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Wondering if anybody on here currently lives in Jim Thorpe or used to live there and can tell us as much as you can about that beautiful little town. One of the main questions is how much snow does it typically get and is it usually a white Christmas there? I've read online it averages 36 inches per season but wanted to hear from somebody who actually lives there as to is it snow covered for most of the winter, especially Christmas as that's one of the things were looking for but don't want to live right off the lake as we like the topography and the central location of Lehigh to so much.
I'm right outside of Jim Thorpe in Penn Forrest Township- which is further "up mountain" than town. I can tell you many times it's snowing up by me and either it's not as heavy or could even just be rain in town. I've found a good 3-5 degree difference on average from my house to JT (less than 10 miles- but down hill all the way). PFT elevation is about 1540 while JT is 730 feet.
We had a white Christmas this year (snowed Xmas Eve into early morning hours), don't recall fully but think the 3 years previous were not. Unless you consider a white Christmas residual snow on the ground, then yes generally speaking you'll have a white Christmas. I've had snow on the ground, now blocks of ice, since December and don't expect it to fully melt until March.
Last edited by charmed hour; 01-18-2018 at 12:52 PM..
I'm right outside of Jim Thorpe in Penn Forrest Township- which is further "up mountain" than town. I can tell you many times it's snowing up by me and either it's not as heavy or could even just be rain in town. I've found a good 3-5 degree difference on average from my house to JT (less than 10 miles- but down hill all the way).
We had a white Christmas this year (snowed Xmas Eve into early morning hours), don't recall fully but think the 3 years previous were not. Unless you consider a white Christmas residual snow on the ground, then yes generally speaking you'll have a white Christmas. I've had snow on the ground, now blocks of ice, since December and don't expect it to fully melt until March.
Thank you so much for your reply and yeah even snow on the ground would be a great thing I know it's asking a lot to have it snow Christmas Eve obviously. Just wondered and knew I could always drive up the hill by where you live or maybe will even look at places where you're at. How do you like the town and area up there? Any suggestions a little further up the hill like you're saying where you know they get more snow and keep the snow longer?
Thank you so much for your reply and yeah even snow on the ground would be a great thing I know it's asking a lot to have it snow Christmas Eve obviously. Just wondered and knew I could always drive up the hill by where you live or maybe will even look at places where you're at. How do you like the town and area up there? Any suggestions a little further up the hill like you're saying where you know they get more snow and keep the snow longer?
Thanks again so much
There are several private communities off of route 903, and they vary in terms of home prices and amenities.
I like JT, it's quaint but to shop in town is very difficult due to parking. When tourists are around even the municipal lot gets full very quickly. They do offer overflow parking at Mauch Chunk Lake with a shuttle back down to town and several larger places with parking areas offer parking for a fee.
Traffic in and out of town is sometimes an issue as well, especially during the bigger tourist weekends such as Fall Foliage festival. It can take quite a bit of time to get into Jim Thorpe from Lehighton via 209 due to traffic in town. (Lehighton is the main shopping area for Walmart, Giant, Aldi, Big Lots, etc. for many of us in the area unless you want to head into Monroe County)
Thank you so much for your reply and yeah even snow on the ground would be a great thing I know it's asking a lot to have it snow Christmas Eve obviously. Just wondered and knew I could always drive up the hill by where you live or maybe will even look at places where you're at. How do you like the town and area up there? Any suggestions a little further up the hill like you're saying where you know they get more snow and keep the snow longer?
Thanks again so much
Juliette 2 things to consider when thinking about relocating. Jim Thorpe is technically the gateway to the Pocono Mountains, and is about 45/50 minutes north of the Lehigh Valley. So even though you technically are in the Poconos the Lehigh Valley is still accessible.
With that keep in mind relocation options :
1) Within the borough of Jim Thorpe. Most likely housing available in the borough are historic rowhomes with some other single family options as well. Some are updated if you take a peek over at zillow.com you can see a sampling of inventory. In my mind the pros to living in the borough, you are directly connected to the community, you can walk and bike for many everyday services/needs, and you live within a place that truly has character and vibrancy. The cons is that you give up some space, as the borough is quite compact. But there are single family homes with lots.
2) Surrounding region. So as another poster mentioned there is a variety of housing options in the Pocono Mountains.
a)Within close proximity there are some 'lake/resort' communities. The downfall to these areas is that they are largely only occupied part of the year as summer/vacation homes/rentals. Therefore for nearly 4 - 5 months of the year they are not going to be vibrant. Also many of the homes are rented on a weekly basis (although not all) during the summer and fall season. (Sometimes Winter as well for Skiing). Therefore the neighbors and community who own residences there, are not necessarily going to be your neighbors etc. And this is why I do not advise buying a home in a resort/lake community.
b) There is housing available in the nearby towns such as Leighton which another poster suggested. Well I will be frank that if you are thinking of relocating to Jim Thorpe, stay within Jim Thorpe or if you find a piece of property on land right outside of town than take that option. I would not move to Leighton or any surrounding town. Not that they are bad, but Jim Thorpe is the clear desirable place.
c) I highly recommend following the Pocono Mountains Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/poconotourism/?hl=en
NEPA (Northeast Pennsylvania) has some stand outs; there are many beautiful resorts, towns, scenery, parks etc. And one way to get plugged into the region is to follow. With that though I want to give you a heads up, stick with Jim Thorpe or the immediate area OR look into relocating within the Lehigh Valley which puts in close proximity to all the amenities you are seeking.
d) The Lehigh Valley is the fastest growing part of the state and one of the fastest growing parts of the nation. Its economy is robust, diversified and growing. There are many parts of NEPA that have seen a shift from competitive wages in manufacturing to lower wage service jobs. Meaning not all towns are like Jim Thorpe in the Poconos. There are many beautiful places, but I think if you are seriously thinking about moving halfway across the country. Stick with Jim Thorpe or an immediate locale; I wouldn't move to any of the immediate areas that others have been suggesting.
e) With that I also highly encourage you to explore the Lehigh Valley and Bethlehem, PA as well
Each place has pros and cons and clearly you have a list of your own personal criteria, but I always think it is smart to consider 2 other regions. Both are very charming towns. Tied into a larger region, but comfortably retain their individual character and identity. And snowfall is a bit less than Jim Thorpe, PA but the 2 other areas also will offer some additional benefits outside of snowfall. When a state as large as Pennsylvania has so many towns I have to suggest a few additional.
Last edited by rowhomecity; 01-18-2018 at 06:30 PM..
I live within a small day trip of Jim Thorpe and while it's beautiful and fun to visit the town can get very congested on touristy days. There are not many ins and outs to the town so you can get stuck in traffic easy and go bumper to bumper. When you want to shop there really isn't much right there, the closest is in Lehighton you will find some stores but parking and traffic can be troublesome there as well. You do have the Turnpike right outside Lehighton but it is a toll road so daily use would get costly. This whole area is just beautiful though and I would encourage a visit in the summer to see for yourself, while I understand you want the white Christmas this area is next to none in beauty during the summer months. From Jim Thorpe all the way up through the Wallenpaupack area and on Route 6. Then West in the Dallas/Sweet Valley area or East into the Tobyhanna area. Just so many places to explore and enjoy. I wouldn't pigeon hole the search to just Jim Thorpe, there are literally hundreds of miles in any direction that could have the dream location you seek.
I live within a small day trip of Jim Thorpe and while it's beautiful and fun to visit the town can get very congested on touristy days. There are not many ins and outs to the town so you can get stuck in traffic easy and go bumper to bumper. When you want to shop there really isn't much right there, the closest is in Lehighton you will find some stores but parking and traffic can be troublesome there as well. You do have the Turnpike right outside Lehighton but it is a toll road so daily use would get costly. This whole area is just beautiful though and I would encourage a visit in the summer to see for yourself, while I understand you want the white Christmas this area is next to none in beauty during the summer months. From Jim Thorpe all the way up through the Wallenpaupack area and on Route 6. Then West in the Dallas/Sweet Valley area or East into the Tobyhanna area. Just so many places to explore and enjoy. I wouldn't pigeon hole the search to just Jim Thorpe, there are literally hundreds of miles in any direction that could have the dream location you seek.
Totally understand and agree. While we are loving the look of Jim Thorpe and the surrounding areas the 50 inches of rain annually sounds astronomical to us. So I started doing a little digging and found Towanda, can you tell me about Towanda the area around that that please, they say it gets only 35 inches of rain and looks to get a couple feet more snow then Jim Thorpe as well, and yet is still close to New York City when we want to go see a play or whatever
So now I'm kind of trying to narrow it down to places that get less rain and better annual snowfall average
Totally understand and agree. While we are loving the look of Jim Thorpe and the surrounding areas the 50 inches of rain annually sounds astronomical to us. So I started doing a little digging and found Towanda, can you tell me about Towanda the area around that that please, they say it gets only 35 inches of rain and looks to get a couple feet more snow then Jim Thorpe as well, and yet is still close to New York City when we want to go see a play or whatever
So now I'm kind of trying to narrow it down to places that get less rain and better annual snowfall average
Thank you
In North Central PA, Wellsboro, PA would 100% be your most desirable town.
So Pennsylvania is a large state, and is a diverse state geographically and economically. Some parts of the state are booming and others have seen better days.
Therefore when you are looking at places in terms of quality of life, I think you should be mindful that some parts of rural PA are struggling financially. So I do not think it is wise to measure your desired place to move in simple terms of weather as there are other factors that influence a place.
There are some quaint rural towns in the Northern part of the state, but to be frank while they are not undesirable, I would not find they are highly entertaining or worth a move from California over.
The most successful prosperous regions in Pennsylvania are:
1) Southeast PA
2) Pittsburgh
3) Lehigh Valley
4) Central PA (Lancaster - Harrisburg - York)
5) State College
Yes you will find some quaint and really great places outside of these regions, but there are going to be more important factors than snowfall IMO. If you desire snowfall I would honestly say minus the northern tiers of the state snowfall across PA is quite consistent.
And to be frank the past 5 years has been very inconsistent in terms of snow totals. For example Philadelphia has gotten more snow than the Poconos the past few years. Higher elevation will typically get more snow, but there are many other weather factors that affect PA based on our eastern seaboard location.
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