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Reading these days is a sad sack of a city, and that's a shame, because you can see where it has the potential to be really nice.
Had you chosen Lancaster as the Pennsylvania city to compare Manchester to (yes, Reading is closer to Manchester in size, but...), this comparison might not be so one-sided.
Interesting matchup overall. I'd be curious to know how many folks have direct experience with both cities.
Coincidentally, I happen to have lived in Reading for a couple years in the past, while I currently work in downtown Manchester.
Quote:
Originally Posted by btownboss4
Jeez, is Reading really that bad?
It's complicated.
Here's the thing: Reading tends to get dinged quite a lot for its pretty high crime rate and very high poverty rate. Reputationally, it doesn't get much worse. Not to say that Manchester is pristine, but in terms of economic stability and safety, it has a significant edge over Reading.
That being said, I think this poll makes it much more lopsided than it should be. The huge reason being--as MarketStEl indicated--it has so much potential for revitalization that it's almost criminal how much it's been overlooked.
It has fantastic bones, with architecture that would fit in in much larger cities, density/tight-knit urbanity that would be the envy of much larger cities, and a scenic setting nestled amongst Mt. Penn, topped by one of the most unique landmarks on the East Coast.
Even with its higher poverty and crime rates, I think most would be quite surprised at how well-maintained and charming much of the city is. It honestly tells a story of how Reading has been stabilized by often low-income immigrant families:
Today, Manchester serves as the major economic hub of New Hampshire, not the least of which includes a major regional airport for New England, while Reading has become a big hub of Latino immigrants, while still trying to get some big traction in the 21st Century economy that has benefitted every other sizable city of Eastern/South-central PA.
Interesting matchup overall. I'd be curious to know how many folks have direct experience with both cities.
Coincidentally, I happen to have lived in Reading for a couple years in the past, while I currently work in downtown Manchester.
It's complicated.
Here's the thing: Reading tends to get dinged quite a lot for its pretty high crime rate and very high poverty rate. Reputationally, it doesn't get much worse. Not to say that Manchester is pristine, but in terms of economic stability and safety, it has a significant edge over Reading.
That being said, I think this poll makes it much more lopsided than it should be. The huge reason being--as MarketStEl indicated--it has so much potential for revitalization that it's almost criminal how much it's been overlooked.
It has fantastic bones, with architecture that would fit in in much larger cities, density/tight-knit urbanity that would be the envy of much larger cities, and a scenic setting nestled amongst Mt. Penn, topped by one of the most unique landmarks on the East Coast.
Even with its higher poverty and crime rates, I think most would be quite surprised at how well-maintained and charming much of the city is. It honestly tells a story of how Reading has been stabilized by often low-income immigrant families:
Today, Manchester serves as the major economic hub of New Hampshire, not the least of which includes a major regional airport for New England, while Reading has become a big hub of Latino immigrants, while still trying to get some big traction in the 21st Century economy that has benefitted every other sizable city of Eastern/South-central PA.
North Fifth Street in particular — the street that, according to local lore (and city street signs), served as the inspiration for the "5th Avenue" candy bar — is a prime example of those strong bones.
Another shame: The largest department store chain still headquartered in the state, Boscov's, has in the past gotten kudos for rescuing (or at least keeping alive) downtown retail in some Pennsylvania cities, in particular Scranton (where it signed on early as an anchor tenant in the Mall at Steamtown) and Wilkes-Barre (where it occupied a closed department store on Public Square). Yet the company appears to have no interest in doing the same for downtown Reading, and the company both has its headquarters in suburban Exeter Township and has (IIRC) three stores in the Reading suburbs.
It is interesting to hear how the Hispanics who have moved into the city have stabilized it, for I also think that Reading's status as the birthplace of the off-price outlet phenomenon actually left it worse off in the long run after the sugar rush of having a lock on the category disappeared when developers began throwing up outlet malls in every resort and metropolis.
I agree with your underlying point that Reading's final chapter is far from being written yet. Its future could be like that of Manchester, which wasn't all that hot a place when I was studying at Harvard in the 1970s. It lacks the charm of Portsmouth, and it's just far enough away from the Massachusetts line to not get the spillover that hit Nashua and Rockingham County.
30 minutes to some stellar beaches, Reading is >2 hours.
Better Downtown
More day trip options from Manchester (Any Port maine town, Boston, Providence, Newport, NH White Mountains, Vermont, Burlington VT, Cape Cod, MV, Nantucket, etc) For all seasons.
Direct reliable service to Logan Airport via multiple times per day that runs on :20 or :30 minute intervals.
30 minutes to some stellar beaches, Reading is >2 hours.
Better Downtown
More day trip options from Manchester (Any Port maine town, Boston, Providence, Newport, NH White Mountains, Vermont, Burlington VT, Cape Cod, MV, Nantucket, etc) For all seasons.
Direct reliable service to Logan Airport via multiple times per day that runs on :20 or :30 minute intervals.
Basically, all of us (save one) who have either voted or participated in this discussion agree, but:
Manchester is a mere 10 miles closer to Boston than Reading is to Philadelphia by the shortest highway route between the two. In terms of driving time, the difference is 20 minutes, as the fastest route between Philadelphia and Reading is five miles longer than the shortest one, and the shortest one ceases to be a freeway once it enters Berks County.
I'm not sure that's a big enough difference to favor one city over the other on those grounds. But, as you note, there are others.
The Amtrak proposal linked above gives the rail distance between the two cities as 60 miles; the rail line closely follows the Schuylkill, as does the shortest highway route. Chances are that if this becomes reality, we will also see local regional rail service between the two points too, with BARTA contracting with SEPTA to run it into Berks. (Or SEPTA could run it only to Pottstown.) The ROW is wide enough to accommodate four tracks for much of its length, IIRC.
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