anyone know anything about Phillipsburg? (Allentown: condos, crime, theatre)

[cinz420]

any thoughts on Phillipsburg? Easton Pa across the river? good bad whatever you've got - thanks!

[anchor70]

Both cities aren't very desirable. Easton has more to offer than Phillipsburg. In the last few years there has been an effort to improve Easton's downtown area, but its not there yet. If you like the urban feel I would suggest Bethlehem, PA 10 miles west of Easton. Bethlehem is safer and its a college town, and much nicer in my opinion. Phillipsburg is a decaying industrial town, most people are moving to the surrounding suburbs where all the growth is , for both Easton and Phillipsburg.

[cinz420]

Thanks for the feedback! I'm surprised you say that - I was told to steer clear of Bethlehem because of the casino and the crime that was there. I will check it out more though. Granted the casino is merely a proposal at this point but I grew up close to AC and that took a long time to come to where it is today.

[freemejersey]

I have family that moved to Phillipsburg two years ago and are now moving out. I don't know much about the area but on my visit there was not impressed. It seemed to be like an old industrial town. My relative said the school system there is not very good (one of the reasons they are leaving). There is supposed to be a "nice" side and then the "not so nice side". However, I didn't see much of anything that impressed me.

[Bklyngal]

I moved to Phillipsburg a little over a year ago and it's really not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I have no problems with the school system either.

While it is an old industrial town, it does have it's charms. Of course, it's not perfect in any way and it does have a little crime, but I'm from Brooklyn, NY, born and raised, so to me this crime is nothing compared to what I grew up with! I laugh at what the people here consider "crime". Heh.
It has it's not-so-nice parts, like the PP stated (South Main st.) and it's nice, expensive parts (Hillcrest). I live a block away from the Hillcrest section and my area is pretty nice.

Honestly, I feel this town has a lot of potential. Sure, it's nothing now, but I wouldn't be surprised if it grew and improved in the next few years, especially since other parts of NJ are so overpriced.

Oh, and Bethlehem isn't bad. There are some very nice parts. There is the bad part you're hearing about, which is the South Side... that's a not-so-nice area. I've been there. *shivers*
It was voted as one of the best places to live in PA this past year, so that's not too shabby if you ask me.

[TKNoll]

There are good and bad with each of the cities mentioned in the thread. Take information with some caution and skepticism because people from PA will “naturally” be down on anything in NJ and vice versa, generally speaking. I live in the Phillipsburg area and while it is not my favorite place, it is not the “crumbling industrial” city people make it out to be. There are, in fact, efforts to improve the entire region (Easton, Allentown, Bethlehem, AND Phillipsburg). The region is among the top 15 growing regions in the US (usually categorized as The Lehigh Valley). It just takes time for things to improve (slowing the improvements primarily is corrupt politics, that includes NJ and PA). There is buzz about returning the train service to New York (might take 10-20 years though, again due to corruption). Easton has some nice culture like the State Theatre and The Piano Loft. There are some quaint, cozy, elegant restaurants in downtown Phillipsburg and surrounding areas. Bottom line is there is growth and improvement here. People with money are moving to this area more so than people moving out. Finally, Easton is also a “college” town. Crime and schools: If anything, Easton has slightly higher crime per capita and worse schools than Phillipsburg.

[royceb]

Originally Posted by cinz420

Thanks for the feedback! I'm surprised you say that - I was told to steer clear of Bethlehem because of the casino and the crime that was there. I will check it out more though. Granted the casino is merely a proposal at this point but I grew up close to AC and that took a long time to come to where it is today.

I went to Lehigh University on the "bad" side of Bethlehem. The area around there is quite sketchy (the campus closed off some ATMs after 7 PM because students were getting mugged by "townies") but the rest of Bethlehem is quite nice. Another part of Bethlehem, closer to Moraivian, is gorgeous around Christmas time.

[Zonnie]

oh lord you thinking about moving to Phillipsburg ima save u right now and lt you know DO NOT DO IT PLEASE!!!Phillipsburg is the worst place that you can live it is more like a retirement place there is nothing to do i grew up in the city and this is like an early death sentence when you start to see cows and chickens on your front lawn oh no dont do it that is a shame and the diversity levels are very low i mean there are more people coming from the city area but there is still not enough to say that it is an diverse TOWN many people confuse it for a city so im correcting that but as a high school student im sayin to you dont

[Bklyngal]

LOL

People get SO overdramatic, I swear.

[mill street]

I purchased a multi unit property in Phillipsburg in January 2006. I am in Phillipsburg approximately twice a month. I have scouted out the area. I like the hill crest section and the Purcell Hill Section(My property is in Purcell Hill). South Main Street is not one of the better parts of town but things could possibly change. A developer is planning on building luxury condos on South Main Street. These apts will have water views of the Delaware River. Hopefully this complex will bring more business to Phillipsburg downtown