Wilkes University
- Local Atmosphere

Wilkes Atmosphere

Campus is pretty safe, nice people. Things are always going on throughout the campus so meeting new people is easy. Many gyms are open on campus which is free to the public for certain hours.

Wilkes-Barre is an interesting...

Wilkes-Barre is an interesting town. It is small enough for many neighbors on a street to know each other in depth, but also is large enough (and in a desireable location) to have a growing crime problem. In my belief, Wilkes-Barre has been quiet for so long that the crimes currently being committed are being blown out of proportion as compared to cities of similar size, but the fact remains that a crime problem exists. Most of the city suburbs are very nice neighborhoods that do not face the same crime issues as the center city itself. Wilkes-Barre has a growing recreational aspect as well, with the recent construction of an arena, downtown revitalization, and a nationally recognized amphitheater just minutes away (by car) in Moosic. There is a Catholic college just down the street from Wilkes, and at least four other institutions of higher learning within 15 miles or so. Nightlife is growing, but still needs time to catch up to demand.

The downtown is not somewhere I...

The downtown is not somewhere I like to hang out, however, they are making a lot of improvements. There used to be a lot of crime and scary people hanging out in Public Square, but with them putting in a new movie theater, dance club, and other stores, I’m sure that will change. King’s College is located right down the block from us, so we do have that rivalry there. I would stay away from anything past Academy Street going south. We have a mall that is about five minutes away and Boscov’s in the downtown. There is also an Arena which has minor league hockey, arena football, and concerts. There is also every restaurant that you could imagine up that way, as well.