Help! Are these areas "safe" in Allentown?

[bethman]

That is a pretty nice area in allentown. I have a couple of friends that live there that like it. I would avoid anything east of 13th and south of sumner st.

[toobusytoday]

Good area generally. The Farmers Market is great! Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers Market - Allentown, Pennsylvania

Pennsynative also gave you a good suggestion about Emmaus. Easy commute and a great little town.

[PA girl in VA]

My husband and I moved to Emmaus in April of this year and absolutely LOVE IT! It has a wonderful downtown with lots of shops that give it a quaint, small town feel. The Emmaus farmer's market (although it is now winding for the year) can't be beat! Stay away from downtown Allentown. Scary place!

[toobusytoday]

I just remembered this crime map which will give you an idea of some recent crimes in the area: Lehigh Valley Crime Map: Police reports from Allentown, Easton, Bethlehem from The Morning Call

[Simonbubly]

to reiterate what others here have said, 9th street is a pretty rough part of town. anything higher than 15th street is ok if you ask me.

[butterfly57]

Thanks all! I am currently in town for a week now hunting high and low for a place to live. My husband works all day while I sit in our motel room in Allentown (off airport road) and search the internet. I've signed up with Locators Inc. (a small fee but they give you hundreds of rental listings, the landlords list for free & some will reimburse your fee if you rent with them). I am overwhelmed and exhausted by this task because every nice area with a suitable rental is already taken by the time I call. These nice areas go like hot cakes! I don't particularly like the "nicer" city area of Allentown, I've decided I am not a city girl at all. I've seen Historic Bethlehem and it's very nice, Easton is nice, Slatington I found very depressing....it seems like Macungie & Emmaus is where everyone wants to be & the rentals go fast. There's a rental in South Bethlehem but I'm getting the feeling from the landlord (w/o seeing it yet) that the area might be sketchy. Any ideas on that area? I'll do a search on this site also for any prior input.

[butterfly57]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

I just remembered this crime map which will give you an idea of some recent crimes in the area: Lehigh Valley Crime Map: Police reports from Allentown, Easton, Bethlehem from The Morning Call

This is a great link, very informative and pretty detailed about incidents/crime/accidents....you name it! Thanks so much!

[toobusytoday]

Yes, the rental homes do go very fast. I passed by a house last week that had a sign in the front yard, and the next time I went by it two days later the sign was down. South Bethlehem is tricky. There have been actual home invasions there, so you'll need to really pay attention before deciding. If I was in your shoes, I would try to stay on the other side of the river if possible.

[pennsynative]

Originally Posted by butterfly57

Thanks all! I am currently in town for a week now hunting high and low for a place to live. My husband works all day while I sit in our motel room in Allentown (off airport road) and search the internet. I've signed up with Locators Inc. (a small fee but they give you hundreds of rental listings, the landlords list for free & some will reimburse your fee if you rent with them). I am overwhelmed and exhausted by this task because every nice area with a suitable rental is already taken by the time I call. These nice areas go like hot cakes! I don't particularly like the "nicer" city area of Allentown, I've decided I am not a city girl at all. I've seen Historic Bethlehem and it's very nice, Easton is nice, Slatington I found very depressing....it seems like Macungie & Emmaus is where everyone wants to be & the rentals go fast. There's a rental in South Bethlehem but I'm getting the feeling from the landlord (w/o seeing it yet) that the area might be sketchy. Any ideas on that area? I'll do a search on this site also for any prior input.

Is your husband being relocated for this job through the company? If so, they should be supplying a realtor for you to work with that would help you find a nice rental and can take you around. Have you thought about checking craigslist?

[Jremy]

Originally Posted by Simonbubly

to reiterate what others here have said, 9th street is a pretty rough part of town. anything higher than 15th street is ok if you ask me.

It's really too bad how far center-city Allentown has gone down the tubes. I remember living on N. 9th St. back in 1985. It was a little studio apt.; the address, I think, was in the 300s. It was between Chew and Turner, as I recall, and the All-American Diner (is it still called that?) was up the street. Back then 9th St. was virtually no worry at all, and you only had to worry once you went farther east to around 4th St. A couple years later I lived right around 7th & Turner Sts. That spot wasn't too bad either. Now a Northern Virginia resident, I'm thinking seriously about moving back to Allentown next year, but I am sure to steer clear of center city.