Moving To Pa,working In Nyc (Scranton, East Stroudsburg: transplants, apartment, renting)

[RICHIEANDLAURIE]

Hello. I am considering accepting a job in Manhatten and would like to live in Pa. We would like a nice clean area, rural is fine, with good schools and affordable. We would be renting and would like a townhouse or duplex. We're originally from the Big Apple and have been living out west for 10 years.
Can someone explain what public transportation is available into the city these days? We had some freinds in E Stroudsbug many years ago. Any ideas, suggestions and or info would be much appreciated!

[christina0001]

New Yorker to PA

[SteelCityRising]

Good evening! ;o) Mass transit between the Poconos and NYC continues to be the Martz Bus, the Martz Bus, and...oh yeah...the Martz bus! LOL! There has been talk for more than a decade now about re-establishing a commuter rail line between Scranton and NYC, including stops in the Poconos, but there hasn't been much visible progress lately on this issue. (I suspect as the number of PA to NYC commuters continues to soar, the congestion plaguing I-80 will force this rail project to move forward).

Please try to avoid the Stroudsburgs (Stroudsburg, East Stroudsburg, Stroud Township!) While once the "sought-after" part of the Poconos, these three communities are seeing crime spike, traffic continues to worsen, and sprawl has now ruined the landscape. It is indeed very convenient and still affordable, but it's just a bit "sketchy" now in a lot of neighborhoods, due largely to the fact that large-scale development was allowed to occur without a proper increase in police coverage. You may want to check out Milford, in Pike County. From here you can commute via car through Sussex County and down into the I-80 area, where you can find a few stops for the Martz bus (or be an idiot and actually drive through that Jersey gridlock DAILY on your way to work!) LOL! Milford, and most of Pike County, still remain rural, unspoiled, friendly, and safe. The downside is that there isn't much in the way here of townhome/apartment options.

If that commuter rail line ever gets established, I'd HIGHLY recommend Scranton and its suburbs to anybody, as there are many new townhome communities here in safe neighborhoods. Unfortunately, while I'm going to make the Scranton-NYC commute everyday in the future for my (hopeful!) position as a CPA for Pricewaterhouse in Manhattan, I doubt many others would want to spend that much time behind the wheel! Best of luck in your search, just be advised that the Stroudsburg of 1980 is much different than the Stroudsburg of 2006---The city has taken over, and not for the better in most cases!

[CAVALLERI]

Stroudsburg Is Still A Great Area - I Have Been Here For 10 Years And Have 3 Boys 12,9,5. 2 Of The Schools Are Newly Built. Most Everyone Here Works In The City And Travel By Car Or Bus . Stroudsburg Is 1 Hr And 10 Min To The Gwb. Yes It Is True That The Area Has Grown But Only For The Better. More Stores Are Coming Like Loews, Kohls, Etc. Milford Is A Nice Area But A Longer Commute

[diane13]

hi - you may want to start reading PoconoRecord.com - Front page, before you go to the stroudsburg area. it's all bad news. they now call the poconos the "6th borough", meaning it's become new york city west.

[KristyLiz]

Originally Posted by diane13

hi - you may want to start reading PoconoRecord.com - Front page, before you go to the stroudsburg area. it's all bad news. they now call the poconos the "6th borough", meaning it's become new york city west.

This is true.

A few years back, my husband was considering a job in NJ and we were considering living in the Stroudsburg area - until I went to visit it.

You ever just get a bad feel about an are? That's how it was for me in Stroudsburg. Now, of course this isn't documented statistics, but I trusted my gut and am glad I did.

[karen_s]

I have a friend who is an officer for Stroud Regional, and I can corroborate many of the crime/safety concerns in the Stroudsburgs. They are unfortunately real. I would not want to live up there, nor would I want my children in the schools there.

There are hosts of social problems manifesting in Pocono children from their parents doing the commuter thing to NYC. These mainly occur when both parents are commuting, but there are unprecedented numbers of teens being left to their own devices for hours after school. We all know what that leads to....

[diane13]

i am one of those people that live in stroudsburg and commute to nyc. i moved up 8 years ago from nyc. stroudsburg is a lovely town, but unfortuinately, last week's news was graffiti on homes and cars and today's news; murder. it makes me regret my choice. i hope the train never comes, it'll only get worse. definitely stay away from the development communities.

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by diane13

i am one of those people that live in stroudsburg and commute to nyc. i moved up 8 years ago from nyc. stroudsburg is a lovely town, but unfortuinately, last week's news was graffiti on homes and cars and today's news; murder. it makes me regret my choice. i hope the train never comes, it'll only get worse. definitely stay away from the development communities.

People are going to move there anyway. Hell, they already are in droves. So why force them to drive and contribute to pollution and sprawl? Train is the way to go.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by danwxman

People are going to move there anyway. Hell, they already are in droves. So why force them to drive and contribute to pollution and sprawl? Train is the way to go.

I agree. At the rate the sprawl is going now, Scranton might even be a viable option as a "satellite" city of NYC in the upcoming years. There are now more ex-NY/NJ transplants living in Monroe County than there are native Pennsylvanians.