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Maybe not middle class, but it looks to me like Chambersburg is on the mend, especially with the repurposing of the old Roebling wire works.
The New Jersey state Capitol building is both unique and unusual among US state Capitol buildings in that it is not a unified whole or even a coherent ensemble but rather a collection of buildings that got tacked on to the original over the years. That's not apparent when you approach its front entrance on State Street (that side is a single structure that looks quite handsome), but go around back and you can see what's gotten tacked on.
Explains a lot. I remember going to the capital area and being seriously underwhelmed. Maybe because I have Harrisburg as the best example of how to do a Capitol and Capitol grounds but the whole thing is just….meh. Never mind not having a visible dome or visible….anything. The grounds are small and terrible. So weird for such a wealthy state.
Easton needs New York commuter train access imo. I’d love to move to far east PA, but then where would I work?
Easton to the closest NJT station to Penn Station is about 30mins. High Bridge. Driving to NYC is about 1 hour and a half. So either way, about 1.5 hours driving or commute.
Which is doable to some, not I lol! But technically it’s apart of the NYCcsa. People from other places not the northeast would find that drive do-able. I’m not sure how many in that region do that commute but it must be more than a few.
Easton to the closest NJT station to Penn Station is about 30mins. High Bridge. Driving to NYC is about 1 hour and a half. So either way, about 1.5 hours driving or commute.
Which is doable to some, not I lol! But technically it’s apart of the NYCcsa. People from other places not the northeast would find that drive do-able. I’m not sure how many in that region do that commute but it must be more than a few.
An hour-and-a-half commute is long no matter what part of the country you live in. The only difference is that in less densely settled parts of the country, the territory that lies within that circle may be larger because the roads are less congested or the speed limits higher.
Technically speaking, at highway speeds in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, one could commute to midtown Manhattan from even Center City Philadelphia in an hour and a half behind the wheel — if the roads are clear, which they're usually not. Taking Amtrak between the two cities reduces the commute to about an hour.
That latter fact is why New Yorkers have been migrating to Philadelphia without giving up their New York City jobs, and WFH has only increased the net flow towards Philadelphia from NYC (most of the migrants move from Brooklyn).
Similarly, parts of central and upper Bucks County are seeing influxes of New Yorkers (or people with jobs in Central New Jersey, which is much closer).
The commuting percentages, however, aren't large enough for the New York and Philadelphia CSAs to become one huge megaregion, at least not yet. The Lehigh Valley MSA being a great deal smaller, the percentages there would be high enough to attach it to the New York CSA. This makes some sense for another reason: even though no real physical barriers to movement exist between the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia, the Lehigh River's eastward flow also makes the LV east-west oriented, which would also make connecting to NYC via road and rail a little more intuitive.
Way back in the days of the interurbans, there was rail service between Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley, thanks in part to an interurban that ran from 69th Street Terminal to Allentown. I believe there is still a mainline railroad branch that heads there from here as well, but there's been no passenger service on it for decades — I'm not sure it even survived into the SEPTA era.
While it doesn't meet the metro population criteria, Altoona meets the city proper criteria. You don't hear much about it, but I'm wondering how it is viewed in PA?
While it doesn't meet the metro population criteria, Altoona meets the city proper criteria. You don't hear much about it, but I'm wondering how it is viewed in PA?
Known mostly for its Penn State campus; at least on this side of the state. Western PA so it’s more aligned with Pittsburgh. I couldn’t tell you much about the place. Same for places like McKeesport and Aliquippa; the old small city Appalachian rust belt towns; some of which are absolutely beautifully and topographically gifted though distressed. Maybe that will be my next topic; what Appalachian rust belt town has the best bones?
this is really tougher than i.....
can't stay big w/out running out of places
Newport/Middletown, RI.
Portland, ME
New London, CT
Stamford/Riverside, CT
New Bedford, MA
drop-off in size (sorry) in no particular order
Jones Beach, NY
Newburyport/Plum Island/ Salisbury, MA.
Saratoga, NY
Pt. Pleasant, NJ re; Brave New World S S (it's a Jersey thing)
Jackson, NH
Stowe VT,
Killington, VT
Amherst, MA
Gloucester/Rockport/Marblehead, MA.
Narragansett/Galilee/Matunuck, RI
The Hamptons/Montauk, NY
Hampton/Seabrook, NH
Cape May/ Wildwood, NJ
Mystic, CT
throw in Sea Girt, Brick, Manasquan etc gems
Maybe not middle class, but it looks to me like Chambersburg is on the mend, especially with the repurposing of the old Roebling wire works.
That's the Latino side of Trenton. I've noticed in general Latino areas of cities are pretty seldom blighted. Camden is pretty much the only city I'm aware of where there are majority-Latino neighborhoods which are in rough shape.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ckhthankgod
While it doesn't meet the metro population criteria, Altoona meets the city proper criteria. You don't hear much about it, but I'm wondering how it is viewed in PA?
Altoona is more seen as the last small city in Central PA, while Johnstown is seen as the first city in Western PA, even though they're not that far apart. It's in much better shape than Johnstown, but that's not saying much. Mostly forgotten except by train buffs, TBH.
That's the Latino side of Trenton. I've noticed in general Latino areas of cities are pretty seldom blighted. Camden is pretty much the only city I'm aware of where there are majority-Latino neighborhoods which are in rough shape.
Altoona is more seen as the last small city in Central PA, while Johnstown is seen as the first city in Western PA, even though they're not that far apart. It's in much better shape than Johnstown, but that's not saying much. Mostly forgotten except by train buffs, TBH.
The Latino community in Philadelphia is blighted. But you're on to something. I noticed that since Hispanic immigrants are relatively newer, in many places they took the place of the holdout "working class white" community of the city, the ones who maintained white residents in the era of post-white flight...whos housing was more intact due to that fact. This is true in Philadelphia where the hispanic community was built upon North Philadelphia East and Kensington (which were Irish a generation or two ago)...true in places in NY like Sunset Park and parts of the East Bronx that was Irish a few generations ago, Boston as well. Chicago being the best example, they have better housing and more intact business districts than their working class black counterparts. Plus being still a relative insular community, they have their businesses which they are loyal to, which keeps the business districts in good enough shape.
Why they were able to migrate tho those neighborhoods as opposed to more distressed Af-Am communities of the cities, idk really. Maybe timing.
The less blighted Latino communities are those of newer immigrants not multigenerational Latinos. Most of the PRs in Camden for example have been there for generations. You see this in other groups as well.
Lowell, MA: The city has really turned itself around through a combination of the growth of UMass Lowell and new Asian immigration. Very intact and thriving downtown, with a unique layout since it's basically ringed by a series of canals.
New Bedford, MA: It has really capitalized well on its waterfront/turned into a nice satellite city of Boston, while remaining true to its working-class, Lusophone history. Nice downtown,great seaside charm.
I went to college in Burlington. I lived in Portsmouth for a decade. I worked in Chelmsford next to Lowell for a couple of years. I was born in New Bedford and I’m retired in my summer house a couple miles from the city line. I lived in Northampton for a couple of years.
I don’t think New Bedford has gentrified enough yet to make the list. The waterfront is attractive and the extreme South End is attractive but there is still a lot of blight not far from the waterfront. Commuter rail to Boston at the end of the year may accelerate the gentrification beyond the immediate waterfront but it hasn’t happened yet. We use the waterfront a lot. I think most people would be put off by the sketchy areas near it.
Lowell is OK. I’ve always used it for southeast Asian food since it has a big Cambodian population. I’ve been dragging to former co-worker meetups at brew pubs and minor league baseball games. It’s OK but wouldn’t make my list.
Southern New England cities that aren’t Boston all have blight problems.
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