Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
wow, phenomenal photos!! here's my question for people who have visited honesdale: the houses seem a bit clumped together. it reminds me a great deal of homes in Binghamton -- obviously not as congested -- but in the sense of majestic victorian styles with not much space between them beyond a driveway width. the main street also looks cluttered, a bit too tightly wound for my liking. or is it only the photos? or me? thanks.
We Moved To Nepa 4 Years Ago. Nice Home, But What A Wasteland Of An Area. We Are Surrounded By Lake Ariel, Hamlin In Wayne County And Greentown In Pike County. None Of These Places Have Any Sites Of Interest. Hamlin Has A Pitiful Weis Market With Narrow Aisles, A Dollar General And If I Need To See Something Different I Go To Shaffer's Hardware And Check Out Their Gift Dept. Both Hamlin And Lake Ariel Have A Few Restaurants And Nothing Else. To Get To Dickson City We Have To Travel For Approx 40 Min, Honesdale Is 30 Min Away. There Has Been A Rumor Since We Moved Here That Walmart Is Coming To Hamlin. I'll Believe It When I See It.......
I'm Hoping To Move Out Of Here Asap To A Place Where I Can Buy Fabric, Craft Supplies, Clothing, Etc. I'd Like A Decent Super Market To Shop In. Weis Just Changed Their Sale Schedule From Thurs To Wed. Well, As A Sr. Citizen, I Used To Get A Discount On Tuesday At That Store. Now By Tuesday, The Pickins Are Slim So I Won't Be Shopping On Tuesday Anymore And Thus Will Have To Give Up The Sr. Discount. Wonder What Rocket Scientist Thought That One Up. I Have To Laugh When The Local Rag Tell Us To Shop Locally At The Holidays - Well My Question Is Shop Where?
We Moved To Nepa 4 Years Ago. Nice Home, But What A Wasteland Of An Area. We Are Surrounded By Lake Ariel, Hamlin In Wayne County And Greentown In Pike County. None Of These Places Have Any Sites Of Interest. Hamlin Has A Pitiful Weis Market With Narrow Aisles, A Dollar General And If I Need To See Something Different I Go To Shaffer's Hardware And Check Out Their Gift Dept. Both Hamlin And Lake Ariel Have A Few Restaurants And Nothing Else. To Get To Dickson City We Have To Travel For Approx 40 Min, Honesdale Is 30 Min Away. There Has Been A Rumor Since We Moved Here That Walmart Is Coming To Hamlin. I'll Believe It When I See It.......
I'm Hoping To Move Out Of Here Asap To A Place Where I Can Buy Fabric, Craft Supplies, Clothing, Etc. I'd Like A Decent Super Market To Shop In. Weis Just Changed Their Sale Schedule From Thurs To Wed. Well, As A Sr. Citizen, I Used To Get A Discount On Tuesday At That Store. Now By Tuesday, The Pickins Are Slim So I Won't Be Shopping On Tuesday Anymore And Thus Will Have To Give Up The Sr. Discount. Wonder What Rocket Scientist Thought That One Up. I Have To Laugh When The Local Rag Tell Us To Shop Locally At The Holidays - Well My Question Is Shop Where?
Well, not to sound cynical, but isn't "getting away from it all" the BIGGEST reason why most people move to the Poconos? I'd advise NY/NJ transplants to NEPA that don't want to sacrifice urban essentials to move to either Stroudsburg or Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, as both are growing in terms of retail/dining/entertainment options. I had to chuckle at work a few months ago when a family from New York asked me how to get to the nearest Ikea! People who move here from NJ/NY are trading off higher taxes, higher housing costs, traffic congestion, etc. for literally being in the "boonies" in most parts of the Poconos. I can't have too much sympathy for people who move to NEPA on a whim without first doing a "pros" and "cons" list to determine if the benefits of a lower cost-of-living and slower pace of life outweigh the negatives of moving to an area where you have to drive 30-40 minutes for everything.
I'm sorry that you're unhappy in the Hamlin area. My boyfriend lives in Sterling Township, Wayne County, and it's likewise a drag to have to drive so far from my home here in the city to pick him up and bring him back up here to enjoy a night out on the town all the time. Nevertheless, he lives in a 100-year-old farmhouse on a large lot with beautiful birch trees all around him---at times I wonder what it would be like to live somewhere (at least for a few years) where you hear birds chirping instead of the roar of tractor-trailers on the 81 freeway which is spitting distance from your porch or the roar of airplanes overhead as they circle for a landing at the nearby airport.
If you want to still live in a quiet area that is more convenient to Scranton/Dickson City, then why not consider the North Pocono area? You can be in Moosic/Montage Mountain in about 15-20 minutes via Route 502 and about the same length of time to Scranton via I-380/I-81. I always liked the Mt. Cobb area, along with Elmhurst and Moscow. These areas are going to be growing by leaps and bounds in another 5-10 years once the growth in the Pocono Mountain School District begins to spill over, but for now they remain a nice place to live.
An extreme alternative would be to move into the heart of Scranton, as I intend to do, so I can be literally just a 5-10 minute WALK from anything I'd ever need. Scranton has a nefarious reputation that is truly undeserved. 90% of the city feels like a small town that functions independently of the city proper simply because they WERE independent towns (Hyde Park, Providence, Minooka, etc.) before they were annexed by the city's growth in the earlier 1900s. My own area of Greater Pittston is becoming a popular commuter area as well because we're the midpoint of the metro area---I live right off Exit 175 of I-81 and can be in Downtown Scranton or Downtown Wilkes-Barre in 15 minutes or less. Montage Mountain is under 10 minutes away. Wilkes-Barre Township is under 10 minutes away. The Back Mountain and Dickson City are each about 20 minutes away. You can't get much more convenient than here (even though the traffic congestion has only been deteriorating with each passing year).
In whatever you choose, I wish you the best of luck! There are a lot of options available to live happily in NEPA without the hectic drive.
We Moved To Nepa 4 Years Ago. Nice Home, But What A Wasteland Of An Area. We Are Surrounded By Lake Ariel, Hamlin In Wayne County And Greentown In Pike County. None Of These Places Have Any Sites Of Interest. Hamlin Has A Pitiful Weis Market With Narrow Aisles, A Dollar General And If I Need To See Something Different I Go To Shaffer's Hardware And Check Out Their Gift Dept. Both Hamlin And Lake Ariel Have A Few Restaurants And Nothing Else. To Get To Dickson City We Have To Travel For Approx 40 Min, Honesdale Is 30 Min Away. There Has Been A Rumor Since We Moved Here That Walmart Is Coming To Hamlin. I'll Believe It When I See It.......
I'm Hoping To Move Out Of Here Asap To A Place Where I Can Buy Fabric, Craft Supplies, Clothing, Etc. I'd Like A Decent Super Market To Shop In. Weis Just Changed Their Sale Schedule From Thurs To Wed. Well, As A Sr. Citizen, I Used To Get A Discount On Tuesday At That Store. Now By Tuesday, The Pickins Are Slim So I Won't Be Shopping On Tuesday Anymore And Thus Will Have To Give Up The Sr. Discount. Wonder What Rocket Scientist Thought That One Up. I Have To Laugh When The Local Rag Tell Us To Shop Locally At The Holidays - Well My Question Is Shop Where?
I find it funny that what you call a "wasteland of an area" is what I call my hometown, which is a beautiful, scenic area, and most of the people that live here like it that way. Did you bother to spend a few weeks in the area before you decided to move here and take note of what shopping is available in the immediate area? A better choice for you might have been Dickson City, where you could shop to your heart's content every day of the week.
P.S. The pickins at Weis are slim because all the NYer's coming up to their vacation homes clean out the grocery stores on the weekends in the summer! You would swear they never saw food before.
We Moved To Nepa 4 Years Ago. Nice Home, But What A Wasteland Of An Area. We Are Surrounded By Lake Ariel, Hamlin In Wayne County And Greentown In Pike County. None Of These Places Have Any Sites Of Interest. Hamlin Has A Pitiful Weis Market With Narrow Aisles, A Dollar General And If I Need To See Something Different I Go To Shaffer's Hardware And Check Out Their Gift Dept. Both Hamlin And Lake Ariel Have A Few Restaurants And Nothing Else. To Get To Dickson City We Have To Travel For Approx 40 Min, Honesdale Is 30 Min Away. There Has Been A Rumor Since We Moved Here That Walmart Is Coming To Hamlin. I'll Believe It When I See It.......
I'm Hoping To Move Out Of Here Asap To A Place Where I Can Buy Fabric, Craft Supplies, Clothing, Etc. I'd Like A Decent Super Market To Shop In. Weis Just Changed Their Sale Schedule From Thurs To Wed. Well, As A Sr. Citizen, I Used To Get A Discount On Tuesday At That Store. Now By Tuesday, The Pickins Are Slim So I Won't Be Shopping On Tuesday Anymore And Thus Will Have To Give Up The Sr. Discount. Wonder What Rocket Scientist Thought That One Up. I Have To Laugh When The Local Rag Tell Us To Shop Locally At The Holidays - Well My Question Is Shop Where?
I really feel bad for you, but didn't you check the area out before you moved? Sounds like paradise to me. You really should have done your homework before moving. There are so many other places in NE PA that would have fit the bill. Good luck to you.
To Greentown. Another Issue I Have With The Hamlin Weis Is The Narrow Aisles Where Only One Person With A Shopping Cart Can Move Through At A Time. I Personally Feel It's A Fire Hazard. I Just Can't Get Accostomed To The 'rural' Nature Of The Area. I Can't Plant Anything Because The Deer Eat Everything. The Community We Moved To Does Not Allow Fences. All I Want Is A Garden, A Nice House To Spend The Rest Of My Retirement Years In. My Husband Spent Many Years In The Area With Our Son On Weekends. He Likes The Area But It Is Not What I Want. Can't Afford To Go Back To Nj So May Go Out To Western Pa To Be Near One Of Our 4 Children.
Marni, I agree with all the other posters...I can't imagine what you were expecting. When I moved here, I knew just what I was getting into. Calling this area a wasteland boggles my mind, I still am in awe of the beauty that surrounds me and I have lived here almost 14 years.
I shop in Weis almost exclusively and I have no cpmplaints. As far as it being a fire hazzard, if there ever was a fire, you should be able to get through the isles without your cart. If you plan on running out with your cart, I can see that being a problem.
As far as growing a garden with a fence around it, most of the communities that don't allow fences will allow a chicken wire fence for a garden. Don't expect to keep the animals out by a fence! I find that growing my tomatoes in a big pot high up on my deck has worked for me.
If you are still unhappy after 4 years, I would suggest moving somewhere else, but do your research first and visit and shop before you buy!!
Can someone tell me where the Y is in Honesdale? We moved from NW NJ a few months ago and gave up our Y membership out there b/c of the distance. Would possibly consider rejoining out here. Thanks.
Go to the end of Main Street, cross the bridge, and make an immediate right (this would be the right at the light, going away from the hospital, not towards it). Follow that road a few blocks down, park in the parking lot on your right before you reach the small bridge. The YMCA is across the street from that parking lot.
I do most of my shopping at weis in hamlin too. I dont love it by any means, but it gets the job done. They actually redid the whole store maybe 3 or 4 years ago, it was quite grimey before that. And we used to have an Ames in town, wasnt great but again when you needed something at least it was there. I'm young with a young family, and as much as I despise having to drive a half hour for anything I need or want to do, it's a fine compramise in my eyes to get to live somewhere so scenic as around here. The views from some spots around here are amazing.
As for the fencing we live in a community with that rule too and alot of people use chicken wire. You may live in the same community as us they are quite sticklers about silly stuff in here.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Nepa Transplant
People who move here from NJ/NY are trading off higher taxes, higher housing costs, traffic congestion, etc. for literally being in the "boonies" in most parts of the Poconos. I can't have too much sympathy for people who move to NEPA on a whim without first doing a "pros" and "cons" list to determine if the benefits of a lower cost-of-living and slower pace of life outweigh the negatives of moving to an area where you have to drive 30-40 minutes for everything. 
There are a lot of options available to live happily in NEPA without the hectic drive.
Didn't you check the area out before you moved?
