Relo to PA? (Allentown, Scranton, East Stroudsburg: transplants, crime rates, house) - Northeastern Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania -Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pocono area - City-Data Forum

Mavany · 11-03-2007, 06:10 AM

Hi - My fiance and I are thinking or re-locating to PA (from NJ - we've only been here for 3 months but that's enough). I've been reading many of the posts about Stroudsburg, Poconos, Wilkes Barre, Scranton, and Allentown, and it seems that many of the PA/NJ border towns just are not safe. This is concerning to me as we are hoping to eventually start a family. Perhaps these towns are just in transition, as people from NY/NJ move westward to get out of the craziness that is NY/NJ. Does anyone know where I can find true statistics on crime rates, unemployment, size of police departments, etc? I know some of this info is on city-data, but I want more sources so I can get a better picture. I'm suprised to hear these towns have such high crimes rates because from what I understand taxes aren't exactly cheap. Also, what kind of community orgranizations are there to address some of these problems? Neighborhood watch groups? I found this link on the Stroudsburg Police Dept web site but was wondering if there are others in different towns? SARPD Frequently Asked Questions (http://www.sarpd.com/crimewatch.htm - broken link) I think people who live in a community have to have a certain commitment to the type of community they want to live, however, it seems with the border towns most people are commuting to NY/NJ for work, so they're not home during the day, and by the time they get home it's late and they need to take care of their family. If there were better jobs in these areas, perhaps things would change? I'm just speculating here and would love to hear what other people's thoughts are on this. It seems it's a problem in most of these towns, not just one.

ff18wife · 11-03-2007, 06:36 AM

You might want to check out Milford and surrounding area. I think it gives you a great variety of options. You can get a lot for your money out here also and there are 2 school districts (Wallenpaupack, which is further NW or Delaware Valley which is, like I said, Milford and surrounding area) that are awesome. It would also depend on what kind of work you do or any commuting. From here I think NYC is about 2 - 2 1/2 hrs on a good day.

Good luck with your search.

Where I am, we have 2 cops (Yes, I said just TWO)...very little crime activity that I'm aware of...1 fire dept w/2 locations...an awesome school district. I'm 20-25 mins from WalMart, KMart, Lowes, Home Depot and a whole slew of supermarkets.

Hope this helps!!

bldginpa · 11-03-2007, 06:52 AM

I think you would be better off looking in Pike County, which included Milford, as mentioned by ff18wife. I personally believe that the Stroudsburg area is becoming way too congested and not the small country town/city it used to be. There are also parts of Monroe County that are probably good to stay away from, ie. Mount Pocono. I think you will find Pike to be more rural in nature, larger property sizes, safer communities. Have you visited the area yet? A day trip to Milford will probably sell you....it's lovely.

builderforthepeople · 11-03-2007, 06:52 AM

Hi Mavany,
A good resource for relocating here is Pocono Relocation Guide
There you can search by county, and get many useful links.

About safety - almost no place is anymore, crime is everywhere. I have lived here all my life and I absolutly love it. I love the views, the convenience of having all of my needs met 10 minutes down the road although I live in a private, country setting. I love the locals and I love the transplants I've met. The taxes are not cheap, and consider that into your monthly budget when considering rent/mortgage, and also your heating costs.
I agree 100% that it is the responsibility of those living in a community to band together to make it a happy/safe place to live. Maybe you would prefer living in a gated/secure community with amenities for you and your future children would enjoy, such as in Arrowhead Lakes in Pocono Lake, www.arrowheadca.org
Another resource for is www.poconomtindustries.com (broken link)
Good luck to you, but the Pocono's welcomes you!

Chefkey · 11-03-2007, 12:06 PM

I live in Wilkes Barre where every one bashes as being high on crime. Having lived in Philly for eight years I can tell you that the area is really not that bad. Yes, you do need to be careful in some areas of the south section but it is mostly druggies hurting other druggies. The police force has recently added new officers and Mayor Tom Leighton is doing a great job revitilizing the area. I am close to almost any major store you can think of with a Mall in the same area as well, you are also a short easy drive into the wilderness for relaxation. The potential for this area to be great once again is coming fast.

Lilac17 · 11-30-2007, 12:32 PM

We just moved from the East Stroudsburg/Stroudsburg area to Missouri. DO NOT MOVE THERE!!! It is becoming so over populated by city people. The taxes are sky high because they have to build a new school every year. We had a little over and acre and the taxes were $4500. Crazy! The city people are bringing int he crime,vandalism and gangs. Just take a ride by the high school when school lets out, that should be enough to show you a good picture. We moved there in 1997 and it was beautiful..but now I would not even go to the grocery store after dark. Thank god we are outta there....

BLUEDIAMOND64 · 11-30-2007, 03:06 PM

Find an area with a good school district....and find a community where people are not commuting 2 states away and never home leaving their kids by themselves to take care of themselves. Eventually, this becomes everybody's problem.

karen_s · 11-30-2007, 07:27 PM

If you are considering a move here, go the extra mile to check out potential areas. Visit them during all different hours, during the week and on weekends. Go in the businesses near your potential house to see what "vibe" you get about it.

Ask lots of questions - many rural areas around the Poconos do not have any local police coverage and depend upon the State police, and that is terrible. The state police are stretched thin to begin with and they can't do a good job providing the local coverage. In Marshall's Creek, the business my brother was managing was broken into so many times - you just wouldn't believe. I think he had 25 to 30 break-ins in one year (it was a storage business).

Drive everywhere at different hours and check out the congestion and traffic patterns. Some of these can be quite miserable (Marshall's Creek light on a holiday weekend while the fire company's having a coin toss anyone?)

Lilac17 · 12-01-2007, 01:01 PM

Check out the news in the local "POCONO RECORD". There was an article yesterday about the gangs in the Stroudsburg/E.Stroudsburg area. There are more articles about the crime in Monroe County than anyone would want to read...

memoriesbre · 12-01-2007, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lilac17

We just moved from the East Stroudsburg/Stroudsburg area to Missouri. DO NOT MOVE THERE!!! It is becoming so over populated by city people. The taxes are sky high because they have to build a new school every year. We had a little over and acre and the taxes were $4500. Crazy! The city people are bringing int he crime,vandalism and gangs. Just take a ride by the high school when school lets out, that should be enough to show you a good picture. We moved there in 1997 and it was beautiful..but now I would not even go to the grocery store after dark. Thank god we are outta there....

Not all city people are criminals. There are troublemakers even out in the country getting drunk and starting fights and driving and killing innocent people on the roads.
Yes, it is very very crowed in the Stoudsburg area, but not everybody from the city are causing the problems.