Moving to East Pennsylvania from UK (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: transplants, low crime, homes)

[KSUK]

Hi,


I am moving from the UK to East PA in the coming months, I am looking at info on what the quality of life is there (I have never been)

I will be moving with my husband and 6 month old baby (am I crazy?) for work.


Where is good to live on the east side? I am hoping for a place in the suburbs, with plenty of greenery, things to do, safe areas and good schools - from what I have seen Allentown and Scranton look ok and is a suitable distance from my place of work.


If anyone currently living in these types of areas can offer some insight into what its like and tell me some good and bad points that would be really helpful


Thanks.

[medievalbooks]

What town in PA is your work? PA is a very big state

[Flyers Girl]

Answer the questions from this link and paste them here. That will help us with suggestions for you.


https://www.city-data.com/forum/penn...residents.html

[KSUK]

It will be in the Scranton area

[rowhomecity]

The thriving parts of Pennsylvania include the following:

Southeast Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and its surrounding counties) Grade: A+
This is perhaps one of the most desirable and beautiful suburban areas in the USA. If your job was in this region you would find top quality schools, abundant character with much historic architecture and a strong transit system.

The Lehigh Valley (Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton) Grade:B+
This area has seen a great deal of growth over the past two decades with a fair number of NYC and NJ transplants moving here for a more affordable cost of living. Bethlehem is a charming historic small city and Allentown has seen great improvements in its downtown to make it an attractive and vibrant place. There are also 8 small Universities in this region, bringing a sense of youthfulness.

Susquehanna Valley (Lancaster and Harrisburg) Grade:B+
Lancaster is an absolutely beautiful small historic city brimming with character and much vibrancy. If you were dropped their from the UK you would very much feel at home, as the city looks like a storybook out of the UK.

State College Grade:B
This is home to the state university main campus, and is a small city set in a more isolated but growing area in the valley region of Northern PA.

Pittsburgh Grade:A
Obviously this is not the Eastern end of the state so has no relevance.


Unfortunately the other parts of Pennsylvania are either stagnant or going through an economic decline or simply people are moving out, and all that is left are retired people with stable income and savings, but no new growth is happening. And this includes Scranton. The area surrounding Scranton is known as the Pocono Mountains. It is a highly popular tourist region, with many different outdoor recreational activities with skiing, boating, hiking and a variety of resorts etc. Many people from NYC and Philadelphia visit this region year round to take advantage of its abundance of recreation.

Maybe one day Scranton can utilize the nearby tourism and begin to revitalize, but it is currently in an economically depressed state. There are a few small areas in the region that are desirable. But I would not set high expectations.

The city elected a new mayor not too long ago, and hopefully long term, new growth can begin. And I do not want to paint the entire region as doom and gloom. And the surrounding nature of the Pocono Mountains is absolutely beautiful. But I would not view Scranton as cosmpolitan and a C- on desirability. Good luck.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by KSUK

It will be in the Scranton area

If you were interested in semi rural area within 20 or 30 minute drive of Scranton there is a lot of options and you can get really nice home reasonably priced. Don't know what your budget might be but you can get a very nice home for $200 to $300K on 4 or 5 acres. Homes that would go for million plus if they were in the Philly suburbs. If you want one of the better schools in the area look for something in the Abington Heights school district. Clark's Summit is the main town for Abington Heights and very short drive into Scranton.


For Scranton itself there is not a whole lot to say bad about it but there isn't whole lot to say good about it either. Crime is reasonably low for a city that size but there isn't a whole lot of other pluses.

[Wells5]

Originally Posted by KSUK

Where is good to live on the east side? I am hoping for a place in the suburbs, with plenty of greenery, things to do, safe areas and good schools - from what I have seen Allentown and Scranton look ok and is a suitable distance from my place of work.

The one place that I recommend given your wish list is the Clarks Summit/Abington area, which is north of Scranton. The Abington Heights School District is the best public school district in NEPA.


The commute from Allentown would be a hardship. Tunkhannock and the surrounding area is also very nice with good schools but it's a 40 minute commute to Scranton

[jdhpa]

Originally Posted by thecoalman

Crime is reasonably low for a city that size but there isn't a whole lot of other pluses.

Low crime gets a lot of weight in my book. My friends who like living in dense urban areas tell me you have to just "look past" it, or "it's a reasonable trade off for all the benefits" of living in an urban area. To each his own, I suppose.

[toobusytoday]

Here's my short answer. It would be too long of a commute to live in the Lehigh Valley (Allentown area) and work in Scranton unless you pick a community on the very northern edge. Nazareth is nice and is attracting new comers. I would repost your question in the NEPA forum (or I can move it there) and answer the questions asked here: https://www.city-data.com/forum/penn...residents.html

[SteelCityRising]

I grew up in the suburbs of Scranton. As has already been mentioned the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area is severely socioeconomically depressed. Educational attainment levels are below-average. Poverty, obesity, cancer rates, smoking, etc. are above-average. There are issues with racism and homophobia/transphobia. I moved out of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area but am still back frequently to visit family.

My two top suggestions on looking for an outlying suburban or semi-rural area that is safe with good schools and has nice homes would be the Abington Heights School District (Clarks Summit, PA) or the North Pocono School District (Moscow, PA). Both areas are a 15-20-minute drive from Scranton.

Scranton has relatively low crime for a city of its size. It also has a progressive new young female mayor who wants to really bring the city into a new era of prosperity. The population is also growing in the city proper while it's declining in most of the rest of the region.

There's a lot to love about Scranton. There's also a lot to hate about it.

The Clarks Summit area, to me, feels like the most polished/upscale part of the entire region (and it is). It's just a notch below the affluent "Main Line" suburbs of Western Philadelphia. If you can afford it, then you really should consider Abington Heights. North Pocono will be a little cheaper, a little more rural/secluded, and a bit closer to NYC if day-trips there are a consideration for you.