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Old 10-04-2021, 12:47 PM
 
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Hello all, I am looking at relocating the family from California via Kentucky (currently in KY) to central or north eastern portion of PA (looking at Maine as well). I have employment opportunities in Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre, so I would need to stay within an hour of these central locations and I do not mid commuting. My wife and I have two boys that we home school and plan to continue through high school, so any insight on homeschool regulations and vaccination requirements for such would be greatly appreciated. We would also like to stay rural with 5+ acres with the ability to garden and fish/hunt close by. We are just beginning to research PA as a long term relocation destination so any help as to what would be a good areas to land or avoid (pros and cons) would be greatly appreciated.

I understand that this is a fairly vague list of desires so I welcome any questions.

Cheers!
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Old 10-04-2021, 01:20 PM
 
Location: Shawnee-on-Delaware, PA
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My only insight into homeschooling in PA is that a few years ago the starting QB on the East Stroudsburg South team was homeschooled. They have to let your homeschooled kids play on the school sports team in the district where you live.
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Old 10-04-2021, 01:44 PM
 
Location: Germantown, Philadelphia
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My gut response would be to look in the counties surrounding Luzerne (Wilkes-Barre). It and neighboring Scranton are close to the Pocono Mountains, one of the state's biggest vacation spots. The Poconos have plenty of outdoor activities that should satisfy you, and I think you would still be able to find houses on five-acre lots all over. (East Stroudsburg, next door to the Monroe County seat of Stroudsburg, is the most populous municipality in the Poconos. Monroe County forms the heart of the Poconos, which also spill into neighboring Pike and Wayne counties.)

West of these cities, Route 6 heads into the Endless Mountains of north-central Pennsylvania. This area is even more rural than the Poconos, and you should have no problem finding a suitably large property there. The only question is whether you can find one close enough to Wilkes-Barre to meet your commuting threshold.
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Old 10-04-2021, 02:16 PM
 
13 posts, read 18,890 times
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Originally Posted by jtab4994 View Post
My only insight into homeschooling in PA is that a few years ago the starting QB on the East Stroudsburg South team was homeschooled. They have to let your homeschooled kids play on the school sports team in the district where you live.
Thanks jtab. Inclusivity of homeschoolers is huge plus. Our boys are in 4th grade so not really ready for competitive level sports but they may be once they reach that age. At this point they would spend all day fishing or riding bikes if we let them.
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Old 10-04-2021, 02:18 PM
 
13 posts, read 18,890 times
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Originally Posted by MarketStEl View Post
My gut response would be to look in the counties surrounding Luzerne (Wilkes-Barre). It and neighboring Scranton are close to the Pocono Mountains, one of the state's biggest vacation spots. The Poconos have plenty of outdoor activities that should satisfy you, and I think you would still be able to find houses on five-acre lots all over. (East Stroudsburg, next door to the Monroe County seat of Stroudsburg, is the most populous municipality in the Poconos. Monroe County forms the heart of the Poconos, which also spill into neighboring Pike and Wayne counties.)

West of these cities, Route 6 heads into the Endless Mountains of north-central Pennsylvania. This area is even more rural than the Poconos, and you should have no problem finding a suitably large property there. The only question is whether you can find one close enough to Wilkes-Barre to meet your commuting threshold.
Thanks Market,
The area in CA that we left was a vacation destination and we had enough of the surge during the past few years, so I think your suggestion of going west would likely yield the type of environment that we are looking for.
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Old 10-04-2021, 03:27 PM
 
Location: Center City Philadelphia
443 posts, read 407,112 times
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In the Harrisburg area, you might consider Perry County or Upper Dauphin County. The nice thing about Harrisburg is it's a growing metro, but you can be in rural areas just a quick drive outside the city. Wilkes-Barre is more mountainous, is generally declining in population, and has worse winters. Real estate might be cheaper, though.
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Old 10-05-2021, 12:09 PM
 
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Originally Posted by bridge12 View Post
In the Harrisburg area, you might consider Perry County or Upper Dauphin County. The nice thing about Harrisburg is it's a growing metro, but you can be in rural areas just a quick drive outside the city. Wilkes-Barre is more mountainous, is generally declining in population, and has worse winters. Real estate might be cheaper, though.
Hey bridge, looking more north toward Wilkes-Barre. We love the cold and never got enough where we came from. We also miss the more mountainous feel that we are lacking at the moment. Do you think it would generally be harder to find gainful employment in the engineering field in the Wilkes-Barre area?
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Old 10-05-2021, 12:26 PM
 
Location: Center City Philadelphia
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Originally Posted by YloSno View Post
Hey bridge, looking more north toward Wilkes-Barre. We love the cold and never got enough where we came from. We also miss the more mountainous feel that we are lacking at the moment. Do you think it would generally be harder to find gainful employment in the engineering field in the Wilkes-Barre area?
I think Harrisburg would definitely have more employment in engineering than Wilkes-Barre, given it's the state capital and home to many more private employers and has a growing economy. Also, I should clarify, Harrisburg lies just south of the Blue Ridge, which is very mountainous, just not quite as tall as around Wilkes-Barre. Nevertheless, the rural areas just north of the city are quite beautiful! https://www.flickr.com/photos/ddikrs/4154629060
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Old 10-06-2021, 05:22 AM
 
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If you decide to relocate to the Wilkes-Barre area, look into the south portion of the "back mountain." Places there would include "Sweet Valley," and Huntington Mills to Benton. You can find lakes and ponds and farmettes there. Benton is a cute little town


There are lots of nice homes and mini estates in the back mountain area around Dallas but very few have acreage. Real estate is expensive in the back mountain but coming from CA, you would think that prices are cheap. The Dallas Area Schools are the 2nd best in all of NEPA so why would you homeschool your kids?


Wyoming County, just north of W-B is also very nice. Tunkhannock is like a village in New England. Center Moreland area is where properties that might interest you are located.


Forget about the Poconos. This is a forested upland area filled with folks from NYC and NJ.


Mountaintop has a lot of newer homes but the commute can be wicked in the winter.
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Old 10-08-2021, 05:51 AM
 
13 posts, read 18,890 times
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Originally Posted by Wells5 View Post
If you decide to relocate to the Wilkes-Barre area, look into the south portion of the "back mountain." Places there would include "Sweet Valley," and Huntington Mills to Benton. You can find lakes and ponds and farmettes there. Benton is a cute little town


There are lots of nice homes and mini estates in the back mountain area around Dallas but very few have acreage. Real estate is expensive in the back mountain but coming from CA, you would think that prices are cheap. The Dallas Area Schools are the 2nd best in all of NEPA so why would you homeschool your kids?


Wyoming County, just north of W-B is also very nice. Tunkhannock is like a village in New England. Center Moreland area is where properties that might interest you are located.


Forget about the Poconos. This is a forested upland area filled with folks from NYC and NJ.


Mountaintop has a lot of newer homes but the commute can be wicked in the winter.
Thanks Wells.

Poconos, while beautiful, are definitely out for obvious reasons. We do love the feel of small towns and tend to gravitate toward that kind of interaction. I will check out the areas that you mentioned, they sound great.

Cheers!
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