NY/NJ refugees flooding Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: transplants, new home, buying)

[KevinE]

We've all seen the negative effects of NY sprawl infesting the Eastern Pocono region. Then there are the NJ refugees flooding places like Bucks county which has caused more farmland to disappear and has driven property taxes onward and upward.

Everything East of the Susquehanna seems to be a lost cause.

I would gladly trade not going "down the shore" if those people would stop invading our lands.

[toobusytoday]

Come, come Kevin, let us welcome these people! They too will learn our languages and the way of Pennsylvanians!

[BPP1999]

Well, considering huge swaths of South Jersey were populated by ex-Philadelphians, it's nice that PA is finally getting some people back. You don't actually want to lose people, do you?

[lititzman2003]

Excellent point, BPP1999. When developers started buying farmland in areas like Sewell in the late '70's people from South and Southwest Philly were able to buy large, single homes for a great price, despite the interest rates being around 20%. As far as I know none of the established residents of those towns considered the new people "refugees". You can't blame anyone for wanting to get away from small rowhouses, tight streets and increasing crime. Now that the taxes and other issues are getting out of hand, especially in Central and North Jersey, those residents are moving into Pennsylvania and Delaware. Again, people have a right to make a better life for themselves and their family. The ones that have moved out here to Lancaster County are friendly, down-to-earth people who work hard and respect their neighbors and communities. My tax dollars aren't going into their pocket.

KevinE: if you had a farm that wasn't making any money and a developer was offering you an outrageous amount of money for it for the sole intention of building homes or a shopping mall, what would you do? Barely enough money in your pocket to feed your family. Would you think about how it would impact your town and neighbors or realize you need to take of yourself?

[ScranBarre]

Why won't they move to Scranton? Are their tastes too snobbish for "the city?" Instead most of them are tearing down trees along our hillsides to build new homes in suburban tract housing subdivisions. Psha!

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by BPP1999

Well, considering huge swaths of South Jersey were populated by ex-Philadelphians, it's nice that PA is finally getting some people back. You don't actually want to lose people, do you?

Well said. If its not bemoaning a "dying" state, many PA'ns will also bemoan those who fuel its much-needed growth. I've come to believe that some people just LOVE to complain.

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by Duderino

Well said. If its not bemoaning a "dying" state, many PA'ns will also bemoan those who fuel its much-needed growth. I've come to believe that some people just LOVE to complain.

Pennsylvania is in the bottom five in the nation in terms of population growth rate, yet we're also in the top five in the nation in terms of open space succumbing to open sprawl on an annual basis. In other words all we're doing is spreading a dwindling population further and further out from urban cores. How is this beneficial? If this is the result of the NY/NJ influx, then I say "No thanks." Thankfully I know of some transplants who did make the move to Scranton or its inner suburbs and have been very pleased with their decisions, but it also seems like every week there is another announcement for another new major housing development that is destined to destroy our precious open space.

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Pennsylvania is in the bottom five in the nation in terms of population growth rate, yet we're also in the top five in the nation in terms of open space succumbing to open sprawl on an annual basis. In other words all we're doing is spreading a dwindling population further and further out from urban cores. How is this beneficial? If this is the result of the NY/NJ influx, then I say "No thanks." Thankfully I know of some transplants who did make the move to Scranton or its inner suburbs and have been very pleased with their decisions, but it also seems like every week there is another announcement for another new major housing development that is destined to destroy our precious open space.

I can understand your criticism of suburban sprawl, but this is not the fault of transplants looking for a lower cost-of-living. This is the fault of our politicians that are in the pockets of developers -- those who won't fight for SmartGrowth policies or enact open space ordinances because they're afraid of jeopardizing campaign donations from these developers. So, basically you're making the right argument for the wrong reasons. We must hold our elected officials accountable for how our state's growth is facilitated, and our state's growth and environmental sustainability are not mutually exclusive.

[reztrop]

I can understand your criticism of suburban sprawl, but this is not the fault of transplants looking for a lower cost-of-living. This is the fault of our politicians that are in the pockets of developers -- those who won't fight for SmartGrowth policies or enact open space ordinances because they're afraid of jeopardizing campaign donations from these developers. So, basically you're making the right argument for the wrong reasons. We must hold our elected officials accountable for how our state's growth is facilitated, and our state's growth and environmental sustainability are not mutually exclusive.

You made a good point here. I share the same sentiment as ScranBarre about our open spaces giving way to suburban sprawl. I also believe Pennsylvania needs an influx of people with diverse backgrounds and different mentalities that can progressively push the state forward.

In the north-central tier like Potter County, McKean, Tioga County, and most of central Pennsylvania, the general mentality is being unable to think outside of the box. As James Carville said, Pennsylvania is "Alabama" between Pittsburgh and Philly. We need an influx of people with diverse backgrounds with progressive mindsets who can bring different ideas for the state's benefit.

Population growth is good for the state. The issue is making this growth sustainable. And this is where local ordinances like zoning, and community planning come into play. We need to promote high density urban development in the cities centered around public transit. High gas prices would be an asset.

We should also stop building highways because the quickest way to destroy a community and its surrounding open spaces is to build a highway right through it, just like how the construction of I-95 through Bucks County was the beginning of the end for acres of farmland in the area.

[NWPAguy]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Why won't they move to Scranton? Are their tastes too snobbish for "the city?" Instead most of them are tearing down trees along our hillsides to build new homes in suburban tract housing subdivisions. Psha!

They won't move to Scranton because they escape NY or NJ to get away from overcrowding, crime, and expensive living. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, being a metropolitan area (and one of the biggest in PA, at that) already has several huge strikes against it for NY/NJ refugees. Add to that the fact that all you have to do is go 15 miles away from the city center in order to be in the country again, and that's why these people are populating country areas rather than city areas. I should know. I was an NJ refugee who fled the expense, overcrowding, traffic, and general snobbery of central NJ for a place in east-central PA. Now I'm fleeing the economic despair of PA for TX... go figure. I wonder when I'll stop fleeing.