Will I be bored out of my mind if I move to NEPA? (Pittsburgh: house, employment)

[evelina420]

Where is the farmers market around the Milford/Dingmans Ferrry area?

[jimazee]

Learn to shop a couple times a week, Pick up odds and ends when out for other purposes.

Be prepared to try things you haven't done (or much of) before.

Meet similarly inclined people through social gatherings and the kids' activities.

BE SURE you can get decent TV and Internet service where you plan to be...

[Wells5]

Originally Posted by evelina420

Where is the farmers market around the Milford/Dingmans Ferrry area?

There are farmers' markets in Stroudsburg, East Stroudsburg, Port Jervis, NY and Hawley. Click for the link to the Port Jervis one. Tri State Farmers Market - Port Jervis, NY | Local-Farmers-Markets.Com There are also individual farm stands located along the roads especially in New Jersey.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by evelina420

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...

What the hell is avacodo? LOL... couldn't help myself.

Other than tomatoes and fresh fruit we keep most things in the fridge. You get a week out of most tomatoes and most fresh fruit.

I mentioned gardening as something to do, you could take up canning too. There is nothing on this planet that beats opening a jar of tomatoes in the middle of the winter you canned yourself. The climate here is ideal for growing tomatoes and they taste fantastic, even canned.

[Chefkey]

This whole conversation sort of LOLs me.

Shopping here is no different than Albuquerque. No matter where you go, there you are. I once caught a Bear with my bare hands and butchered it with an old nail but that is just me.

Sure if you live out in Wyalusing be prepared to drive an hour and a half round trip to Dickson City. There is everything there plus a Wegman's. You won't go hungry but I still have some Bear in the freezer if you are desperate

[toobusytoday]

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?

We moved a couple of times when we had young children and never close to anyone we knew. One of the first things I always did was find the local library and register for any childrens programs. This looks like a good size library not too far from you: EMPL: Children's Services The Delaware township one in Dingmans Ferry may technically be your home library but it looks pretty small. You'll probably want to go there too. You'll meet other Mom's that most likely are looking for friends. Many people find friends at churches.

[mathjak107]

We live in nyc and since we like hunting and fishing we thought we would like nepa.

So we bought a 2nd home in a development in lake wallenpaupack.

We thought we would eventually retire there.

After 5 years we had second thoughts. There really wasn't alot to do all winter if you don't want to ski.

We found we exhausted all the things in the area to do early on and while we still loved the area we no longer could see us retiring there and sold the house last year.

There were quite a few issues that became important after the novelty wore off.

No public transportation if you can't drive,everything is 20 minutes even if you need milk or something.

Compared to nyc medical facility choices were very limited.

If you ever wanted to go back to work there was very little employment in the area other than min wage.

We realized we really do want the excitement of the city after all.

[bloominscranton]

I started making pickles for the first time ever this summer. Everyone in my small circle loves them. My gf gave me mason jars and bought everything else. I am going to attempt canning for the first time. Wish me luck! I have yet to run out of things to do here, it is just whether I feel like dragging my butt out and bundling up to do them!

[PAhippo]

basically, evelina, it depends on you.
If you're the type of person who needs/wants to be entertained, you probably will be bored. For that type of person, fewer people means less to do.

If you can find things to do on your own, you'll be fine. There will be a period of adjustment of course, until your mindset changes.

[SteelCityRising]

I grew up in the suburbs of Scranton where nature was literally on my doorstep, and I now live within walking distance of Downtown Pittsburgh. We don't see rabbits or squirrels. Pigeons have replaced robins and blue jays. We have a trashy neighbor who blasts rap music out of his car around midnight almost everyday when he parallel parks. A loud bus is driving by right now and is nearly shaking our rowhome.

Even with all of these annoyances, though, I find city living preferable to suburban or rural living. Being amongst the concrete makes us appreciate nature even more when we enjoy our "escapes" to Erie, West Virginia, or the Laurel Highlands to hike, trail-run, bird-watch, kayak, etc. Being immersed in the country for just a few days is therapeutic, and we don't take the scenery for granted like many of those who live there 24/7 do.

I love the convenience of urban living and wouldn't trade it. There's something to be said for being able to step out your front door and walk to see an off-Broadway performance of RENT, eat at Hard Rock Cafe, see a professional sports game, take in a Justin Timberlake concert, be entertained by street performers, enjoy an ethnic food festival, grab a few margaritas at a patio bar on a nice day, etc. without the hassle of traffic and parking driving into the city from the suburbs or rural countryside. The public services in the city are also often much better (albeit paid for via higher taxes). Anytime I've had to call 911 emergency responders arrived within a minute. Our sanitation workers pick up anything and everything. Our roads are pristinely plowed in the winter. I could conceivably live sans car here and spend the money I save on gasoline, a car payment, insurance, maintenance, etc. on splurging on city life (with renting a car an option for country getaways).

Everyone is different. I'd rather have the allure of the city 350 days per year with the other 15 days devoted to country getaways for agricultural fairs, nature hikes, boating, etc. Some would rather die than ever set foot in a city as small as Scranton. Different strokes for different folks. Just be prepared to drive A LOT when you move to NEPA. Mass transit, even in the "big city" of Scranton, is a joke.