johnstown. pa (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Bethlehem: appointed, condos, houses)

[duke4]

I live in southern california and iam considering buying a business in johnstown,pa and possibly moving there. can someone tell me what you think of johnstown and surounding area. i know all the stats. i just need to know about the town itself(your personal opinion)
thanks

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by duke4

I live in southern california and iam considering buying a business in johnstown,pa and possibly moving there. can someone tell me what you think of johnstown and surounding area. i know all the stats. i just need to know about the town itself(your personal opinion)
thanks

My husband and I often take day and weekend trips to the area. I personally think the town itself is deteriorated and depressing, but the surrounding countryside is some of the most beautiful in the region. There are wonderful suburban neighorhoods up on the hill (incline hill) and great rural homes too.

Since you already know the stats, you're certainly well aware that there is a lot wealth in the area. Many live in the area full time and others have second homes there. Of course, since Johnstown sits at the southern tip of the county, this surrounding area of wealth spans through other counties but is still part of the Johnstown region.

My overall impression of the surrounding area: It's a beautiful place to live. When my husband and I were considering a job offer in Somerset, PA, school districts south of Johnstown were my choice for house searching. Although we ended up not leaving Pittsburgh, we had looked forward to moving into such a beautiful part of the state.

We plan to move into the surrounding area once our children graduate high school. In the meatime, we still enjoying visiting a few times a year.

[pspdick]

Originally Posted by duke4

I live in southern california and iam considering buying a business in johnstown,pa and possibly moving there. can someone tell me what you think of johnstown and surounding area. i know all the stats. i just need to know about the town itself(your personal opinion)
thanks

Do yourself a favor and quit considering. I don't know where the poster got the idea that there is a lot of wealth in Johnstown. That's so absurd. The wealth is toward Westmoreland county. Johnstown is flood prone, the public housing authority recruits drug addict's from Philadelphia and New Jersey to keep the population up. There is a big rehabilitation center there that brings in disabled [mentally and physically] people to keep the population up. And there are hald-way houses that the State and Federal Government run to keep the population up. And there are drug treatment faciltites for men and women that help to keep the population up.
In short, there is poverty that takes your breath away. Wheel chais everywhere you look. Convicts on the street corners at night. Mentally and physically disabled everywhere. Drug addicts fill the housing projects, and the drug rehab centers. All the jobs are low paying.
The government is corrupt. City council meets in secret and then comes out in front of the camers to have a pretend council meeting.
Political murder is a fact of life. But it's always reported as suicide or natural death, or accidental.
The local congressman is annually the "most corrupt congressman in congress", and the town reflects that in a trickle down effect.
The surrounding scenery isn't all that great. The river is filthy, the land is scarred from strip mining, and hillslides are a problem along roadways.
The media is unprofessional and corrupt. The newspaper tries to publish a regional magazine and it's so pitiful it makes one weep. It's painful to look at.
The Television news people go on camera and smile broadly while they tell bold face lies.
Every year they have a Folk Festival that gets over-played. The festival has become corrupt.
There is no attractions and nothing to do. They have an incline plane and a flood museum. Both are quite boring. The new Heritage Discovery Center is pitiful and they try to sell cheap trinkets to tourists for an unbelievable price.

Since the town flooded 30 years ago, they have not taken one step forward because the local congressman won't allow private enterptize. He and his henchman like to say that the town couldn't survive without him. He figures if he can keep the town desperate, they will be too afraid to vote in a new guy.
New business is discouraged and chased away. If you want to stay, you have to pay an honorarium to the local congressman. Kind of like the mob used to do. Protection money.

They've lost 100,000 people and 25,000 jobs since the flood, and replaced them with a few thousand low paying Defense jobs and moved a few citizens here from Government employment.

I would rule out Johnstown if I were you. Havanna Cuba would be better.
You'd be safer in Baghdad.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by pspdick

Do yourself a favor and quit considering. I don't know where the poster got the idea that there is a lot of wealth in Johnstown. That's so absurd. The wealth is toward Westmoreland county.

He asked about our impressions of the surrounding area. The Westmoreland County wealth is a very close surrounding area. Johnstown literally sits close to the border of the two counties.

Originally Posted by pspdick

Johnstown is flood prone,

There are plenty of neighborhoods that are too high up on the hill to be flood prone. We have no idea where the actual business is located either.

Originally Posted by pspdick

....the public housing authority recruits drug addict's from Philadelphia and New Jersey to keep the population up.

He's coming from CA so he's not afraid of those things. But seriously, could you please site a source when you make such an outlandish claim.

Originally Posted by pspdick

In short, there is poverty that takes your breath away.........All the jobs are low paying.

That's true. But many businesses like to place themselves in a depressed area to take advantage of being able to pay low wages. And he is considering a business so that is an advantage.

[mach]

The best thing for Johnstown is to open the dam up and flood it and start from scratch. How ever for a business you might find it to be a good opportunity Johnstown has been a distressed city/town for more than 20 years by the federal government. Mr. Murtha is a clown himself. He represented this city for more than 25 years its' been in a steady decline for 30 years. don't get me wrong this area does have some pluses, but the negatives out weigh them. But for a business point you might want to check into it more, you might get lots of help from the government. I live about 45 mins from J-town I am looking to relocate I am currently in SC looking for work. I am an unemployed electrician for 7 months with a state masters license. I know they are really trying to bring new businesses to down town main street. Do your research 110% send me a PM if you would like more input I don't check this site much.

[duke4]

business that iam considering is on scalp ave, near dairy Q, and close to the car dealerships.

[Allentown]

duke4:
I apologize for the individual who posted the rash of generalities that are not even worth repeating. I was born and raised in Johnstown and ended up landing my firsts and only job in NJ ( I'd never seen the ocean ) where I recently retired from after 37yrs. My mother , brother amd many relatives still live in Johnstown on the outskirts of the downtown. I often visit the area and the previous post was correct in that the area had undergone much change. While the damage, both socially and physically from the flood may never be repaired, the city is continually making attemps at rebuilding and modernizing the area. Government is government where ever you elect to live. Hear in NJ we have the same activity within the government where some take advantage of others. The biggest loss that I've seen in the past 20-25 years has been the distress caused by the the closing of Bethlehem & US Steel. The mills were THE major employer of that area and that loss created a domino effect. Don't fault the citizens of Johnstown who had no control over the the catrostphic effects of the Flood & the closing of the mills.
Every time I go back to visit the folks I always comment about the many new businesses that are always on the sprawl in Jtown. I do agree that there are once great areas of the town that I remember growing up, that are now on the old side, and are now an attraction for some undesirables. I believe if you look around where you live, anywhere in the US today, there is probably a section or area of the town that is not up to par. That's the country we live in. I can honestly say that it is a great place to raise a family. It is a region where family, church, community and sports seem to be the strong common thread throughtout the area. My brother lives in the area above the Incline Plane; I grew up in the West End , and my Mom and relatives live in the Richland area. Yes, the area has changed, just like any area in the country. You just have to look beyond. That area along Rt56 near the DQ I am very familiar with as that was my stompiing ground growing up. There is alot of busines along that section of Rt56. Just beyond the hill is the University of Pitt- Johnstown campus , the new shopping areas etc.
I hope this sheds a better light on what Johnstown is really all about.

I sincerely wish you the best of luck in your relocation.

Sincerely,

Dan ( proud to be a Johnstonian )

[pspdick]

Originally Posted by duke4

business that iam considering is on scalp ave, near dairy Q, and close to the car dealerships.

That area is on a stretch of Scalp Ave. that is sort of like a stretch of speedway. Business's near there are prone to traffic accidents coming and leaving the property. Most accidents in that stretch are fatal because there are no lights from near the Burger King [or Mcdonalds, i can't remember which], until you get down into Windber. There is a farmers market that does a good business. mostly in the summer months.
That stretch of roadway id traveled mostly by commuters from between Richland and Windber, or by people traveling east to Bedford.

As for the rest of the comments posted, you'll find that they were made by people who only visit the area once a year or so. There opinion of the area is based on old memories. Most of the things I conveyed to you are unknown even to current residents because the media doesn't report anything even remotely true. They can smile while lying about anything. Murders are reported as suicides and accidents by the media even though they know better. Political dissent is swiftly and severly meted out. Sunshine laws are a joke, and many business's have left the area upon discovering the fact that you MUST pay protection money and honorarium to the local congressman.

The mills have been sought after, but you can't do anything there unless you announce that your sole reason [ or primary reason] for coming there is your respect and admiration for the local congressman. Then you have to pay a per centage of your revenue to him if you want to continue to operate.
Political contributions are to be made to politicans of his choice, by you.
You must hire his friends. You must buy tickets to dinners held in his honor and you must speak fondlyof him.
Many business's are so disgusted, they just pack up and leave.

The congressman needs a high unemployment rate to be able to get federal funds for the area. This is because he wants everyone to feel like their survival depends solely on him being their congressman.
Every election cycle, he has business owners and crony's write letters to the editor exhorting voters to retain the congressman because the town will die without him. He has some kind of sick savior complex,or more accurately, a power complex. He runs johnstown like saddam and fidel run their little kingdom's.

He's praised out of fear rather than love. His top aide runs the police academy and all cops are appointed by him. they all have loyalty to him. Police corruption is taken to a whole new level in that town. When the cops are hired killers, you don't want to live in a town like that, do you?

[Need_affordable_home]

The corruption is scary! Do you know any other cities/towns with that level of corruption so I can avoid like the plague? People are giving away decent houses for $10k so something must be really wrong

[mams1559]

Originally Posted by duke4

I live in southern california and iam considering buying a business in johnstown,pa and possibly moving there. can someone tell me what you think of johnstown and surounding area. i know all the stats. i just need to know about the town itself(your personal opinion)
thanks

First, I wouldn't listen to pspdick if I were you. He sounds disgruntled to say the least.

I have lived in and around Johnstown my entire life (34 yrs). I have lived in several neighborhoods within city limits (Coopersdale, Hornerstown, Moxham) and several surrounding boroughs/townships (Salix, Ferndale, Conemaugh Twp. Cambria County). I am employed in Downtown Johnstown and NOT by the city or county.

Johnstown does have drawbacks. It does have an economic problem, but is beginning to turn that around. The politicians are no different here than anywhere else. But in Johnstown, businesspeople have better access to their lawmakers on all levels to voice their concerns and provide input on projects and ideas and actually have a chance to be listened to. I know several business owners and they don't pay "royalties" to politicians or any sort of payola, unless they willingly try to buy the politician to get what they want.

The area of your proposed business is located in Richland Twp. It is one of the better "suburbs" of the city. It has its own school district, highly ranked by the state Dept. of Education. The main route (PA Rte. 56) your business sits on is heavily traveled. The Univ. of Pgh @ Jtwn is less than 2 mi. away and Rte. 56 is the main artery between the city, Richland and points east (Windber, Bedford). Windber has a world class health research institute and medical center and is about 5 mi. from your business. Richland has high-end incomes and homes sell in the twp. from around $80,000 to over $200,000. There are many shopping plazas along Rte. 56.

In Downtown, they are developing a technology park to replace a closed dairy plant. It is to open in the next 2 yrs and will have may high-tech tenants. One building has already been converted to luxury condos ($300 per sq. ft) and two more are in development. Gr. Jtwn schools are a little rough because those with lower incomes mainly live in the city. Those with higher incomes live in the outlying townships/boroughs (Richland/Westmont/Southmont). Where pspdick saw problems, I see promise. Some city neighborhoods are somewhat run down, but lots of those homes have absentee owners (live out of area/state). Home owners take pride in their property. There are many initiatives that are beginning that are addressing blight and emphasizing revitalization. Yes, things could be better and many are working to do just that. Any city you consider has some undesirable aspect that even we residents would like to see gone. The difference is we are addressing those issues and trying our best to resolve them.

Johnstown has: Professional Hockey - Johnstown Chiefs (ECHL); Professional Indoor Football - Johnstown Riverhawks; Johnstown Symphony Orchestra; Theaters/Plays/Museums (art & historic); Top Class Healthcare - Conemaugh Memorial Med. Ctr. & Windber Medical Center; Parks and recreation including white-water rafting on the Stonycreek River, camping, fishing, and close to skiing. There are three historical districts within city limits.

As for drugs and crime, for a city our size (metro area = approx. 150,000) it is not bad. It may be more noticable because we have a small town attitude and everyone looks out for each other. We are community and civic oriented. We have genuine care and concern for others. I would point to the services for drug addicts at the hospitals and one free-standing treatment center as a testiment to do something to change peoples lives. There is one half-way house one block from the police station and you'd miss it if you weren't looking. Those with mental disabilities have many services available to them and we have a good structure for care and treatment of those individuals. They are proportionate in number to large cities. We only have three housing developments in the city for public housing. Yes, they have criminals, but even those instances are not severe or constant.

It's your decision, Duke4, but in my honest and truthful opinion, the pluses outweigh the minuses and you could do a lot worse than moving here to Johnstown. Lots of people I know who moved away said they want to move back as soon as possible. We are a friendly, family oriented community with good churches, good morals and good people.