Top 100 cities in the nation in PA (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: 2015, crime rate)

[PacoMartin]

Of cities that were at one point in the top 100, Allentown is relatively unique in that it is currently at it's maximum population (Carlisle was a top 100 city in early 19th century).

It does occur to me that most aging cities would be very kill to have their old population back, and they talk about it constantly. But in the case of Allentown which is one of the few older cities in the nation to actually accomplish that, there is a fear that it is a magnet for poor from New York City urban area.


Maximum population and census of PA cities that were in the top 100 in the nation at some point in US history
Johnstown................1920 67,327
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Altoona..................1930 82,054
Reading..................1930 111,171
Scranton.................1930 143,433
Wilkes-Barre.............1930 86,626
Williamsport.............1930 45,729
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Pottsville...............1940 24,530
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Easton...................1950 35,632
Harrisburgh..............1950 89,544
Lancaster................1950 63,774
Philadelphia ............1950 2,071,605
Pittsburgh ..............1950 676,806
York.....................1950 59,953
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Erie.....................1960 138,440
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Carlisle.................2010 18,680
Allentown................2010 118,032

[BTA88]

Philly will top its high water mark in my lifetime. Pittsburgh might. I want to say probably, but realistically, might. Lancaster will blow its old high water mark away. That city will be over 100k in my lifetime, perhaps before I'm even middle aged. Reading...Probably, It's the next stepping stone after Allentown. Harrisburg will never get back to where it was.

Oh and Scranton and Wilkes-Barre will top a combined 5m residents before next December.

[RightonWalnut]

Would like to see Philadelphia get back to the 2 million mark... if we can reduce business taxes and eliminate the resident wage tax, we probably will.... all else will fall into place with a wealthier population like better public schools and lower crime rates.

The city is predicted to pass 1.6 mill by 2015 so I think it is doable to reach 2 mill again.

[ElijahAstin]

In my opinion:

Johnstown, Altoona, Williamsport, and Pottsville are hopeless. At their best, they were small, industrial- and/or mining-centric cities that were unable to adapt to changing conditions as their chief industries waned.

Erie could possibly stagnate in population, but I doubt it will ever significantly regain importance.

Reading, Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg are expanding in population, but not in a necessarily positive way. This may be happening to the city proper of Allentown as well, although regardless, its suburbs will probably still be fine. Easton may regain in stature as a satellite city of Bethlehem.

Scranton and Wilkes-Barre are mixed bags, with the former far more likely to reinvent itself than the latter. The degree of this renaissance will greatly depend on if, and how much, long-distance commuting options to the NYC area improve over the years.

Carlisle is, and will remain, a solid college town.

Philadelphia is set to expand (and I believe Pittsburgh is, as well). Both cities have made tremendous gains in the past 10-15 years, and there's no sign of this stopping in the future.

[pman]

Why is Lancaster not expanding in a positive way?

[julian17033]

Originally Posted by pman

Why is Lancaster not expanding in a positive way?

For one, arguably, the most fertile farmland in the United States is being covered over by mindless trac housing in Lancaster county surrounding the city. I would say that this expansion is very negative and works out to be a loss concerning Agricultural business and heritage and a loss of what makes PA one of the most beautiful states in the union.

[mancat100]

Originally Posted by julian17033

For one, arguably, the most fertile farmland in the United States is being covered over by mindless trac housing in Lancaster county surrounding the city. I would say that this expansion is very negative and works out to be a loss concerning Agricultural business and heritage and a loss of what makes PA one of the most beautiful states in the union.

This this this. Lancaster is known for the farmland and the local PA Dutch culture. What a waste to pave over it and ruin a unique place

Philly's gonna grow and get better. I don't know enough about the others.

[pman]

Originally Posted by julian17033

For one, arguably, the most fertile farmland in the United States is being covered over by mindless trac housing in Lancaster county surrounding the city. I would say that this expansion is very negative and works out to be a loss concerning Agricultural business and heritage and a loss of what makes PA one of the most beautiful states in the union.

I understood we were only talking about the city (which is what is listed above). it seems population growth has mostly been good to lancaster, it;s crime rate is down slightly, there isn't that much blight, and it has more to do than in the past.
reading seems to be on a different trajectory but I think it would be hard to argue that more blight and abandonment would be an improvement there.

[mattejb]

Keep your eye on Hazleton......1940 38,009
With the increasing hispanic population it just might reach that again in a few decades.

[PreservationPioneer]

Johnstown seems pretty hopeless. Altoona has a little potential, but I don't know what could possibly make that town prosper again. It's too isolated. Reading is extremely poor and, like Altoona, there seems to be nothing there to make the city prosper again, and suburbanization is rampant. Reading is to Philly, I think, what Wheeling or Steubenville is to Pittsburgh. However, Reading is a beautiful city, architecturally. York, Harrisburg, and Lancaster are in better shape than Reading and I think are prime Pennsylvania cities. Each has some problems, but I think the positives outweigh the negatives in all three cases. All three are conveniently located to each other and larger metros (Baltimore, Philly, etc.). Erie is kind of like a lot of struggling Ohio and Michigan rust-belt cities. It's not completely dead, but it's certainly stagnant. It has a lot more to offer than Altoona or Reading, though (architecture aside).

Allentown and Reading both have growing populations, but whether or not that is a good thing depends on who you ask. The people moving in are extremely poor.