Moving to WB - Neighborhood Information? (Wilkes-Barre, Northampton: apartment, for rent, crime rate)

[samadhi]

I'm actively looking for an apartment in Wilkes-Barre and I found one that looked promising - on S Grant Street - not on the same block as GAR but closer to Coal street. What is this area like? Is it safe? Any information you can provide would be greately appreciated.

Also, what other neightborhoods do you recommend and why?

Thanks!

[W-B proud]

That is a decent area, close to downtown, and close to the mall, and shopping centers. Other neighborhood's I'd recomend are East End (next door to the Heights neighborhood that you are looking at. Brookside, Mayflower (upper heights) , I live in Northend which I like, Parsons is a good, quiet neighborhood. The only down side of the "S. grant st. area that you are looking at, is that there is a housing project with a bad reputation nearby, but I don't think it is enough of an issue for you not to live there.

[SteelCityRising]

Member Chefkey lives in this general vicinity and should hopefully be along soon to address you. He seems to be happy there.

[Magritte25]

I live on E. Northampton St. very near S. Grant Street. It is quiet here for the most part. You get "city" noises like pedestrians talking or traffic, etc. But I like it here. I agree with WB about the housing project - Interfaith Heights - but I believe any issues there are mostly confined to that area, ya know?

If you have any specific questions, I'll be happy to answer them. I do know there is a nice looking half double for rent on S. Sherman Street near Heights Elementary.

[WinterMadness]

wb is general is pretty scummy and somewhat dangerous but as long as you arent buying drugs i suppose youll be safe.

wb is quite tame in comparison to the other northeastern cities around us

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by WinterMadness

wb is general is pretty scummy and somewhat dangerous but as long as you arent buying drugs i suppose youll be safe.

wb is quite tame in comparison to the other northeastern cities around us

I attended college in Downtown Wilkes-Barre and only ever felt threatened several times. One time it was my own fault for feeling sorry for a drunk (high?) homeless person lying on the sidewalk in the very sketchy neighborhood adjacent to the soup kitchen and actually having the nerve to say "Good morning" to him, at which point he staggered to his feet and chased me to campus in an attempt to mug me (thankfully he fell over). Another time there was a group of minority riff-raff (with the baggy pants with the boxers hanging out, hoodies, foul mouths, etc.) crowding along Bennett Street at night. I hovered my hand above my cell phone holster strapped to my hip as I walked by to make it look like I was packing heat. One of them gave me a cat-call (I still don't know how people can know I'm gay by looking at me), and the others laughed. Then there was another time when I heard a woman scream "Help me!" and kept on walking because I couldn't tell where the voice was coming from. All three of these incidents happened in that very scummy neighborhood just to the east of the King's campus that is in dire need of gentrification (or at least some regular police patrols).

Still, though, considering what a large percentage of Wilkes-Barre's residents are low-income the violent crime rate isn't really anything to raise any eyebrows. Also to be fair all three of those incidents happened to me in either 2005 or 2006. By 2009 I NEVER felt unsafe. The city has definitely been improving on many fronts in just the past five years because you finally have a mayor in office who knows what the hell he's doing (for the most part).