Considering Kingston 2014 (Wilkes-Barre, Chester, Back Mountain: cul-de-sac, real estate, renting)

[dogscats&chickens34]

Hello All, I had posted a few days ago regarding our move, this summer to NEPA for jobs at Geisinger WB. We have kids going into 9th and 6th grades, so we were steered to Dallas and Abington school districts...but someone at Geisinger brought up a different option - a nice, older home in Kingston at much less cost than Dallas or Clarks Summit, and the possibility of the Wyoming Seminary school (we are told they are generous with financial aid esp. if you have more than 1 child attending). What if we save money on housing and put it into a private school?

After reading older threads about Kingston, here's what appeals to us: Older homes with charm and sidewalks. Affordable housing. Professors and gay couples=open minded folk. Proximity to WB downtown and shopping. Maybe not having to drive great distances for everything?

Worries: (aside from not being able to afford Wyoming Sem!) Is there a genuine flood risk in Kingston? Is it safe for my kids to walk and ride bikes in the town? Resale of house down the line in a not-so-great public school system? Also, smaller yards (we have 2 dogs).

This Kingston option is a whole new way of thinking -- can anyone, especially those living in Kingston currently or recently, direct us in this decision?

And I will be painfully honest here...one of my worries about Dallas or Abington areas was being isolated in a cul-de-sac filled with Stepford wives. We don't need the McMansion....just decent, welcoming neighbors who might want to come over for dinner and conversation sometime.

Many thanks in advance for some honest insight!

[Wells5]

Kingston is still subject to flooding. In 2011, Tropical Storm Lee's waters came very close to spilling over the dikes. The tuition plus fees at Wyoming Seminary for day students is around $25,000 per year and it increases every year. If you do qualify for financial aid, the amount of aid may not be very great and you will still have to foot a large tuition bill.

Many residents of Kingston are from families who have lived in the town for generations. You are more likely to find welcoming neighbors in the Dallas area.

[theatergypsy]

Kingston is a nice town. I live in the next town - Forty Fort. Flooding, depending on where you settle, is a possibility, but since the levee was constructed, and raised, the danger has been minimized.

There are some areas that would make a walk to the grocery store a possibility. A short drive will take you to all the shopping you want.

Bike riding and walking around the neighborhoods is okay.

Wyoming Sem has an upper and a lower school. Your ninth grader would be in the Upper School and tuition there is almost $25,000. for day students. Your sixth grader would be in the Lower School, which is in Forty Fort, and that tuition runs around $20,000. including fees and in-school lunches.

Two of my sons attended Wyoming Valley West schools and came out with a good education. We very much focused on striving for excellence and an involved parent is important, no matter where your child is enrolled.

The streets in the upper end of town borders Forty Fort and is less-commercial than the lower end which borders Edwardsville and a couple of shopping centers.

The drive to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Hospital is an easy one. I'm assuming you're going to be at the hospital and not one of the satellites.

As for resale, who can say? The school district could get better; the neighborhood could get worse. Kingston is one of the more stable neighborhoods but perhaps you might consider renting for a year to determine what is the best fit for you and your family.

As an aside, I had to chuckle at your "Stepford Wives" concern.

[dogscats&chickens34]

Thank you both for the good information. I had also just checked the tuition of Wyoming Sem and came away pretty shocked. We may fill out the financial aid form just to see the result and continue to gather information. When the weather is nicer we plan to come up for a weekend and do a lot of walking around in different neighborhoods. Do residents of Kingston and Forty Fort carry flood insurance?
We will both be at the hospital. Liked the idea of short commute to work and shop.
Have heard that the WB Wegmans is great.
Again, thanks, this is very helpful.

[Chefkey]

I would say to check the area first by picking some real estate listings and then taking a trip out. This is just my opinion but I was never a big fan, I have tried to like it because people here talk so highly of it. We looked at houses in Kingston and while some of the streets are very nice, they are skinny and lack parking and if traffic is coming you have to be careful when stepping out of your car. The yards are small and the houses are right on top of each other. I have seen this first hand but you can even see this in google maps if you look. The main living section is flat and landlocked by the 309 Dallas Memorial Highway to the North, the river to the east, busy Market Street to the South and busy route 11 Wyoming Ave to the West. High curbs, big sidewalks and tight streets, yes they are tree lined and most of the house are very nice and well kept.

Near the river seems the nicest but obviously the most dangerous for possible flooding but they did put in a very nice levee and there is a great section of Nesbitt Park on the North side of Market. It is the boat loading ramp area and there is a jogging trail and many several hundred year old trees on the lawn next to the river. It is very beautiful and I like to take my dogs there. Still though, I find it congested and not easy to get in and out of and other than the nice streets there really isn't a view of anything. No woods or nature, or the skyline or the river. All you see when you are in the neighborhood is the closely built houses packed against each other. Sure it looks nice but I wouldn't want to live there for all the reasons I mentioned as I think they outweigh the positives.

This of course is only one opinion and I think I am in the minority. I just thought I would give you a differing view of what to expect.

[theatergypsy]

dogs, there is a Catholic high school just across the river in Wilkes-Barre. The tuition is $6,200.

Your sixth grader's Middle School is on Chester Street in Kingston, in the Wyoming Valley West S.D. There's also a Catholic school that goes to eighth grade a few miles up from Kingston - Wyoming Area Catholic. I'm not sure of the tuition there.

HTH

[NEPA Guy]

As a born and bred Kingstonian I can say that Kingston is a very nice town. You will certainly not feel isolated in Kingston and the charm and unique homes are really something I love about it. I love walking or biking around and have always felt safe (even as I ventured out in the middle of the night during my teenage years). You won't find acres of land, but more than enough for your dogs. Also, I would say these smaller lots are what help foster the feeling the community you are looking for. Kingston offers amenities such as parks, a pool, and a recreation center. The proximity to Wilkes-Barre is definitely a plus as it is never a hassle to enjoy the shopping and activities in the city.

As a recent grad, I can say Wyoming Valley West is an adequate school district. It offers everything you would really need and the teachers are generally quite good. Sem is also a great school, but you must factor if it is worth the cost. But as long as you are involved and keep track of who your kids hang out with, Valley West should do just fine.

If there was ever going to be a time Kingston flooded, it would have been in 2011. But those levees are solid as can be and it would take a remarkable amount of rain to flood to Valley.

Best of luck on your relocation, feel free to message me with any other questions you may have.

[dogscats&chickens34]

Thank you all very much. I am going to check into those other private schools online right now, and also when we visit, I will add Wyoming west public schools to the list. It will be good to see it all in person. Kingston would mean giving up my dream of backyard chickens (that can certainly wait). One of my favorite things now about where we live in NJ is that our kids can walk to school, friends homes and a few places like Starbucks etc. and feel a little independence. And we love older homes, despite their problems (current home = 1930). I wonder though, if we do a private school, would that mean that our kids' friends don't necessarily live nearby? That's a big deal - my hope for them is to be able to invite friends over a lot, make our home a hang-out spot (also so I can check out their friends). Do we need a McMansion with a pool - shudder - for our home to be a hang-out spot?
Lots to think about here. Your opinions are all valuable to me. Thanks again and keep them coming if you think of anything else.

[SteelCityRising]

Here's another vote in support of Kingston. The community is ideally-located proximate to Downtown Wilkes-Barre (ethnic restaurants, movie theater, performing arts, university lectures, YMCA, houses of worship, nightlife, Barnes & Noble, Boscov's, etc.); the North Cross-Valley Expressway (Route 309), which will take you rapidly to the Wyoming Valley Mall and its array of surrounding big-box stores and chain restaurants in one direction or the Back Mountain and its great amenities (Hillside Farms Dairy, Frances Slocum State Park, Harvey's Lake, Ricketts Glen State Park, etc.) in the other direction; as well as featuring two scenic riverfront parks---Nesbitt Park and Kirby Park (the latter of which is technically considered the city limits of Wilkes-Barre).

Kingston has a mostly flat topography, wide sidewalks, level lots, and abundant shade trees. As an avid runner who grew up to the north in Pittston I would frequently run on both the paved levee-top trail as well as through the residential areas of the borough. The smaller lot sizes foster the propensity to become more "neighborly" via gatherings on front porches and friendly chats over backyard fences and hedges, and although you probably won't have room for an inground swimming pool the borough has a great public pool which would let your kids socialize with others from the neighborhood.

I wouldn't be too concerned about flooding. 2011 was a RECORD flood, beating Agnes by a long shot in terms of the height of river, yet the levees held.

[NEPAhopeless31]

Originally Posted by dogscats&chickens34

And I will be painfully honest here...one of my worries about Dallas or Abington areas was being isolated in a cul-de-sac filled with Stepford wives. We don't need the McMansion....just decent, welcoming neighbors who might want to come over for dinner and conversation sometime.

Many thanks in advance for some honest insight!

First off, Kingston is okay at best. It's in Luzerne County, which is a corrupt/depressing/crime infested dump. There are many neighborhoods in Clark's Summit that are not at all McMansions and have that "neighborhood" feel. A lot of South Abington Township is filled with McMansions or that "Stepford wives" stereotype, but there are plenty of places in the Abington area with that welcoming neighborhood feeling. Also check out Clark's Green.