Garden Village Photo Tour

[ArmyWife143]

WOW. Now I am convinced that I would love PA. Thank you for posting these. Do you all know where I can see pictures of West Pittston during the winter months????

[tsedeski]

that first house has been on teh market for some time. it just had an open house last saturday. its now listed at 225K

[SteelCityRising]

I'm just bumping this thread up as a reminder that West Pittston's annual cherry blossom festival that I referenced several times within this tour will be this upcoming weekend if anyone would like to go scope it out. It's less-attended and smaller than Wilkes-Barre's, but unlike the Wilkes-Barre Cherry Blossom Festival where the namesake trees were not exactly evident, there are plenty of these blossoms along the West Pittston riverfront.

[Magritte25]

ScranBarre - Beautiful pictures! West Pittston is an amazing part of the Wyoming Valley. I am a bit of a photographer myself and would love to photograph homes....does anyone ever ask why you are taking pictures of their home? Being the shrinking violet I am, I am so afraid to be approached...LOL. I don't want people to think that I am a stalker or anything...hahaha.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Magritte25

ScranBarre - Beautiful pictures! West Pittston is an amazing part of the Wyoming Valley. I am a bit of a photographer myself and would love to photograph homes....does anyone ever ask why you are taking pictures of their home? Being the shrinking violet I am, I am so afraid to be approached...LOL. I don't want people to think that I am a stalker or anything...hahaha.

Normally I wait around while snapping photographs to ensure that nobody is consciously observing my behavior to limit the potential for me to be accosted by inquisitive (or possibly even angry) homeowners. I understand in the post-9/11 era it would look suspicious for a younger male to be walking around just snapping random photographs of NEPA communities that typically aren't considered "tourist havens," but I mean no harm in what I do. On the very rare occasion I do get questioned I candidly tell that individual about City-Data and about how I'm photographing their neighborhood as a means to promote it for the benefit of prospective new residents, visitors, past residents, and current residents alike. Nobody has ever given me a hassle beyond that, and if they did want to make a fuss out of it I would remind them that Google is currently photographing nearly every square inch of America as part of its 3-D "Street View" application, which is MUCH more intrusive in nature in terms of "invasion of privacy" than what people may allege I am doing.

[PITTSTON2SARASOTA]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

It's another beautiful day in NEPA! Temperatures have been in the low-70s for the past several days now with a gentle breeze and abundant sunshine, so I figured this would be a grandiose opportunity for me to capture the "Garden Village" of West Pittston in all of its splendor. Also known as a Tree City USA for its lush landscaping throughout town, West Pittston hosts an annual riverside cherry blossom festival that attracts foods, games, bands, and carmaraderie amongst the townspeople; it's a great way to introduce yourself and make new friends with other West Pittstonians.

The community is home to roughly 4,800 individuals, and that number is declining slightly (due to deaths outpacing births). However, there are two newer subdivisions in town, Ledgeview, which is a blend of one-story townhomes and detached two-story dwellings, and River Shores, an upscale gated community of exclusive homes, both of which may serve as a wonderful boost to the community's tax base. The town is perched along the Susquehanna River, which is both a blessing in terms of aesthetic beauty and a curse in terms of flooding concerns. Many of the homes I photographed adorn Susquehanna Avenue, which runs directly beside the river. Nevertheless, whenever the flood waters rise and front lawns turn into lakes, the community bands together to help one another out in terms of moving furniture to second-stories and caring for evacuated pets.

West Pittston is a Norman Rockwell type of town with tree-lined streets, sidewalks, and friendly faces. I was inspired today by the number of people milling about. I saw one woman who appeared to be pulling her two toddler grandchildren down York Avenue in a little red wagon while the children looked upwards at the trees overhead and pointed at birds and squirrels. I saw two middle-aged couples power-walking along Susquehanna Avenue. I even saw a rather attractive young blond woman jogging along Wyoming Avenue. There was also a flurry of construction vehicles and contractors' pick-up trucks out and about today taking advantage of the warm weather as homeowners throughout the town appeared to be renovating their residences. I couldn't help but steal a few passing glances at a hot college guy with a six-pack who was moving equipment into the bed of a pick-up truck on Delaware Avenue (I know...shame on me!) LOL!

Politically, West Pittston is unique in that it is the only town in the Greater Pittston area that tends to lean Republican in most elections. West Pittstonians seem to be more of the fiscally-conservative Republican types as opposed to the socially-conservative ones, which is just fine in my book. There is a major council race in town right now that has the borough split pretty much 50/50 between those loyal to Mayor William Goldsworthy and those who crave change. My aunt and uncle reside two doors away from the mayor on Montgomery Avenue and are quite satisfied with current conditions in town, so I'd be inclined to side with the incumbents during this highly-contentious upcoming race.

This community lies just across the river from Pittston, and these two towns are quite honestly "A Tale of Two Cities." West Pittston is one of the most highly-attractive communities in the Wyoming Valley while Pittston is one of the slummiest. Downtown Pittston's once-thriving Main Street corridor is now a shadow of its former self as mom-and-pop stores have given way to vacant storefronts as a direct result of the urban sprawl that has been occurring in nearby Pittston Township, my hometown, which is growing like a weed these days in terms of new "box" stores and housing developments at the expense of the city of Pittston itself. Pittston has some promising news on its economic development radar though, including 100+ new condominiums being built on the waterfront next year by local businessman Daniel Siniawa, so West Pittston could become even more attractive as Pittston rises from the ashes like the Phoenix.

West Pittston is a great example of a "smart community" in that there is mixed zoning throughout town. Intertwined on its shady streets are various businesses and industries that provide employment, services, and consumer goods to borough residents. From almost any home in the town you could walk a mile or less to Gerrity's Shur-Save Supermarket, the Great Wall Chinese Buffet, Dunkin' Donuts, Blockbuster Video, PNC Bank, Bank of America, Agolino's Restaurant, Nardone's Restaurant, Antonio's Pizzeria, law offices, medical offices, Subway, Old Mill Pine Hardware, Antiques-And-Non, CVS Pharmacy, gas stations, convenience stores, a library, Montgomery Avenue Elementary School, Wyoming Area Secondary Center, churches, beauty parlors, Blue Ribbon Ice Cream, etc., making driving a rarity if you so chose. From my current home in a suburban subdivision, accessing any sort of amenity requires my derriere in the driver's seat of my sedan. As Downtown Pittston "bounces back" in the upcoming years, that will also be another walkable option for West Pittston residents.

In fact, if WeLuvPA doesn't stop trying to scare me away from Scranton, I might just consider residing here myself someday. Housing prices are reasonable (the town average seems to be around $200,000), the Wyoming Area School District is ranked among the best in the county, the town is nearly equidistant to both Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, crime is non-existent, and several of my relatives, including my aunt, uncle, cousins, sister, and brother-in-law live there. I'm also a fan of Victorian architecture, which dominates more than half the town.

Please enjoy my latest photo tour of what I'd say is quite possibly one of the best small towns in all of Pennsylvania. I've lived five minutes from West Pittston my entire life, so if you have any questions about a possible relocation to the "Garden Village," please let me know! As always, please permit me to post all 100+ images of the town first before replying so that your replies don't get lost in between my photo submissions. Thanks!

Thanks for the pictures,I forgot how beautiful West Pittston is.

[poconoproud]

thanks for taking the time to take all those great photos!

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Normally I wait around while snapping photographs to ensure that nobody is consciously observing my behavior to limit the potential for me to be accosted by inquisitive (or possibly even angry) homeowners. I understand in the post-9/11 era it would look suspicious for a younger male to be walking around just snapping random photographs of NEPA communities that typically aren't considered "tourist havens," but I mean no harm in what I do. On the very rare occasion I do get questioned I candidly tell that individual about City-Data and about how I'm photographing their neighborhood as a means to promote it for the benefit of prospective new residents, visitors, past residents, and current residents alike. Nobody has ever given me a hassle beyond that, and if they did want to make a fuss out of it I would remind them that Google is currently photographing nearly every square inch of America as part of its 3-D "Street View" application, which is MUCH more intrusive in nature in terms of "invasion of privacy" than what people may allege I am doing.

ITA about Google. I would think when you explain it that way to people, they would be flattered, no?

People can be a bit strange around here about privacy and such...that's why I was curious. Thanks for the quick answer!