Moving to Scranton (Philadelphia, Washington, Jermyn: middle-class, rentals, hotel)

[jkt]

My husband and I are considering moving to Scranton with our 1 year old daughter. We'd like to rent for a year before making the big plunge. Any suggestions on where would be a good place? Ideally, I'd like something in the downtown area ( I lived in NYC for years), but I get the sense there isn't too much down there. My husband would prefer something a little more quiet, so if that's what's more available, I'm open to that too!

[scrantonluna]

Something close to Arthur Ave. would put you right off the city's biggest park, but it's still only blocks from the downtown. Avoid South side except for limited areas. East Mountain is a little more removed from the city, and is a nice area. West side is a mix.

You could try the Hotel Jermyn, but I don't know if they rent to regular families - there are a lot of seniors living in there at the moment. It's right in the heart of the downtown.

Scranton is working on more downtown living space, but it's going slow.

[scrantonluna]

Also, the Marywood section, off of the upper part of Woodlawn, is very nice.

[blip]

Hi jkt,

We moved to Westside from NYC about a year ago and also have very young kids. If walkability is important to you, I'd strongly recommend Westside--there's a fair amount of basic amenities on Main Ave., and it's still a fairly short walk downtown. Also, you can find really quiet blocks too. (After NYC pretty much anywhere in Scranton will feel quiet.) Only drawback is no big park in walking distance, and the playgrounds can be a 10-20m walk depending where you are. I'd look at the area around Oram and Schlager Streets--lots of nice houses and some rentals in the mix.

Arthur Ave and the Upper Hill are really nice, and Nay Aug is a great park, but there's not much else w/in walking distance.

Hope this helps, let me know if any other questions, or feel free to PM me.

[weluvpa]

Originally Posted by scrantonluna

Scranton is working on more downtown living space, but it's going slow.

Slow? Tectonic plate movements are faster.

[SteelCityRising]

Good morning jkt, and welcome in advance to Scranhattan!

Even though I'm preparing to relocate to the South in a few weeks I have grown up just outside the city my entire life (I can see the city lights at night from our north-facing windows), and I've grown quite attached to its down-to-earth atmosphere that is so far removed from much of today's otherwise fast-paced society.

Assuming my parents don't relocate down to Washington DC with me (as they say they might when they retire) I will most definitely be making a return pilgrimage to live in Scranton in the 2020s, and at that point in time I'm most likely going to purchase a duplex in either West Side or the Hill Section because those two neighborhoods offer the best of both worlds---walkability to Downtown while still maintaining more of a small-town atmosphere. As Mayor Doherty continues to gentrify South Side I fear that some of the "element" that has been plaguing portions of that area recently will scatter like roaches to West Side, but at least for right now it is a premier place to live in the city in my eyes (and we have nearly a half-dozen West Scranton regulars on here in addition to blip who will be along to offer their insights as well I'm sure).

A large chunk of West Scranton is subdivided into the Hyde Park neighborhood. Since Hyde Park was formerly an independent community before being annexed by a rapidly-growing Scranton (that sounds like an oxy-moron today after decades of population decline) in the early-1900s it has its own downtown business district along Main Avenue that, while not pretty to look at (a new street scape would do wonders) does have quite a few wonderful mom-and-pop businesses that are within walking distance to the tidy older homes that line the grid-shaped street network that rises up a gentle hill for many blocks to the west (with alternating one-way north/south side streets). Once the Lackawanna Avenue Bridge is rebuilt there will be an easy link between Hyde Park and Downtown, which could spur some private development in that area to help blend these two areas together and promote more walkability. Scranton is noted for its small neighborhood schools, most of which are average to above-average, and even though a few schools in West Side will be closing to consolidate into a larger brand new elementary school near the Tripps Park subdivision (in the 2010-2011 school year I believe), West Side still has one of the most close-knit community-oriented atmospheres I've ever seen in a city as large as Scranton.

The Hill Section is unusual. One block will be graced by elegant turn-of-the-century manors with BMWs and Audis parked out front while the next block will be home to semi-run-down student housing owned by NYC/NJ slum lords while the next block will be home to drug houses while the next block will once again be upper-middle-class in stature. Nevertheless I'm keeping this in a close second myself behind Hyde Park as a potential place to invest in when I return to the city in the 2020s because I foresee the continued growth of the Commonwealth Medical College and University of Scranton turning the Lower Hill into a "hip" neighborhood---perhaps even the region's LGBT epicenter since I already know a fair number of gays/lesbians who live in the Lower Hill and enjoy walking downtown for First Fridays and other regular events.

I'd highly recommend Hyde Park first if you have a beautiful young child and want to live somewhere semi-quiet yet still "near the action," and the Hill Section neighborhood would be a somewhat more distant second due to the potential university noise (off-campus partying) and the drug element that has still been slow to abate as the neighborhood continues to gentrify itself.

I hope you visit the city for yourself and see all that it has (or doesn't have) to offer. Scranton seems to be a "love it" or "hate it" sort of place. Some love the historic flair. Others think it is "run-down." Some love that the provincialism in the city has given many residents a sense of nostalgia while others say it is "stuck in the past." Some like that the downtown is attempting to rebound with new pubs, coffee houses, shops, etc. while others think it is "putting lipstick on a pig." Some view the volatile political climate in the city as residents showing immense civic pride while others see it as being a "turn-off." You'll need to discover these for yourselves and arrive at your own conclusions. All in all Scranton's not such a bad place to call home. If nothing else the proximity to NYC, NJ, Philadelphia, etc. can't be beat for the price you pay for housing.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

Slow? Tectonic plates movements are faster.