New Pennsylvania MSA, μSA and CSA delineations (2020)

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Tweb66

I could see Berks being added if the new Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority actually materializes into something. I think the next change could be Schuylkill being added into the Lehigh Valley. I couldn't find recent numbers but anecdotally I know many commute, since there are basically no jobs there. And what little retail they had (Schuylkill Mall) is gone.

I could see Schuylkill County being added into an adjacent MSA, but I am not sure if it will be the Lehigh Valley or not. I am sure many people in the county commute to Greater Hazleton's industrial parks (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre MSA) or down 61 into the Reading area as well. The question will be if enough of a percentage threshold is met to tip the scales to marry Schuylkill County into one MSA over another.

It's 35 minutes from Tamaqua to Fogelsville (major blue-collar employment area in Lehigh Valley). If I am a non-college-educated warehouse worker living in Tamaqua, though, would I rather commute 35 minutes to near Allentown or 30 minutes to the warehouses of the Highridge Industrial Park along I-81 in Schuylkill County? If I lived in Pottsville would I rather commute the 20 minutes to the Highridge Industrial Park along I-81 in Schuylkill County or 25 minutes to work at the Cabela's in Hamburg, Berks County?

I think there are enough warehouses in Schuylkill County paying $15/hr.-$20/hr. to sustain the local working-age population without the need for a longer out-of-county commute, and there aren't enough white-collar folks who would want to work in tech or finance or research in Allentown or Reading or Harrisburg and live in depressed places like Tamaqua, Pottsville, or Pine Grove, respectively.

[MarketStEl]

Folks, Berks County (Reading MSA) is already part of the Philadelphia CSA and has been for some time now.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Folks, Berks County (Reading MSA) is already part of the Philadelphia CSA and has been for some time now.

Wow. Thanks. I had no idea. I appreciate the correction. I didn't realize that many people power-commuted from Reading to Conshy or Plymouth Meeting or KoP or wherever. I guess it just shocks me so many would want to live in Exeter Township, for example, and commute all the way down to the Philly 'burbs.

Given that I live and work in the same municipality power-commuting is just a foreign concept for me. I honestly still can't believe that Pittsburgh's CSA now extends all the way up to almost Erie (the Erie CSA and Pittsburgh CSA now border each other). We truly are becoming a suburban/exurban nation.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Wow. Thanks. I had no idea. I appreciate the correction. I didn't realize that many people power-commuted from Reading to Conshy or Plymouth Meeting or KoP or wherever. I guess it just shocks me so many would want to live in Exeter Township, for example, and commute all the way down to the Philly 'burbs.

Given that I live and work in the same municipality power-commuting is just a foreign concept for me. I honestly still can't believe that Pittsburgh's CSA now extends all the way up to almost Erie (the Erie CSA and Pittsburgh CSA now border each other). We truly are becoming a suburban/exurban nation.

Diustance to Exton, PA, from Reading: 33.8 miles
Distance to Exton from Philadelphia: 32.7 miles

Some employment centers in the western 'burbs are as close to Reading as they are to Philadelphia, and the commute from eastern Berks County would be shorter than the distance above.

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Wow. Thanks. I had no idea. I appreciate the correction. I didn't realize that many people power-commuted from Reading to Conshy or Plymouth Meeting or KoP or wherever. I guess it just shocks me so many would want to live in Exeter Township, for example, and commute all the way down to the Philly 'burbs.

Route 422 has long been instrumental in western 'burb sprawl in the Philly area all the way out to Berks County, so it's been decades in the making.

I know there's also been some recently-revived talks to finally bring back Reading-to-Philly rail service, which would only fortify Berks' connection. I really hope the state can make that reality, as it would truly be a boon to Reading.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Wow. Thanks. I had no idea. I appreciate the correction. I didn't realize that many people power-commuted from Reading to Conshy or Plymouth Meeting or KoP or wherever. I guess it just shocks me so many would want to live in Exeter Township, for example, and commute all the way down to the Philly 'burbs.

Given that I live and work in the same municipality power-commuting is just a foreign concept for me. I honestly still can't believe that Pittsburgh's CSA now extends all the way up to almost Erie (the Erie CSA and Pittsburgh CSA now border each other). We truly are becoming a suburban/exurban nation.

Don’t forget the office parks around the Route 30 corridor in Chester County. Malvern, Exton, Downingtown, and West Chester aren’t too terrible a haul from Berks County. In fact, a decent number of people who work in Berks County live in those areas because most view the quality of life as superior. Conversely, some people really want to take advantage of Berks County’s lower cost of living.

As hybrid work arrangements continue to grow in popularity, people will be more willing to “work” in areas outside normal commute distances for the right job. While it’s not my ideal scenario, if the pay and benefits were good enough, I could handle a 100+ mile round trip commute 1-2 times per week.