Relaxed Northeastern Pennsylvania living in Butler
Swaths of farmland and forest stretch throughout Butler Township, a sprawling community of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Tucked away in the Sugarloaf Valley, the township is just north of Hazleton and 17 miles southwest of Wilkes-Barre, the largest city in Luzerne County. Covering about 52 square miles of predominantly rural land, the township has smaller communities like the village of Drums and the Beech Mountain Lakes resort. Whether residents live on the resort grounds, among farmland or in a small village area, they enjoy a slow pace of life among the scenic mountains and forest while still having quick access across Pennsylvania on Interstates 81 and 80.
Homes on the resort and among swaths of farmland throughout Butler
Some houses sit on several acres, while others are in small subdivisions or along main roads. Popular styles include bi-levels, New Traditional homes with two-car garages and Colonial Revivals. A large portion of properties in Butler are in Beech Mountain Lakes, a gated resort community with A-frame cabins and contemporary homes on Green Mountain and around The Lake of the Four Seasons. Houses here have recently sold for between $240,000 and $560,000, and homes outside the resort area generally sell within the same range.
Community sports at Freedom Park and exploration at Nescopeck
Valley East Little League hosts youth softball and baseball games at Freedom Park, just next to the township's community center. The park also hosts soccer and basketball games and has a vegetable garden. The township hosts seasonal events at the community center and Freedom Park, like the Fall Festival in October and Summer Kickoff in June. At the kickoff, kids and families play yard games, jump in the bouncy house and check out local vendors to the sound of live music. Smaller parks, like Butler Township Community Park and Legion Park, also have playground equipment and picnic shelters where locals can get outside.
Nescopeck State Park stretches over 3,500 acres across Butler and Dennison Townships. Park visitors can hike through mountains and forests and fish along Lake Frances and the area's many creeks. During the icy winter, the landscape allows for skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing.
Local farms and restaurants serve diverse tastes
Butler doesn't have a central downtown area, but restaurants and businesses are dotted throughout the community. One popular spot is Evan's Roadhouse, serving upscale entrees like salmon and steak, as well as more casual options like chicken tenders and burgers. Down the road, The Meating House has pasta, seafood and steak on offer in its cozy, dimly lit dining room. Several local farms, such as Burger's Farm Market and Thomas Farm, sell produce, plants, meats and more at their farmstands in Butler, and Aldi and Walmart have more groceries just outside the township.
Students attend Hazleton Area schools and earn college credit
Students living in Butler typically attend Drums Elementary/Middle School, which has a C-plus rating from Niche, for kindergarten through eighth grades. They continue to the B-minus-rated Hazleton Area High School. Students at Hazleton Area High School can earn college credits through dual enrollment with Luzerne County Community College or Lackawanna College. Lackawanna College even has an opportunity for high schoolers to earn an associate degree by the time they graduate. Just outside of Butler, Penn State Hazleton is a satellite campus of Pennsylvania State University with about 500 students.
Interstates 81 and 80 connect drivers around the region
Butler Township is just about 5 miles north of Hazleton, a city with about 30,000 inhabitants and significant manufacturing and distribution industries. Hazleton also has Lehigh Valley Hospital, the closest major medical facility. Interstate 81 goes through Butler Township, and connects residents 17 miles northeast to Wilkes-Barre, the largest city in the county, and 27 miles northeast to Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport. Interstate 80 also crosses east-west through the township, stretching across the entire state and 120 miles east to New York City. Butler's CAP Index Crime Score is a 2, below the national average of 4.
Written By
Faith Wakefield
