Which township is my listing actually in?
The U.S. Postal Service assigns every address here the “Long Pond” city name and the 18334 ZIP regardless of which municipality actually governs it, which is why listing portals routinely mislabel properties or lump in neighborhoods many miles away. Monroe County’s own assessment office directory settles the question: the Long Pond post office serves only Tunkhannock Township and Tobyhanna Township. Nothing in Chestnuthill, Jackson, or Coolbaugh carries the 18334 ZIP, even though Coolbaugh’s own township seat sits nearby. When a listing doesn’t name the township directly, the county parcel lookup is the reliable way to check, since the mailing city won’t tell you.
Does “Long Pond” mean the same thing as Tunkhannock Township?
No. Long Pond is a mailing address covering two townships. Most of the named community of Emerald Lakes sits in Tobyhanna Township, with a smaller piece in Tunkhannock Township.
Short-term rental rules: Tunkhannock vs. Tobyhanna
The two townships that make up 18334 don’t regulate short-term rentals the same way, and the gap is large enough to change what a property is worth to an investor buyer.
| Township | Permit cost | Occupancy limit | Current restriction | Where STR is zoned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tunkhannock | $500 first year, $100 renewal | 2 per bedroom, plus 4 | No township-wide cap; about 300 licenses issued to date | Tunkhannock section of Emerald Lakes, Indian Mountain Lakes, all of Brier Crest Woods |
| Tobyhanna | Set by resolution; Monroe County Hotel Tax Certificate required first | 2 per bedroom, plus 2 (revised Feb. 2024) | License cap since March 2024: new STR licenses limited to 12% of total homes | Residential zones per Chapter 114 of the township code, as amended June 2022, October 2022, and February 2024 |
Tobyhanna’s cap means STR eligibility on a given parcel can’t be assumed the way it could before 2024; an investor buyer needs to confirm current license availability with the township before writing an offer, not after. Tunkhannock’s older, uncapped ordinance is currently the more predictable path to a new STR license inside 18334, though only within its own boundary and named-community carve-outs.
Can I run an Airbnb on any property in 18334?
Only if the township, the specific zoning district, and, where one exists, the HOA all permit it. Tobyhanna also requires proof the septic system was pumped within the past three years before it will issue or renew a permit.
Emerald Lakes and the HOA layer
Most of what “Long Pond real estate” means in practice is Emerald Lakes, an association of roughly 1,600 homes on half-acre lots across five to six private lakes, with indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, and an on-site restaurant. Annual dues have historically run near $1,000, a figure that’s several years old and should be reconfirmed directly with the association before closing.
| Community | HOA status | Key amenities | Governing township(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emerald Lakes (main) | Mandatory dues, historically about $1,000/year, verify current figure | 5 to 6 lakes, 2 beaches, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis, on-site restaurant | Mostly Tobyhanna, a smaller section in Tunkhannock |
| Emerald Lakes (Pocono Township section) | Same association | Same amenities | Pocono Township, where STR is not permitted even though it is elsewhere in the community |
That last row is the detail worth sitting with: a property can carry an Emerald Lakes address and pay Emerald Lakes dues while sitting on the wrong side of a township line for a short-term rental license. The association doesn’t override the township, and the township doesn’t announce the boundary on a listing sheet.
What moves price here
Live listing counts, current median list price, and days-on-market for 18334 require an MLS or IDX feed. The honest way to get current numbers is directly from the source that carries them live: the Pocono Mountains Association of REALTORS® market statistics or a Bright MLS-connected agent, either of which can separate land parcels from built homes in a way a single blended ZIP-level figure cannot.
Getting around: I-380 and buyer type
Emerald Lakes’ own materials point to Route 380 and I-380 as the corridor that puts Camelback Mountain Resort and Kalahari Resorts within a short drive, more relevant to a weekend or vacation buyer than a daily commuter. Census data for the ZIP backs the split: average commute time runs about 43 minutes, and a notably high share of residents work from home, consistent with a mix of full-time residents, retirees, and part-time owners rather than a single commuter profile.
Is 18334 a good fit for a daily commuter?
It can work, but a 43-minute average commute suggests most buyers here are working from home, retired, or using the property part-time rather than commuting to a nearby city daily.
Nearby areas
Properties just outside 18334 that genuinely border it, rather than sharing only a ZIP-adjacency algorithm, include Pocono Summit (18346), Blakeslee (18610), Pocono Pines (18350), and Mount Pocono (18344), all within about four to seven miles. Swiftwater (18370), Scotrun (18355), and Tannersville (18372) sit slightly farther out but are common cross-shopping targets for the same buyer pool.
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