Best Places to Live in Northeastern Pennsylvania & the Poconos
This region's member places split along a genuine urban-coal-city vs. mountain-tourism-town axis, with Bloomsburg's college-town identity sitting apart from both -- matching a mover to a place here depends heavily on whether they're drawn to affordable small-city living, outdoor/tourism-economy small-town life, or a university-town setting.
Exploring the idea of moving?
We can connect you with a local real estate professional who knows the area -- no pressure, just a starting point.
Learn moreThe Coal Region's Two County Seats
Scranton, the Lackawanna County seat and famously the setting of the U.S. version of the TV series 'The Office,' is the region's largest city and its clearest pick for movers wanting genuine small-city amenities (the University of Scranton, Marywood University) at coal-region prices. Wilkes-Barre, the Luzerne County seat just south, offers a comparable value proposition anchored by Wilkes University and King's College, with the lowest disclosed housing costs of any member place in this region.
Hazleton and Pottsville: Smaller Coal-Region Cities
Hazleton, in southern Luzerne County, is the region's clearest pick for movers prioritizing the most affordable entry point among the region's mid-sized cities, alongside a genuinely diversifying population. Pottsville, the Schuylkill County seat, carries a real, distinctive claim to fame: it's home to D.G. Yuengling & Son, founded in 1829 and America's oldest continuously operating brewery, still family-owned five generations later -- a genuine point of civic identity and a real regional tourism draw (brewery tours) beyond the city's otherwise typical coal-region profile.
The Poconos: Outdoor Recreation and Tourism-Economy Living
Stroudsburg is the Poconos' gateway city and the clearest pick for movers wanting a walkable small-town downtown with direct access to the broader Pocono Mountains outdoor-recreation economy (East Stroudsburg University sits just across the river in East Stroudsburg). Jim Thorpe carries a genuinely unusual story worth knowing before moving there: originally two boroughs (Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk) built around 19th-century anthracite coal transport, they merged and renamed themselves Jim Thorpe in 1954 after the Olympic athlete's widow agreed to have him buried there, as a deliberate tourism strategy -- Thorpe himself never set foot in the town while alive. Today it's a genuinely picturesque, tourism-oriented mountain town built on that history. Milford, the Pike County seat, anchors the region's northeastern corner near the Delaware Water Gap, with real historic character (Grey Towers, the former estate of Gifford Pinchot, first head of the U.S. Forest Service) alongside its tourism-driven pricing.
Bloomsburg: The Region's College Town
Bloomsburg, in Columbia County along the Susquehanna Valley, is this region's clearest pick for movers wanting a genuine university-town identity -- anchored by Bloomsburg University (now part of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania) and the historic Bloomsburg Fair -- distinct from both the coal region's post-industrial cities and the Poconos' tourism towns.
Key takeaways
- Scranton and Wilkes-Barre are the region's two anchor county seats, each offering genuine small-city amenities and universities at coal-region prices.
- Pottsville's real claim to fame -- America's oldest continuously operating brewery (Yuengling, founded 1829, still family-owned) -- gives it a distinct identity beyond typical coal-region character.
- Jim Thorpe's genuinely unusual 1954 renaming (after Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe, who never visited while alive) makes it the region's most tourism-oriented, picturesque small town.
- Bloomsburg stands apart from both the coal region and the Poconos as the region's clearest college-town pick.
Want to know what your budget actually buys here?
Tell us a bit about what you're looking for and we'll connect you with someone local who can walk you through real numbers.
Get local guidanceRead the full Northeastern Pennsylvania & the Poconos overview for the complete picture, including every city and town we've researched in the area.
Planning a move?
Tell us what you're looking for and we'll connect you with a local expert who can help you make it happen.
Talk to a local expert