Tell me about PA/NY

I lived outside of Reading for 5 years.. I do not recommend that area. Not only is it one of the most dangerous cities to live in.. but the people are pretty rude. I never even knew my neighbor's names when I moved away.. not that I didn't try. I found the people in Dolphin County were pretty nice though.. and if you can avoid the big trucks.. 895 is quite a road

All the preppers I work with moved out to PA. It is probably the Y2K, terrorists are coming to get us, and underground bunker capital of the US.

In reply to logdog:

Allentown "area" good. Allentown proper, bad. Google names like Emmaus, Macungie, Saucon Valley, Hellerstown, Schnecksville, Coopersburg, Center Valley...

If you end up targeting the greater Scranton area definitely either post or PM me. I am unfortunately intimately familiar with the place until my kids graduate from high school.

See that part marked Philadelphia? Your goal is to stay as far away from that as possible. Ideally, you will want to move far enough West that the local station carries the Steelers game and not the Eagles. And too far North you could have to live with (gasp) the Bills! OK I kid, I'm not really a sports fanatic but you will hear team loyalties wherever you go in that circle.

The PA inspection process has never been an issue for me. By that I mean I have never had much problem passing the inspection, even with some older cars, but the costs are crazy. If you car is older or has low annual mileage, you are exempt from an emissions sticker...but you still have to take it in and pay money to get a sticker that says you are exempt from having a sticker. Total racket.

I used to have a cabin in Roulette, PA. Pretty country up there, but far from anything at all. Comcast has a large facility in Coudersport (nearest town of note) so there may be more people up there now. You would be close to the STPR Rally in Wellsboro, PA at least (www.stpr.org). You are also smack in the middle of Hill Climb country with Giants Despair Hillclimb in Wilkes Barre, PA and one in Weatherly and one in Trout Run. (http://pahillclimb.org) I'd get a cage and a fire suit and start running up mountains if I were there.

mad_machine wrote: I lived outside of Reading for 5 years.. I do not recommend that area. Not only is it one of the most dangerous cities to live in.. but the people are pretty rude. I never even knew my neighbor's names when I moved away.. not that I didn't try. I found the people in Dolphin County were pretty nice though.. and if you can avoid the big trucks.. 895 is quite a road

I work in Reading, it aint that bad. I wouldn't want to live in Downtown Reading, but there are some areas surrounding Reading that aren't bad. I like Reading for its MTB scene, and because I'd prefer to live closer to work, but we likely we won't move and I'll continue the commute from Lancaster, which is a far nicer city.

It's Dauphin County, btw.

+1 to pinchvalve. Excellent rally and historic hillclimb. Don't forget Pocono for track days, Porsche club, vintage road. Driving distance to Glenn.

I say Clarks Summit/Abington. Right off the north extension of the turnpike and 81, and close to 80/380. Rural areas for horses. No actual Tractor Supply nearby (closest is Eynon, i think) but multiple mom and pop supply shops.

In reply to phaze1todd:

That is exactly why I am there... that and it's the best school district for 150 miles and I have kids.

Tractor Supply... there is one in Tunkannock right on 6.

Since you posted this I've been trying to think of things I like about NEPA. Other than it being the place my wife is, I got nothing more than hillclimbs.

Other places call diners something other than a Coney Island because they weren't cool enough to invent something as delicious as the coney dog.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: In reply to phaze1todd: That is exactly why I am there... that and it's the best school district for 150 miles and I have kids. Tractor Supply... there is one in Tunkannock right on 6.

Shoot! Thanks, I forgot to mention about schools. Excellent schools, taxes are a bit high but worth it.

If you move close to Pittsburgh you are close to PIRC which has a kart track, autocross and is in the processes of expanding the car/motorcycle track. I live 2 hours away North in Erie on the lake. Taxes is cheap compared to NY even Chautauqua county is considering ceding from NY. I like living in Erie because I am 2 hours away from 3 big cities Cleveland, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh. Cost to live is cheap and it is easy to get around. Job market is week and the weather is awful, during the summer it has become a biker destination.

etifosi wrote: Since you posted this I've been trying to think of things I like about NEPA. Other than it being the place my wife is, I got nothing more than hillclimbs.

There's also good hunting and shooting if you know where to go, if that sort of thing floats your boat.

etifosi wrote: Since you posted this I've been trying to think of things I like about NEPA. Other than it being the place my wife is, I got nothing more than hillclimbs.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: In reply to logdog: Allentown "area" good. Allentown proper, bad. Google names like Emmaus, Macungie, Saucon Valley, Hellerstown, Schnecksville, Coopersburg, Center Valley... If you end up targeting the greater Scranton area definitely either post or PM me. I am unfortunately intimately familiar with the place until my kids graduate from high school.

+1 to all that he said. Allentown proper not the best but surrounding area is better. Look at areas around Bethlehem also.

Everything I've learned about Philly, I've learned from the TV Show, "Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia." Basically you need to watch out for the resident sociopaths at or near Paddy's Bar.

Mountain Top area would give great access to the slabs (80, 81, PA tpke), be close to allentown/reading/philly and still be rural.

PHeller wrote:

mad_machine wrote: I lived outside of Reading for 5 years.. I do not recommend that area. Not only is it one of the most dangerous cities to live in.. but the people are pretty rude. I never even knew my neighbor's names when I moved away.. not that I didn't try. I found the people in Dolphin County were pretty nice though.. and if you can avoid the big trucks.. 895 is quite a road

I work in Reading, it aint that bad. I wouldn't want to live in Downtown Reading, but there are some areas surrounding Reading that aren't bad. I like Reading for its MTB scene, and because I'd prefer to live closer to work, but we likely we won't move and I'll continue the commute from Lancaster, which is a far nicer city. It's Dauphin County, btw.

thanks, I could not remember and did not feel like looking it up. When I lived in Sinking Spring, I worked in downtown Reading, drove through at least one gang shootout, and saw my uncle's G/f's car after it had been an unintended victim of a shootout (one of them was using it for cover while it was parked at a bar)

Not my favourite place to visit

Check out Mountain Top, Nescopek, Berwick, Hazleton area. Hope you like golf and fishing, because those seem to be the most prevalent activities in NEPA.

pinchvalve wrote: See that part marked Philadelphia? Your goal is to stay as far away from that as possible. The PA inspection process has never been an issue for me. Coudersport (nearest town of note) so there may be more people up there now. You would be close to the STPR Rally in Wellsboro, PA at least (www.stpr.org). You are also smack in the middle of Hill Climb country with Giants Despair Hillclimb in Wilkes Barre, PA and one in Weatherly and one in Trout Run. (http://pahillclimb.org) I'd get a cage and a fire suit and start running up mountains if I were there.

I grew up in north central PA (little over an hour drive to the Glen). I am currently in central PA.

Philly is not like the rest of PA. I'm not going to hate on it, it is simply different.

Wellsborough PA is a great place to visit for the rally, remote for everything else, same with trout run.

Giants despair in wilkesbarre.. My father was from wilkesbarre, my grandfather showed me this road (public) where the hill climb is on. It happens to be very close to the turn pike exit. Any time I am in wilkesbarre and need to get on the pike I take the extra 5 min, drive the slightly longer route to run up or down this hill!

Upstate NY is relatively similar to PA, but a little different. Taxes are no joke, many residents who live near the border drive to PA for gas and shop in PA. And they like front plates. They use WAAAY more salt in the winter, roads are better kept, but salt^2.

You will find horse country on the outskirts of any town you fall in love with.

If schools are important to you, look at the school rankings by town.

80, 81, PA turnpike are the way to get places quickly.

Inspection is easier in PA than NY by a large margin. The rust thing; read the rules. There can be no holes in the body. Repairs can not be made with removable fasteners (you will see tin riveted on, no screw on patches). I have run into all sorts of inspection stations. The PA state inspection laws are online HERE Basically look over subchapter E.

I have been failed for things that were legal, quoted the rules, and got my sticker. I will also know what is questionable before going for an inspection if I read the rules. Very few garages know the rules, they just follow a check list. Most garages look for stuff you almost always fail so they can fix something and charge you. (Every light must function to pass...that bulb was out, that wiper didn't clean the windshield...)

Good luck with the move!

Ive been in the job a few months now. The territory is actually a little narrower than I was initally told, but it is just as long.

We've spent a few weekends in the area to narrow down the choices. We kept coming back to the area around Scranton due to the lower property costs and lower population density. Seriously, the NY/NJ tourists in the Poconos would drive me insane and the Bethlehem area was a little more crowded and expensive than we prefer.

We put an offer in on a house northeast of Carbondale in Wayne county. They accepted and pending all the inspection routines we will move out that direction.

Cool. So, NE of Carbondale... where about? It's nice empty country out there beyond Forest City. I ride that way quite a bit to escape from traffic.

Carbondale is nice. It's the sticks, though. At least by comparison to southeast PA.

I rode bike over at Merli Park a few times, and ate at Ben Mar and Pinky's. Stayed at a hotel in downtown Carbondale. Best Western Pioneer Plaza.

I was actually going to suggest Honesdale or Milford, and you weren't too far off.

Weird how back when I posted in March I was still at my old job, hadn't even started looking for anything new, and now I'm across the country in a new job.

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

Pleasant Mount is the address but its not in town.

Not wanting an HOA was a big limitation. I think the majority of places we found in our searching ended up having them.

In reply to logdog:

That is a nice area. Have you found Chet's Place in Uniondale yet? It's where the "in the know" crowd goes after a day on the slopes at Elk. Also... take a drive to Hancock, NY, go over the bridge and drive NY 97 to Port Jervis. Turn around. Do it again ;)

Don't buy a house on a sidehill, level ground.