Is Easton PA really that high-crime? (Allentown: to buy, live, moving to)

[mydeejai]

Hi! I am also looking to relocate from NY to PA I was originally looking at Palmer only because I saw beautiful houses and it is about 2 hrs to the city (where I plan to continue working) My question is, is that the best and closest area to NY?? I have two young children and I want a safe place to raise them and not have such a crazy commute to the city

[flyonpa]

You will be Fine in Palmer and/or Bethlehem Twp.
Try to be close to PA33, that will give you good access to I78. Traffic going to NYC from PA is bad. I78 is slow from exit 7 in NJ all the way to I287. There is a bus that go to NY, from the Park/Ride @ PA33/W.Penn. But the lots fills up fast. Crime should not be a issue in the Suburban areas, Others can comment on the schools.

Bus info -> Trans-Bridge Lines

[mydeejai]

Thank you so much! you have been very helpful. Do you know how much the bus ride is? and where in NY the drop off is? I imagine it's a very long ride. I have been looking at jobs out there too, But haven't really found much.

[flyonpa]

Follow, look at the link

[EastonItalianGirl]

Unfortunately there has been a movement into the Easton area from some areas in New Jersey, such as Newark, Camden, and Elizabeth. There tends to be high traffic drug rings and gangs from these inner cities. There is a lot of gang and drug violence, and many shootings, particularly in an area called the West Ward of Easton. I blame the Landlords who actually rent to this vermin. It takes two to Tango, and as they say, you can't always blame the scum that pollute this city, you must also blame the people who tolerate it. Yes, Easton has it good points, and its nice areas, with less crime. It has beautiful parks, outdoors, nature, and good people. However, certain vermin make this area a dread disease. I love the suburbs of Easton. Clean air, nature walks, and even the downtown area is growing with more places to eat and business as well.

[N.Y.C.H]

Ok first of all the post before mine is completely inaccurate, Easton's crime rate is lower than any of the 3 cities in the Lehigh valley, (Bethlehem included) as of 2014 stats, and is at its lowest points in decades. In 2014 Eastons crime rate was on par with both freemansburg and phillipsburg (low crime towns). People tend to have this biased against any of the 3 cities that are really a decade old when all 3 of the lehigh valley cities had substantially higher crime rates than they do now, and im using city data as my source for this information, with Easton's crime rate at 199.3 for 2014, down from 500.2 and lower than the US average of 287. Is there drug dealers and minor drug offenses, yes, what city doesn't have that problem nowadays? Is there a lot of gang and drug VIOLENCE, and "many shootings", no. Not to mention you bumped a 5 year old thread, but i figured i would throw some facts.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by N.Y.C.H

Ok first of all the post before mine is completely inaccurate, Easton's crime rate is lower than any of the 3 cities in the Lehigh valley, (Bethlehem included)

To be a little more detailed,
Easton's violent crime rate was higher than Bethlehem by an insignificant few percentage points.
Bethlehem's non violent crime was higher than Easton.

Violent Crime per 100,000
515 Allentown
281 Bethlehem
298 Easton


Population - City - Violent Crime - Murder
118,710 Allentown 611 9
75,024 Bethlehem 211 1
27,143 Easton 81 1


Allentown's murder rate and violent crime rate are significantly higher than either Bethlehem or Easton.

But N.Y.C.H is accurate that Easton often suffers from a reputation that was true decades ago, when it's crime rate was much worse than Allentown, and Bethlehem was the low crime city of the Valley.
Also keep in mind that crime in the Lehigh Valley is much lower than much of urban Pennsylvania including Reading, York, Harrisburg and York.

PA police districts (population over 10,000) ranked by violent crime rate PER 100,000

VC Rate City Population Murders
3,855 Darby 10,687 1
1,794 McKeesport 21,405 4
1,536 Chester 34,056 30
1,350 Indiana 14,072 0
1,114 Harrisburg 49,109 17
1,021 Philadelphia 1,559,062 248
997 Coatesville 13,141 0
883 York 43,951 8
882 Wilkinsburg 15,871 4
865 Reading 87,848 9
798 Pittsburgh 307,613 69
770 Pottstown 22,605 2
746 Norristown 34,453 2
738 Yeadon 11,524 2
679 Lancaster 59,325 6
613 Sharon 13,698 1
575 Johnstown 21,755 6
515 Allentown 118,710 9
508 New Castle 22,629 0
501 Caln Township 14,166 0
476 Hazleton 25,023 3
468 Washington, Washington County 13,686 2
454 Logan Township 12,325 0
450 Williamsport 29,340 3
436 Wilkes-Barre 41,017 2
427 Upper Darby Township 82,843 4
420 New Kensington 12,864 2
404 Uniontown 10,139 0
404 Erie 100,403 10
400 Butler 13,515 0
385 Penn Hills 42,288 8
384 Chambersburg 20,561 2
361 Swatara Township 24,654 0
348 Altoona 45,676 1
341 Monroeville 28,414 0
335 Greensburg 14,606 0
326 Hanover Township, Luzerne County 11,029 0
309 Lebanon 25,538 3
307 North Versailles Township 12,367 0
305 Southwest Mercer County Regional 10,160 0
298 Easton 27,143 1
298 Waynesboro 10,748 0
285 Scranton 75,749 4
281 Bethlehem 75,024 1
275 Plum 27,595 0
271 Pottsville 14,042 1
266 Phoenixville 16,532 0
258 Ephrata 13,545 0
246 Plymouth Township, Montgomery County 16,693 3
242 Nanticoke 10,343 0
238 Center Township 11,759 0
236 Coal Township 10,603 0
235 Lansdowne 10,629 1
233 Berwick 10,308 0
232 Rostraver Township 11,218 0
228 Hanover 15,380 1
227 Meadville 13,237 0
225 West Chester 19,095 0
208 Lock Haven 10,090 0
206 North Lebanon Township 11,625 3
197 East Norriton Township 14,182 0
195 Carlisle 18,974 0
195 Lower Providence Township 25,682 0
194 Stroud Area Regional 33,974 0
194 Upper Chichester Township 17,012 0
189 Lansdale 16,440 2
182 Butler Township, Butler County 17,076 0
179 Spring Garden Township 12,844 0
179 Cheltenham Township 36,865 0
178 Bristol Township 54,349 3
170 Falls Township, Bucks County 34,029 0
170 Lower Paxton Township 48,117 0
164 West Manchester Township 18,853 0
164 Lehigh Township, Northampton County 10,395 0
161 Hermitage 16,143 1
160 Sandy Township 10,655 0
158 Pocono Mountain Regional 38,521 0
158 Lower Southampton Township 18,951 0
158 West Mifflin 20,239 0
158 West Norriton Township 15,816 0
156 Oil City 10,266 0
155 Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County 24,515 0
154 Columbia 10,378 0
154 York Area Regional 61,107 1
153 Kingston 13,049 0
152 Nether Providence Township 13,795 0
148 Pocono Township 10,818 0
148 Northeastern Regional 11,504 0
146 Robinson Township, Allegheny County 13,677 0
143 Murrysville 20,294 0
142 Fairview Township, York County 16,960 2
135 Whitpain Township 19,202 0
134 Bensalem Township 60,506 2
133 Penn Township, York County 15,846 0
131 Muhlenberg Township 19,910 0
127 Southern Regional York County 14,917 0
125 Douglass Township, Montgomery County 10,400 0
124 Newberry Township 15,302 0
113 Hampton Township 18,521 0
108 Springettsbury Township 26,797 0
108 Abington Township, Montgomery County 55,628 0
107 East Lampeter Township 16,879 0
106 North Middleton Township 11,356 0
105 Hilltown Township 15,190 0
105 Newtown Township, Delaware County 12,348 0
103 Hopewell Township 12,610 0
103 Ridley Township 31,064 1
103 Elizabethtown 11,672 0
99 Whitehall Township 27,146 0
94 Scott Township, Allegheny County 17,010 0
94 Lancaster Township, Lancaster County 17,065 2
93 Ross Township 31,136 0
93 Towamencin Township 18,320 0
93 Lower Saucon Township 10,802 0
91 Upper Merion Township 28,651 0
90 Middletown Township 45,490 1
90 Millcreek Township, Erie County 54,407 2
89 Aston Township 16,929 0
87 West Whiteland Township 18,495 0
86 Lower Gwynedd Township 11,562 0
86 Whitehall 13,946 0
86 Harrison Township 10,489 0
85 Lower Allen Township 18,731 0
83 New Garden Township 12,089 0
82 West Goshen Township 23,130 0
82 Lower Pottsgrove Township 12,189 0
81 Salisbury Township 13,646 0
80 Richland Township, Cambria County 12,478 0
80 Jefferson Hills Borough 11,239 0
80 East Pennsboro Township 21,260 0
79 Upper Southampton Township 15,183 0
79 Manor Township, Lancaster County 20,310 0
79 Cumru Township 15,235 0
78 Springfield Township, Delaware County 24,345 0
78 Exeter Township, Berks County 25,761 0
77 Bethel Park 32,408 0
77 Ferguson Township 18,198 0
76 Palmer Township 20,929 0
76 Washington Township, Franklin County 14,468 0
76 Colonial Regional 19,803 0
75 Upper Gwynedd Township 15,915 0
75 East Whiteland Township 10,699 0
74 Northern York Regional 67,742 0
73 New Hanover Township 12,266 0
73 Warminster Township 32,804 0
71 North Strabane Township 14,033 1
71 Baldwin Borough 19,822 0
70 St. Marys City 12,879 0
70 Radnor Township 31,492 1
69 Ephrata Township 10,195 0
69 Whitemarsh Township 17,518 0
68 North Huntingdon Township 30,880 0
68 Horsham Township 26,481 0
67 Wyomissing 10,485 0
66 Newtown Township, Bucks County 22,753 0
66 Hampden Township 28,893 0
65 Uwchlan Township 18,470 0
64 Derry Township, Dauphin County 24,887 0
63 Moon Township 25,514 1
62 Northern Lancaster County Regional 33,674 3
62 Emmaus 11,316 0
62 Upper Moreland Township 24,253 0
61 Northern Berks Regional 13,115 0
60 Lower Merion Township 58,268 0
58 Westtown-East Goshen Regional 32,541 0
58 Spring Township, Berks County 27,487 0
55 Amity Township 12,821 0
54 Bethlehem Township 23,873 0
54 East Hempfield Township 24,066 0
53 Mifflin County Regional 16,898 0
53 Haverford Township 48,877 0
53 Lower Moreland Township 13,233 0
53 Central Bucks Regional 11,353 0
53 Elizabeth Township 13,317 0
52 Patton Township 15,306 0
52 Shaler Township 28,756 0
49 North Fayette Township 14,291 0
48 Hatfield Township 20,933 0
48 Warwick Township, Bucks County 14,718 0
46 Springfield Township, Montgomery County 19,529 0
46 State College 56,551 0
46 Richland Township, Bucks County 13,062 0
46 Upper Dublin Township 26,310 0
43 Manheim Township 39,155 1
42 Franklin Park 14,160 0
42 Marple Township 23,677 0
41 Upper St. Clair Township 19,399 1
41 South Whitehall Township 19,573 0
40 Doylestown Township 17,623 0
40 Lower Makefield Township 32,799 0
39 Lower Salford Township 15,399 1
39 Adams Township, Butler County 12,912 1
38 McCandless 29,028 2
38 West Hills Regional 10,563 0
37 Tredyffrin Township 29,544 0
36 Peters Township 21,975 0
36 Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County 22,200 0
34 Lower Burrell 11,598 1
34 Cecil Township 11,823 0
33 Buffalo Valley Regional 12,096 0
32 Silver Spring Township 15,444 0
32 Limerick Township 18,738 0
31 Montgomery Township 25,923 0
31 Plumstead Township 13,052 1
29 South Park Township 13,571 0
29 East Cocalico Township 10,427 0
28 Easttown Township 10,579 0
27 Mount Lebanon 33,052 0
25 Upper Saucon Township 15,694 0
25 Warrington Township 23,630 0
23 Franconia Township 13,263 0
20 Cranberry Township 29,834 0
20 Forks Township 15,224 0
19 Upper Providence Township, Delaware County 10,354 1
19 Willistown Township 10,760 0
18 New Britain Township 11,034 0
17 West Deer Township 11,873 0
15 Northwest Lancaster County Regional 19,436 0
15 Northampton Township 39,692 0
15 Buckingham Township 20,405 0
13 West Lampeter Township 15,707 0
12 Northern Regional 32,690 0
11 Upper Allen Township 18,801 0
9 Pennridge Regional 11,050 0
9 Upper Macungine Township 22,201 0
7 South Fayette Township 15,317 0
0 Upper Uwchlan Township 11,572 0

[Captainjack420]

I'm looking to move on lehigh street near the Muslim center , is that a good area to walk around at night?

[wharton]

My daughter lives and works a few blocks off the square. She moved to Easton three years ago, and has had no problem with anything crime wise. The only complaint that she has is that her assigned, numbered off street parking spot, that she pays for monthly, is often used by entitled idiots who think that it's empty, so they deserve it. These tools are often pretty wound up when they have to dial the phone number on the sign, get a taxi to the towing yard, and spend a few hundred to get their car back. Other than that, she loves the area.

[Towns450]

no

never never look at websites for crime stats, they are very misleading

Every City has a few rough spots and bigger Cities have bigger areas of rough spots

It comes down to the wrong place at the wrong time in most cases, be alert and stop living in fear