Pocono News Section

Pocono Growth Slows

Pocono Growth Slows - Tuesday, November 25, 2008 at 3:49PM EST

Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008 @ 03:49pm EST
MONROE COUNTY - You may have heard a lot over the years about the population boom in the Poconos. But the economy may be forcing Monroe County's population to go from boom to bust.

On average about 5,000 people have moved into the county every year. But now that number has dropped to less than half that.
An empty seat speaks volumes for one Pocono Commuter. "I have a lot of friends who refuse to commute," said Hazel of Saylorsburg. She asked us not to use her last name.

A few months ago, Hazel had several friends she might sit next to on the bus into New York but not anymore. "It's taken a toll. It's too much. It's too expensive," she explained.

Several of her friends moved away from the Poconos because they couldn't take the hassle. "Commute time, it was taking too much time to go back and forth, loss of quality time with the kids," she said.

Others fell into foreclosure or moved when gas prices hit a record high. Hazel said, "Mainly it's because of the cost of transportation."

The Martz Bus Company owns the park and ride Hazel uses in the Delaware Water Gap. Its management usually sees an increase in riders every fall but this year it only had about half the growth expected.

Across the street from the Martz station, there's a park and ride where business has sharply dropped. It lost twenty parkers in the last month. "And that's the first significant drop we've seen with regards to that in the last eight years," said Rich Matos who owns the place. He also owns an attached moving and storage business. The combination helps him keep tabs on the population.

"We're seeing a lot more people who are actually moving out of the community than into the community," said Matos.

Statistics back up his observations. Planning officials said A few years ago Monroe County was the second fastest growing county in the state. Now it's the ninth.

John Woodling the Director of the Monroe County Planning Commission said, "You certainly don't see the housing construction going on that there was a year ago, two years ago."

While building is down about 80% from four years ago, foreclosures have tripled.

"I hear stories, some people are walking away from their homes and not paying anymore and moving somewhere else and living," said Prothonotary George Warden.

If the foreclosure trend and economic worries continue, we may soon see even more empty spots on the bus. Hazel said she plans to stop commuting as soon as she finds a job in the Poconos.

"It's going to be very, very difficult," she said.

While growth has slowed in the Poconos, it certainly hasn't stopped. Officials there say they expect more people to move in once the economy improves.