What is the Pottsville area like these days?

[cowboyxjon]

Originally Posted by Pilot1

Well it surely isn't Evergreen.

Well, yeah. Though I can think of other towns in Pennsylvania that are in rougher shape.
I guess I should have added that I have family in Pottsville so I visit 2-3 times/year.

[briantroutman]

This thread got me thinking about Pottsville again, so on a drive from Williamsport back to the Philadelphia area this past weekend, I decided to take the short but slow diagonal route through anthracite country.

I must say that after driving through Mount Carmel, Ashland, and Frackville on PA 61, Pottsville looked noticeably tidier and more appealing by comparison. I don’t mean that as “damnation through faint praise” either: Even if Pottsville isn’t in its best days right now, it seems to at least be holding its own in the past few years.

And I feel I should underscore what I said earlier about the city’s picturesque setting. Perhaps it was the springtime light hitting the valley at the right angle when I drove through from the north, but that first sight of Pottsville was even better than I remembered it being. I’m not trying to put Pottsville in the same league as Pittsburgh, but it does have a small touch of that same magic as the city unexpectedly bursts into view.

I drove through downtown, and while it looked relatively nice at a glance, it didn’t appear to be much more vibrant than it was when I frequented the area a decade ago. Many storefronts were vacant, and relatively few people were walking around downtown despite the nearly ideal weather that day.

None of this changes the bottom line much—Schuylkill County is a rather down-on-its-luck sort of place, and even if you can find a cheap home, that alone might not be enough to make you want to live in Pottsville. But at the same time, different places appeal to different people, and Pottsville might be worth a visit if nothing else. Pottsville certainly isn’t without a few merits, and it’s probably not as bad as some people would suggest.

[skeddy]

I thought they changed the name to Pottersville?

[Pilot1]

Originally Posted by cowboyxjon

Well, yeah. Though I can think of other towns in Pennsylvania that are in rougher shape.
I guess I should have added that I have family in Pottsville so I visit 2-3 times/year.

Oh, definitely. Get farther up state, and west a bit, and there are a lot of depressed small towns. Some have come back due to the gas industry the last fifteen years or so. You're lucky. You can hit Spyderco, and Coors for factory tours in Golden! However, Pottsville still has Yuengling.

[Chefkey]

Originally Posted by briantroutman

I feel I should underscore what I said earlier about the city’s picturesque setting. Perhaps it was the springtime light hitting the valley at the right angle when I drove through from the north, but that first sight of Pottsville was even better than I remembered it being. I’m not trying to put Pottsville in the same league as Pittsburgh, but it does have a small touch of that same magic as the city unexpectedly bursts into view.

I will certainly agree with this much, the scenic landscape of the area is terrific and it's not so much of an eyesore in the center of town as it is just mundane. It's a boring not much to do town with a beautiful view.

[Bailey340]

To see what Pottsville is like, I recommend visiting the city, and take a free Yuengling factory tour. I thought it was a cool town.

‘Pottsville is coming back’ – Business Leaders Hopeful about Downtown Revival | WNEP.com

[PreservationPioneer]

The urban core of Pottsville appears to be very historic and well-preserved, much more intact than comparable small cities in Western PA.

[bluewin888]

Any economic development there or planned !??


No jobs there ?


Less and less population ?