Slocum offers an undeveloped landscape south of Wilkes-Barre
Harold Keiner enjoys the summertime in Slocum, when trees thick with leaves obscure the view of his few neighbors and make him feel like he’s “living in the woods,” he says. Originally from Wilkes-Barre, Keiner moved to this Pennsylvania township three decades ago, swapping a neighborhood in the city for 30 acres where he keeps bees. Keiner’s property isn’t unique for Slocum, where just under 1,000 residents live among farms, secluded country estates and occasional small developments. While Keiner acknowledges the community is sparse with people and buildings, he says he’s content living in a rural community where neighbors wave at each other and bigger towns like Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre are no more than 25 minutes away. “I couldn’t go back to living in Wilkes-Barre in a million years,” he says.
A housing market without many sales
Ranch-style homes and Colonial Revivals dot Lily Lake Road and Slocum Road, the community’s primary streets. Lots usually aren’t wide, but they can stretch far back from the roads, sometimes extending nearly a mile. There aren’t any records of recent home sales, and Keiner says that “it’s rare you see a house for sale up here.” Slocum’s median sales price is $225,000, lower than the national median.
Slocum’s CAP Index Crime Score is 1 out of 10, far lower than the U.S. average of 4.
Boating and riverside hiking nearby
Slocum Township Memorial Park includes a soccer field, playground, baseball field and basketball and tennis courts in a compact green space. About 6 miles west, hikers can park and take the 8-mile Mocanaqua Loop Trail along rocky bluffs overlooking the Susquehanna River. Across the river from the trailhead, the Shickshinny Public Boat Launch provides access to the Susquehanna. Golfers can play rounds at Blue Ridge Trail Golf Club, a public course south of Slocum.
Attending the Crestwood School District
Before seventh grade, kids can go to Rice Elementary School, which is graded a B by Niche. Older students may take classes at B-minus-rated Crestwood Secondary Campus. This combined middle and high school added trap shooting to its list of sports teams in 2025. Students can travel around the state and compete against other schools in shooting tournaments.
Pizza and local honey in Slocum, stores in Nanticoke and Wilkes-Barre
One of Slocum’s only businesses is La Napoli II, a pizzeria recognizable by its patio railing painted red, white and green. Down the road, Keiner runs his honey farm, which started when he bought bees to help his plant nursery. “The bees soon took over my life,” he says. “We shut the nursery down, and I kept the bees going.” Keiner now has 35 hives, and people drop by the farm to buy honey when he’s not selling jars at farmers markets.
People can drive 4 miles north to the city of Nanticoke to shop at Weis Markets or Dollar General. Shopping centers filled with big-box stores such as Target and The Home Depot are about 15 miles away in Wilkes-Barre.
Slocum fire company throws summertime celebration
The Slocum Township Volunteer Fire Co.’s annual bazaar happens in late July, after Independence Day, but the three-day event still features a fireworks show and a parade. Attendees crowd under tents on the fire hall grounds to eat and listen to live music when they’re not participating in games like the annual cornhole tournament.
I-81 leads to Wilkes-Barre, hospital and airport
Lily Lake Road and Slocum Road are two of the primary routes through the car-dependent region. Interstate 81 runs past Slocum to the east, and drivers can take it to Wilkes-Barre, where Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre provides urgent and emergency care. It’s about 20 miles to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, while New York City and Philadelphia are both less than two and a half hours away.
Written By
Alex Soderstrom
