Movin to Shohola, pa

I'm thinking about moving to Shohola (near Twin Lakes). Would appreciate any info you have. I understand that the schools are really good..I have a 10 year old. Wanted to move to Milford but it seems that Shohola is a better deal in terms of housing and property taxes. Would appreciate any input. Thanks.

All depends on where in Shohola? Don't know about the politics in Sagamore, but it's an OK place. Most of the places where you mentioned, Twin Lakes, are nice.

I was raised in Shohola, and loved it! The children go to the Shohola school(near twin lakes) up until sixth grade, then down to Milford for middle & high school. Less traffic!!!!! than Milford.

Stay in Hawley! Lower taxes, better school district, less crowded. Pike is going to the dogs.

I live in Shohola, in the actual town [which includes 2 churchs, a gas station, a health food store, a general store,a post office, a bank a lumber yard and of course, a bar.] and have for nearly 10 years, I'm 15.

I highly recommend it. The elementary school is fantasic and the high school is lovely too, as long as you don't TRY to get into trouble. You end up with a pretty knit group and my family is friends with all of the 'old family' names around here now.

Shohola is a quaint town but I can't imagine what you will do for a living. The only good job opportunities are far away like in Milford or Hawley/Honesdale. I lived in Eldred, NY for many years and left because the winters are so hard and work is so far away, (I worked in Port Jervis).

DON'T DO IT. Shohola has NOTHING. No stores, no movie theaters, no entertainment. NO JOBS. NOTHING.
It's colder than heck, snows too much, freezing rain when it's not snowing. AND THE HEAT IS WAY TOO EXPENSIVE.

AS SOON AS I CAN, I'M COMING HOME TO JERSEY. I MISS IT ALL.
PS-It's not cheaper at all, they just charge you seperately for everything. NOTHING is included in your taxes. You pay for auto inspection (first they BREAK YOUR CAR, THEN THEY FIX IT POORLY!)

Don't do it. New Jersey is 100% better then PA. Sorry guys, but it really stinks here!

I have to high five jersey girl on this subject ! Not only is shohola lame, so is the whole county..The small towns that are corrupt and lame include" Dingmans ferry","milford "," Greeley" and Lackawaxen.Known by many as "Lack-of-action".
These small towns survive on having their corrupt law enforcement agencies harrass residents by handing out speeding tickets to people who are going to work in the wee hours of the morning so that they can commute, because theres no good paying jobs here.They have turned it into a business. Not that I support drinking and driving but Ive done my own study in Pike county and I have found that there are more accidents "fatal" and " non-fatal" on Pike county roads..for example (rt.6,rt 739,01,209,)I could name more..in the winter months from the lack of proper road maintenence,or the proper knowledge of how to take care of winter roads, Than drinking and driving all year long ! This is a FACT! Pike county needs to take lessons from N.J,They should use some of the money from handing out tickets all year to salt,sand,and plow roads.But they dont. They always claim that they are running out of funds for salt,sand...and adding trucks to plow with.Hmmmm, do you think that maybe...just maybe if they stopped tearing up roads and highways in the spring and summer months and repaving them "when the roads are perfectly fine to drive on",that they might have the funds to do the proper road maintenence in the winter. Oh I almost forgot ,thats how they double their ticket money ,by making "work zones "! Enough of the road talk...and corruption " Im getting sick ", Lets start talking about the drug problem and rising crime rate in the county...Could that be due to having nothing at all for the kids to do? They can go bike riding, fishing,hunting,hiking,...ok.. ok. NOT all kids are into that stuff ! How about opening a under 21 club somewhere in pike county for the kids to hang out in "suppervised "of course. Nope ! The towns wont allow it! They make too much money by turning the kids into juviniles,....the court in Pike county is full of juviniles. Enough for now...HAVE a SUPER DAY !

Please disregard the previous posters, they odviously do not want to enjoy the country life style.

As for roads we have winter here and the roads are sometimes bad and yes there are financial problems, but this is not the township or county, it is a state issue. The local municipalities control very little of the road maintenance. Our roads are in good condition and safe to travel as long as you obey the rules.

As for the police, they are doing there jobs, if you obey the laws they do not harrass, if you speed, drive under the influence or dissregard the law they should be writing citations. They do not get rich writing citations, they in many cases do not break even, think of the cost of prosecuting a drunk driver. We should be happy to have them "serve and protect". Also please note that the majority of policing is done by the PA State police who are widely respected in the country.

Is there a drug problem here? There is not any problems greater than any other area, but you may hear more about it because it is newer to our area. Since 9-11 this area has grown tremendously and with growth people bring problems with them. Our courts do have many cases in front of them, but I would bet to say it is not any worse than any other area. Many great families have come to this area and are doing well.

This is not the area for everyone, if you crave excitement at every corner it is not here in the typical metropolitan form. If you are looking for a great place to raise a family and be involved in all community activities it is a great place. The 2 local school districts provide tremendous advantages to our children through education, sports and the arts. Many people move to this area simply to take advantage of our schools.

There are oportunities to make a living wherever you may travel, you simply need to find opportunity and work hard.

If this sounds like what you are looking for then we welcome you to our community. If not I wish you well.

Sorry natives, but can you please tell me HOW you raise a family on NO INCOME? NO STORES? And, by the way, I've seen the quality of education here, NEW JERSEY IS BETTER AT IT!

And lwmhp is absolutely RIGHT about the roadwork. They've repaved 209 unnecessarily twice already since last JUN (2007). But Sawkill remains treacherous, narrow and full of pot holes.

I had to BUY A 4x4 vehicle just to survive the winter.$35,000. extra spent because I moved to Milford.

There is NOTHING for kids to do. They just get chased from park to park until they finally get in bigger trouble.

As soon as they learn to drive, THEY HIT DEER, LOSE CONTROL ON MILFORD RD, HIT TREES, GUARDRAILS, ETC. VERY NICE.

Am I the only one who noticed that KIDS LEAVE AND DO NOT RETURN??? There is no life here.

And one more thing, here's an article about the cost of heat here. It cost me $4500. to heat my small house last winter. That will triple this year!

From the Pike County Dispatch, Aug 1, 2008:

Fuel oil customers brace for winter - Major price increases revealed in new budget purchase plans

By Nick Troiano

Mary Ann Jagger of Dingmans Ferry flips through some old fuel oil bills, recalling with some fondness the days when she heated her home for 75 percent less than she will this winter. For her and most other Pike residents, the cost of home heating will be higher than ever before.

MILFORD — For many residents in Pike County, summer can’t last long enough. Fuel oil customers now entering into new contracts are already feeling the pain of having to adjust the thermostat upon the arrival of the winter season, with new energy rates coming close to doubling those of last year.

Mary Ann Jagger of Dingmans Ferry, a 66 year-old woman living on a single income through her part-time job, is dreading that inevitability. Jagger was on a budget plan that capped her fuel oil price at $2.899/gallon since last July. Since then, she had five fill-ups for a total of 869 gallons, just about the average for a homeowner.

The $2,500 she spent heating her home last year will now be something she remembers with fondness. Starting this season, fuel oil prices will increase some 76 percent, leaving Jagger paying $5.099/gallon at the current cap offered by Bottini Fuel. As a result, her projected costs will increase by over $1,900.

Through necessity, she said, oil bills are put on a credit card and financed over twelve months. The same is the case with her other main expense: three inhalers purchased every three months.

As I stated this may not be the place for everyone, but to simply not understand how things work and bash an area is beyond belief.
The roads you are talking about are not local roads, they are state roads, controled by state government. To not continue with road upgrades will only allow roads to deteriorate to a level that they must be replaced, not repaired. Buying a new car is a personal choice, many people survive with a very simple vehicle.
Have you not been watching the news? The price of fuel is not only a problem in Pike County!!!
My family has done very well here for 5 generations, we make a good living and send our children to good colleges. Some of them come back to the area and others pursue their dreams in other places. If you work hard and find your niche you will do just fine.
You really need to look at the education that the local schools have to offer. Our children are given every opportunity to succeed, they simply need to take it. Talk to the schools, people are continually moving to this area to raise children and take advantage of the system. Talk to the realtors, our schools are a great selling point.
Why are there so many commuters from this area, I assure you it is not because they want to ride a bus 4 hours a day. These people want to give their family the best place to live while they continue their careers.
There is plenty for children to do in this area, you just have to be aware of the opportunities. We should be raising our children, participating in all the community has to offer, not expecting a town entertain them.
If the area is not for you or did not live up to your dreams that is fine, but to bash it and mislead people is not proper.

I grew up in Jersey and live in the Milford-Shohola area now. The both have their pluses and minues. But NJ is one of the most corrupt states if not the most corrupt in the nation with Corzine and his cronies. As for no jobs in Pike County, that is ridiculous. A lot of people have their own businesses. You can sell a service, a product or have an online business. You can make yourself a fortune! It's up to you how much money you make. If you have an online business like me it doesn't matter where you live. People also do well with service businesses. Just because there are not huge factories doesn't mean nobody is making money. Expand the mind a little bit. As for no stores - also ridiculous? Milford is 10 minute away. There are huge malls an hour or less away in each direction - the Rockaway Mall in NJ, the Galleria in Middletown, NY and the malls in Scranton, PA. etc...

If you don't like it; stay in that dump known as New Jersey! Shohola is what it is. We don't want all the crap jersey has. It's bad enough some of you people move over here and want to change everything. If jersey's so dang great; stay there!

I lived in Shohola for 13 years. The area is lovely and quiet but I have to agree there is very little work. I worked for a while in Milford at what was at that time the leading employer in the area only to go to work in NJ at double the pay. I must agree they let the roads go in the winter. Twin Lakes Road is a dangerous road not only in good weather but forget the winter. One year they cleared it but guess what they cleared it and it was one lane. I have since relocated to NJ and there are many times I miss the quietness of Shohola but there is very little to do and yes the kids in my area that we watched grow from very sweet kids became unruly and into drugs. Two young girls we watched grow up from 3-4 years old turned into real trouble. Both got into drugs both became pregnant before 16 and had to leave school and eventually ran away from home and were placed in juvenile homes.

had a nice talk with pete at sand beach ,hope to do it again

Why would you move to an area, where you know you'd have to commute from, and then complain about it. Did you think you were going to move up here and then get a local job. Why didn't you check these things out BEFORE you moved here. We'd appreciate it if those of you who blast down the roads in the early morning hours, to get to work at the shithole you came from, would just move back!