What is this Street like?

[loose cannon]

12th and Hamilton was my old stomping ground, and the posted news is disturbing. Nonetheless, if you have something to offer, and you are not a criminal, you are needed to improve the city. The big problem with Allentown is the abundance of cultural philistines.

[PA.Dutchman]

Loose cannon, I don't think we could honestly recommend any part of Allentown for someone to settle in if we really cared about them.

People have been robbed and assaulted in the Wegman's lot for their purses and valuables. Giant Foods workers, in their store, were assaulted at the Emmaus Avenue location and customers robbed at the Giant on Tighlman and Cedar Crest BLVD.

PPL has had a number of employees assaulted and robbed in the PPL Company Parking lot at 9 TH and Linden. Now police drive through regularly on patrols.

My wife works with a very well off lady from the West End, she lives near Cedar Crest BLVD. The first night she brought her new 2009 Toyota home it was jacked up and wheels and tires stolen. It took the insurance company a month to replace the car with OE because it was new. The police told her to get locking lugs because they come back for the new wheels they know you will have to purchase.

I have a photo of a Station Wagon at the hospital at 1730 Chew Street with its wheels and tires stolen while the owners visited sick family.

We had a car burned down here that was stolen and burned to destroy evidence. It exploded at 1:00 A.M. in the morning. Four people have been murdered with in two blocks of our home in the last two years.

The have had to close the swimming pool at Fountain Park for the last several years from time to time. Thugs have been throwing broken glass into the water at night for people to step on. They are NUTS!

Allentown is up to EIGHT MURDERS and it is only July.

As I said I don't recommend this city for anyone to settle in, friends or foes. I say that only after living here for 61 years. We pray we will be able to get out after retirement, alive.

[lorib49]

I would take a little of what some people are saying here with a grain of salt. You cannot write off the entire city of Allentown. Asking about an area here is one way to get information, but you should also look at police blotters and just see the area for yourself. Drive around during the day and also at night and see if you feel comfortable. I live in West End Allentown and have never had a problem. I feel completely safe here. Some people might remember the way Allentown used to be, and unfortunately its not like that anymore, but I think that they are scaring you a little with all of the reports of crimes. There are people on this forum that always portray the city negatively, no matter what the circumstance. They also have probably never been exposed to true diversity. I'm happy that I didn't listen and went to look at the area for myself.

[PA.Dutchman]

Lorib, would you live at 4 and Liberty?

I doubt it very much. You may have the financial foundation to live on the West End. Not everyone does and if someone wanted to move to Allentown 4 TH and Liberty would be the last place i would recommend to them.

We did live there as the neighborhood changed and it was NOT good.

Even now my wife and I live on 10 Street near center city. On more than one occasion we have heard gun shots while having supper or watching TV.

Yes we do remember the Old Allentown, and we never never had the crime or criminals we have here now. Eight murders this year so far, growing up we had one a year or so.

Diversity, I attended the Lawrence Street Boys Club, attended all center city school from K to 12. We had every people group known to man and God. However we still never had the crime we do now. Much of it moved here in the last 25 years plus.

Former Mayor Daddona was known to go to New York and encourage certain groups to relocate to Allentown. He wanted more Federal Money and Funding, instead he brought us the crime and criminals that inhabit our town today.