Relocating to PA From Los Angeles

[turboredcart]

Hey SWB, i doubt the casinos will do much for property taxes.

im glad Ridge delayed it.

Some states regret allowing them in.

Just my opinion.

turbo

[Reggie121682]

Hi,
As you mentioned your wife was going to stay home and I would stronly suggest (from what I have heard and seen) to move closer to the Lehigh Valley. There really isn't much up near the Pocono's. The Valley is a great place to raise a family, I know because I grew up in Bethlehem Township. There are many things to do and the school systems are good. As a graduate of Freedom High School, I know I received a quality education and my high school was very very diverse. As far as your IT job is concerned, you can look commute very easily to NJ or Philly...my dad worked in Morristown, NJ for years. Anyways, just thought I would give you some insight and let you know I think you and your family would be much happier in a place where there are things to do, the school systems are good, and your kids will be able to compete in sports (if they are interested in that).

[Dragondog]

My parents are originally from Pittsburgh- which I think is a great city. Much diversity, and cheaper for housing then the Philly area.

The Philly area is the cheapest place for housing for a major metro area along the east coast- even though it is currently overpriced- but just about every area of the country is.

Alternatives to PA- and more progressive on social issues is Connecticut.
We have just received huge amounts of capital into stem cell research -making it along with California one of the leaders in this groundbreaking area.

Housing costs in the Hartford area are about the same as the Philly area.
But in Tolland county-east of Hartford a new colonial 3 bedrooms 2 baths on an acre for about 295k.

[Spankee2]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

Pennsylvania is a state that is probably just as geographically diverse as California! We have major cities, small farming villages, mountains, valleys, upscale suburbs, lake communities, and everything in between (The fact that we, along with Vermont, are the only two land-locked Northeastern states is probably a drawback though). Without a bit more specific information on what you want for your family, I truly can't pinpoint a "best" area to suggest to you!

As far as the IT market is concerned, my father is an IT analyst, and the job market in much of PA for that realm is a bit on the bleak side (although there are indeed a number of opportunities in Philadelphia and its suburbs,as my dad was offered two opportunities in Willow Grove). He used to work for IBM's Scranton installation before it packed its bags and moved to India (unethically forcing him to train his Asian replacements before being terminated), leaving him unemployed for a year-and-a-half before finding work again in a similar field at CONVERGYS in Wilkes-Barre at a much lower salary.

Basically, most of Northern and Central New Jersey is a gold mine for IT-related opportunities, especially around Morristown, Edison, and Parsippany. However, the cost-of-living in New Jersey is so outrageous that I'd never recommend anyone moving there (Among the highest housing prices in the nation behind CA).

As of right now, two areas come to my mind for you to consider: The Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton), and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre region (Including the Pocono Mountains). There are some parts of these areas that would only be about an hour from IT opportunities in New Jersey, yet housing prices across our state border (The Delaware River) are a world apart! The Lehigh Valley is decidedly much more expensive than Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but it's also just an hour from Philly and 90 minutes from New York City (wheras Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is two hours or so from both).

I would recommend the Philadelphia suburbs to you due to its wonderful quality-of-life, but housing prices in Bucks County and Montgomery County are overinflated, in my opinion, and I'd hate to see you paying $400,000 for a three-bedroom home that's truly only worth $200,000 (Whereas you're just paying for the "prestige" of living near Philadelphia). What I can tell you though is that Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is supposed to have a fully-operational, high-speed commuter rail line between Scranton and Manhattan (with stops in New Jersey), in the upcoming years, which will make commuting to work in North Jersey possible from Scranton and the Poconos.

I also think the Lehigh Valley is a great place to call home, assuming you don't mind paying for overinflated housing prices (Yes, they are a true bargain coming from CA where you might pay $600,000 for a 2 BR condo in some areas, but I see some of the same homes currently on the market in Palmer Township, the Saucon Valley area, etc. selling for much less for similarly-sized and appointed homes in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre).

There are other nice parts of the state to call home as well; I just tried steering you towards the two closest parts of our state to New York City. Please reply with some more requests (what housing price range you're willing to pay for, how far you're willing to commute to work, what type of setting you want to live in as far as being urban, rural, or suburban, etc.), and I'll pinpoint a perfect part of our beautiful Commonwealth for your family to consider!

Which part of Allentown has all the crime and drug problems. Wikipedia states that Allentown has a high crime rate? I have a co-worker who says his daughter lives in the good part of Allentown. Do you know which part of Allentown one should steer clear from?

[sean]

i am also from SAN DIEGO, CALIF MOVING TO PHILLY AREA this january, for temporary job assignment. i am thinking about moving to a safe place near shopping malls so as not to miss southern calif lifestyle. definitely, i dont want the city life in philly, or not too rural area too. i will be working in wyncote or lower gwynedd area. i am considering living around wyncote, glenside, hatboro, springhouse, willow grove or ambler area, in that particular order. i also heard that king of prussia is a nice place too. any comments or advice is highly appreciated..

[virangos]

Forks township is nice. Close enogh to commute to N.J. or Phila.
As Reggie121682 suggests any where in the Lehigh Valley would be good to look into. Don't for get Agere, soon to be ( &*%# I' don't remember) when looking into IT jobs.
Sports bike, check out Zinc City Mc. or Reading Mc. both run drag races and would have a class for your bike.
Otherwise the commonwealth has miles and miles of beautiful senic roads to ride.

As far as Allentown, the west end is the nicest area. Also the most expensive.
The closer to center city the higher the crime rate.
Hope this helps.