Is it safe and a good investment to own a home in suburbs surrounding Allentown? (Bethlehem: high crime)

[WiseWords]

I have been doing some research and it seems crime is higher in Allentown than surrounding towns. Does Allentown's issues effect the safety and market value or resale of houses in suburbs surrounding it? I have never been to the area and would appreciate it if someone could fill me in on safety aspects regarding Allentown and being a suburb of it.

Being such a huge town makes me wonder, does Allentown issues bleed into surrounding communities regarding crime or congestion, traffic, etc?

[toobusytoday]

Crime is generally higher in cities, isn't it? What issues are you referring to? House prices are up all over. We have friends who just sold a house in downtown Allentown for more than double what they paid for it five years ago. Granted they got it for quite little and improved it quite a bit, but it is in an iffy area. Our house, just outside of Coopersburg is supposedly worth about double what we paid for it 20 years ago.

There are housing tracts all around the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, but there are many small towns that were settled hundreds of years ago, I wouldn't really call them suburbs. I actually only know a few people that work in the downtown area of any of those cities.

[WiseWords]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

Crime is generally higher in cities, isn't it? What issues are you referring to? .

I'm not really sure. Not from that area, just looking at various online sites that list crime stats, etc

[marineguy]

Allentown is a high crime city. It's really a shame, since there are some really nice houses in the West End, but the town is pretty awful. You couldn't pay me to live in Allentown. My wife grew up there, and we still visit family there every year.
The suburbs/boroughs surround it, such as Lower Mac, South Whitehall, Catasaqua are ok, for now.

[Mr.Retired]

Originally Posted by WiseWords

I have been doing some research and it seems crime is higher in Allentown than surrounding towns. Does Allentown's issues effect the safety and market value or resale of houses in suburbs surrounding it? I have never been to the area and would appreciate it if someone could fill me in on safety aspects regarding Allentown and being a suburb of it.

Being such a huge town makes me wonder, does Allentown issues bleed into surrounding communities regarding crime or congestion, traffic, etc?

Your concerns on crime are valid.
Individuals need to know that safety is a priority to their family and community.
Living in New York City crime can bleed in from one community to another ( depending )
due to the way neighborhoods were so closely constructed to each other a hundred years ago but there
are pockets of neighborhoods in the city that are isolated because of natural boundaries resulting in some
beautiful places to live because of this isolation.

I believe Allentown shares some similarity to N.Y.C.


In Allentown
You have Interstates, Rivers,mountains,forests, elevation and plaza after plaza that
tames the urban sprawl and the crime that may or may not follow.
This is key.

As an example,
City Center is tiny but gorgeous. Drive a few blocks and you can see hints of poverty.
Similar to N.Y.C. The good news is that On going Construction and revitalization will
upscale the community over time hopefully providing hundreds of jobs.

Other parts of Allentown as mentioned above close to mother nature or plazas are appealing.

Consider driving to the place of interest. Visit the plazas and get a feel of who your neighbors will be.

Best Wishes.