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Pottsville is the home of Yuengling Brewery, the oldest brewery in the U.S.
Also hom of the old Pottsville Maroons, a defunct NFL team from the 1920's. They had won the championship but had it rescinded by the fledgling league because they had played an exhibition game against a college team prior to the championship game, which is a no-no. The city is very proud of the team.
And perhaps most famously it's where the Molly Maguires were hanged in the 1870's.
My wife has family in the Palo Alto (Italian) section of the city, and as everyone has said the streets are indeed very narrow and the houses and yards are small.
I'm a little late for this thread but I was born in Pottsville and recently went back after many years of travel. I still count it as one of the prettiest towns I've ever been in. The Mahantango Street area is still beautiful and I love walking those streets. I have been looking at real estate also and many of the areas that the cheaper houses are in are pretty run down. You will also find that those homes are in areas that are mostly rentals so if you are not an investor it probably wouldn't be ideal for you. The current economic situation is evident as it is in many towns across the country. I would not be afraid to walk the streets at night but I don't see many other people doing so. I think they roll up the streets after dark in most areas of the city. You'll want to visit April 19-21 during the annual block of art. The website for the event is block-of-art.org. The community is making an effort at bringing artists and art back to the community and needs lots of support. One thing you need to be aware of is the air quality is not so great because of lots of coal dust flying around in the air. The result of a lot of coal mining in the past and present. I urge you to check the area out though. If you like narrow hilly streets and beautiful architecture you'll love it. Pottsville will always be beautiful to me since it is my home and I am hoping that with community support it will soon be bought back to it's former glory. Please post what you think of the area after your visit.
How are you doing in your decision about Pottsville? I love that area. For decades we were through there many times every spring, fall and summer. Left off in winter just because we had become unused to driving in it and had time constraints.
Good solid people in Schuylkill County. As someone described the people, rather like Appalachian. Salt of the earth. Wonderful scenery. And back to some old ways small town living.
I lived on historic Garfield Square from Dec. 2012 to September 2013.
Upside: The area is beautiful.
There are many good, kind people there.
Best pizza is at Roma's, located at the base of West Market Street, just off N. Centre Street.
Beautiful, old churches but are struggling to maintain them.
Buses can get you around and between most towns during the day.
Library has good selection of videos/DVD's.
All of the basics as far as shopping are available.
Downside: My car was totaled an hour after I moved in by a guy with a two page rap sheet that blew a .259.
Drugs had been moving in and the crime rate is soaring.
A woman can not walk around near downtown in the light of day without some homeless, drug or addicted person making comments and touching/trying to touch them.
People do not trust the Police and generally do not report crimes. They have their own brand of justice, if they do anything at all.
Many people with obvious mental illnesses and medications that leave them with drawn, blank faces walk about.
Businesses on the main street struggle, partly because of the people that hang out there all day tend to keep patrons away.
Young people ask you for money on the street in the summer.
Lots of fires from old houses, bad wiring, backdrafts.
Many teen mothers.
Much domestic violence.
People toss cigarettes and garbage.
Windows are always dirty from coal dust.
Do not park in the head in spots at the top and bottom of Garfield Square where people make illegal u-turns.
May need to go way outside of the box for medical care and hospitals. Good ENT in town.
Suggestion: Stay OUT of 'the city', Race Street, Norwegian, anything along West Market south of the cemetery. Those cheap houses have a price that is not in dollars.
If you want a mansion, buy on Mahantongo Street, north of 10th. Be sure to have the entire house and every window and door wired to an alarm system.
If you enjoy a good social and intellectual life, buy elsewhere.
There's a YouTube video called the "SKOOK state of mind," which was made after the "Shamokin State of Mind" video became very popular.
People forget or are unaware that Pottsville was the home of John O'Hara, one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century. I hate to see squalor take over a once vibrant and prosperous area.
Good kind people, Give me a break! Maybe some of the oldtimers. Most People under 50 Doubtful! I grew up in Pottsville graduated HS in 1999 and people in general were so rude and angry. Havent lived there in years but I doubt its any better. This place is a total dump, seriously go to the south, even as close as Delaware if you wanna see good kind people, who hold doors for women and elderly and are god fearing people. No one hardly even goes to church here anymore. That is why most of the Catholic churches, the predominate religion here have been closing and consolidating the last 10 years. The neighborhood I grew up in which is the East end is full of meth labs now. Lots of blight and Vacant housing in Pottsville. The roads are terrible for example Peacock Street is like driving off-road and hasn't been paved in decades.
This area is full of politically charged angry people in this area; The make up of the area is primarily composed of corrupt and uneducated local government which hinders growth or improvement. However, Pottsville is actually the Ritz Carlton compared to the towns north of the mountain such as Ashland, Mahanoy City and Shenandoah. That is a sad commentary.
The Skook state of mind is for people who never had left there and was written by a 17 year old. Its fan base is the people who never left (ocean city vacations do not count) who love getting drunk out of there minds., getting handed a job up the prison, schools or with the county by relatives or close family friends and being stuck in high school.
Bottom line its a poor area, with poor shopping options and overrated restaurants, that is stuck in the past. No future here. It is good if you are a volunteer firefighter who loves to listen to the Fire scanner or wait for the retro 1920 Fire whistles they still have there, be a fan of overrated small school high school sports and pretend its 1988 again, or just like to sit in a bar and get totally drunk all day.
How are you doing in your decision about Pottsville? I love that area. For decades we were through there many times every spring, fall and summer. Left off in winter just because we had become unused to driving in it and had time constraints.
Good solid people in Schuylkill County. As someone described the people, rather like Appalachian. Salt of the earth. Wonderful scenery. And back to some old ways small town living.
You cant be serious? is this a joke. It is nothing but mountain laurels, coal banks and polluted creeks in the rural areas, in the towns its nothing but rundown rowhomes or half doubles accompanied by rusted fences on roadways filled with potholes. In the winter the entire area is a disaster to drive in. Nice scenery? compared to Afghanistan?
I'm a little late for this thread but I was born in Pottsville and recently went back after many years of travel. I still count it as one of the prettiest towns I've ever been in. The Mahantango Street area is still beautiful and I love walking those streets. I have been looking at real estate also and many of the areas that the cheaper houses are in are pretty run down. You will also find that those homes are in areas that are mostly rentals so if you are not an investor it probably wouldn't be ideal for you. The current economic situation is evident as it is in many towns across the country. I would not be afraid to walk the streets at night but I don't see many other people doing so. I think they roll up the streets after dark in most areas of the city. You'll want to visit April 19-21 during the annual block of art. The website for the event is block-of-art.org. The community is making an effort at bringing artists and art back to the community and needs lots of support. One thing you need to be aware of is the air quality is not so great because of lots of coal dust flying around in the air. The result of a lot of coal mining in the past and present. I urge you to check the area out though. If you like narrow hilly streets and beautiful architecture you'll love it. Pottsville will always be beautiful to me since it is my home and I am hoping that with community support it will soon be bought back to it's former glory. Please post what you think of the area after your visit.
If Pottsville is one of the nicest towns in America. Thats does not say much for our country. I have been in all 50 states for my job and grew up in Pottsville. And I would say it is on the bottom quartile of places to live. Corrupt Goverment structure and local government, The Outmigration of educated way too high, slumloads have beentaking over neighborhoods, and the blight is tremendous across the county. Some of the cities roads havent been paved in 20-25 years. Pottsville does have better parks then most of the county. But thats the only thing really.
Good kind people, Give me a break! Maybe some of the oldtimers. Most People under 50 Doubtful! I grew up in Pottsville graduated HS in 1999 and people in general were so rude and angry. Havent lived there in years but I doubt its any better. This place is a total dump, seriously go to the south, even as close as Delaware if you wanna see good kind people, who hold doors for women and elderly and are god fearing people. No one hardly even goes to church here anymore. That is why most of the Catholic churches, the predominate religion here have been closing and consolidating the last 10 years. The neighborhood I grew up in which is the East end is full of meth labs now. Lots of blight and Vacant housing in Pottsville. The roads are terrible for example Peacock Street is like driving off-road and hasn't been paved in decades.
This area is full of politically charged angry people in this area; The make up of the area is primarily composed of corrupt and uneducated local government which hinders growth or improvement. However, Pottsville is actually the Ritz Carlton compared to the towns north of the mountain such as Ashland, Mahanoy City and Shenandoah. That is a sad commentary.
The Skook state of mind is for people who never had left there and was written by a 17 year old. Its fan base is the people who never left (ocean city vacations do not count) who love getting drunk out of there minds., getting handed a job up the prison, schools or with the county by relatives or close family friends and being stuck in high school.
Bottom line its a poor area, with poor shopping options and overrated restaurants, that is stuck in the past. No future here. It is good if you are a volunteer firefighter who loves to listen to the Fire scanner or wait for the retro 1920 Fire whistles they still have there, be a fan of overrated small school high school sports and pretend its 1988 again, or just like to sit in a bar and get totally drunk all day.
I'm trying to figure out if you're just trolling here, or actually serious.
I grew up in Princeton, NJ - a pretty well to do area, and I've lived all over the country, including New York and Los Angeles.
....and....
I purchased a mansion in Pottsville for less than the price of a 800 square foot condo in NJ.
Relative to other cities in the area (Hazleton, Reading, Allentown, Harrisburg), Pottsville is like Disneyland. Most of the crime is drug related, and I wouldn't hesitate to walk anywhere in town at 1am.
Is it poor and depressed? Yes. Has it seen much better days? Absolutely. Is it identical to most small towns in America? You betchya.
In the past 6 months several restaurants, bakeries, and other businesses have opened down town, and 4 are slated to open this summer.
Everything is relative. Sure, if you compare it to say - Hershey, there's no contest, but I've found Pottsville to be a very safe and good place to live - and CHEAP! I work from home, and can live anywhere in the country, and I've chosen Pottsville due to the location and ROI on my investment.
To each their own - if you need to be part of a vibrant bar life, and shop at Bloomingdales and Macy's, Schuylkill County probably isn't for you- you'll have to drive 45 minutes to get to that sort of stuff, but it's perfectly fine for me.
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Pass on Pottsville
