Downtown Wilkes-Barre (Pittsburgh, Erie, Scranton: movie theaters, new construction, schools)

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by W-B proud

A lot of what Coal city has said IS grossly exagerated, but everything he mentioned does in fact have a Wilkes-Barre connection... just not as an important roles as he claims. Antracite coal WAS actually first successfully burned in an open crate at the Fell Tavern on the corner of Northampton and S Washington streets, which eventually lead to it being realized as a major fossil fuel of the industrial revolution and home heating industry, also I believe HBO was first broadcast to homes in W-B (not started here), I also think that some major telephone company was started by a W-B native (but not in W-B). Coal city comes off as a little immature, and doesn't have his facts straight, but he does seem to have love, passion, and pride in this city! That is something that is very rare here. I applaud him for this. I hope that someone like this grows up and matures into a leader with pride and a burning desire to see this city succeed. He seems to have a lot more passion and pride in our city than our mayor or city council has.

I think being an educated, honest detractor of Wilkes-Barre is much better than being a supporter of Wilkes-Barre while exaggerating and out right lying about the city. There is no need to do this.

I love Wilkes-Barre because it is my hometown. I know quite a bit about it's history and my family has been here since at least the 1850s. I also have spent many, many hours at LCHS as well as it's museum and the Osterhout reading/researching our fair city.

Nearly everything CCT is saying is wrong. Whether he has a great love for WB for not is a moot point.

[Magritte25]

Originally Posted by CoalCityTrash

Susquehanna River - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I stand partially corrected. The Wilkes-Barre store was second.
Fred Morgan Kirby - Five and Ten Cent Store Pioneer - Woolworths Founder F.M.Kirby

You're right about Bell Telephone. I was thinking of Frontier communications.

Frontier Communications isn't from Wilkes-Barre either.

Many of the companies you named in your original post opened up stores or branches here in Wilkes-Barre which allowed the downtown to flourish.

[Mr Yuk]

I never really thought that this area resembled New England much, I always thought Wilkes-Barre and Scranton had more in common with Rust Belt/Midwestern cities than New England. Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Erie, Altoona, Akron, Toledo, Dayton, Buffalo, etc, seem like they have a Scranton/WB kind of vibe.

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by W-B proud

Yeah, but that is exactly why they built The Shoppes at Montage and The Stadium on that mountain, so it would offer easy access from both Scranton and W-B metro. Scranton alone isn't large enough to sustain a packed stadium or the shoppes at montage, that is why the developers put it somewhat between the two cities and with easy access off of I-81, because they need the populace of both metros, Wayne County and north, W-B and south to support it, and they are all connected by I-81. I honestly believe that rebuilding that stadium in downtown Scranton would have backfired...the residents from outside of the city would not be familiar with the downtown area and would avoid it out of inconvenience, the traffic would be a turn off. I wouldn't want to bother with it, besides, you would need to find a massive lot of land in an already developed downtown, otherwise there would be many many years tied up in burecratic red tape..i.e. buying land and old buildings off of land owners than imploding them and clearing the land etc., iminant domain, rights of way etc. It would be a long and drawn out legal nightmare trying to get all the planets to align. It is much easier for a developer to purchase a large parcel of land on that mountain and develop it, and it offers easy access from all points throughout NEPA not just greater Scranton area

That is another problem around here....provincialism. Both cities need to start acting together as a region rather than the old "us vs them" attitude. I also think W-B should have considered putting the arena close to downtown....along W-B Blvd near Coal St would have been perfect. And even though I'm from Scranton, I wouldn't be any less likely to go to the arena just because it would be downtown. The same would go for the stadium....the exit for downtown Scranton is barely 3 miles from the Montage exit....would 3 miles really be the difference between someone attending a game at the stadium or not?

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I was encouraged to read today in the Times-Leader that in addition to other businesses that have recently opened or will soon be opening in Downtown Wilkes-Barre the legendary Chicken Coop restaurant will also be relocating to the city's core from its current location nearer to the Wyoming Valley Mall.

Downtown is focus of a new vibrancy | The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA

Over the past several years the following improvements have happened in or near Downtown Wilkes-Barre:

River Commons
Intermodal Transportation Center
Barnes & Noble
Cinema 14/University Corners
Elevations Lofts
Empire Lofts (Under Construction)
Gateway Corners
Streetscape Enhancements
Surveillance Cameras
Additional Parking
Coal Street Park Overhaul
Innovation Center Business Incubator (with a second one under construction)

More is on the agenda as well. The mayor's wife also opened a gift store called The Bee Hive. A few new restaurants/pubs are coming to Downtown soon as well to complement existing fixtures like Katana, Cafe Toscana, Rodano's, Blue Chip Gourmet, Einstein Brothers, Bart & Urby's, and more. The Crimson Lion Hookah Lounge is doing well. The colleges continue to expand. There is quite a decent amount of weekend foot traffic after dark (and not just prositutues/drug dealers as in years past). It seems like Downtown Wilkes-Barre is really starting to make a promising comeback after decades of severe neglect attributed to urban sprawl in the Back Mountain, Mountain Top, and Greater Pittston.

More bright news is that between 2008 and 2009 Wilkes-Barre has only lost 1 resident, according to annual U.S. Census Bureau estimates. From my own demographics analysis Wilkes-Barre should be growing in population from 2010 to 2020 after losing population for every decade since 1940 if I'm not mistaken. Wilkes-Barre really just needs to continue to get its image for being a haven for crime under control, and I really foresee it taking off. The city's finances are healthy, the mayor and council have a positive rapport with one another and department heads, and the city's residents overall seem to be less critical of their city's governance than residents of Scranton are of their own city's officials.

What do others think? What would you like to see in Downtown Wilkes-Barre? Do you think these recent improvements are sustainable or are just a "flash in the pan?"

I also really enjoyed reading this letter to the editor about the city from a pair of suburbanites:
MAIL BAG  LETTERS FROM READERS | The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA

I'm going to suggest that the conversation move back to the original post instead of trying to pigeon hole what city Wilkes-Barre most resembles.

[Pa Dutch]

On topic. I ate at Blue Chip Gourmet awhile back, which is located in downtown Wilkes barre and thought it was good.

[Jungle George]

On topic: I was in Wilkes Barre in 2008.

[W-B proud]

Originally Posted by Mr Yuk

That is another problem around here....provincialism. Both cities need to start acting together as a region rather than the old "us vs them" attitude. I also think W-B should have considered putting the arena close to downtown....along W-B Blvd near Coal St would have been perfect. And even though I'm from Scranton, I wouldn't be any less likely to go to the arena just because it would be downtown. The same would go for the stadium....the exit for downtown Scranton is barely 3 miles from the Montage exit....would 3 miles really be the difference between someone attending a game at the stadium or not?

I'm not trying to be provincial here. I am just trying to look at it from a developers point of view. I would have chose Montage off of I-81 and between W-B and Scranton and with easy access from all points in NEPA via I-81 over downtown Scranton. On paper it just looks like a much better location, and as I also said, the reality and hurdles a developer would have to cross to build a stadium in a downtown that doesn't have a developable lot of that size left in it's downtown would be a challenge to say the least. A lot of land,buildings, and lots would have to be bought, seized through iminant domain, clearing and imploding structures etc...I could see why Montage Mountain would be chosen over downtown Scranton. And as far as that lot in downtown W-B at the bottom of Coal street (for an arena)...that lot is WAY too small to accomidate an Arena and all the parking space that would be needed. The old Murray complex lot on the other hand...

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by W-B proud

as far as that lot in downtown W-B at the bottom of Coal street (for an arena)...that lot is WAY too small to accomidate an Arena and all the parking space that would be needed. The old Murray complex lot on the other hand...

Actually, the Consol Energy Center (home of the Big Penguins) in Downtown Pittsburgh sits on a similarly-sized parcel of land and has an adjoining parking garage. For other parking needs people park in various other Downtown garages and on the streets and then walk to the venue (usually stopping to patronize Downtown businesses both to or from events). You don't need huge seas of asphalt to surround sporting venues.

[weluvpa]

LOL This thread is funny...

Ok The Susquehanna River....My office. My company comes up on the first page of google "susquehanna River"..LOL

Longest river on the East Coast
3rd oldest river system in the world
LONGEST NONNAVIGABLE RIVER IN THE US... NO COMMERCIAL BOATS
Largest river lying entirely in the US that flows into Atlantic.


LONGEST UNNAVIGABLE RIVER IN THE US... The ONLY commercial boat traffic that river EVER saw were canal boats, with that being said every single city that was along the banks of the main stem, west branch and North Branch were "Port" cities(loose term). Canal boats don't use ports, just stops along the canal to load or unload there products.

With the development of trains the canal was short lived. Damaged by storms and floods it was purchased by railroad companies and filled in to support track beds. Its was closed in 1872 and the railroads completely took it over

Parts of the canal are still visible along the river through out NEPA..Berwick, Vosburg are two areas that are close to WB..

Still I would not classify WB has an important "Port" city on the Susquehanna, those cities where closer to Harrisburg and south towards the Bay in La Harve De Grace MD.

sites

Part of the North Branch Division of the PA Canal System, the division had 43 locks and followed the north branch of the Susquehanna River 169 miles from Northumberland to the NY state line.

You could travel from Philly through various canals to the Great Lakes via the Susquehanna River Canal System(Yes I said Philly)...The Susquehanna Canal was started in MD in 1828 and finished to the NY state line in 1856, it lasted 16 years and was closed in 1872

Although WB was established by "yankees" from CT it was never part of CT. It was deeded to CT and William Penn at the same time by King Charles II, this lead to battles over the territtory up to 1775...

The point is that LONG BEFORE WE HAD NEW ENGLAND OR A "NEW ENGLAND FEEL" TO ANY PART OF THIS COUNTRY WB WAS FOUNDED...

To compare WB to Boston based on King Charles deeding it to CT in 1662 is ridiculous and far reaching, very very far reaching..

Honestly CCT needs to get out of the city more and see that WB is nothing more then a forgotten relic of an era long passed. That's it nothing more..

Belittling EVERYONE on the forum that disagrees with your "facts" is doing nothing to help your case..

Calling posters idiots just makes you look like a child and again runs your credibility right into the ground with the board..

Your not right about a lot of what you have said and you have been called out, now your going to take your toys from the sandbox and leave because you were told you were wrong, maybe if you didn't act like a child and make childish comments folks wouldn't be so quick to toss your inaccuracy's in your face.