Would Carbondale work for me? (Scranton, Butler: for sale, renting, buying a house)

[toully]

Hi. I am seriously considering buying a house there. I am an Asian female and I am single with a dog. I sell stuff online and ship them from my house.

From my research, it seems like this is a very safe area with an inexpensive housing market. I work most of the time and in my free time, I like taking my dog to a park and I plan on going to Scranton for church on Sundays. I also want to live here for 1-3 years to sort my life out and learn to be independent and maybe taking up cooking and home improvement as a hobby. I always lived in areas where middle upper to upper class live so I am little apprehensive about the change.

Would Carbondale work for me and my dog? I was also considering Butler but I live in NJ so it is quite far. Thank you in advance.

[Wells5]

What is your housing budget? Was price the deciding factor in picking Carbondale?

[toully]

Hi, thank you for your reply. I am looking for 25k-30k houses and the price was a major decision on Carbondale. The stats on Carbondale looked good as safety was a major concern for me but now that I read more and more about Carbondale, I do not think it is a good fit for me.

[Wells5]

I checked Zillow and there are only a few houses for sale in your price range in Carbondale, PA. They are probably very old and needing significant improvements in order to be liveable and with very close neighbors.

The demographic profile shows whites at 99% of the population, asians at 0.3% and blacks at 0.5%. You can be sure that the white population is descended from ethnic groups who came to the area in the late 19th and early 20th century to work in the mines. They may not be that welcoming to strangers.

Your housing budget is not realistic even in depressed areas of NEPA. You may want to consider renting a house where there is a large yard and the LL will permit the tenant to have a pet.

Carbondale Pennsylvania Demographics

[toully]

Hi, thanks again for your reply. I can go up to 40k-45k but not in Carbondale. I just wanted a place where I can buy a house without a mortgage. I stumbled on Carbondale as it seemed like a safe area but I don't think it is the right place for me.

I think you are right about my budget and NEPA. Again, thank you very much for your reply.

[auntlucy]

My cousin still lives in Carbondale. Her adult children moved back to Carbondale, and bought homes there and are raising their families there too. She said it is a safe and friendly town. Do not listen to other people on this site that post negative comments about Carbondale. I bet that some of those negative people have never even visited or lived in the town themselves. Have you visited the town yourself yet? Good luck.