Moving from AZ. Job will be in Jessup, need safe town for kids close by job (Dickson City: for sale, 2015)

[DianaLee]

So my husband and I are considering moving back to the East coast. We currently live in Arizona but his job transfers to a location in Jessup, PA.
Our main concern is living somewhere safe and close to his job, no more than a 25 minute commute. Also, his son lives in NYC so it would be nice to live somewhere closer to the City no more than a 2 hour and 15 minute commute 2 and a half at the most!!
We have two young children so school district is important but neither are in school yet!
I am a massage therapist so I'm hoping to find a job in a spa or something.
We would prefer the convenience of a grocery store relatively close but I feel really Lost because I have never even been to
This area! We do have friends in thornhurst but that might be too far of a commute for my husband plus is it soooo boring there???? lol
Thank you in advance for any responses!!!!

[SteelCityRising]

Hi Diana, and welcome in advance to Pennsylvania!

My father works in Jessup and lives in Northern Luzerne County, in the Dupont area. It takes about a half-hour each way for him to get back-and-forth to work via I-81 to U.S. Route 6.

Based upon your criteria I'd suggest Moscow to you. It's a small, safe, friendly town in the above-average North Pocono School District. It's about 20-25 minutes each way to your husband's workplace in Jessup. Moscow is right along I-380, which will quickly get you onto I-80 and into NJ/NYC. Moscow itself has a few small conveniences, including a Dollar General; pizzeria; deli; banks; and churches. Just south of town is a large shopping center with a grocery store; hardware store; auto parts store; Dunkin' Donuts; banks; pizzeria; Rite-Aid; and McDonald's. All of your "big-box" shopping and chain restaurants will be in Dickson City, about 20 minutes away.

From my parents' home in Luzerne County it's exactly two hours door-to-door to the Secaucus Junction rail station, which we always park at so we can then take the train one station to Penn Station. I'd imagine it's more like an hour and forty minutes from Moscow to Secaucus Junction.

Moscow is also closer to your husband's work; closer to shopping/dining; and closer to the highway than Thornhurst, yet it's only about 15 minutes north of there for you to visit your friends.

[DianaLee]

Thanks steelcity! That is helpful. Are there any other areas you have in mind in case we don't find something in Moscow? Also.. We want to rent for the first year or so because we want to make sure we like the area before we buy. I am finding it hard to locate many properties that are for rent, most are for sale. Any suggestions?

[DianaLee]

Oh and another quick question, any idea how many tolls there are to get into Brooklyn from this area?
We are trying to calculate costs for our commutes since we will be heading there quite often! Thank you!

[Chefkey]

Other than the $1.00 at the Delaware water Gap Bridge, 380 to 80 and back is mostly toll free. You will obviously hit several very large tolls as you approach the city and do bridges and tunnels there but until then it is pretty clear sailing. Of course plan for the occasional traffic jams on 80 but it is hit or miss. As always, Steel pretty much nailed the proper assessment of your situation. Moscow is the best livable town close to Jessup, it will be a nice place to raise your kids but still be close enough to the valley metropolis to do things. You can also travel a short distance east for many recreational activities like Lake Wallenpaupack and several parks in the Pocono region there.

[DavidWebb]

This is what Google is for:

Tolls - Bridges & Tunnels - The Port Authority of NY & NJ

makes life a lot more easier when trying to look up info you don't already know...and if you need to cross the Verazzano Bridge from Brooklyn to Staten Island:

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf...res_hikes.html

[jimazee]

Originally Posted by DavidWebb

This is what Google is for:

Tolls - Bridges & Tunnels - The Port Authority of NY & NJ

makes life a lot more easier when trying to look up info you don't already know...and if you need to cross the Verazzano Bridge from Brooklyn to Staten Island:

MTA's 2015 toll, fare hikes start Sunday: What you need to know | SILive.com

BTW, for those who don't like their life and interests tracked, recorded, and used/sold by Google, you might try using www.duckduckgo.com It's an up and coming search engine that isn't as intrusive of personal info and controlling of results.

I still use Google too (and even others at times...) but DDG is getting to be pretty popular and looks like the real deal.

Not sure? Try it you might be surprised...

[DavidWebb]

Originally Posted by jimazee

BTW, for those who don't like their life and interests tracked, recorded, and used/sold by Google, you might try using www.duckduckgo.com It's an up and coming search engine that isn't as intrusive of personal info and controlling of results.

I still use Google too (and even others at times...) but DDG is getting to be pretty popular and looks like the real deal.

Not sure? Try it you might be surprised...

No search engine nor ANY website for that matter is safe from cookies that track your every click....even DDG tracks your movements....it's how they maintain a competitive edge and know what your likes/dislikes and your shopping habits are....even TOR, an anonymous web browser, cannot provide 100% anonymity....it's part of the reason why Google's shares are in the $600-$700/share range.....

[TerpCindy]

Posted on DDG website:

At DuckDuckGo, no cookies are used by default. If you have changed any settings, then cookies are used to store those changes. However, in that case, they are not stored in a personally identifiable way. For example, the large size setting is stored as 's=l'; no unique identifier is in there. Furthermore, if you prefer not to use cookies to store settings, you can use URL parameters instead.

I have been using DDG for awhile now, and it is pretty good...not as good as Google, but okay.

https://duckduckgo.com/privacy

[TerpCindy]

Back to the original poster:

I worked at North Pocono SD for 8 years, it was a nice district to work at. They have some brand new school buildings and a very active PTA. It is closer to NYC and so the area is experiencing some changes as eastern PA is becoming somewhat of a suburb of NYC...not a bad thing...just not as rural a feeling as it used to be.

The Abington Heights SD (Clarks Summit, PA) is also highly rated - lots of spas etc in that area as it has a high proportion of professionals living there. It also has alot of turnover as people get tranferred for jobs - there are a lot of homes for sale there. Applewood Acres is an apartment complex that may be an option for you. The commute to Jessup would be over 2 lane backroads - so your husband would avoid the constant construction and bridge repairs we have been experiencing on our interstates.

A bit further away, but close to shopping in Clarks Summit is Lackawanna Trail SD. This is definitely the small-town feel, much more rural. The little community of Dalton is very nice! but doubt there is much there to rent. North Pocono and Abington are larger school districts, while Lackawanna Trail is smaller and everybody knows everybody...

Both Dalton and Clarks Summit are very close to I-81 to head into NYC. Thornhurst would be about a 45 min drive. (I live near Thornhurst now but used to live in Clarks Summit)