Life in the regions and counties of Penn's Northeast contains a wonderful diversity of business, employment, educational and recreational opportunities.

Combine these with a vital change of seasons, a convenient location (two hours to New York City, Northern New Jersey and Philadelphia), an affordable cost of living and an incredibly low crime rate and… Well, let's just say it's all quite a dish!

…And boy can it open up doors when it comes to opportunities for your business. Northeastern Pennsylvania sits smack dab within a 500-mile radius of almost half the population of U.S. and Canada.

It's also nice to know that you'll have access to a population of roughly 1.1 million right here in your own backyard.

With a commitment to hard work, a willingness to adapt to new technologies and an extraordinary amount of pride in a "job well done" — it's no wonder our workforce enjoys a national reputation that is second to none. Take a look at these quick facts:

• Diverse labor force of over 500,000
• Average of 10 applications for every job opening
• Turnover rates of less than 5%
• Absenteeism rates of less than 3%
• Grants available for reimbursement of trainee and trainer costs
• 24 institutions of higher learning, many offering business and technical degrees

You'll be thrilled to know that our area includes a sophisticated communications network and a transportation system that provides access to:

• Two international airports
• 5,600 miles of railways
• 44,000 miles of highways
• Six interstate highways (I-81, I-80, I-78, I-380, I-84, I-476)

And remember — you're just two hours from the Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York City markets!

Living in Northeastern Pennsylvania means being surrounded by cities, towns and people that are as diverse as they are rich in character. It also includes the kind of high quality of life and low cost of living that many can only dream of.

And what about events and activities? Well, like we said, the menu here is practically limitless.

Whether you're hiking in the Pocono Mountains, boating or fishing in a variety of beautiful lakes and rivers, snowboarding at one of several top-rated mountain resorts, golfing at a private or public course, cheering at a rock concert or pro sporting event, patronizing a local artist's gallery showing, rediscovering history at a unique museum, dining in a fine restaurant...

Okay… so let's not get too stuffed too soon.

The bottom line is — whether you want to hustle on to the next adventure or linger a bit and savor your experiences — you'll never exhaust all the possibilities that the Penn's Northeast region has to offer.