Info on Brodheadsville/Saylorsburg (Allentown, Bethlehem: foreclosure, house, neighborhood)

[4AandS]

Hello All,
We are researching a possible move to this area and are still organizing trips out there to do further research but wanted to ask if any locals could help with our questions and also suggest places we should visit/checkout on our trips. We truly appreciate any help offered!!

We are a couple with 2 children and have narrowed in on this area to relocate to based on area, schooling, and work commute (going into morris county, nj) we currently live in northern nj but have experienced increasing prop. tax and expenses to the point of ridiculousness--our other major problem is the general atmosphere of this area---materialism, superficial concerns, and wealth obsession-we know that this is everywhere but in the last 10 years there has been such an increase! it is all everyone talks about at the table!!

Therefore are concerns are;

atmosphere of this area
tax situation
things for kids to do
schools and activities
medical care and hospitals
basic grocery shopping and kids shopping nearby
neighborhood atmosphere in this area
towns distance from schools
anyone know about working in nj but living in pa?

anything else you feel we could benefit from would be great!! we would love to hear the good and the bad! thanks again!

[valentine92]

It is a very nice area.
Pleasant Valley School District
Not too close to a hospital - closest hospitals are Pocono Medical Center or St Luke's Bethlehem
there are a few grocery stores in the immediate area
Distance from schools will really depend on where your house is located
I have friends and family that live in both Brodheadsville and Saylorsburg and they all love it.
I dont know anyone that commutes to NJ but I know many people that commute to NYC.

[DavidWebb]

Therefore are concerns are;

atmosphere of this area = depending on which area you pick (Brodheadsville or Saylorsburg) both are great

tax situation = again depends on where you go but definitely lower than NJ...mine is currently around $1500/year

things for kids to do = lot's...your close to all major ski areas (CamelBack, Shawnee, Blue Mountain, Jack Frost) and state parks for hiking, camping, BBQ'ing with family/friends

schools and activities = Pleasant Valley school district is highly rated

medical care and hospitals = Closest is Pocono Medical Center or the ones in Bath, Bethlehem, and Allentown

basic grocery shopping and kids shopping nearby = grocery shopping: Mr. Z's and ShopRite are right on Rt. 209...in Wind Gap you have Giant which is also located on Rt. 611 at the former truck stop in Bartonsville

neighborhood atmosphere in this area = again depends on where you go but for the most part everyone sticks to their own business even though the locals don't care for us "cityslickers" much

towns distance from schools = not far as compared to NJ, but depends on where you choose to move to and how close you prefer to be to the school...of course there are buses for the kids, though

anyone know about working in nj but living in pa? = I live in PA and commute 5 days to Piscataway, NJ...I work the 2pm - 10pm shift so the commute isn't too bad...only in winter...just boring on the way back...good thing I have XM satellite radio to keep me sane!!

anything else you feel we could benefit from would be great!! we would love to hear the good and the bad! thanks again! = the one stressing point I will make is RESEARCH, RESEARCH, and more RESEARCH...too many NJ/NY'er's make the move out here and don't plan accordingly...next thing you know their house is in foreclosure or they end up moving back to NJ/NY due to the commute, the expenses of home ownership (which I'm sure your familiar with), or what have ya...there's one abandoned house here in the community where I live...the previous owners/renters left in the middle of the night and no one has heard/seen them since and the house/property has been broken into by neighborhood kid's and is now occupied by a ton of cats...otherwise the community where I live is great...no one on top of me...I have a 1/2 acre corner lot 2 bedroom 1K sq. ft. ranch and wake up to nothing but birds/wildlife and peace & quiet!! I moved here in Nov. 2007 from Somerville, NJ where I lived for 7 years...been coming out here to this area of PA (Northeast) since 1997. I've lived in Reeders (close to Camelback and the Crossing Premium Outlets), Effort, and Bath before moving back to NJ in Oct. 2000...couldn't be happier where I am now...the commute is long (1 hr. 15 mins. each way) and boring but I wouldn't trade it for city life!! By the way, I'm originally from Brooklyn, NY...any other questions just drop another post or DM me...I'd be glad to help any way I can

[4AandS]

Thank you both for your quick replies! We really appreciate it! We go back and forth with either staying miserable in nj or finally leaving but we still have many trips to make out your way to check things out and much research to do. As far as the hospitals--would you say they are a bit far in distance since we have children we are always concerned with an emergency situation (right now we are 10 minutes away from the hospital).

[DavidWebb]

You'd be more than 10 minutes away from the hospitals in Brodheadsville or Saylorsburg but if the emergency is severe a medevac helo can be called in...the volunteer ambulance or fire departments are pretty quick though...I once had a medical emergency at home (diabetic wife) and didn't know what to do so I just started pushing buttons on my alarm system and ADT had the ambulance at the house within 10-15 minutes...even the state police called but that was because the keypad combination I pressed sent the alarm as an armed robbery in progress...still was comforting to know that they responded quickly and were understanding considering the situation...let us know if you need more info

[valentine92]

Regarding hospitals I used to live on top of Mount Effort and we made many trips to Geisinger Hospital in Wilkes Barre when my son was little, he is asthmatic. I personally preferred Geisinger over Pocono Medical however for me each hospital was around 30 minutes away. Too far for us in an extreme emergency. Our neighbor once called an ambulance during the winter and it took almost 30 minutes for it to get there. This was one of the main reasons we moved to Bethlehem I am now 5 minutes from 2 hospitals, couldn't be happier.

[pocopc]

depending where you are at in brodheadsville/saylorsburg... your about 15-20 minutes from Pocono Medical Center. If your closer to 33, it will be quicker as you just get on 33 to i80. If your further out in brodheadsville (back by Mr Z's/shoprite on 209) it will be a bit longer.

I grew up in brodheadsville (i used to walk to Pleasant Valley high school, i was only maybe a mile away) and have lived in this area my whole life. The area has changed, but it is still nice. I can't speak to Pleasant Valley as it is now, but it was a good school when i graduated 10 years ago.

[Summering]

Well, it is nice that the ambulance is right by the Effort Post office and right in the heart of Brodheadsville. Also, in an emergency the life flights have areas to land.

The firehouse is not far from the town area either.

Grocery stores are right in town and are great.......

For good movies we head down 33 to 248 Wilson exit.......in Easton. Lots of choices there.

To shop we go to Stroudsburg, Easton or even Phillipsburg......at Christmas time we head to Dickson City for all we could wish for and need. The closest department store is Kmart/Sears in Wind Gap.
Also there is a great Giants there and a few other stores, pizza, shoes...etc.

The bus picks up right in front of our home.......The schools are growing and improving all the time.

Many people work in NJ and live in Pa. Best of Luck to you.

There is a great library, big and full of things to do. There is dance and cheerleading type schools on the way into town........The schools have plenty sports.

[4AandS]

Thank you all for you informative posts! We are planning a trip your way when the weather gets better as we want the kids to get out and see everything with us. Not sure about the hospital though as we have had moments when we need assistance and luckily they were here in minutes--just concerned with the kids. Is Bethelem a great area? Just want to make sure schools are good and the area is a great place to raise kids without the excess of northern nj. Thanks!

[Summering]

We have a child in the family with Asthma and are not too afraid as the ambulance corp is right around the corner.
You might find heading down to Nazareth that the materialism issue comes up again. So I understand from someone who lives down that way. There are some big, huge, wealthy areas.
So reading your first thread......I don't think you would be away from that, which your trying to avoid now.
Perhaps Saylorsburg would be closer to your ideal place.
More relaxed, close to 33, not far from grocery stores or entertainment..........
I really don't think the hospital is too far from there.

Bethlehem would put you closer to the "best" hospitals and you might not mind that area at all.