Williamsport, Pa (Philadelphia, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre: crime, house, neighborhoods)

[CitizenJustice]

Any people here from the Williamsport/Lycoming County area?

[Dawne]

I grew up in Montoursville, my mom is still there, one of my sisters lives in Loyalsock and works in Williamsport.

What did you want to know?

[CitizenJustice]

Just looking for other people from the Williamsport/Lycoming County area to converse with.

[Dawne]

We took the Fall Foliage train ride to Jersey Shore yesterday. It left from behind the Maynard Street Burger King. It was really nice, and we had to stop for about 20 horses that got loose and were milling around on the tracks! My kids thought that was awesome!

[Sminthian]

All right, I'll ask a question. I like the thought of Williamsport, because it's supposed to be up in the woods. But, the stats that I've been seeing say that it's not that nice of a city. There might alot of crime and stuff. Is that true?

[Dawne]

Most of Williamsport's crime takes place in the seedier neighborhoods. My husband (in his quite un-politically correct way) calls it "the black hole". The crime usually involves drugs and those associated with that lifestyle. The downtown area is very nice and undergoing a renovation/revitalization. Williamsport has lots of activities throughout the year and with Loyalsock Township nearby there are lots of places to shop and eat, both in the city and nearby. The Lycoming Mall is not far away.

I wouldn't really say that Williamsport is "up in the woods", though. I think you'd have to go further north for that.

[WasPA]

Originally Posted by Sminthian

All right, I'll ask a question. I like the thought of Williamsport, because it's supposed to be up in the woods. But, the stats that I've been seeing say that it's not that nice of a city. There might alot of crime and stuff. Is that true?

It's up near the woods ---at the threshold of Pennsylvania's more remote--and beautiful---wildernesses; it's a pleasant smaller city, once weathy from 'Big Lumber' $ in the same way that Wilkes-Barre & Scranton were awash in coal money (except for the miners who did the hard work).

Lycoming College has a swell campus just off downtown which in itself remains useful and charming although not as thriving as it had been at one time. There's a spectacular old theater, now the performing arts center.that is cavernous, covered in elaborate 'gilt'; it could rival the best theaters anywhere in the nation....big too, at over 2,000 seats...

There's plenty of spectacular old architecture-- office buildings, churches and in particular the smashing Victorian mansions of "Milllionaires Row" the one-time homes of lumber barons...house after house after house of jaw-dropping beauty....

So, while "Billsport" isn't quite what it once was, it has a lot to offer and has room for appreciative, community minded new residents who might love a chance to pitch in so as to enrich the place, no doubt.

One tricky spot has been the selection of Williamsport back in the 1980s or so as a wholesome setting to which drug offenders might be relocated from the big cities, especially Philadelphia, for re-habbing. I'm a proponent of rehabilitation (acknowledging the failure rate for drug addicts to be high, regrettably) but rehab facilitites can negatively impact a place in short order, especially if they are poorly conceived or administered.....

I think that Williamsport initially wasn't anticipating the woes adjunct to the placement of these facilities and at the same time suffered many of the same difficulties as many a small city of industry and job loss----and the consequence of at-large deterioration.....

I believe that many counteractions have by now been executed and are getting the city back on track, even if slowly.

[nevermovehere]

never move to lycoming county. lets just say that the gene pool never gets any new donors.

moving from the lehigh valley to williamsport seemed like a good idea. just out of college and that is where the job took us.
the 1st year wasnt too bad, you could tell the cleaner sections from the trash and the ghetto. people werent too friendly (we are white and clean), but figured that we havent met the right people. working with the public everyday was a good way to see how the people were.


let me tell you, if you do not look like you are from lycoming county, people are more rude. again refer to the 2nd sentence.

i can understand being rude to people from the ghetto or the usual trash, but being an outsider being nice and polite, rudeness was all that was received.


in 5 years i have met a handful of nice people, they were truly nice.


drivers, there are a lot of people killed up there, crossing the highways and running red lights.

you actually have to be very very aware and fear for your life as you drive thru the area.

and please keep your own kind in lycoming county, i can spot you in philadelphia allentown and harrisburg.

always hanging out in the passing lane holding up traffic, or going so slow looking for your destination. if you want to be incognito so people have no clue where you are from? remove your "potter county" license plates and also the dealer trim plates from your favorite fairfield or alexander dealership.


property values are not improving, so do not plan on buying in this century long stagnant area.


people are not moving to these area.


my place of work i would see many people in a day.

i could always tell who was from out of the area, mostly by their normal and slim looks.

i would ask them(without saying anything positive or negative about the area) what they thought of the area and people.

i kid you not, the exact answer i would get: people are rude and very unhappy, and there is also nothing to do. you get teh nothing to do in a lot of areas to be fair.


the wife and i did not want to have kids and have them grow up in that area. we want them to grow up in an upperclass environment which was lacking in williamsport area.

the biggest insult you can do to an area is to spend your hard-earned dollars out of the area you live and work.

we made it a point to purchase vehicles and autoparts out of the area, also furniture would be trucked in. the only thing we would purchase was groceries and occasionally gas. unfortunately we had to pay our overweight disgusting landlord rent, but we were very clean so anything we did would improve their property.


thankfully we did not have a house to sell in williamsport, so moving was easy


now, back in a metro area, we are much happier and have many places to choose to shop and eat(which w-port lacked)

even in this poor housing market our house is appreciating in value, met more friendly people in one month than in 5 years.


not a rant but a very good observation and experience in williamsport.

if you need nice people and nice areas to live don't move to lycoming county. if you like the wilderness and slow people this is the place for you and make sure you bring your miserable attitude and you will love this

[SteelCityRising]

I'm sorry to hear about your negative experiences, but as tourist to Lycoming County earlier this year for my Williamsport Photo Tour, I must heartily dissent from your point of view. Everyone I came into contact with in Williamsport was nothing but polite and helpful, especially the folks at the Chamber of Commerce who helped to get me a brochure for the historic district (one man even ran after me down the stairs to give me more information). Yes, the people of Williamsport had a pretty noticeable STARING problem with me, but I just took it as a compliment to my sexiness. LOL!

I personally would never live in Williamsport because it such a long ride to any major metropolitan area, but the architecture, scenery, and cultural scenes there seem to be superb for a city of just 30,000.

[Gretchen570]

There are alot of hunting camps out there and the outsider thing does not go over well.