Stroudsburg, Pa?

[newell138]

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!

Plenty of fishing and outdoor activities here by me and like i said property taxes are cheap compared to the rest of NJ. Oh and did I mention that the HS teachers average salary are the highest in the state? 80K per year on avg and the HS is right on the beach. Since someone asked I live here year round and work from home 4 days a week, its that 1 day a week commute to PA that I dread.

What other HS has a view of a beach and ferris wheel? C'mon down, we could use some more year rounders down here, theres only about 20K of us and not enough RU fans. Too many PSU, St Joes, Phillies/Eagles fans

 

[RU848789]

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.

Same here. Can't imagine ever leaving.

 

[rutgersdave]

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

Don't know what you could afford but my nephew did live near the Stroudsburg area for a couple of years but he didn't like the school system so he moved 30 mins further south to WindGap, Pa. There are new houses approx $400k 3,000 sq feet with 1 acre and more development in the area. This house is at least 600-800k in Nj depending on the town. He is renting his house in Stroudsburg 3 bd 2 baths since he couldn't sell it. I believe it's about $200k when he built it. Property taxes are low but selling houses in Pa is a little harder. I hated the Flea market traffic on the weekend, traffic was worse than NJ.

 

[mikershoein]

Poconos is great. I live outside of philly, psu fans are like a bad rash. If you move into an area with an association, check out try crime rating. Some spots in poconos have had houses turn into meth houses, it seems my gangs coming down because of lack of security. No doubt, beautiful homes, low taxes and not to far to getting to ru for games

 

[Armor and Sword]

I live in PA in the Philly area and I guess you can say I'm just another member of the NJ diaspora here, to use a million dollar word. I can't speak to Stroudsburg or the Poconos but I can give you some things about PA in general to consider to help your decisionmaking to take that leap across the river to settle in Penn's Woods.

Yes you will see regular reminders of TTFP, but I don't find it terribly overbearing in my area, but head west of Lancaster and it's everywhere. I see almost as much WVU, Pitt and smatterings of Clemson, LSU, Tennessee, VaTech stuff on cars and the occassional Block R on cars.

The good about PA

• A flat Income tax rate of 3.07% (but Gov Wolf wants to increase that a full %point,)
• Moving violations: The Magesterial District Court system makes contesting traffic tickets a quick affair, unlike NJ municipal court system, probably because the PA courts operate more frequently with full-time judges. Also PA is the only state where local cops are prohibited from using radar for speeding. No compact with other states for moving violations except for DUI and vehicular homicide, so you incur no points on out-of-state citations
• Generally lower property taxes, but not by much compared to NJ. Gambling earnings for the state result in a "rebate" that just knocks a few hundred bucks off the tax bill.
• Regional K-12 school districts! PA has 500 school districts and NJ has almost 600 schools districts.
• You can buy fireworks, but only the sparkling kind. Hold onto your NJ license so you can buy the exploding stuff.

The bad about PA:

• Buying alcohol, especially beer. However, that is slowly improving with Wegman's getting a liquor license at most of their new stores and the distributorships now sell 12 packs. Even a couple of Acmes seel beer in Delaware County and Wawa wants to start beer sales in one location. You can buy six packs at delis and pizza places.
• Voting: Unlike NJ, voters are approached by the candidates' minions, who fling pamphlets in your face only feet from the polling place. Plus you vote for a lot of county offices and judgeships. Some years, if you have to complete a paper ballot, you may get carpal tunnel issues! Voting in NJ was so much easier.
• Car inspection: You have to pay a dealer or mechanic to inspect your car, anywhere between $40 to $100, every year. This includes new cars too. There is no four (?) year grace period like in NJ. A total racket. A useful racket, but still a racket.
• Some potholes from the winter are still not repaired in places.

Good or bad, depending on your point of view:

• School year starts one week before Labor Day and ends usually by June 12th. No snow days, you add them on at the end of the year or during spring break. First day of deer (firearm) season(Monday)is usually a day off from school.
• Guns are easier to get than in NJ.