Need info on scranton (Wilkes-Barre, Dunmore: low crime, homes, neighborhoods)

[gunstreetgirl22]

My family and I are thinking about moving to scranton. I don't know anyone from there, and I am looking for opinions and advice. We are thinking of moving there because we can afford the housing and it is sort of close to our family in NY.
Our concerns are that we need a safe,nice town to raise our 3 kids and we need good schools etc. My husband is an electrician and he needs to get good non-union work, does anyone know if there is a lot of work for electricians? We haven't been able to find many listings but maybe we don't know the good places to look? What areas surrounding scranton are the best/worst?
Any advice is VERY welcome, since neither of us has been there and we really don't know where to start. We can NOT visit before we move (we live in san diego) so we want to make an informed decision.

[bamboosmom]

Hi Gunstreetgirl,
We are looking to move near Scranton also. We are looking outside of the City of Scranton in Wayne County. It is very rural where we are looking.
We haven't been in Scranton yet but I am sure some of the folks here can give you good info.

[ChristinaIUP]

Check the online newspaper for the scranton area:

http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/

I wouldn't want to live in the downtown scranton area, there is a nice private college downtown, but some areas down there aren't that safe. Plus there is a 3% wage tax if you live in scranton. I would look at the "suburbs", Dunmore is very nice, Dickson City, Olyphant, Throop, all in my opinion have a nice small town feel.

[SteelCityRising]

I live in the 'burbs of Scranton, so I'm probably the best source here to consult right now! ;o) I don't want to sound biased, but I think you'd love living in or around the Pittston area, my hometown. We have a "small-town" feel with very low crime, great schools, and affordable housing while only being fifteen minutes from the "hustle and bustle" of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.

The city of Pittston itself has a "run-down" look to it, but it's actually a blessing in disguise---That "ewwww" look to the downtown actually makes housing VERY affordable in-town while it is NOT offset by any negatives such as high crime or traffic. The town is actually very nice and friendly---It's just ugly..(Kinda like me...LOL!) Just over the river is West Pittston, our "artsy" neighbor. Here you'll find tree-lined streets, historic homes, an excellent school district (the Wyoming Area School District in the West Pittston community is among the best in the region), and greenery galore. Housing in this town is also very reasonable. However, be sure to move at least several blocks from the river---The lower-lying parts of town just flooded for the third time in ten years, drawing the ire of residents who blame sprawl upstream for the rise in flooding issues. I'm actually currently spearheading an effort to revitalize the city (You can visit its website at www.pittston.org for more information).

I think you'll like our area. Most people in NY/NJ dub us Pennsylvanians as being "redneck hicks", but there's actually a great arts scene around here too. (Check out the Everhart Museum, NEPA Philharmonic, Kirby Center, Scranton Cultural Center, AFA Gallery, Scranton Jazz Festival coming up the first week of August, etc.) Housing is very affordable. Crime is very low. Schools are excellent. The only gripe most locals have now is traffic---I-81 is currently handling DOUBLE its intended capacity, and plans to widen it are many years away.

P.S. Don't "poo-poo" Scranton completely. There are two neighborhoods in particular---Green Ridge and the Upper Hill that you should investigate. Both have tree-lined streets, low crime, are in close proximity to the downtown, and have historic homes. The wage tax IS a pain in the derriere, but as Scranton continues to "bounce back" in the upcoming years, that can probably be lowered significantly on account of the new commercial growth in the downtown generating more tax revenues. Feel free to ask me for more information, as I'd be happy to help!