I'm moving to that area in a year or so (can't afford NJ much longer). Anyone currently in that town who's on the board? Can you give me an idea how you might like/dislike the region?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Stroudsburg, Pa?
- Thread starter Jim_from_RU
- Start date
I'm not in Stroudsburg but live in the Mt. Pocono area. I think its a good spot if you plan on visiting NJ frequently since its near the border. What part of Stroudsburg will you be living in? There is a college campus near by so Main St. and the restaurants are full of college kids some days but I've never had any problems with the kids at ESU. They've mostly been friendly. Work might be an issue though if you're looking for a job. A lot of people seem to commute to NJ and NY. All in all though I think Stroudsburg is a nice area to live
Absolutely love the area, especially in the Poconos. Great place. I think east stroudsberg is a great school district. And only an hour away from the oranges, which means its closer to NYC then some may think. Houses are cheap, and so are the taxes. You'll definitely be ok out there.
I'm actually strongly considering the move there also. NJ is too expensive these days, and I like more space and a little more rural. Hopefully they'll build an equivalent to NJT that connects from Pocono valley to 34th street in Manhattan or GCT.
I'm actually strongly considering the move there also. NJ is too expensive these days, and I like more space and a little more rural. Hopefully they'll build an equivalent to NJT that connects from Pocono valley to 34th street in Manhattan or GCT.
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Wife and I are educators, so we'll be looking for teaching jobs out there. We love the outdoors feel to the area. I'll fish the Delaware, Merrill Creek Res., Round Valley and Wallenpaupack. And obviously we'll be at all RU games.
It's definitely a nice area and there's so much to do outdoors. Hiking, fishing, kayaking on the Delaware, etc. I've been in the Poconos for 13 years and it takes some adjustment but love it and can't imagine still living in Jersey. I'd say you can make it to Rutgers in an hour 15. Maybe an hour on a good day.
I would highly recommend finding a job before moving though. The job market isn't all too great in the poconos. Even for educators
Are you planning on renting or buying? The commute to Wayne, Nj to Stroudsburg is about 1.3 hours.
Interesting. I did a quick compare on realtor.com for equal houses between Stroudsburg and Wayne NJ (since someone mentioned that town in a post).
Stroudsburg Main St house -
6 bedrooms 4 baths and 3400 sq ft
Price is $168k with taxes of about 6k
$800 a month mortgage at 4% interest over 30 years (no down payment)
$500 a month in taxes
Total of $1300 a month between Mortgage and Taxes
Wayne DuPont terrace house -
5 bedrooms 3 baths and 2500 sq ft
Price is $429k with taxes of about $12.5k
$2048 a month mortgage at 4% interest over 30 years (no down payment)
$1041 a month in taxes
Total of $3089 a month between Mortgage and Taxes
Also, PA income tax is lower than NJ income tax.
This may mean if you and your other half both gets Education jobs locally you probabaly could take salary cuts and come out ahead.
Stroudsburg Main St house -
6 bedrooms 4 baths and 3400 sq ft
Price is $168k with taxes of about 6k
$800 a month mortgage at 4% interest over 30 years (no down payment)
$500 a month in taxes
Total of $1300 a month between Mortgage and Taxes
Wayne DuPont terrace house -
5 bedrooms 3 baths and 2500 sq ft
Price is $429k with taxes of about $12.5k
$2048 a month mortgage at 4% interest over 30 years (no down payment)
$1041 a month in taxes
Total of $3089 a month between Mortgage and Taxes
Also, PA income tax is lower than NJ income tax.
This may mean if you and your other half both gets Education jobs locally you probabaly could take salary cuts and come out ahead.
Parents retired to East Stroudsburg just past the flea market on 209. It was a beautiful area and downtown Stroudsburg had some nice restaurants , bars, etc. They enjoyed it. Only bad part was weekend traffic on Rt 80 and 209 in the summer. Many times it was just gridlock which I hated.
me too, thats why i moved to Ocean City, NJ. Housing is not as cheap as PA but taxes are low, I pay 4K for a house assessed at 500K and our quality of life has skyrocketed since moving out of South Brunswick. I highly recommend it especially if you are raising a family.
I'm an educator myself and work in one of the Essex County large schools. You can definitely live off of one income living out there. But I'm definitely looking to buy within a year to a year and a half. I would continue to work in Essex because the pay is very very good.
With relatives in the Pocono area, I'm personally not a fan of the hunter/gatherer vibe of the region. But, that's merely personal choice. The cost of living is much cheaper, but educator's pay is also considerably less. The lower pay is probably more than offset by the lower cost of living, but I'd test the job market first.
I love the fishing opportunities, even in NW NJ, but I'm definitely not the hunter type.
In terms of jobs, the wife is already looking at ads. There's some opportunity.
But you won't have that huge property tax payment to offset your payroll taxes, come tax time.
Property taxes is my pet peeve, it's so high. Higher than food, higher than heat, higher than electric. It forces you to not make your house nicer because they see you did hard work on your house so up goes your taxes. Have to wonder what they do with all that money it must be billions of dollars a year.
Every time there is a vote to increase the school budget all the people who don't have property tax come out in droves and vote yes.
Property taxes is my pet peeve, it's so high. Higher than food, higher than heat, higher than electric. It forces you to not make your house nicer because they see you did hard work on your house so up goes your taxes. Have to wonder what they do with all that money it must be billions of dollars a year.
Every time there is a vote to increase the school budget all the people who don't have property tax come out in droves and vote yes.
I have no insight particular to Stroudsburg, but I can give a huge triple thumbs up to the idea of moving out of overpriced NJ for cheaper, more scenic surroundings, especially if you like fishing and other outdoor activities. I'm coming up on close to a decade out of the state, and I can't say I regretted it for a second.
Good luck!
Good luck!
I have to add, despite my complaining about property taxes I think New Jersey is the best state. The people are the smartest and the best. Even the peach squeezers have their merit. There are tons of places to fish or hunt or dine or dance, NJ has it all. I plan to live here for my entire life, I have no plans to move away.
Damn, we might have to be friends. I know Lisa too & you're right, her cupcakes are fantastic.
Funny, I work in Morris county and union county, and we are loaded with employees
that live in Pennsylvania and commute 2 to 3 hrs. a day to have a job in N.J. That not for me, but to each their own. they pay both states income tax to boot. If someone wants to live
in Pennsylvania fine, but let's not always blame the cost of living, and the money. For example teachers in my town make 80 to 90 K, cops well over 100 k. Don't think you will find that in some hick town in PA.
that live in Pennsylvania and commute 2 to 3 hrs. a day to have a job in N.J. That not for me, but to each their own. they pay both states income tax to boot. If someone wants to live
in Pennsylvania fine, but let's not always blame the cost of living, and the money. For example teachers in my town make 80 to 90 K, cops well over 100 k. Don't think you will find that in some hick town in PA.
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It's the quality of life that matters to me. I left Jersey in 87 and never looked back. I don't miss the high taxes, ridiculous insurance rates, overpriced homes w/ postage stamp sized yards & traffic. It took awhile to acclimate to my surroundings but I never regretted my decision. Unfortunately, the Poconos have changed quite a bit since I moved here (there was only one traffic light in Mt Pocono on rt 611 from Tobyhanna to Stroudsburg. Now 611 has more lights than Carter has pills but I guess that's to be expected when the population exploded like it did in the 90's.
i am also considering a job in the Mt. Pocono/swiftwater area and just interviewed there in the last friday. Not sure where we would live but i am interested to hear folks opinions. i think i would want to be within 40 minutes if possible. suggestions appreciated
thinking it is closer to NJ/NH family compared to NC but would be a step up in cost
thinking it is closer to NJ/NH family compared to NC but would be a step up in cost
I could never live in PA. My property taxes are absurd but worth the cost versus most of the rest country, nevermind PA. That whole state just has quality like TTFP, like low class Stepford.
I used to go to a camp called Blue Mountain... near East Stroudsburg. I loved the area. Please let me know if the camp still exists
MO
There's a lot of options if you want to be 40 minutes tops. Stroudsburg is a lot busier than mount pocono and closer to nj. So you might like it if you're looking for more of a suburb.
If you like nature/ trees and want to be a bit further out, you can look at places like pocono pines which has a nice community named lake Naomi. You can also go to tannersville/ bartonsville which is near the outlets and a nice mix of woods and busier traffic
The one thing I'd definitely recommend not doing is going west past blakeslee. Not much going on after unless you're looking for the country
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