Need info about Berwick, PA (Wilkes-Barre, Monroe: for rent, house, elementary school)

[AmeriKenArtist]

I was born and lived much of my life in Danville. It's a nice quiet town. A good place to start a family. I lived in a variety of places in the U.S. and am now in Bloomsburg. This has to be one of the hidden gems in this region! Downtown Bloomsburg just had their first Artwalk, which was very successful! 50 local artists displayed their works in 20 stores. Other Artwalks are scheduled for May, August and October. Bloomsburg has their Renaissance celebration in the spring as well. New businesses have been opening on the Main Street. Carpenters are busy in the new Quiznos site. I stopped at the new Starbucks and saw a local artists work! Many local family-owned businesses are thriving amongst the nationally-known ones. I enjoy breakfast at the Bloomsburg Diner in the heart of town!

Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble has been providing wonderful productions for thirty years. Phillips Emporium is a nice spacious coffee shop that hosts live music and the North Mountain Art League shows. Open Your Eyes To Dream is a relatively new gallery that has cutting edge presentations. Artspace Gallery is a cooperative with 20 members. Other galleries dot the area. A nice selection of restaurants, some with live music, are all within walking distance from one another.

The Town Park is on the verge of a new design which will include bocci, along with the usual venues. Disc (Frisbee) golf is in the park as well. It is always a pleasure to walk to the park, situated along the beautiful Susquehanna River.

And of course, the Great Bloomsburg Fair is a short walk from my house. Throughout the year, a variety of expos are held at the fairgrounds. I was surprised this past summer when walking to Town Perk! The Main Street was shut down and was filled with three solid rows of vintage Hot Rods! All in exquisite condition! Pedestrians filled the Main Street for a few hours, then the street rods made their way back to the fairgrounds. Plenty of surprises are here for the adventurous soul!

[WasPA]

Originally Posted by Penfairie

Hello Grif17,
I haven't checked this site for awhile, but after being in NJ over the weekend and bringing up AOL homepage this evening, I had to jump back on here. I saw your message and thought I'd write to let you know that today, (2/19/08) one of the main AOL headlines was "Best Rural Places To Live In America"...I clicked on it to find that Columbia County PA is listed at #5!!! So, if you're thinking about looking for property here, I thought you may find that interesting!
Yes, Berwick is still much the same as it was when I grew up here. Both Dalo's Bakery (on Freas Ave) and Tuzzi's Bakery (on Washington St) are rather indicative of the Berwick area. Both are still located where they have been for years, in basic, non-assuming buildings, and both are owned by hard-working families that take pride in their work - and their work is good! If you drive around any section of town, you're not going to see McMansions with $10,000 landscaping, the keep-up-with-the-Jones' suburbs that I was accustomed to when I lived in the city - you're going to see people making the most of what they have. Neat, tidy homes, walks swept, a flag waving...pride in their home & their community.
Let me know what you're interested in knowing about Berwick, as it is today...I'll try to help!

Did Tuzzi's used to be on Market St. ? up near the northern end?

...There was a bakery there that sold raisin-filled cookies, among other old fashined cookies,cakes etc. and had pizza squares by the slice sitting out wrapped in wax paper sheets. They closed suddenly and I was freaked until I found the raisin filled goodies at Dalo's......

[Southwb]

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[EnyaGirl]

Originally Posted by Southwb

tobbbnnhfffffffffffffffffffffffffff

Hmm..ok, was that cat, dog, or baby speak?

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by EnyaGirl

Hmm..ok, was that cat, dog, or baby speak?

To me it sounds like one of Fay Franus's weekly rants at the Scranton city council meeting.

[Penfairie]

The bakery you are thinking of on North Market St. was Strauser's Bakery. Their cookies were fantastic! I didn't live here at the time, but I believe they closed in the 90's due to the owner's health problems.




Did Tuzzi's used to be on Market St. ? up near the northern end?

...There was a bakery there that sold raisin-filled cookies, among other old fashined cookies,cakes etc. and had pizza squares by the slice sitting out wrapped in wax paper sheets. They closed suddenly and I was freaked until I found the raisin filled goodies at Dalo's.....

[Left Berwick And Glad]

I know this is a little late. Your post was nearly a year ago. I apologize but have only found this webpage. I found your post with a little humor. I have to wonder why on earth anyone would want to move to Berwick, Pa. As a person who grew up there and spent about 35 years in Berwick, I see no reason to stay there if you live there or move there if you don't.

The young people have left. Median age is 40+. This is a low income area. Median income is $28,000. Top employers are Weis Potato Chips, Vaughn's Bakery and The Berwick Hospital.

No real jobs have come into this area in decades. The town had some potential back in the 1960's with ACF, US Steel, Berwick Forge & Fabricating and a few other companies.

The one real asset used to be a small town hospitality which is also gone. It used to be a great place to raise a family. A nice small, quiet town. Not anymore! And now the criminal element has come in. While he was still hosting The Tonight Show, Johnny Carson mentioned Berwick, Pa. as having the highest crime per capita in the nation. Ted Koppel also gave coverage to Berwick, Pa. on Nightline and gave a very accurate and dismal discription of this community.


Berwick is the most depressed area in Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania is one of the most despressed states in the union.

While scratching my hea to figure a reason to go back to Berwick I can think of only one, and that is to visit friends and relatives who still may be trapped there and hung up on not leaving. I still visit about once a year but can't get out of there fast enough.

So my advice to anyone who wants to move to Berwick, Pa. or anywhere in N.E. PA. is DON'T!

[Left Berwick And Glad]

Strausser's Cookies were fantastic. Dalo's are close and have great Pizza. Speaking of Pizza, I highly recommend Stuccio's on Front St in Berwick. Tuzzi's is also excellent. These are the only good things about Berwick. Great to visit. Not to love there.

[averageguyinpa]

Berwick is a great place to live. There is a strong work ethic , a real intrest in religion with a fair acceptance of diversity..Travelers are very welcome in this quite town that has many ethnic clubs and festivals. Sports are definitely appreciated and if you have a child that wants to excel at Football, this is your town!!! Berwick is 45 min from the best white water reafting and skiing and hunting in the state , we are very close to the Wacova Arena and the largest shoping area in north central PA.

[meinberwick]

Just found this site and wanted to respond about my hometown. I have lived here my entire life which is almost about 28 years. While it's not the most exciting place to live, I love it here. Someone remarked about the top employers and they left out one of the top ones being Berwick Offray which was Berwick Industries. I know of plenty of 'young' people around my age that have stayed in the area so for the person that said the median age is 40+, that can't be right. Like any place, there are things that could be better and plenty of things that could be worse. I grew up out in the country and now live on the East side of town. It's beautiful and maybe not what it once was but who's to say that it won't be again some day.

Blessings,
Me