The PA Coal Region in great decline any thoughts? (Philadelphia: fit in, transplants)

[PreservationPioneer]

Originally Posted by Bazzwell

Downtowns, which were built when the good times rolled, are far too big, too old, too congested, to be of any real use.

When people live downtown, they utilize the main street shopping and restaurant corridors of a city. Efforts should be made to make the downtown happening with events and businesses, to draw people to live in the downtowns of these cities. Then people will want to buy the little row homes and fix them up, so they can be within walking distance of the community, as I would want to be if I lived in one of these towns.

[pman]

So these depressed places are also too congested to be of use? Congestion implies people want to be some place

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by PreservationPioneer

Some of the trendiest and priciest urban neighborhoods (Lawrenceville, Mexican War Streets, South Side Flats in Pittsburgh) have old row houses with no parking (cities have street parking). It hasn't hurt Pittsburgh to have housing meeting that description at all -- in fact, those neighborhoods with this type of housing are the trendiest. Mini historic homes in downtown locations are actually all the rage in areas of the country with sophisticated populations.

Location, location, location. In lot of these communities the big attraction might be the pizza place on the corner. The house and lot I live in might go for 3/4 of million to 1 million in the right neighborhood and I can assure you we paid no where near that amount... not even remotely close. The value of these homes closer to major urban areas like Philly or NYC is actually part of the problem here. The cost of living and the home values are far less here so you end up with a lot of low income that can't afford housing there moving here.

[Clark Park]

Originally Posted by PreservationPioneer

Some of the trendiest and priciest urban neighborhoods (Lawrenceville, Mexican War Streets, South Side Flats in Pittsburgh) have old row houses with no parking (cities have street parking). It hasn't hurt Pittsburgh to have housing meeting that description at all -- in fact, those neighborhoods with this type of housing are the trendiest. Mini historic homes in downtown locations are actually all the rage in areas of the country with sophisticated populations.

Yes, I agree ... coming from a Philly perspective.

Homes in my neighborhood are now going for insane prices, shot up from $150K - $175K to $500K-$750K in just the past 14 years I lived here. A lot of younger people want to live in a more urban walkable environment. Many of them don't want to mow suburban lawns or shovel snow out of driveways ... they want Thai, Greek, and Peruvian restaurants a few blocks away. They don't share the suburban dreams of their parents and grandparents.

My commute to work on most days is a 9/10 of a mile walk. It takes me about 15 minutes, and it doesn't hurt that I actually burn a few calories doing it. I can walk to the supermarket if my car is in the shop.

Small towns with charming walkable downtowns are the best.

The block behind my house ...

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

The block behind my house ...

I'm, not aware of row houses that look like that in our area, 2 stories 1000/1400 +/- sq ft. is typical row or coal home. Many of the the homes that were owned by coal companies are actually individual but it's the same house on the entire block. They are very basic and sell for 25K to 50K.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by thecoalman

I'm, not aware of row houses that look like that in our area, 2 stories 1000/1400 +/- sq ft. is typical row or coal home. Many of the the homes that were owned by coal companies are actually individual but it's the same house on the entire block. They are very basic and sell for 25K to 50K.

I'm a Millennial (late-20's) and think it would be GREAT to own a ~1,000-square-foot, 2-BR/1-BA (preferably 1.5 BA for the times we have to pee at the same time!) home with a front yard just big enough for some sunflowers and a backyard just big enough for a hot tub. Such a home is now meteorically expensive, for the most part, in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but there are plenty of homes like this available for ~$30,000 or so in places like Tamaqua, Shenandoah, Mahanoy City, Frackville, McAdoo, Lehighton, etc.

For singles who plan to remain single long-term and/or couples who don't plan to have children (or have just 1 child) why would a larger home and larger lot than that be necessary?

[steeps]

Another problem with Coal town Rows is NO firewalls. Many have open attics or did. My hometown had a 1/2 block go up in flames this past winter and a nearby Town, and as I noted... they are more like CONDO'S. You own the home and ground the house and basement are on. But the Coal Company still owns below. Homes are by far wood-frame and not brick. Some foundations are massive wood beams on the ground, rest are stone without concrete. Very little planning to these towns. They built homes on cliffs and however the terrains had a hone get squeezed in.

[eschaton]

I know it's not a true portion of the coal region, but I've seen grand houses in Pottsville. This is a good example. Something like this would sell for four times as much in Pittsburgh easily.

This one in Frackville is a bit remuddled, but it still has lots of charm.

[that412]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

Towns in the Anthracite Region need to reinvent themselves. We have all seen Jim Thorpe do it.

Jim Thorpe had a few things going for it that these other towns generally do not. For one thing, it was more than just a "company town," it was a major nexus and break-in-bulk point for shipping. There was a lot of money there, and that's reflected in the architecture of the town which is much more attractive, diverse, and interesting than anywhere else in the Coal Region. It also has the advantage of its physical environment, with its proximity to the Lehigh Gorge which is not only incredibly scenic but also provides for activities like whitewater rafting.

This isn't to say that all of the other Coal Region towns should just give up and not even try to turn things around, but it's important to realize that it's not anywhere near as simple as "Jim Thorpe did it, why can't we??"

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I'm a Millennial (late-20's) and think it would be GREAT to own a ~1,000-square-foot, ....

Until you live there with transient neighbors for a while. My Grandmother has home in such an area. Her's is actually the original house as it was barn before they built the houses and quite big for the area. They don't even take care of their trash.

For singles who plan to remain single long-term and/or couples who don't plan to have children (or have just 1 child) why would a larger home and larger lot than that be necessary?

As you know I grew up in West Pittston which was fantastic place and we had a very large home, however I would have preferred much smaller home in rural setting with larger lot. My cousin's parents built on a road on top of Plymouth mountain. Simultaneously a whole bunch of new families built there on like 5 or 10 acre lots. All those kids grew up together and most of them are still really good friends, there was probably about ten families. If I was going to have kids I don't think I could pick a more idyliic place for them to grow up.