Looking to move to nepa where do I start?? (Scranton: transplants, mobile home)

[stonepedler]

Hello everyone i'm thinking of moving to nepa near clarks summit area.What are home prices,Property Taxes ETC.I'm interested in a new home but need some local help in finding a home in the 200k-300k price range.Not to far from food stores and shopping.I looked in archbald and clarks summit but would like some feedback from locals on the best area to go into thanks so much.....

[to570717]

hey, i'm originally from CS and moved due to work. I can tell you the Summit is an excellent area. there are many areas to choose from within the Abingtons so you have to be more specific on what you really want.

[stonepedler]

New construction or a building lot. Thanks

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by stonepedler

New construction or a building lot. Thanks

You'll have plenty of options then, as Greater Clarks Summit (collectively called "The Abingtons") is one of the most rapidly growing residential regions in NEPA. Most newer subdivisions in that area seem to be selling in the $300,000-$400,000 range, but I'm sure you can locate nice newer homes in newer subdivisions in the $200,000-$300,000 range as well. The Abington Heights School District has a very elevated reputation, so housing values have soared here as a result of the region becoming a magnet for out-of-state transplants with children.

I might heartily suggest the adjacent Lackawanna Trail or Lakeland School Districts to you, as they are a little further from both Clarks Summit and Scranton, but housing prices (and property taxes for that matter) are much more affordable overall because these two school districts, while still good, don't have that same "prestige" that Abington Heights seems to have. Some towns in these two school districts to investigate might be Scott Township, Dalton, Benton Township, Chapman Lake, Justus, etc., all of which are generally to the northwest, north, or northeast of Clarks Summit and about 20-25 minutes from Scranton (pop. 72,000) or Dickson City (chain store shopping).

Best of luck!

[stonepedler]

Thanks swb I will look in those areas also but am worried about traveling 50 miles round trip to get to dickson city area for shopping?Gas is not going down in the future.It just keeps going up.Thak you for the information.

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by stonepedler

Thanks swb I will look in those areas also but am worried about traveling 50 miles round trip to get to dickson city area for shopping?Gas is not going down in the future.It just keeps going up.Thak you for the information.

Places like Scott Township/Lakeland School District are not 50 miles round trip from Dickson City. Scott Township is large in land size, but at most its a 5-10 mile drive to Dickson City via either I-81 or state highways like 247 and 348. Most part of Scott Township are, at most, a 10 minute ride to Scranton/Dickson City. Lackawanna Trail is a little further away, but still that's maybe a 15 mile drive on a 4-lane highway, US 6-11. Might take 15-20 minutes from there.

[stonepedler]

Why do many people say its a very depressed area in nepa.Really dosen't sound very good to hear from natives.

[stonepedler]

How's the town of Ransom i have been looking there???

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by stonepedler

Why do many people say its a very depressed area in nepa.Really dosen't sound very good to hear from natives.

The area is rather economically depressed. Most of the employers moving here are distribution centers, trucking firms, big-box stores, etc.---not exactly known for being beacons of high-paying career opportunities. Pharmaceutical firms, major accounting firms, biodiesel firms, I/T firms, etc. largely bypass our area in favor of the more urban areas to our east and south. This is going to be our Achilles' Heel in the coming years as the locals continue to trudge away as forklift operators earning $12/hr. as the cost-of-living rises tremendously with the anticipated influx of thousands of NY/NJ transplants in another 10-15 years. I worry many of the "natives" may eventually be "priced out," much as has now begun to occur in the adjoining Poconos.

Our area has also been ravaged by urban sprawl worse than many other regions. While our population overall declined by tens of thousands, we also grew our land usage footprint by many, many square miles, which resulted in our once-beautiful cities losing their vitality while the once-rural areas became overrun with tract housing, strip malls, etc. Thankfully there have been renewed efforts recently to restore Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, NEPA's two hub cities, to their former grandeur. I'm very familiar with both cities, and they have some truly AMAZING historic architecture that is just waiting to be refinished.

Originally Posted by stonepedler

How's the town of Ransom i have been looking there???

Ransom is very rural. It is probably the only community in the Abington Heights School District that hasn't seen steady residential growth over the years, so it has retained its rural character and is generally a bit less expensive than the rest of the district. There's not much to see there---a church or two, an abandoned cemetery here or there, a blend of housing styles from mobile homes to log homes to farmhomes to McMansions, and a few businesses. It is a very rural area. There are plans for a secluded newer housing development here in the next year or two near a reservoir on the top of a mountain in Ransom.

[stonepedler]

SWB you are always very helpful thanks a lot...Well i'm still looking but have yet to make my mind up also thinking of moscow area?