Dickson City, PA

Dickson City's history dates back to 1863 when German immigrants, who originally named it Priceville after Eli Price, founded it. The population continued growing as the coal mining business boomed. Local government renamed Priceville to Dickson City in 1875. As the coal mining industry waned, Dickson City became increasing retail-oriented. Scranton-based television sitcom The Office made mention of Dickson City in one of its episodes.

Although Dickson City doesn't have its own arts scene or museums, the city of Scranton has plenty of art galleries, historic sites such as Steamtown National Historic Site, and museums such as the Harry Houdini Museum. Likewise, you need to drive into Scranton to find any festivals. The city hosts annual events such as La Festa Italiana over Labor Day weekend, the Scranton Jazz Festival in early August and the Scranton Celtic Festival in May.

Driving along Scranton/Carbondale highway or Commerce Boulevard takes you past plenty of chain restaurants. If you look a little harder, you’ll find the area peppered with local favorites like Basilico's, which specializes in tantalizing pizzas, serving at least 10 varieties daily. Other dishes range from calamari arrabiata and clams Posillipo to a frittata hoagie.

With friendly service and offbeat menu items like duck wings, ostrich burgers and Pepsi chicken, a trip to Smiler's Grill and Bar is worth the challenge of finding parking on Main Street. Smiler's has a warm, inviting ambiance and a large menu sure to please anyone in your dining party.

Featuring excellent pizza and scrumptious coal oven chicken wings, Colarusso's Coal Fired Pizza offers another tasty choice on Commerce Boulevard. It features well-priced wines and a laid-back but elegant atmosphere perfect for a romantic evening or a night out with friends.

Unlike in the big city of Philly or even the small city of Scranton, nightlife in Dickson City is relatively tame. Choose from a few small saloons and lounges, such as Sleepy Hollow Lounge, located inside Idle Hour Bowling Lanes on the Scranton/Carbondale Highway. The lounge serves good food and reasonably priced drinks, with added bonuses like happy hours and live music.

If you're looking for a bar where you can get a good meal and even bring the kids along, stop into Legends Saloon, located on Boulevard Avenue. Grab a burger or an Old Forge-style pizza and a beer, or try one of the saloon's Polish specialties, like halupki and halushki, potato pancakes, pierogies or a kielbasa sub. Legends Saloon has live entertainment and karaoke every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evening.

You won't find any special accommodations for walking and biking in Dickson City, although residents can perform both activities reasonably safely. With Dickson City's proximity to major roadways, expect to drive to most area locations.

U.S. Route 6, named as one of the most scenic drives in the country by National Geographic, serves as the city’s major thoroughfare. Route 6, also known as the Scranton/Carbondale Highway, links Dickson City with major highways such as Interstate 476 and Route 81.

If you don't drive or don't have a car, you could call a taxi service based out of neighboring areas such as Carbondale or Archbald. The only option for public transportation is the County of Lackawanna Transit System, otherwise known as the Colts bus. Colts buses travel throughout the county, making it easy to get from Dickson City to Scranton where you can change buses to go to other points of interest around the county. Take the Colts bus to downtown Scranton, Viewmont Mall, Marywood University of Scranton or Mohegan Sun Casino.

Get out and enjoy some fresh air at Dickson City's four free public parks: Bernard Seminski Memorial Park on Elm and Dewey, Crystal Park on Doloff and Shady Lane Drives, VFW Park on Jermyn Street and Walker, and City Line Park on Johnson Avenue. All the parks have playgrounds for children, but Bernard Seminski Memorial Park has the most amenities, including a lit walking path, lit tennis and basketball courts and fields for playing baseball and softball.

Although you do need to pay a small fee, a quick trip to nearby Archbald Pothole State Park is well worth the price. This 150-acre state park features a 38-foot deep, elliptical pothole that formed approximately 15,000 years ago. It also contains wide open spaces for hunting, trapping and hiking along a scenic trail that passes through forestland and along an old coal mine tram-access road. The park welcomes pets in most areas, so feel free to bring your dog hiking with you.

Shred the slopes or spend the day at the waterpark when you visit Montage Mountain, located less than 15 miles north of Dickson City. You pay to play at Montage, but its ski school, skiing and snowboarding slopes and water slides provide year-round fun. The resort also hosts the Peach Music Festival every year in mid-August. Bring a chair and some blankets and settle in to enjoy national headliners as well as local and regional performers.

Living in Dickson City carries a lower cost of living than the average cost of living in Pennsylvania and the cost of living in the city of Philadelphia. A day pass on a Colts Bus to travel to downtown Scranton costs $4, while you can expect to pay another $38 to take a Martz Trailways bus from Scranton to Philadelphia.

Gas here costs roughly 6 percent more than the national average. Renting a one-bedroom apartment in the Dickson City area costs an average of $800, and you can grab a pint at the local pub for around $4.

Many of Dickson City's newest retail establishments reside along Commerce Boulevard and Viewmont Drive. Nearly all of the stores are chain stores such as Target, Pier 1, Home Depot, Men's Wearhouse, Kohls and Walmart. Some of the area's smaller specialty stores include Hansel and Gretel Children's Boutique on Main Street, which carries lines like Zaza Couture, Corky and Company and Little Traveler. Plato's Closet, a thrift store located on Commerce Boulevard, carries a substantial selection of clothing and shoes, although you can expect to pay higher prices than thrift stores typically charge.

If you're interested in specialty shops and boutiques, hop in your car and take a quick trip to Scranton where you'll find high-end stores like Runway Luxury Boutique on North Washington Avenue. The boutique specializes in up-to-date trends, top designers and competitive pricing. Other options also on North Washington Avenue include the Over the Moon home, baby and dog store and Modish women's boutique.

If you're looking for specialty items, particularly baked goods like pastries, cakes, pies or wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, check out AmberDonia Bakery located on the Scranton/Carbondale Highway. When you need groceries, take a quick drive to Giant Dickson City on Main Street. Giant carries all major brands and it has a reasonably sized organic section. From March through November, you can buy farm fresh produce and other local goods at the seasonal farmers market and flea market located at Circle Drive-in on Business Route 6.