How can cities improve if... (Pittsburgh, Allentown: houses, neighborhoods, buyers)

[PreservationPioneer]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

And yet you live in the suburb of McKeesport instead of the city of Pittsburgh.

McKeesport is a city in its own right, and has been a city since 1891. Every city matters, not just the largest in the region. Many neighborhoods within the city of Pittsburgh are younger than the surrounding industrial towns and cities, and some were even suburbs of those places rather than Pittsburgh itself (East Carnegie and Lincoln Place are good examples of that).

[Evergrey]

Which McKeesport neighborhood do you live in?

[PreservationPioneer]

11th Ward. McKeesport is the 20th largest city in the state (out of 57), and was once considerably higher. It peaked at close to 60k.

[Evergrey]

JFK delivered a speech in McKeesport.

[PreservationPioneer]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

JFK delivered a speech in McKeesport.

A FABULOUS JFK SPEECH IN McKEESPORT, PA. (OCTOBER 13, 1962) - YouTube Here is the speech.

Nixon and JFK also had a debate in McKeesport at the Penn-McKee Hotel in 1947.

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by pman

in philly the problem with charters is the same as with locals...no one shuts down failing schools and builds on the successful ones. test scores asise parental satisfaction is much higher at philly charters which is a good indicatiom theyre doing a better job. they are part of the solution if done right. presumably collegiate is a magnet like masterman. masterman sucks kids out of the system in fifth grade. its the best hs in the state and virtually impossible to get into if you dont go to the middle school. the district has also been a train wreck from a mgmt point of view . like i said, charters have been enough to slow but not stop the bleeding.

Pman

Collegiate is similar to Masterman, except it is only grades 9-12 and it is currently ranked third in the state according to U.S. News and World Report. Here is the link: Top Pennsylvania High Schools | Best High Schools | US News - US News

I agree that elite charter schools can slow the bleeding, but there are also many other factors like the job market, available housing stock, taxes, crime, commuting time, etc. Philly is tough to compare to smaller cities like Erie because the job market in Philly has been very strong and commuting is actually a consideration for people in the Philly area. I work with people who commute from Jamestown, NY, Ashtabula, OH, etc. and it doesn't even phase them. If I were to move back to the Philly metro, commuting time would be one of the top things on my list to minimize if possible. While I feel the same way in Erie, but my point is that commuting time is a major consideration for many people commuting to larger cities like Philly and Pittsburgh and this has definitely helped with urban redevelopment in these areas. From what I have noticed Erie has been hit hard by urban sprawl and it might be slowing down slightly, but that is about it.

[pman]

Philadelphia is a highly decentralized area in relation to employment. for years people and jobs were leaving the city but the people started moving back before the employment (which is still very stagnant in the city proper). one thing that has propped the city up during the lean years were the universities (which also applies to pittsburgh)...and on a smaller scale, lancaster has some colleges.

[ElijahAstin]

I recommend places based on prospective movers' stated wants and needs. If they have restricted their search based on outmoded information, I try to correct that misunderstanding.

It's not our place to tell these people where and how to live their lives.

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by pman

Philadelphia is a highly decentralized area in relation to employment. for years people and jobs were leaving the city but the people started moving back before the employment (which is still very stagnant in the city proper). one thing that has propped the city up during the lean years were the universities (which also applies to pittsburgh)...and on a smaller scale, lancaster has some colleges.

I agree with your first point here and as you know depending on where you live and work in the Philly metro can really influence your commute time. When I left Philly I was working the burbs and living in the city. The university aspect is also a good point and Erie now has two colleges/universities in the city proper and three more in the county (Gannon, Mercyhurst, Penn State, Edinboro, and LECOM). I think the main issue in Erie's case is retaining the graduates of these schools after the students are done. From what I have seen in Erie there are still many young people leaving the area altogether or moving to the suburbs upon graduation. I would love to see some type of tax incentive program to keep young, educated people in the city of Erie after graduation.

[pman]

Originally Posted by trackstar13

I agree with your first point here and as you know depending on where you live and work in the Philly metro can really influence your commute time. When I left Philly I was working the burbs and living in the city. The university aspect is also a good point and Erie now has two colleges/universities in the city proper and three more in the county (Gannon, Mercyhurst, Penn State, Edinboro, and LECOM). I think the main issue in Erie's case is retaining the graduates of these schools after the students are done. From what I have seen in Erie there are still many young people leaving the area altogether or moving to the suburbs upon graduation. I would love to see some type of tax incentive program to keep young, educated people in the city of Erie after graduation.

scranton obviously has trouble retaining college graduates as well though their economy has been stagnant for longer than I've been alive. if you look at philly and pittsburgh it seems that brushes with bankruptcy were what forced a change in their trajectory.