Scranton, PA Reviews

Cloudy - 5/7/2011
If you want to see the sun on a somewhat regular basis, you will be depressed in Scranton. The skies are perpetually gray and it rains most of spring and summer. Read More

Awful Economy! - 6/27/2010
I've lived in the Scranton area my entire life and will soon be relocating to another state due to the lack of economic growth.

As a nurse it shouldn't be too hard for me to find employment but I'm about to enter my 18th month of it. It's next to impossible to find an RN position that pays well and offers benefits at a reasonable cost. The nursing homes, hospices and hospitals in this area are laying off hundreds of employees. I find that ironic as people don't stop getting sick and the need for nurses certainly hasn't declined. I was recently offered a position for $11.50/hr; it felt more like a slap in the face than a prospect!

The newspaper and mayor keep boasting about how the economy is growing leaps and bounds in Scranton but it isn't, unless you know the right people of course.Read More

No opportunity! Bad city! - 6/10/2009
I lived in Scranton,PA for over 4 months in 2009. I could not find an average income job. I was told by the "locals" that it is a game of "who you know". I felt the home prices, along with rental costs were high. And the quality of housing was below average. I have visited many other states in the USA and this area I felt was dirty and needs alot of attention. The heating costs in Scranton are the highest I have ever paid! P.S. No wonder Joe Biden no longer lives in Scranton. I don't blame Read More

Only visit Scranton if you're a fan of "The Office - 6/1/2008
... because other than visiting the "landmarks" from the show, there's nothing else to do here. Lots of shopping, churches and bars. There's a triple-A baseball team (Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees) and some other sports (arena football and hockey) if you're into that. Some good food, too. But after a couple of days, you'll be bored to death. Good place to visit, but not the most exciting place to Read More

What makes Scranton Great you ask .... - 1/20/2008
What makes Scranton Great is simply this we are a community of people who care about one and other ... in times of need we set aside any differences we may have and pull together to get through a crisis.

It has been recently reported that violent crime is down by 13% in Scranton ... so it is just my opinion but that is something that makes our community great.

I live in a neighborhood that allows me a feeling of safety and security ... I can go for a walk any time of the day or night and know that I am safe. I do not live in fear and well the feeling of security that I have here in Scranton in my opinion is what makes Scranton Great!

There is always room for improvement and we do have our share of problems ... but there is no other place on this earth that I would love enough to call Read More

Scranton is a great place to retire to or raise a - 9/18/2007
I was born and raised in Scranton. The job market is poor here--mostly $7-10/hour range. The area hasn't changed much in the past 50 years--it's gone from one low-paying industry to another,i.e., coal-mining to textile mills to the the current telemarketing trend. Some say Scrantonians have a great "work ethic". That's just another way of saying people will work cheap here. Some people mistakenly think the cost-of-living is cheap here, but that's only in the area of housing, where the median home price is $105,000. Everything else, such as food, transportation, clothing, etc., costs the same. The home prices are cheap because the income levels just won't support higher prices. The major 'growth industry' here is any type of government employment--local, state or federal,even if the job doesn't pay all that well. That does not make for a healthy economy.

College grads would be wasting their time staying in the area, as a general Read More

Economy - 7/14/2006
I have lived in NEPA most of my adult life. I am going to be leaving the area and heading west due to the stagnent job market here. I am college educated with 3 certifications in my field and 2o + years experience. I make $11 per hr. That is considered good here. Unless you have political connections or are a doctor, lawyer, nurse etc... you will struggle financially. The area is very pretty and it is a nice place to retire to if you have a good pension. Otherwise, stay away. The jobs that are being brought to this area are mostly low paying jobs with a starting wage of $8.00 per hr. You cannot support yourself much less a family on the wages being offered here. Most of the people I know and work with either work massive amounts of overtime or hold a second job. There is no time left to enjoy what ther region has to Read More

no jobs...free at last!!! - 5/24/2006
I lived in Scranton all my life...ok, until you have to find work.
If you are not educated and have no ambition in life to become anything, then
these jobs are for you. $4.11 an hour with no benefits and a BS in Chemistry
is the reason the young and educated deep 6 the Read More

scranton,pa is one of the best towns you can live - 3/30/2006
scranton is great because it has a average house price is only 105,000.low in crime.it has very good high schools such as scranton prep.the wilkes-barre scranton area has about 460,000 people including luzerne,lackawanna,wyoming counties.we are also close to 7 major cites boston,philadelphia,pittsburgh,new york,baltimore,washington d.c.,buffalo.
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Stay away - 1/21/2006
A declining town, run by an old-boy network, where you can't get ahead unless you know someone in politics. For the past 20 years we've heard that a revival of the city was just around the corner . . . and every plan they've tried has fallen through. Ridiculously high taxes, particularly county taxes, and because the population keeps declining, the per capita tax cost just keeps going up. True story -- I live in a town with a landfill, and I still pay $150 per year in trash fees. Not because the borough has to pay the landfill (they don't) but because the borough can't manage it's money and is using the fee as a way to pay other bills. Stay away if Read More