Eastern Stroudsburg interview on Monday... (East Stroudsburg, Bangor: real estate, rentals, condos)

[tenortodd]

Hello all. I am looking for information on the Stroudsburg area. I have an interview on Monday. We are from Virginia (with my wife and 2 young daughters). We almost moved to Bangor 4 years ago, but I didn't get the job. I've done a few searches and am looking for more info.

What can you tell me about Stroudsburg? We love the country and the mountains and being close to beaches (2 hours).

How is traffic? Where could we live and commute from (1/2 hour or less)?

Thanks!

[fisheye]

Originally Posted by tenortodd

Hello all. I am looking for information on the Stroudsburg area. I have an interview on Monday. We are from Virginia (with my wife and 2 young daughters). We almost moved to Bangor 4 years ago, but I didn't get the job. I've done a few searches and am looking for more info.

What can you tell me about Stroudsburg? We love the country and the mountains and being close to beaches (2 hours).

How is traffic? Where could we live and commute from (1/2 hour or less)?

Thanks!

Good luck with your interview! Preferably you want to be as close to your job as possible. You would be coming to our area sight-unseen as you describe yourself. This is basically a tourist/vacation area. It would probably be best if you rented so that you can not only get a feel for the job; but a better idea where you want to live. Monroe County varies in elevation from about 400 feet above sea level to about 1800 feet above sea level. Usually, not always, the higher you go; the more snow and ice you can expect. The Stroudsburg area is some of our lowest elevation and Mt. Pocono is some of our higher elevations.

Is your job right in the Stroudsburg or East Stroudsburg area or is it further north? Regardless; I would check to see what kind of rentals are available first before you buy. You might want to check out this site to evaluate the schools in our area: https://paschoolperformance.org/. Also Google Earth will show you elevations and you can even take a close look at the neighborhoods of places that you might want to stay.

Let us know if you get the job and maybe we can provide you with more information.

[tenortodd]

Thanks for the reply. The job would be right in east Stroudsburg.

[fisheye]

Originally Posted by tenortodd

Thanks for the reply. The job would be right in east Stroudsburg.

There is one poster that likes where he lives down in by Shawnee (https://www.poconomountains.com/list...lf-resort/291/). They have condos; I do not know if they offer rentals or your budget. He could tell you more; but let's see if you get the job. In the meantime check out our local real estate listings and see what they have available. Once you have a specific area in mind we might be able to give you better information.

[tenortodd]

Thanks again. It might be helpful to know what areas to avoid, if there are specific ones...

[fisheye]

Originally Posted by tenortodd

Thanks again. It might be helpful to know what areas to avoid, if there are specific ones...

Get the job and check the listing for housing and then ask about the areas you are thinking about moving to.

Regardless of where you move it only takes one bad neighbor to ruin your experience. The forum is one way to start your homework; but living in a rental and getting first hand knowledge of the area is the preferred way to go. Most of us do not want to be blamed because the area did not live up to your specifications. It isn't only that; but you do not have the job right now. Not that I am against you getting the job; I wish the best for you and your family.

Please visit our moderator's post for more helpful information: //www.city-data.com/forum/north...ents-nepa.html.

[jtab4994]

Originally Posted by fisheye

There is one poster that likes where he lives down in by Shawnee (https://www.poconomountains.com/list...lf-resort/291/). They have condos; I do not know if they offer rentals or your budget. He could tell you more; but let's see if you get the job. In the meantime check out our local real estate listings and see what they have available. Once you have a specific area in mind we might be able to give you better information.

Hey, I think I know that guy from Shawnee! Yes, we like it here. We are in the country (we have 7 acres, streams and a pond) yet close to downtown.

First, a couple of things about the area in general. When people say "East Stroudsburg" they are not necessarily talking about the borough. The East Stroudsburg post office covers the entire 18301 and 18302 zip codes and people, especially newcomers often say "East Stroudsburg" when they mean Shawnee, Bushkill, Marshalls Creek, or a bunch of other locales. The same thing goes for Shawnee, which is a village, but the Shawnee Resort Company owns a lot of things around the area including the ski mountain where the condos are, and anything with the Shawnee Resort logo on it can be called Shawnee.

Avoid the 18302 zip code. That's East Stroudsburg North school district. Also avoid Tobyhanna, in particular A Pocono Country Place which is a massive development with a large percentage of homes owned by absentee landlords who can't sell. They'll rent to anyone.

I can recommend Notre Dame Schools in East Stroudsburg where our kids went. They offer pre-K thru 12 and compared to what other Catholic schools charge, it's a real bargain. It's the only private school in Monroe County other than the Evergreen School which is very tiny and hard to get into.

Some people swear by the Stroudsburg School District and I think it's probably fine. I would have been OK with East Stroudsburg South if our kids hadn't already been in Catholic school. Others think Pleasant Valley is the best in the area because it's still the most rural.

Stroudsburg in a nice, walkable town. It's the seat of Monroe County, they have an independent book store (in 2019!), the Sherman Theatre offering live musical acts, a farmer's market, art galleries, and other "walkable city" type stuff.

Some people might claim there's a lot of crime in the area. There isn't. In the mid-2000's there was a heavy surge of city people escaping after 9/11 and that caused a lot of upheaval because of the fast transition. But little by little, aided by the 2008-09 crash, many of the marginal city people moved back to NYC and crime went back to a "normal" level.

I would advise staying away from gated developments or any development where you have to pay dues. That's just my personal preference. I've known people who have had trouble because of neighbors not paying their dues, so they can't get anyone to plow the roads etc.

[DawnR1976]

Originally Posted by jtab4994

Hey, I think I know that guy from Shawnee! Yes, we like it here. We are in the country (we have 7 acres, streams and a pond) yet close to downtown.

First, a couple of things about the area in general. When people say "East Stroudsburg" they are not necessarily talking about the borough. The East Stroudsburg post office covers the entire 18301 and 18302 zip codes and people, especially newcomers often say "East Stroudsburg" when they mean Shawnee, Bushkill, Marshalls Creek, or a bunch of other locales. The same thing goes for Shawnee, which is a village, but the Shawnee Resort Company owns a lot of things around the area including the ski mountain where the condos are, and anything with the Shawnee Resort logo on it can be called Shawnee.

Avoid the 18302 zip code. That's East Stroudsburg North school district. Also avoid Tobyhanna, in particular A Pocono Country Place which is a massive development with a large percentage of homes owned by absentee landlords who can't sell. They'll rent to anyone.

I can recommend Notre Dame Schools in East Stroudsburg where our kids went. They offer pre-K thru 12 and compared to what other Catholic schools charge, it's a real bargain. It's the only private school in Monroe County other than the Evergreen School which is very tiny and hard to get into.

Some people swear by the Stroudsburg School District and I think it's probably fine. I would have been OK with East Stroudsburg South if our kids hadn't already been in Catholic school. Others think Pleasant Valley is the best in the area because it's still the most rural.

Stroudsburg in a nice, walkable town. It's the seat of Monroe County, they have an independent book store (in 2019!), the Sherman Theatre offering live musical acts, a farmer's market, art galleries, and other "walkable city" type stuff.

Some people might claim there's a lot of crime in the area. There isn't. In the mid-2000's there was a heavy surge of city people escaping after 9/11 and that caused a lot of upheaval because of the fast transition. But little by little, aided by the 2008-09 crash, many of the marginal city people moved back to NYC and crime went back to a "normal" level.

I would advise staying away from gated developments or any development where you have to pay dues. That's just my personal preference. I've known people who have had trouble because of neighbors not paying their dues, so they can't get anyone to plow the roads etc.

I'm looking to move to the Bushkill/Shawnee area in a few years. This post was very helpful, thank you!