When most people think of life in the Poconos they think about a place where they can get away from it all and enjoy the adventures of living in a less urban area. There are times, however, when Poconos residents do need to get to surrounding towns and cities—for work, for visiting families, or for other reasons.  The good news is that you can get there from here . . . and to be honest, it doesn’t take all that long.

Here’s a look at commute times from the Poconos Mountains to significant cities and towns in the area.

• Allentown, PA     48 miles          52 minutes                 via PA-335
• Harrisburg, PA    127 miles        1 hr 56 minutes           via I-80W / I81S
• Newark, NJ        81 miles          1 hr 21 minutes           via I-80E
• New York, NY     90 miles          1 hr 43 minutes           via I-80E
• Philadelphia, PA 108 miles         2 hrs 2 minutes          via I-476S
• Scranton, PA      34 miles          34 minutes                 via I-380N
• Stroudsburg, PA 17 miles          17 minutes                 via I-80 E
• Trenton, NJ        99 miles          1 hr 54 minutes           via PA-33S
• Wilkes-Barre, PA 39 miles          50 minutes                 via PA-115N

If you don’t feel like driving yourself, there is bus service available through Greyhound Lines and Martz Trailways that can get you to New York or any number of places in the region.

If you need to fly out of the Poconos, you have a number of options in the area as well.

• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Airport (AVP) is 24 miles away
• Newark International Airport (EWR) is 69 miles away
• La Guardia Airport (LGA) is 82 miles away
• Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is 115 miles away.

And while it isn’t currently available, there is still discussion of bringing back regular rail service to the Poconos that will make commutes to New York and other areas much easier.

That’s just one more advantage to living in the Poconos: You can choose a lifestyle that lets you get away from it all—and still get back to it if you need to!