needs advice/opinion/help on moving to Bethlehem (apartment, rental) - Lehigh Valley - Pennsylvania (PA) -Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton - City-Data Forum

asianboy29 · 02-12-2008, 11:14 AM

Let me give a brief picture of myself first and my situation.
I'm an Asian guy 29yo, no kids or any other responsibilities, been living in big cities most of my life. I work in a health care profession, so finding job should be relatively easy anywhere. Housing in and around NYC, where I'm currently working, are ridiculously expensive and i don't plan on renting all my life. I've had it with too much traffic, unfriendly people, and unsafe living environment. I'd like a laid back life out of the rat race, where i can take it easy, walk conveniently around town and shop around without too much crowd/noise then retreat to a quiet and cozy place of my own. Don't get me wrong, i do love to go out and party once in a while with friends.
Since I'm single with no plans on settling down yet, i don't want to move in a suburban area where i won't see any people around.

Why Bethlehem you ask...
I have a sister who live in Bethlehem suburbs together with her family for a few years now. She's been asking me to move there and giving me very good image of Bethlehem. She gave me a tour once downtown Bethlehem and i absolutely loved the old town ambiance and the Chrismastine feeling during December. It's not too far from NYC, if ever i needed to feel the big city once in a while. Other members of my family (brother/sisters/cousins/friends) live within 1-2 hours drive from Bethlehem, that makes me feel secure. Owning a place compared to NY or NJ costs a lot less. The future casino at Steel City would be a good thing to look forward to, I think(?), as long as Bethlehem keep the old town ambiance and warm friendly people.

Did i have an accurate view of Bethlehem?
Now i have a 250K mortgage at max (of course the lower the better!), to spend. I would love to find preferably an apartment condo or a condo unit, reasonably priced in 18018 zip code, or specifically within this map area...
Google Maps

Anybody have any opinion/advise on my chosen location?
Is there difference in choosing North or South part of downtown?
Is racial discrimination an issue?
I've been reading some posts about Bethlehem, there seem to be some conflicting views whether it's a good idea to move there.

Anybody think it's a good decision, considering my situation, to move to Bethlehem? Anybody think it's a big mistake?

Asianboy29

toobusytoday · 02-12-2008, 12:38 PM

I think Bethlehem is perfect for a single person. I'm trying to talk my daughter into moving there once she moves back to the States. I think the North side is nicer and safer, near Moravian College. I don't think you will find any discrimination but as a white woman, I probably don't pay much attention to that. Good luck with your search.

theshan · 02-12-2008, 01:38 PM

Hi Asianboy:

I was here about a month before I saw an Asian person, and it was when I was out towards Parkland school district, not even here in Bethlehem. Once you get around Lehigh, you will see more Asians, but presumably they are mostly students. Since you are older (meaning past-college, I don't think 29 is old!) and single, I wonder what your social life would be like.

I would say yes, it is more relaxed than NYC, but there are plenty of folks who are from NJ/NY and even commuters to the city who still drive and interact with others like they are in a hurry. But I am from the South so things there are slow. And the true locals, like my neighbors, are warm and friendly.

Condos: other than the ones on the river (southside), I can't think of any others where it's not mostly families or retirees. Maybe someone else can comment on that. I looked at your map area, it's a safe area, but I don't think you will find many other singles there. But maybe you don't care about that. Since you have family around, that may be your primary socialization . . . or maybe your sister needs a babysitter (just kidding!).

I don't think it's a big mistake to move here. If your priorities are getting out of NYC and having a quieter life, this is a good place.

asianboy29 · 02-12-2008, 06:24 PM

This sentence from theshan spooked me a little bit...
"I was here about a month before I saw an Asian person, and it was when I was out towards Parkland school district, not even here in Bethlehem."

One reality that hit me that is going to be a big adjustment for me is the fact that i'll probably be the only asian guy around the area, and single for that matter. It would really seem easier and more "normal" to move to Bethlehem if i have a wife and kids looking to live a quiet life.
Is there a chinese restaurant at least in the area? (i'm not chinese, by the way)
Will i be stared at like some kind of alien who seem to be out of place?
Will i be the "asian guy" who lives around the corner who nobody knows the name?

One thing that might improve the situation is that, I will most probably, get a job in a Hospital in or around Bethlehem, and be in a job interacting with a lot of people everyday. In my experience Hospitals usually have some Asian people. It's not that i'm only making friends with asian people, but it's still good to have friends with the same culture.

Asianboy29

FLhereIcome · 02-12-2008, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

I think Bethlehem is perfect for a single person. I'm trying to talk my daughter into moving there once she moves back to the States. I think the North side is nicer and safer, near Moravian College. I don't think you will find any discrimination but as a white woman, I probably don't pay much attention to that. Good luck with your search.

I agree with toobusytoday on Bethlehem being perfect for a single person. I too have talked to my daughter about moving there. I go to Bethlehem quite a bit for shopping, dining, etc. and I think it's a very multicultural city (one of the reasons I love going there, I live in the boonies of Qtown). You can always do a short term rental before committing to buying to make sure it's for you. Good luck.

theshan · 02-12-2008, 07:21 PM

sorry to spook you! i didn't expect that when we moved here, since it is a city. but in my day to day activities, shopping, library, park, etc. i didn't see any. i remember telling my husband when we finally saw some! depending on where you live, you may be "the asian guy" but . . . hey, that's what you are! not like the west coast or even where we moved from, where asians are more common. according to the census, 18018 where you are looking is a bit less than 2% asian.

there are chinese, thai, japanese, and korean restaurants. even an asian grocery but i haven't been inside to see the quality.

toobusytoday · 02-12-2008, 07:22 PM

Did any of you see this article in the Morning Call? Chinese New Year fete links cultures and families -- themorningcall.com It's a local celebration of the Chinese New Year. Every year I see more and more Asian families moving into the area. Maybe they're all moving to my school district but there are quite a few Asian families where I am and I'm about 15 minutes from Bethlehem.

My daughter (recent college grad) now has three friends that live in Bethlehem and they all find enough to do.

asianboy29 · 02-12-2008, 08:01 PM

theshan,
Even if it spooked me a littile bit, it did not discourage in any way about deciding to move there. I think it will be "cool" to be "the asian guy", i think have a lot to offer coming from a different background and thinking. It's always good to have diversity. I hope to have plenty of new friends around the area. I'll probably be driving around the city next week to see the places. It's good to know that Bethlehem has plenty of asian restaurants and a grocery.

Asianboy29

asianboy29 · 02-12-2008, 09:35 PM

can somebody tell me where downtown Bethlehem's North ends and South starts? which street is the middle?

Asianboy29

Matt_PSU · 02-12-2008, 11:24 PM

Pretty simple, the river divides the north and south sides. Most neighborhoods on the north side are OK, with some exceptions (along linden b/w elizabeth and broad; along garrison or union north of broad). I live in the historic district. The south side is iffy, esp. near Lehigh.

250K will buy you a nice townhouse just outside the city or a nice 2bd condo in Bethlehem downtown. Or, you could buy an older duplex for $150k.

As for the Asian question, there are a ton of them at Lehigh, but they tend to not mingle much outside of school. My high school was about 1% asian (parkland). Overall there are not a lot of Asians in our age group that I have seen, except for a small korean community.