relocating to bethelhem (Bethlehem, Catasauqua: for rent, live, ratings)

[PhilliesPhan2013]

Originally Posted by tgvp

Thank you. I appreciate it. Are there any places to visit in and around bethlehem to visit or as getaways?
thank you

I'm only 19, so I can't provide info on bars and stuff of that sort; however, I will say that the best hangouts/getaways are in Southside Bethlehem. One of my personal favorite spots is the lookout on Lower Sayre Drive on Lehigh University's campus. From there, you get incredible views of Bethlehem. On clearer days, you can see Wind Gap! I also frequent the hookah bars in Southside Bethlehem when I'm with friends. Finally, there is SteelStacks, which is an entertainment venue on the site of the former Bethlehem Steel plant. The Sands Casino and outlet mall are also in that area.

I also travel to Easton occasionally. Center Square is simply beautiful. Easton apparently has a very nice American history museum, which I have been intending on visiting for the longest time. Maybe I'll do it this semester. After all, it's free with a student ID. You can also see where the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers meet. Have you ever walked to New Jersey? I have, over the Northampton Street Bridge (the locals refer to it as the "Free Bridge"). I'm an avid railfan, so I'll walk over to Phillipsburg, NJ and watch trains pass by on the NS Lehigh Line.

When I'm not heading back to my native Philadelphia, I'm heading up PA 33 to visit The Poconos. The drive up 33 is breathtaking. Once you get past Saylorsburg, it gets really mountainous. The Delaware Water Gap is close to East Stroudsborg, which is another town I go to.

Hope this helps a little bit!

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by tgvp

Thank you all for your time!
I have inquired both pointe north and north field apartments. None of them are available until Sept. I am planning to move in a week from now. I found some availability in Valley park, bethelhem towers and Lehigh crossing apartments. I did not find any good reviews on them. Any thoughts on this is highly appreciated!
Thank you once again for your suggestions and information.

1) Lehigh Crossing is right next to subsidized housing. Very rough neighborhood.
2) Valley Park is a very bland section of town.
3) Bethlehem Towers is within walking distance of The Wooden
Match which is next to historic downtown.

I would say BT is your best choice of the three.

Riverport Condos are privately owned but are available through REALTORS. You have to google RIVERPORT RENTAL BETHLEHEM $1150-$1450

[paulsalem]

Are there any areas to avoid on the north side?

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by paulsalem

Are there any areas to avoid on the north side?

Generally east of Stefko Blvd can be a rough section of town. I would personally feel safer on the south side then over there.

In a perfect world demographic information wouldn't mean that much. But it is more difficult to find economic information.

Bethlehem Near Moravian college: 1/2 mile from 40.630913 , -75.378140
5.4% Black or African American
15.3% Hispanic or Latino
76.6% White Alone Not Hispanic

North Side Marvine Village Bethlehem : 1/2 miles from 40.631572, -75.347359
11.8% Black or African American
56.2% Hispanic or Latino
33.8% White Alone Not Hispanic

South Side Bethlehem 5th and Hayes: 1/2 mile from =40.609462 , -75.365995
9.8% Black or African American
47.1% Hispanic or Latino
40.0% White Alone Not Hispanic

Allentown : 1/2 mile from PP&L Center=40.602547 , -75.472929
19.5% Black or African American
57.7% Hispanic or Latino
22.7% White Alone Not Hispanic

[paulsalem]

Originally Posted by PacoMartin

Generally east of Stefko Blvd is a very rough section of town. I would personally feel safer on the south side then over there.

Thanks!

[N.Y.C.H]

I really don't think race has anything to do with it, the South side has always been the lower income part of the city for new immigrants to the country and or city, whether it was the Europeans, or Hispanics and Asians.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by N.Y.C.H

I really don't think race has anything to do with it, the South side has always been the lower income part of the city for new immigrants to the country and or city, whether it was the Europeans, or Hispanics and Asians.

Originally Posted by PacoMartin

In a perfect world demographic information wouldn't mean that much. But it is more difficult to find economic information.
Bethlehem Near Moravian college: 1/2 mile from 40.630913 , -75.378140
15.3% Hispanic or Latino
North Side Marvine Village Bethlehem : 1/2 miles from 40.631572, -75.347359
56.2% Hispanic or Latino
South Side Bethlehem 5th and Hayes: 1/2 mile from =40.609462 , -75.365995
47.1% Hispanic or Latino
Allentown : 1/2 mile from PP&L Center=40.602547 , -75.472929
57.7% Hispanic or Latino

I am acutely aware that my Grandfather came to the South Side in 1920 from a town only 120 miles from Madrid not speaking any English. I am very fond of Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Dominican Republic.

It is painful to me that the pockets of poverty and gang warfare in Lehigh Valley are dominated by Latino residents.

[N.Y.C.H]

Originally Posted by PacoMartin

I am acutely aware that my Grandfather came to the South Side in 1920 from a town only 120 miles from Madrid not speaking any English. I am very fond of Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Dominican Republic.

It is painful to me that the pockets of poverty and gang warfare in Lehigh Valley are dominated by Latino residents.

Well poverty is in all races, which leads to crime. Look at the trailer parks that are all over PA, all white trash. You have trash in every race and good in every race, race doesn't really matter, more so income status. If you live in a neighborhood with 500k homes, it won't matter what race your neighbors are they are most likely hard working and non criminals. If you live in an area with 50k homes, what would you expect?

Not trying to start a race debate but stating my personal opinion. Look at Italians in New York City, in part responsible for making it so dangerous in the 1970s.

[workingstiff]

I agree that poverty is generally correlated to a much higher crime rate and that's true regardless of ethnicity. Unfortunately, in urban areas it's more likely that areas with a high concentration of non-whites will be poor. You can look at this map based on the census The Racial Dot Map: One Dot Per Person for the Entire U.S.. If you were to overlay a map of crime rate many of the orange areas would correspond to those.

[Detale]

One of the Google reviews for Lehigh Crossing says:

"Pros: - Cheap rent- Large rooms Cons: - $350 electric bill PER MONTH during the winter, while keeping the apartment at 62 degrees the whole time. I can't imagine what it would be if we kept it at a liveable temperature.- Next to a very shady area, there was someone stabbed to death about a block away in August.- Lots of fees. To move in and move out, there's at least $400 in fees, as well as the deposit (which they keep) when they make up enough damages to equal the cost.- I had the front bedroom, and you could hear every word said outside when the windows were closed because the insulation was so poor. We were desperate and needed a cheap place to live. If this is you, do everything to avoid this place, and if anything only live there for a year."

Also Here is a crime map of the area someone posted a while ago.

http://investigations.mcall.com/police-fire-cvg-map/