East Stroudsberg (Bethlehem, York, East Stroudsburg: transplants, real estate, new home)

[dolce37]

I am considering a new job at Pocono Medical Center in E. Stroudsberg, PA. I currently live in Bergen County NJ. Very congested here, lots of traffic most every day. In considering this job, I am researching towns/cities to relocate to.
My wife and I have a 14month old. The elements of a new home that are important to us are the following:

Close proximity to the medical center (30 min or less).

Good school system. Safe family oriented town/area.

Less crowded areas (ie not in a resort or next to the outlet centers). I don't need to be in isolation, just not someplace where I'll be fighting traffic everytime I run for a jug of milk.

Reasonably priced home.

Used to visit Hellertown/Bethlehem quite often. Loved Bethlehem, just too far of a commute to ES.

I appreciate any ideas, information or advice. This forum seems to be very helpful. Thanks so much for your time.

Phil

[countrycitymom]

Dear Dolce37,

My husband and I moved from Bergen County, NJ to Long Pond/Mt. Pocono area in 1999. We lived there for three years. The area and development has probably changed by now, and I cannot recommned any specific towns, but I could say with certainty to avoid Stroudsburg, East Stroudsburg, and Mt. Pocono. All in all, there are more and more city "transplants" moving to the area (along with the city attitudes and criminal activity - especially drug trafficking). I am not intending to offend the City's people, but the city 'problems' are there.

Also, be aware...many homes in the Poconos area belong to a 'development'. This means you will probably have to pay anywhere from $500 to $1000 a year for community annenities - lake usage, garbage removal, 'community' center. This was a shock to me and my husband when we first moved there. We lived in a development called Emerald Lakes, and we had to drive 10-15 minutes every day to clusterboxes for our mail (we did not have mail delivered directly to our house). Also, we also had to haul our garbage to a community dumpster. You could probably pay for a private company like Waste Management to pick up your trash, but I just want to make you aware of this - check with your real estate agent.

Hope this info is helpful to you.

CCM

[Tama]

If you liked the Bethlehem area you might want to check the commute from Nazareth. It is a charming little town with good schools and near to everything and you can use RT. 33 to head to the Stroudsburg area, I think.

[dolce37]

I appreciate the info. Thanks. Any other thoughts please keep them coming. I hope to be coming out for an interview and to see some towns soon. If anybody has any suggestions for towns my wife and I should visit, I'm making a list so we can spend the weekend checking them out. But to those who responded, I appreciate it.

[bldginpa]

You could check out Pike County, it's about a 30 minute commute to Stroudsburg. It's more rural, lower taxes than Monroe County and good schools.Not sure what type of towns you are looking for.

[dolce37]

Ideally we'd like to find towns that would provide a strong school system, and be <30 minute drive to Pocono Medical Center (While on call, I'll need to be able to get there quickly in an emergency).
What we desire most is a town where houses are not on top of one another, one that may have a "Main St" or town center for shopping/restaurants, and may have new construction or refurbished homes.

We live between the Meadowlands and Teterboro airport, so between traffic for sporting events and noise from jets until 1am, we want to avoid repeating this scenario at all costs.

Thanks again to all who've replied and to those who've taken the time to send private msgs.
Phil

[INPASINCE68]

There is new development going in the Stroudsburg area called Millbrooke. Our friends from New York are building there. I think LTS is the developer.

[dolce37]

I seem to be either misunderstanding, or getting mixed messages regarding East Stroudsburg. Is it the city of ES that seems so poorly thought of, or is it the genreal area surrounding East Stroudsburg that needs to be avoided.
If so, at what point to certain towns become safer and more attractive to young families. I've seen lots on the market for ES, but not so much for other surrounding towns.
Thanks.

[Cougargm]

Phil, I think Stroudsburg and Eastburg are the only two towns in that area that have a 'downtown', and traffic can get congested in both, though not what you're accustomed to in NJ. You may want to look at some of the small towns near Eastburg, such as Marshall's Creek, Analomink, Cresco, Mountainhome, etc. They are not far from PMC, and aren't crowded. There are both some small developments as well as houses outside of developments in those areas.