Making the Move to PA~Love ScranBarre's Photos n Posts

[skijmpr]

If you ever get lost or confused in your quest for the perfect place to live, always remember: "life moves a little slower in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and that's the way we like it!"



(I really want a t-shirt with that quote on it to wear around D.C. )

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by skijmpr

If you ever get lost or confused in your quest for the perfect place to live, always remember: "life moves a little slower in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and that's the way we like it!"



(I really want a t-shirt with that quote on it to wear around D.C. )

I'm currently wearing a t-shirt that exclaims "Ain't no party like a Scranton party!"

[7micheller]

Thanks ScranBarre for the eloquent response to my request. I actually believe that you don't receive all the credit you deserve. There should be a gas fund for your weekly travels because there are many of us that are in love with your work. Your photos provide a sense of being right there with you, but you don't even stop at just taking photos, oh no, you go way beyond the call of volunteer duty by explaining many photos and providing all of us with the history and backgrounds of many sites.

For what you have provided to all of us, a big, huge thank you. Also, when I do get settled in town, I am taking you to your favorite spot for lunch because one, you deserve it for all the work and research you provide to all of us looking for another place to call home and two, you seem like a great person to know.

Ok, enough of the hugs and kisses for now...lol...chuckle, smiles...let me give you my opinion about the new way of living that has come to take over our lovely pieces of heaven. I hate it. I live in what used to be one of the largest neighborhoods with big pieces of land surrounding each home and horses everywhere. Well, one of the last of the five horse ranches left here was just torn down, cleared out and leveled for track housing; they didn't even leave a tree in the wake. It is Horrible, just Horrible.

I understand that the other side of the argument is change, money, lack of land, etc., but I don't care about all of that. My love for this city has been crushed by the market flux, the insurance premiums and taxes not being able to keep up with prices of the homes.

Just to give you my scenario to paint a picture, so to speak: My city is filled with every imaginable high end car; two to five in each home including Mitzy the 16 year old. There is a lot of money here and the school system is a 9: everyone wants their kids in this school. In fact, that is the only reason why I mortgaged my life away to live here is to give the good schooling to my boys. Ironically though, when the blood drive came in two months ago, 92% of the blood was not able to be used for medical purposes because it was tainted with alcohol, STDs or drugs. How horrible is that; great school, expensive neighborhood, keeping up with the Jones', blah, blah...rich spoiled brats is what they all turned out to be, what a shame. Plus no one is even nice any longer since everyone only works, drives in horrible traffic and sleeps; no money or time for fun anymore.

In fact, just this morning, a quiet Saturday morning, sun is shining bright and beautifully, at 8 am I decide to take a relaxing drive through 4 of the beaches here in town two minutes from my home. The speed limit is 30 in 3 towns and 35 in one town in between. When I arrived at the 35 mph town, the roads were quiet, the birds were churping and the ocean, well the Gulf, was crashing into the beach and them BAM, just when I was in heaven within the next second the car behind me held down his horn in disgust with me that I had the nerve not to hit the gas to allow for 5 more mph, so he proceeded to pass me, it is only a small two lane beach road, and scream obscenities at me from the time he reached my back bumper to way passed the front of my car while holding up his middle finger toward me. wow, I think to myself in amazement that is a lot of anger for one little man so early in the morning.

So I asked myself, for this is what I pay $10,000 extra a year to live in my home? What an idiot I am, really. He is the poster child for working too many hours and too hard just to pay to live. Just because the sun is always shinning here in Florida 364 days a year, doesn't mean we that live here are happy. On the contrary, most of the people here are as white as our tourists and only see the beach while driving past it on the way to and from work.

Ok, to make matters worse, my immediate neighborhood was worth approximately in the $450's throughout the last 6 years. Up until last year, some neighborhoods were hit with the "crash" a lot more than others. A house cannot even sell for $230k now. With that said, I moved in this neighborhood 9 years ago, and my taxes were $1,050 exactly (I kept the bill) and the insurance was $579.

This past November, you know what I paid for both of those expenses? I now pay $4,896 for the Taxes and $3,269 for the insurance. Scream, rant, rave and pull out my hair: forget it, craziness to say the least. Yes, I am less than a mile off of a great beach, and it is beautiful here; however, enough is enough. All around me are perfect, beautiful new homes some with character, but most homes do not possess the '"c" in character.

Not to mention that there is just no more beauty for miles around here any longer because all the trees are taken down each time someone wants a NEW home to replace an existent home. I put a pool in my back yard when I moved in, and the company was so angry with me because they had to work around my fruit trees and magnolia tree; they wanted them taken out; NO WAY JOSE, not going to happen on my watch, sorry for your luck.

Nevertheless, all this typing to make my single most important point: I love tree lined streets with architecture that wows me. I am from a natural tree lined street in New York where each home has serious landscaping and character, all the letters, all in caps...hehehe.... Yes, I love the old way, the beautiful way, the natural way. I understand change, progress, (whatever), but I don't understand why beauty has to pay the price for any of that. I will be a huge advocate for denying permits to builders that don't want to maintain the integrity and beauty of a neighborhood that is already in place and thriving.

I don't want to work anymore to pay for a roof and have no life; I want to work and play and use some money to pay for a roof. If i could, I would sell my car and ride a bike or scooter for the rest of my days.

Ok, I am tired standing at the top of my soap box, so I will step down for now. I just want to tell you, ScranBarre, which I agree with you, but I did so by taking the long way around :-) I have been in Florida for 20 years now, and I have seen beauty ripped out, pulled away either by removing quaint cottages along the beach or homes inland and replaced with pretty, albeit, amazing homes, condos, etc., but they are also all empty because no one is living in them. They keep building and no one is coming.

Give me mountains, snow, architecture and nice people, I emphasize strongly, nice people and I will plant my flag in the ground.
OK, SO, where should I live?

[Michelle18612]

Great chooses giving to you here. I also agree on the Dallas and Clark-Summit Areas.
-Michelle

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by Michelle18612

Great chooses giving to you here. I also agree on the Dallas and Clark-Summit Areas.
-Michelle

nah....although Dallas and Clarks Summit are not as bad as the parts of Florida described in her post, the Back Mountain (Dallas) and the Abingtons (Clarks Summit) are NEPA's "keep up with the Joneses" upper class snobby areas.

My recommendations would be Scranton, Dunmore, Peckville, Jermyn, Archbald, Jessup, Olyphant, Throop, Dickson City, Moosic, Old Forge, Taylor, Kingston, Forty Fort, and other established towns in the valley.

[Summering]

Originally Posted by Michelle18612

Great chooses giving to you here. I also agree on the Dallas and Clark-Summit Areas.
-Michelle

Yes, yes.........Michelle........Dallas is nice too isn't it, and Clarks Summit will always be a special place. I find it very comforting there....

[7micheller]

Thanks you guys...I am off to research more....