Discover Kingston Borough on foot
In Kingston, residents can forgo their cars and get everywhere on foot. “You can just walk everywhere. Walk to lunch. Walk to the library. Wilkes-Barre is walkable from Kingston. There are two walkable bridges,” says Realtors Christine Lacomis with Lewith and Freeman Real Estate. “The local cross-country teams run across the bridges.” Outdoor life plays a significant role in Kingston life, from the walkable amenities and town centers to the amazing parks and recreational activities available along the Susquehanna River. There’s always plenty to do in Kingston. “It’s not just a sleepy little town. There are shopping centers, lots of parks, a community swimming pool,” Lacomis says.
Boating and fishing along the Susquehanna River
While residents merely have to go walking to enjoy the fresh air in Kingston, the Borough boasts excellent parks and recreational activities. “Kingston is situated along the Susquehanna River,” Lacomis says. “There’s boating, and it’s very fishable.” Residents can launch paddle boats onto the river from Nesbitt Park, but people can also play on the disc golf course. “It also has the Levee Trail,” Lacomis says. “You can take that for 12 miles if you’re a runner or a biker.” James S. Keiper Park features multiple tennis courts, baseball diamonds and batting cages for local athletes. “In Kirby Park, they have cross country meets, and all the parents and relatives join there for the high school cross country team,” Lacomis says. Right next door is Kingston Community Pool, where residents can go to cool down in the summer.
Kingston's restaurants highlight local history
In what used to be a popcorn factory, Theo’s Metro serves up Greek-American food surrounded by history. The restaurant highlights the building’s origins by displaying the factory’s original equipment. This isn’t the only place where residents can get a taste of local history—AmberDonia Bakery offers excellent baked goods and pizzas alongside display cases full of artifacts and historical items. On the other side of the Susquehanna, residents can sit on the deck at River Grill to view the water while they enjoy lobster rolls and crab cakes. For groceries, Kingston features Aldi along Pierce Street and Market 32 on the western side of town. About 4 miles away, Wilkes-Barre offers a Walmart Supercenter and Target in its shopping centers.
RiverFest and the annual pierogi festival
Every June, Kingston residents gather at Nesbitt Park for RiverFest, where people get onto the water with dragon boat races and paddle boat tours. On land, there’s live music and scavenger hunts for kids. Also in June, the Edwardsville Pierogi Festival celebrates Eastern European culture and heritage in the area and the iconic potato dumpling through pierogi cookoffs, a parade, and even merchandise, like crocheted pierogi pillows. Wilkes-Barre hosts a farmers market every Thursday from June to November in Public Square. Friedman Jewish Community Center (JCC) offers lots of adult fitness classes and camps for kids.
Live in anything from foursquares to Queen Annes in Kingston
Residents in Kingston live along narrow streets with houses clustered close together. Mature and young trees grow in the grass between the curb and sidewalks on both sides of the road. Many homes feature detached garages or driveway parking, but many residents still opt to park on the street in front of their properties. Houses in Kingston are eclectic in style, with siding foursquares with a wide front porch nestled beside siding Dutch Colonials and Colonial Revivals. Occasionally, there are Tudor Revivals with dramatic angled roofs or Queen Annes with spires and wrap-around porches. Homes here list between $150,000 and $400,000, with the larger properties pricing higher. Townhomes and duplexes list on the lower end of the spectrum.
Technical career education at Wyoming Valley West High
Students start their schooling at Third Avenue Elementary School, which houses just kindergarten and receives a C-plus from Niche. For grades one through five, students go to Chester Street Elementary School, which earns a B-minus from Niche. Niche gives Wyoming Valley West Middle School a C-plus ranking. With a B-plus from Niche, Wyoming Valley West High School partners with the West Side Career and Technology Center (WSCTC) to provide technical classes and education to students. “We also have two universities right across the bridge from Kingston where almost all of their buildings have been donated by families,” Lacomis says. “It’s a college community right across from Kingston.”
Walk or take the bus down Market Street to Wilkes-Barre
When residents don’t feel like walking, buses run throughout Kingston and connect to shopping centers and surrounding towns. Market Street runs right into downtown Wilkes-Barre, just 1.4 miles away. “Kingston is just two minutes to get to Route 81, the Pennsylvania Turnpike,” Lacomis says. Along this route, residents can connect to Scranton, 20 miles away, and Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport, over 12 miles away. Closer to home, Commonwealth Health Wilkes-Barre General Hospital is just 2.4 miles from Kingston.
Photography Contributed By
Alec Oswald
