Uniontown is worth a visit! (Pittsburgh, Erie: neighborhoods, to live, most dangerous)

[WINDCHIMES]

I agree with villageidiot.

[ElijahAstin]

Anyone have any word on the Uniontown Jewish community? When I passed through, I noticed there were two synagogues, which is quite unusual for an isolated Pennsylvania small town in this day and age. Are they particularly active, or do they serve more as historical relics?

[Lobick]

Originally Posted by WINDCHIMES

I agree with villageidiot.

Nominee for most unsurprising yet obliviously self-diagnostic comment of the season?

[pman]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

The more I see of Pennsylvania, the more I love this state. Even the small cities and towns have urban architecture and charm. When I first moved to Pittsburgh, I had no idea that the smaller cities in the state would have such an urban feel. In Michigan, the small towns and cities have tiny downtowns and little if any urbanity. I feel like I could pick any city in PA to live and be happy there, even the small ones. I'm fascinated by the intact 19th century architecture and row-houses of Lancaster, York, and Reading, the great lakes charm of Erie, the railroad history of Altoona, the early American history of Philly. I don't know why people leave Pennsylvania. Whatever you are looking for in another state, you can probably find in one of our cities.

I agree, though it's important to remember that PA underwent a lot of negative change in the last century, first with coal, then manufacturing, then the railroads, steel...I think this century is shaping up to be one of renewal for the state. I was shocked at how bustling lancaster was the last time I was there (about a month ago). it's downtown seems to be turning a corner. it used to be cute but dead. harrisburg is much nicer than it used to be (incinerator debt notwithstanding). is uniontown the home of the big mac?

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

Crime statistics for Uniontown can be found on the city-data site here: http://www.city-data.com/city/Uniont...nsylvania.html

As you will be able to see, the statistics are comparable to the US average crime index. Uniontown hasn't had a homicide since 2002.

According to these stats that is true about homocides but how about if South Union and North Unions townships are included? The chart show no homocides but shows that the city of Uniontown's crime rate is higher than the U.S. average for most other crimes. Look at the chart for robberies, burglaries, thefts and auto thefts. You have to click on a table row to update the bar graph below the table. This gives you the comparison to the national averages.

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by steindle

Woah, one incident in a population of over 10,000!!! Stop the presses.

No, the article is about, "A 25-year-old Connellsville woman was jumped, beaten and her purse was stolen by two women between the ages of 17 and 20 at about 7:30 p.m. as she was walking along Crossland Avenue from Pershing Court back to Tuskeegee Terrace in South Union."

The article refers to, "a reported robbery on Thursday night might be related to a string of crimes committed by a local girls' gang that has walked the streets of Uniontown since 2008." The article states, "Since 2008, there have been at least 15 violent assaults where 10 or 15 girls have jumped another teenager."

[Love2Golf09]

I think Uniontown's reputation takes a hit from being in Fayette County. It's like night and day between Uniontown and some of the real dumps there, like Dunbar, Brownsville, Pt. Marion, Connellsville, Fairchance, Masontown, etc. Also, a lot of times you will hear on the news about an arrest made by State Police in Uniontown. They cover an area outside of Uniontown, but their barracks are on the outskirts of Uniontown. Uniontown has their own city police and there have been a lot of talks of South Union Twp and North Union Twp having their own police dept soon. Uniontown has its rough parts, but most of it has a middle class hillbilly vibe, no different than parts of South Park or Imperial. I've never felt in danger or have seen anything violent go on there. Many parts of South Union Twp have newer McMansions that look identical to areas of Hempfield, North Huntingdon, and North Strabane. They also have a lot of those crappy split level and ranch homes that are so common in Ross and Bethel Park. I will say that I do see a lot on the news about domestic violence issues in Fayette County. That needs to be addressed.

I've made a post before about how much nicer Uniontown is than Butler. Sorry, but Butler is a craphole. I'd say it is a lot nicer than Washington, too. With the insanely low taxes in Fayette County, I'd have no problem living there if it was a quicker drive to Pittsburgh for work.

[PreservationPioneer]

I think it's ridiculous how much hype there is about the crime in Uniontown. The crime rate is very average. Didn't we have five murders in East Liberty last year? Nobody is afraid to go there. I could see if we were talking about Youngstown, but Uniontown? You'd have to be Chicken Little to be intimidated by those crime stats.

[Love2Golf09]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

I think it's ridiculous how much hype there is about the crime in Uniontown. The crime rate is very average. Didn't we have five murders in East Liberty last year? Nobody is afraid to go there. I could see if we were talking about Youngstown, but Uniontown? You'd have to be Chicken Little to be intimidated by those crime stats.

AlleghenyAngel,

Have you ever considered doing a photo tour of some of these small "patch towns" that exist in Western Pa? I know that they are all over Fayette County and a lot of other places around, but they are dying out. Nowdays, nobody wants those duplexes, so they are either being torn down or made into a SFR. Just around Uniontown, I know of Phillips, Leith, Oliver, and there are several Continentals. I believe Beaver County has a lot left too, and of course Greene County. I remember when I was younger and my father pointed out some of those Beehive Cokeovens that were nearly covered over by weeds. He seemed to have been able to spot those ruins from a mile away. I also remember him talking about how much natural gas was in this area. Back then, I never thought much of it but it's interesting to see how things are changing now compared to just 20 years ago.

[Tirade]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

I think it's ridiculous how much hype there is about the crime in Uniontown. The crime rate is very average. Didn't we have five murders in East Liberty last year? Nobody is afraid to go there. I could see if we were talking about Youngstown, but Uniontown? You'd have to be Chicken Little to be intimidated by those crime stats.

Keep in mind this is the forum where you have people seriously arguing that wearing green in Homestead will get you shot, and that the Strip District is one of Pittsburgh's most dangerous neighborhoods.