Young attorney moving to Lehigh Valley, can you address my concerns about the social milieu? (Allentown: apartment, renting)

[Law Talking Guy]

I'm in my final year of law school and last week I accepted a great job in the Lehigh Valley beginning in August, just after I take the PA bar exam. The job will be interesting and very positive for my career, but I'm a bit concerned about the prospects for my social life.

From what I've read here and elsewhere, I am leaning toward living in Bethlehem. Is there any prospect of meeting other young professional people there? I know there is a college there, but at the ripe old age of 25, my keg party days are well behind me. Will I spend my evenings reading the Onion online by myself, or will I there be interesting people my age to meet? Can anyone assuage my fears? What do the recently graduated and employed do for fun in Bethlehem?

Also, how walkable/bikable is Bethlehem? What are good areas to find an apartment? My position is for 1-2 years, so I am only interested in renting.

Thanks everyone in advance for any answers you will provide.

[staylor83]

i have friends who live in bethlehem and they are 25yr old young professionals. they seem to like it but like any city there are good and bad areas. your best bet is to visit bethlehem and also speak with a realtor.

[toobusytoday]

I hope you have a chance to visit Bethlehem before your move. I think seeing Bethlehem will reassure you that you will have no trouble meeting other young professionals. Whenever I go there, I'm always impressed with the vitality of the residents. Some of my daughters friends (recent college grads) have started moving there and really like it. I think that because we have so many colleges in the area that some of the grads find local jobs and stay, or like my daughters friends - they liked it so much, they move back!

What do they do for fun? Bars, Restaurants, shopping, movies, hanging out at each others places. I imagine that you can do the same things here that you do where you are now.

Biking is popular but I don't know why. Our back roads are narrow and have ditches on the side, there are steep hills too. There's a Velodrome The Lehigh Valley Velodrome - The Track Cycling Capital of the World just west of Allentown. Bethlehem is great for walking, lots of things to look at and places to walk to. I'm know someone else can help you out with apartment info.

[Law Talking Guy]

Thanks for the replies.

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

What do they do for fun? Bars, Restaurants, shopping, movies, hanging out at each others places. I imagine that you can do the same things here that you do where you are now.

This is what worries me a bit. I generally prefer to live in extremely urban or totally rural environments, accepting the positives and negatives of each. In cities I enjoy museums, ethnic food, indie movies, and having lots of other young people with whom I can socialize. At the same time I tolerate the crime, grime, and nasty attitudes dense populations breed. On the other hand, in rural areas, I enjoy the outdoors--hiking, mountain biking, and snowboarding--while putting up with solitude, power outages, and bad roads (I currently live in Vermont). I don't know that this makes much sense, but I prefer the urban and rural extremes. I'm afraid that a middling urban/suburban city (is Bethlehem like this) might have all the drawbacks of big cities without the corresponding cultural and social benefits.

In any case, I will be finding out for myself, as I have already accepted the job. If anyone can provide some insight regarding being a young professional (I avoid the term yuppie, but I suspect I am well on my way to fulfilling certain of the cliche's characteristics) in Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley broadly, I would certainly be grateful.

[toobusytoday]

Lighten up law guy. Just because you've decided to define your likes and dislikes so narrowly and at such a young age doesn't mean that you can't change your mind. You may well come to Bethlehem and decide that you now like mid-size cities! How many middling cities have you lived in so far? Bethlehem is like Burlington only not nearly so liberal and minus a big lake. Oh, and Lehigh is NOT like UVM.

Okay, someone else offer some reassurance here.

[lorib49]

I am also a young professional who will probably be moving to Bethlehem in the beginning of the summer. My husband and I want to buy a townhouse. We need to have some type of backyard because we have 2 small dogs. We are looking in the 175,000 - 200,000 price range. I enjoy historical areas and homes that have character. Can we find what we're looking for in this price range? What are the good areas of Bethlehem that we should look in?

[theshan]

if you are going for the gritty urban stuff--then there are some nice apts on the south side--that will put you in the midst of the night life, ethnic food, all walking distance. you will likely find other grad students to befriend there, most of the other yups i know live a more suburban life.

[loose cannon]

Come to the Southside. While you claim your keg days are behind you there still is a stool saved for you at the Your Welcome Inn.

[Law Talking Guy]

Thanks for the information!

[mcmartian]

I wouldn't feel safe southside.

Bethlehem has some beautiful homes with small yards in the historic district.

If you want rural I'd go to bethlehem township, or southern lehigh or emmaus school districts.

In lehigh valley, Bethlehem has the most "culture". there's theatre, a few small museums, movies, etc. it's not NYC, you won't find hundreds of events and shows every day, but there's things to do. and if you get culturally bored, take a bus or train to NYC, DC, Phili or even Reading for the day.