Lake Wallenpaupack area (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton: transplants, crime, vacation home)

[renrenbri]

Hello everyone,

My husband and I have found a house in Paupack, about 15 min from I-84 that we are very interested in. However, my BIG concern is it's distance from everything! We have only driven on the main roads, so I am hoping there are more businesses, job opportunities, etc off the beaten path. I currently work in a medical office, so I am looking for something in that field or beginner Human Resources. Geisinger facilities in particular would be my first choice since I already work for their Interim Service. Also, how far would I have to go to get to the nearest Aldis, Weis, Walmart, etc...??? Ones in a safe area? Lastly, but not least....is this a good area to live full time? I feel that Greentown is a little more off the beaten path than right off of 507 around the lake, but my husband really wants this location due to it's proximity to the lake. I've heard stories from some people who lived there years ago that it is not a good place to live with all of the tourists and traffic. However, we have never encountered this while up there looking at houses. This house is not in a development and it appears that most of the surrounding homes have permanent residents. Is crime horrible? How about the winters? Any info would be great! Thanks!

[mathjak107]

we sold in the wallenpaupack area . business's are dropping like flies since the ski area closed .

everything is a drive and we just could not see retiring there . we thought it would be a good idea but the more we thought about it the area lacked everything we would want .

no public transportation if we couldn't drive , few specialists and medical facility's , the winters long and icey with nothing to do as you age . if i wanted to work in retirement a little bit there were no well paying jobs in my field , so we sold and retired right here in queens in nyc

[mdw11]

We have lived here (Tanglwood Lake, Greentown) for 5 years now in retirement. You did not mention where you are coming from. We moved from the Philadelphia suburbs. We are outdoorsy and we love the area and the lack of traffic (and summer weekends are not bad). However, you are right - it's a haul to get anywhere.

The closest Weis is in Hamlin - about 20 minutes. There is a Walmart, K-Mart, and Home Depot in Honesdale, about 1/2 hour away. Other than that, you need to go to Dickson City, north of Scranton for all the big box stores (including Aldi) and chain restaurants. It takes about 45 minutes to get there.

The nearest large medical facilities are in Honesdale (Wayne Memorial) or Scranton, which has a number of facilities including Geisinger. There are smaller physicians offices here and there. And no - you probably won't find more businesses once you are off the beaten path.

Would a commute to Scranton be doable? That depends on what you are used to. We have neighbors who are teachers and she works for the Scranton School District while he heads in the opposite direction to Delaware Valley. The interstate is usually well-maintained in winter. Rt 507 is reasonably cleared - my husband always heads to Dutch's for the papers first thing in the morning. But again, it's not like living in the burbs.

We have not had any concerns about safety or crime.

[renrenbri]

We are used to driving 20 min to a Weis, Aldi, Walmart right now, however, we do have a local grocery store, dollar store, 2 convenient marts, and 2 gas stations all within a 2-5 minute drive. For big chain restaurants, it's about 30 min. I drive about 35 minutes to work right now, but that is only because I love my office. It will be a bit longer for me to drive to Scranton from up there, and I honestly don't make enough for that trip. I'm not sure what my chances would be in finding work within a 30 minute or less commute . I think we would LOVE it during the spring and summer and keep plenty busy....not sure about the winter though!

[mathjak107]

we were up near tanglwood north . it was beautiful there . but more and more it was no place we wanted to retire to . there just was not enough to do after a while . that walk around the lake or in the woods grew stale by the 4th year along with most things in the area .

that was a 2nd home for us and one we bought with the idea of retiring there but the closer it got the more we realized compared to queens that would be a mistake .


i work 2 days a month teaching a technical product at my old firm . i would have to work about 2 weeks or more full time to make that .

[mdw11]

Greentown has a local grocer (Dutch's - which also sells beer), Dollar Store and gas. For us, it's about a 15 minute drive - not sure where in Paupack you are. You can find similar stores in Hawley.


In the summer we boat on Lake Wallenpaupack, and kayak and canoe at Promised Land State Park. In the fall we do a lot of hiking. In the winter, depending on if there is snow, we cross-country ski and snow-shoe. If there isn't enough snow we just hike. Promised Land State Park is great - off-season it's empty. It's about 45 minutes to downhill skiing, too. We don't hunt or fish, but lots of our neighbors do. My only complaint about the area is that there isn't a spring to speak of - it doesn't green up until late May.


You would definitely want to get the job situation squared away because I don't think there's a lot in the immediate area. Not sure where those jobs would be posted.

[renrenbri]

The house is near Circle Green. My husband would keep his same job and it would be about a 40 minute commute for him and I would be guaranteed to be able to stay with the Interim service until I found something closer, but I'm not sure that I would. I wouldn't want to drive into Scranton for long if I could avoid it. I know that Greentown shaves off 10-15 minutes. Realistically, Moscow (which we've also looked at) is probably the more sensible option, but I'm not sure where the closest body of water is. We love to kayak, fish, and jet ski, so the closer the better!

[okaydorothy]

My husband just moved there full time on Sunday. It is a different situation for us. We bought the house as a vacation home about 10 years ago when we lived in NY. Then we moved to Pittsburgh and tried to sell the vacation house. Well, we were lowballed on a few offers (everyone wants a bargain), and we decided not to sell. Long story short, my husband could not get a full time permanent job in Pittsburgh and the company he drove for had a spot in Scranton that offered more hours. Is it the perfect situation, no. But it is one that we will make work for 2 years until our youngest is done with high school. Then I will move up there and look for work.


I would not move there without a job ; or at least one of us having a job. For us, this is a good situation ; most of our friends live on Long Island or in NY so its easier for us to see them. We love Manhattan so its a lot closer that Pittsburgh for us.

[mathjak107]

wow , the more things change the more they stay the same . best of luck .

do you regret the move from long island ?


one thing folks fail to realize is they are usually better off finishing out their careers in the higher cost of living areas because your decades of social security will be based on higher wages if you relocate later .

not only that but a 600k plus house going up 3% a year is very different then a 200k house going up 3% when the time comes to sell and relocate .

transplants that leave high cost of living areas tend to come with far more wealth then locals do living and working in cheapsville as well as larger ss checks from the history of higher wages . .

[mdw11]

renrenbri- We are not far from Circle Green so the times I gave would be similar for you. But you are probably right that Moscow makes more sense. Lake Wallenpaupack is the only place in the area to jet ski but from Moscow it's probably less than half an hour to the boat launch on the south end of the lake. Then you are also further from Promised Land but would be closer to Gouldsboro and Tobyhanna State Parks, which are not as big but also nice. Just plan to drive a little for your recreation?