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I will add Paul, that I know our area doesn't have a huge employer pool. BUT to say that there are no jobs in our area is a defeatist and erroneous statement.
Oh, there are jobs here, I will agree with you on that. For the most part, the jobs here are low paying, minimum wage jobs. The is no real industry or high paying, wage sustaining jobs here.
Northern Virginia. However, it wouldn't exactly be my top place as a recommendation for a place to live.
Paul, why wouldn't you recommend NOVA as a place to live? You chose it, why is it so bad? It can't be for the same reasons why I wouldn't chose Scranton as a top place to recommend for people to live.
We all know people who have jobs. Educated people who have managed to sustain a family on the salaries they earn. But when people say there are "no jobs" here, they are talking about jobs that pay a wage that will support a reasonable life-style, not one of pay check to pay check.
We all know people who couldn't find a job in their field. People with degrees who would prefer not to work at WalMart, or Subway, or telemarketing.
It all comes down to anecdotes. But when you dump degree-holders from nine or ten colleges into the local job market every May, there are certainly not enough placements for all of them locally. We no longer have industry here. Lawyer? Graduate, pass the bar and open your own office, or join your family's practice. Doctor? Pretty much the same scenario. The hospitals are probably the biggest employers of "educated" people, but even then, the salaries are not comparable to out-of-the-area facilities.
I have lived here for 42 years, and have never had difficulty finding employment, but I had children to support and couldn't afford to be picky about where I worked or how much (or little) I was paid. At one point, I was working three part-time jobs, racing from one to the other every day. I had a hard time remembering which phone I was answering! But I perservered and eventually found a job that utilized my talents.
Truth is, we all see the glass - half full or half empty - from our own perspective and experience.
Do you really think Scranton is going to move into the 21st Century under the leadership of someone like Janet Evans?
I agree I believe they think Janet Evans walks on water or the end all of the cities problems. Do they ;love her because she hates Doherty? I believe so.I think her followers never saw the real Janet yet,the day will come
I agree I believe they think Janet Evans walks on water or the end all of the cities problems. Do they ;love her because she hates Doherty? I believe so.I think her followers never saw the real Janet yet,the day will come
I find her to be very condesending when she speaks to anyone.
Paul, why wouldn't you recommend NOVA as a place to live? You chose it, why is it so bad? It can't be for the same reasons why I wouldn't chose Scranton as a top place to recommend for people to live.
1.) Traffic congestion. My 7-mile commute to work can often take an hour if I leave at the wrong time. There are around 1.2 million people living in Fairfax County alone, with over a million more in surrounding counties in NoVA (Loudoun, Prince William, Clarke, Fauquier) who also commute in. Mass transit is relatively inefficient here and doesn't reach nearly enough of the population. Efforts to expand rail haven't kept pace with population growth.
2.) Cost-of-living: I'm earning a salary of around $42,000 and can barely keep my head above water financially in a 1-BR apartment. On that salary in NEPA I'd be able to EASILY afford a 1-BR apartment. I'm considering moving to Pittsburgh for this very same "bang for your buck" factor. Why live 18 miles outside of the city in NoVA and struggle on $42k when I could move to Pittsburgh (IN the city), make $37k, and live comfortably in a 1-BR place?
3.) Lack of charm or character: Picture Dickson City and South Abington Township---only never-ending---and you have much of NoVA. There's nothing here but parking lots, tacky newer homes, chain restaurants, gas stations, box stores, etc. While Scranton may look "depressed" to people like you, sues1, etc., to me I'd much rather look at a c. 1898 home with paint peeling from the front porch than a vinyl-sided cookie-cutter home that sells for $500,000.
4.) The District: I'm sorry, but from all of my times commuting into the city to "explore" and "unwind" I just haven't been very impressed. We pay nearly NYC prices for housing, and yet there's no way I'd ever consider DC to be "NYC: Lite." DC doesn't have a skyline, and the city is horribly segregated---the poor blacks all live in SE and NE DC (including Anacostia), and NW DC is generally home to upper-middle-class whites (including Georgetown). Other than the museums I still don't really see what makes DC command such an outrageous cost-of-living. I pay more in rent for my 1-BR apartment in the suburbs than my parents pay for the mortgage on a 3-BR home on a 3/4-acre lot in a subdivision back in NEPA. What do I get in return? No pool. No gym. Not even any trick-or-treaters. Transient neighbors who don't like to make small talk.
5.) Materialism: Some may think I'm an elitist or have a bloated ego (neither of which is really true to those who know me on a personal level), but if you come here everyone is so quick to brag about their Ivy-league degrees, fancy corporate positions, showing off their high-end SUVs, etc., etc. Sit on any Metrorail train, and your attempts to nod your head politely or say "Good morning" to someone are met by them turning away to fiddle with their PDA, iPhone, or Droid. There's a definite vibe here of "my piece is bigger than yours", and I'm not that type of person. I grew up in a white-collar family but had mostly friends from blue-collar families so I know the importance of valuing someone based upon their character and integrity---not how many zeroes are at the end of their salaries. DC really isn't "all that" for people to be acting so high and mighty down here.
I could continue, but that's enough venting/ranting for now. I feel as if Pittsburgh would be the best "hybrid" for me. 1/3 of the city is college-educated, and while there are less jobs in my field there than in DC there are still many more than Scranton offers. Pittsburgh has a lot of "grit," but call me crazy I miss that about Scranton. Everything in NoVA is perfectly-manicured, prim, proper, and so "Stepford"-ish that it makes me want to hurl sometimes. Pittsburgh has historic and tight-knit ethnic neighborhoods, just like Scranton, but unlike Scranton the people don't bellyache 24/7 about how much it sucks to be a Pittsburgher and to have such an awful life. I could take a 10%-15% pay cut to move to Pittsburgh but actually have a better standard of living due to cutting my expenses by 30%-40% as well. The city has all of the offerings of a world-class city---major-league sports, concerts, theatre, etc.---at a fraction of the cost and congestion. I really still don't understand why that city is bleeding people at an alarming rate. DC is GROWING very rapidly in recent years, and I really don't see its "charm."
I agree I believe they think Janet Evans walks on water or the end all of the cities problems. Do they ;love her because she hates Doherty? I believe so.I think her followers never saw the real Janet yet,the day will come
Quote:
Originally Posted by shoegal111
I find her to be very condesending when she speaks to anyone.
If you look at who she caters to you'll see that most who support her agenda simply don't like the mayor. She's an expert on saying "No", but then she NEVER offers up any viable alternatives. If she's as brilliant and visionary as "da little people" think she is, then why do they never grill her for her own ideas? She even "pocketed" an idea I pitched from the council podium, didn't say a peep in encouragement or reach out to me via e-mail when I sent a follow-up to council (the "villainous" Judy Gatelli actually invited me out to lunch to talk more about ideas to help the city), and then Janet pitched the idea HERSELF during her re-election campaign. I was miffed, to say the least, and it was at that point I was finally able to see her fully as just someone who would push anyone else under a bus to get more power.
Say what you will about me with my brash personality and long-windedness, but I have a TON of ideas lodged in my head on how to make Scranton an all-out AMAZING place to raise your family and have shared only a few of them from time to time on this forum. I'd never move back to try to bring about change in Scranton because I wouldn't want to live amongst so many people with the "woe is me, all hope is lost, stick a fork in us" mentality (playing world's smallest violin). If Scranton supposedly has a lot of people with abundant civic pride, then WHERE ARE THEY? (watches as tumbleweed rolls on by). I would NEVER want to raise my family living on a block full of people with the "I'm a burn-out, and it's all the mayor's fault" mentality. Has Doherty been a great mayor? No. Why do you all hinge 100% of your faith on one person to be the "Messiah" though? Scranton is doomed for sheer failure as long as outsiders continue to be turned off by the putrid and rancid negativity.
If you look at who she caters to you'll see that most who support her agenda simply don't like the mayor. She's an expert on saying "No", but then she NEVER offers up any viable alternatives. If she's as brilliant and visionary as "da little people" think she is, then why do they never grill her for her own ideas? She even "pocketed" an idea I pitched from the council podium, didn't say a peep in encouragement or reach out to me via e-mail when I sent a follow-up to council (the "villainous" Judy Gatelli actually invited me out to lunch to talk more about ideas to help the city), and then Janet pitched the idea HERSELF during her re-election campaign. I was miffed, to say the least, and it was at that point I was finally able to see her fully as just someone who would push anyone else under a bus to get more power.
Say what you will about me with my brash personality and long-windedness, but I have a TON of ideas lodged in my head on how to make Scranton an all-out AMAZING place to raise your family and have shared only a few of them from time to time on this forum. I'd never move back to try to bring about change in Scranton because I wouldn't want to live amongst so many people with the "woe is me, all hope is lost, stick a fork in us" mentality (playing world's smallest violin). If Scranton supposedly has a lot of people with abundant civic pride, then WHERE ARE THEY? (watches as tumbleweed rolls on by). I would NEVER want to raise my family living on a block full of people with the "I'm a burn-out, and it's all the mayor's fault" mentality. Has Doherty been a great mayor? No. Why do you all hinge 100% of your faith on one person to be the "Messiah" though? Scranton is doomed for sheer failure as long as outsiders continue to be turned off by the putrid and rancid negativity.
You say it like it is! Janet is just pandering the to crowd who hates Doherty plain and simple,she has no ideas Mod edit -personal attack on public figure shes a teacher those chairs must be hard I know Judy I dont believe she is such a witch she wants whats best with no conflict,she has to live here to.Not every one is negative,Doherty promises the world to people,I have seen it heard it ,been there.Its a big turn off to the younger generation.How many time do we haw to hear the same story from him before he really does something about it.6000 jobs didnt happen.500 block of lackawanna ave was developed by Rinaldi,medical college wasnt his doing There are some many parks,they condem house and tear them down alot of them could be fixed and sold to put back on the tax base
Last edited by toobusytoday; 12-13-2009 at 03:56 PM..
1.) Traffic congestion.
2.) Cost-of-living:
3.) Lack of charm or character:
4.) The District:
5.) Materialism:
SB...I give you credit for having excellent perception and also being a quick study. Only a few months ago you thought you had moved to a great place. What you found is not unusual in affluent suburbs around many big cities. It is symptomatic of how our 'culture' has evolved. BTW it also looks like NoVA is becoming a breeding ground for terrorists. "Diversity" has its warts too.
These are some reasons why some people (maybe not as 'unenlightened' as you may think?) chose to stay, return, or move to NEPA and accept lower salaries. Maybe Pittsburgh is a better mix. Good luck and let us know how that works out.
Foreclosures in Scranton, Pa., (No.11) for example, fell 50% in October from the previous year, and home prices are expected to appreciate .03% three years out (a forecast better than 75% of major metros). And there's at least one good reason to settle there: It has the third-lowest travel time to work of all the metros we measured.
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