I love living near downtown Wilkes-Barre (Scranton, Manor: new house, neighbourhood, construction)

[MovingOutOfNJ]

Originally Posted by EnyaGirl

Are you saying that you assume all of the Spanish speaking people in this country are here legally? Wake up!!! More often than not...they're *not*.

your trying to say..........

that there are MORE Illegal Immigrants in this country then their are Legal Immigrants in this country?

......i mean REALLLLY??????? what do you walk around the country checking for citizenship paperwork??

are you counting the millions of hispanic children born into the US everyday who are US Citizens by birth ?

more-over.. how about i bring allllllll of my minority friends over from jersey and show you their US passports... would that lead you to believe that most minorities are NOT illegal...

yeah -- there are a ridiculous # of illegal immigrants in this country -- but to think that MOST immigrants are illegal in this country is just stupid.

[sheena12]

Nice to hear such good things (for the most part) about WB!
I think it's a cute city any it gets a bad rap. I'm not sure why. Two well respected colleges and plans for a river front promenade! I also like the Square and while I have heard bad things about the area I cannot see why. I have never felt unsafe there and I have stayed at the Best Western / Genetti several times.
Where are the really nice residential areas of WB???
There are some beautiful homes in South side but I have not heard too many positive things about the schools that serve the area.

[poconoproud]

I used to enjoy it when I was younger. I went to Coughlin High School & stayed for a summer with my aunt in her apartment on South Wells Street. My best friend was always there, and we enjoyed the city. I lived in Bear Creek, which is the sticks...so for me it was nice to have Wilkes-Barre to have fun in.

[Gerania]

Please, please, wear some sort of tag, button or printed shirt identifying yourself so that I can cross the street or run the other way when I see you coming.

Originally Posted by marchawg

Well, I for one worked in center-city Wilkes-Barre for a little over a year and felt much less safe than I do in mid-town Manhattan where I currently work. Aside from WB (and all of NEPA) having a horrible drug problem, I have to say that it is one of the ugliest cities I've ever visited. WB depresses me, and so do most of its citizens with whom I have spoken. There is just this weird mentality in NEPA that is impossible to escape while living here.

That said, I'm looking to move back out of NEPA relatively soon.

[Philly2Barre]

wow! marchawg probably was working in downtown wilkes-barre during the "dark ages" 1990s-early 2000. Things have changed buddy.. and even if it is in the dark ages it wouldnt really be considered the ugliest city. Wilkes Barre, as of right now, is getting better aside of the crimes and arson lol!

[Philly2Barre]

Scranton is a joke and it will always be a joke. Why did "The Office" pick Scranton to be the dump city in their show? I was just watching Home Alone lastnight and laughed at the scene when Catherine O'Hara's character doesnt know where she is but she was actually stuck in the "Scranton airport" during a blizzard. I remember a tv show from MTV about "pimping" not a car, but a trailerpark mobile home and it featured Scranton.

[ConfusingRotary]

I worked in center city WB just a few years ago. You seem to be referencing the Manhattan of the 80s, though.

[Chefkey]

Originally Posted by marchawg

Well, I for one worked in center-city Wilkes-Barre for a little over a year and felt much less safe than I do in mid-town Manhattan where I currently work. Aside from WB (and all of NEPA) having a horrible drug problem, I have to say that it is one of the ugliest cities I've ever visited. WB depresses me, and so do most of its citizens with whom I have spoken. There is just this weird mentality in NEPA that is impossible to escape while living here.

That said, I'm looking to move back out of NEPA relatively soon.

I don't get this mentality. I've seen filth and the downtrodden everywhere I have been. Smelled the wonderful urine corners of Philly and rode the poop on my shoe busses to Cherry Hill, NJ. Yeah, Wilkes needs a makeover. I hate thet crappy old train station but I am glad to see the progress on the riverfront and now the Mundy Street park.

I have never felt unsafe here and have conversed with the downtrodden if they spoke to me. It is all about how you carry yourself.

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by sheena12

Where are the really nice residential areas of WB???

I don't think they exist.....the one nice area of Wilkes-Barre seems to be the historical district near Wilkes University, but the old victorian homes in that neighborhood all seem to be converted to law offices, university offices, or dorms.

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by MovingOutOfNJ

Wilkes Barre has approx 2,100 African Americans... Scranton has approx 2,300... so your wrong. Technically there are more African Americans in Scranton.

Wilkes-Barre also has just a little more than half the population of Scranton, meaning the % is much higher in W-B, plus, census numbers can't really be trusted at this point, since the last census was 9 years ago, and its probably harder to keep track of a transient part of the population.

I'm not trying to make this a Scranton vs. Wilkes-Barre argument....I'm disgusted with some of the trends in Scranton as well, but it still appears to be the better place to live between the 2 cities. I also realize that Scranton can become the next Wilkes-Barre very easily, and the thought scares me. If the mayor doesn't stop screwing the police department in Scranton, it won't be long before criminals in W-B realize they'd have a much easier time living in Scranton and decide to move 15 miles up I-81.