown area
-a magnificent riverfront area with walking trails and many events held throughout the year
-a city park that is 52 acres which hosts dozens of events every year
-YMCA which is a core part of our community. From hosting various summer events to serving the community, I don't know how the city would look without the local Y
-close access to major highways taking you most anywhere you can think of
-a vibrant local arts and culture scene
Many of us are working hard to make Wilkes-Barre an even better place to live. I know several people who have relocated here with their families. ALL of them say this city is a good place to raise a family.
Acknowledging the good of this city does not negate the bad. It simply reminds me, and others, that this place is worth fighting for because the good certainly outweighs the bad.
OP, I'm not sure if Wilkes-Barre is what you are looking for or not. I suspect, based on yours posts, you and your wife would find the city to your liking, especially if you have children. I have young children and trust me, they do not lack for activities here.
Not moving to the Wilkes area is not an option. We WILL be moving to the W-B area in the next 3-6 months.
I actually am interested in some rather random things like, what's the cut for pre-school (date and age)? Wisconsin has 4yo pre-school, does PA have that, too? In Wisconsin, alcohol is only sold in stores from 8am to 9pm, is there anything similar in PA? Are there dry counties? Is smoking allowed in resturaunts?
We are not native to Wisconsin, we've been in Madison since 2006. My wife is from Lansing, Michigan and I am from Detroit. We don't live 'in the city' but in a small town with rural feel 20 minutes away from Madison. That's what we like. We are in our early 30's and own and restored a house in the National Register of Historic Homes. We're mainly looking to avoid areas of high crime but looking at crime statistic websites, there's not that much. This is not the only venue I am looking for advice but still casting a wide net for information. Kraft will provide real estate assistance but I would like some help from someone who won't be cashing in on my decision(s). Having the SWB Yankees in the area is an advantage in my book.
My wife will be taking a somewhat high-level position within the company, otherwise we would not be moving. A 30-40k job is what I would want. I probably wouldn't need to work but want to. Something in management would work. Being in Employment Relations I can handle responsibilities of supervision. Worst case scenario, I get a part-time job somewhere.
Thank you for your responses. I value them but still take many of them with a grain of salt.
Welcome to the area, like anywhere it is what you make of it. Most of the negativity comes from people who have never lived anywhere else in their life so as the area changes they get upset. My wife and I grew up here and moved away after college to follow my career. A while ago we had the opportunity to come back and do not regret it in the least. We have a nice house in Kingston that cost at most 75% of what it would elsewhere, while the wyoming valley west school district is not the best we are active in our childrens education and feel they are being well prepared for the future. Pre school is not offered thru the normal school districts, my youngest turned 5 in June and will be starting kindergarden this fall, we have paid for him to go to a private pre school for the past 2 years. Spirts and wine are only sold in state owned stores, some do not have Sunday sales, beer can be bought at independant distributers.
I wouldn't worry about finding a job if you are not too concerned about the field, I was a HR manager for 3 years followed by 12 years in operations management. The company I worked for for 15 years shut down the local plant 2 years ago in the height of the recession, I was offerd another transfer but we decided to stay in the area instead of moving again. It took me 33 days to find a new career, I decided to give up manufacturing and go into distribution. There are a lot of DCs around here and they all need supervisors and managers, where I work the supervisors get between 45-60K per year + bonus, managers 20-20% more than that and my place pays on the lower side of average for sups/managers.
Let me know if you have any other questions, we really like it here, I've turned down 1 promotion at my new(er) job that would require a relocation so it's not that bad!
Welcome to the area, like anywhere it is what you make of it. Most of the negativity comes from people who have never lived anywhere else in their life so as the area changes they get upset. My wife and I grew up here and moved away after college to follow my career. A while ago we had the opportunity to come back and do not regret it in the least. We have a nice house in Kingston that cost at most 75% of what it would elsewhere, while the wyoming valley west school district is not the best we are active in our childrens education and feel they are being well prepared for the future. Pre school is not offered thru the normal school districts, my youngest turned 5 in June and will be starting kindergarden this fall, we have paid for him to go to a private pre school for the past 2 years. Spirts and wine are only sold in state owned stores, some do not have Sunday sales, beer can be bought at independant distributers.
I wouldn't worry about finding a job if you are not too concerned about the field, I was a HR manager for 3 years followed by 12 years in operations management. The company I worked for for 15 years shut down the local plant 2 years ago in the height of the recession, I was offerd another transfer but we decided to stay in the area instead of moving again. It took me 33 days to find a new career, I decided to give up manufacturing and go into distribution. There are a lot of DCs around here and they all need supervisors and managers, where I work the supervisors get between 45-60K per year + bonus, managers 20-20% more than that and my place pays on the lower side of average for sups/managers.
Let me know if you have any other questions, we really like it here, I've turned down 1 promotion at my new(er) job that would require a relocation so it's not that bad!
my negativity comes from being raised here and really liking it in the 60's then moving away for 30 years to a resort and suburban area that was wonderful and then returning to what used to be nice towns and finding that so much in those towns have deteriorated plus comparing this state to a state that constantly upgrades
i know what this area had and could have again except for its apathy and increased corruption.
yes there are some nice people here,but as for raising a family i would not venture off the back mountain or mountain top to do so---sadly the most attractive victorians are on river rd,wilkes barre,and west pittston,forty fort,wyoming--an area that needs flood insurance,and until the dikes are stabilized a boat in your garage
I must admire how the following passage was written.
"Wilkes-Barre itself can be sketchy in spots, and in light of the changing demographic, the school system is having some problems with rival groups. But you need to look around."
The truth is the area is having a growing problem with illegal Hispanics coming here from NJ and NY. "Rival groups" is more or less real estate agent lingo for gang violence over turf wars to deal drugs. And as far as school system's having "some problems", I don't consider a machete attack almost severing another students hand to be taken lightly. Once again, read local papers that post on line.
the major drug problems are not from the SMALL hispanic groups the meth,crack crowd,convenience store theives are white trash druggies and the "gang" violence are philly and ny NON HISPANIC transplants
It makes no difference where you live, ultimately there will be a crime committed. Yes, crime has increased here. AS it has everywhere. The poor economy may play a small part, but much is drug-related. Dealers in a buy gone bad, users in their quest for $$ to buy more drugs. And that is not unique to NEPA. If you're not involved in the drug trade, you don't have an above-average chance of being involved.
Bean said it well. The COL is less than most large cities. The Wyoming Valley West SD is not the best in the area, but involvement at home is of the utmost in your child's school experience. Two of my sons graduated from WVW and are doing very well in life. While there is no pre-K, there is a Catholic school that offers it. Tuition is high, but two of my grands attended and loved it.
Jobs are what they are. Some are not easy to find, but that doesn't mean there are none. If you're in a position to be patient while you look, as you indicated you can afford to be, that's a big plus.
All of the small towns that surround the city proper are nice places to live. Not far from all the shopping you could need or want.
The spectacular natural attractions will give you plenty to do as a family once that new baby is ready.
Not moving to the Wilkes area is not an option. We WILL be moving to the W-B area in the next 3-6 months.
I actually am interested in some rather random things like, what's the cut for pre-school (date and age)? Wisconsin has 4yo pre-school, does PA have that, too? In Wisconsin, alcohol is only sold in stores from 8am to 9pm, is there anything similar in PA? Are there dry counties? Is smoking allowed in resturaunts?
We are not native to Wisconsin, we've been in Madison since 2006. My wife is from Lansing, Michigan and I am from Detroit. We don't live 'in the city' but in a small town with rural feel 20 minutes away from Madison. That's what we like. We are in our early 30's and own and restored a house in the National Register of Historic Homes. We're mainly looking to avoid areas of high crime but looking at crime statistic websites, there's not that much. This is not the only venue I am looking for advice but still casting a wide net for information. Kraft will provide real estate assistance but I would like some help from someone who won't be cashing in on my decision(s). Having the SWB Yankees in the area is an advantage in my book.
My wife will be taking a somewhat high-level position within the company, otherwise we would not be moving. A 30-40k job is what I would want. I probably wouldn't need to work but want to. Something in management would work. Being in Employment Relations I can handle responsibilities of supervision. Worst case scenario, I get a part-time job somewhere.
Thank you for your responses. I value them but still take many of them with a grain of salt.
Besides Head Start, preschool is not offered in the public school system. But there are many private preschools around here.
There are no dry counties in PA, that I know of, but we do have state liquor stores. You can look at this link: Store Locations for more information though the great majority of them close at 9pm Monday-Saturday with a few open 12-5 on Sundays.
Smoking is not allowed in most restaurants but there are a high percentage of smokers in our area. Smoking is allowed in bar/restaurants where less than 20% of the business is food-related.
Wilkes-Barre city has a definite urban feel. However, within 10-15 minutes you can be in the country via the highway. Heck, Laurel Run is reached via Northampton Street. Literally one minute you are in the city, the next in the country.
Crimes in Wilkes-Barre: Theft related offenses take up the majority of crimes committed in our area. That encompasses stealing a flag from someone's porch to stealing someone's car. Homicide is less than 1% of the total crimes committed. I will caution you also that most (if not all) of the homicides committed are NOT random acts of violence.
There are a few historic homes for sale in downtown Wilkes-Barre that do not require restoration. If you'd like more information, let me know.
I'm happy to help with anything else you may need!
my negativity comes from being raised here and really liking it in the 60's then moving away for 30 years to a resort and suburban area that was wonderful and then returning to what used to be nice towns and finding that so much in those towns have deteriorated plus comparing this state to a state that constantly upgrades
i know what this area had and could have again except for its apathy and increased corruption.
yes there are some nice people here,but as for raising a family i would not venture off the back mountain or mountain top to do so---sadly the most attractive victorians are on river rd,wilkes barre,and west pittston,forty fort,wyoming--an area that needs flood insurance,and until the dikes are stabilized a boat in your garage
i believe with the exception of one or two most of the posters live in the valley--wilkes-barre included
Thank you for your answer, but I'd like to hear it from the horse's mouth, so to speak.
Living in the valley is not the same as living in Wilkes-Barre. I've found most people who live in the valley, but not Wilkes-Barre, haven't a very clear or correct picture of WB.
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