What can anyone tell me about Pottstown? (Allentown, Reading: section 8, apartments)

[blazetrigger]

I'm planning to move back to PA(attended college in Hazleton) next year and there is one city that some people keep telling me about: Pottstown. My older brother before he got a job with our uncle in New Rochelle was planning to stay in PA as opposed to going back to NY. I want to know about the area, how much apartments go for, and about jobs. I'm a Computer Networking Technician(entry-level) and any help would be greatly appreciated.

[HappyRider]

I can't think one thing that makes Pottstown stand out, unless you have a job there.

[Icy Tea]

Its not a bad area for its location. Its a little closer to Montgomery County or Philly for jobs although the 422 commute is a bear. And its also got some decent shopping nearby in KOP and Coventry Mall. Its also not too far from some nice rural areas just to the north and west. East its all sprawl and suburbs and office parks.
Trade offs would be that its right next to Limerick the nuclear station. And its kind of lacking for an identity or personality as far as small cities go. Its the poor child of Montgomery County, that and Norristown. Its kind of stuck being too close to Philly and too small to really get a chance to stand out. Its like a smaller version of Reading or Allentown both of which are far enough away from Philly and big enough to have their own identities.

[blazetrigger]

Originally Posted by Icy Tea

Its not a bad area for its location. Its a little closer to Montgomery County or Philly for jobs although the 422 commute is a bear. And its also got some decent shopping nearby in KOP and Coventry Mall. Its also not too far from some nice rural areas just to the north and west. East its all sprawl and suburbs and office parks.
Trade offs would be that its right next to Limerick the nuclear station. And its kind of lacking for an identity or personality as far as small cities go. Its the poor child of Montgomery County, that and Norristown. Its kind of stuck being too close to Philly and too small to really get a chance to stand out. Its like a smaller version of Reading or Allentown both of which are far enough away from Philly and big enough to have their own identities.

Thanks,Icy Tea

[HappyRider]

Not to be confused with Pottsville, which is an entirely different story.

[webmeist]

I lived in/around Pottstown area for about 20 years, so I could give a long and profuse
answer, but so I could limit the typing can I ask why you are interested in Pottstown
or PA so I can give a limited response? What is it you are trying to find about the place?
I know the entire region, SE PA.

[blazetrigger]

Originally Posted by webmeist

I lived in/around Pottstown area for about 20 years, so I could give a long and profuse
answer, but so I could limit the typing can I ask why you are interested in Pottstown
or PA so I can give a limited response? What is it you are trying to find about the place?
I know the entire region, SE PA.

Webmeist,allow me to answer your questions.Being a native New Yorker, I guess you can say that my short time in the commonwealth rubbed off on me and I got used to a more peaceful way of life. I'm not budging on wanting to go back to PA but the reason I put Pottstown in the thread is that I don't know that much about it. I want to know about the overall atmosphere, how much rent goes for(just need a studio/1br) and if there's anywhere I can put my IT skills to use. Anything you know, shoot!

[toobusytoday]

It has a Costco!

[webmeist]

Well, I hate to put a damper on your Ptown-specific request, but I wouldn't recommend moving there.
But you'll thank me years from now.

I was really hoping you would have responded with specific interests you have, outdoor activities (one
of PA's best features,) the type of community you'd like to live in, young urban professional or what, etc.

But as to Ptown, the main reason against it is the landfill. I believe it's closed, but it will in my opinion be
a source for negative health effects on the local population (read: cancer) for decades to come:
History & Facts of Pottstown Landfill
(Look under Campaigns>Pottstown Landfill and you'll see more.

My family lived in the SE PA region when my parents split up, and my mom took the three of us kids and
eventually moved to that town because it was obvious it had the lowest rents in the region. You have to
understand, this was back in the early 80s and the economy was very bad then, nearly as bad as now,
and Ptown was a dead industrial town so it became (and is, though a lot of improvements have been done
on various sectors of the town) basically the ghetto of the Tri-County area (Montgomery, Berks, Chester).

So aside from the landfill, you have a lot of the older folks who have died off, and their homes bought out
by slumlords and rented to section 8 housing etc. This is largely in the downtown, but again the region around
is served by the water table of Ptown, so the health concerns. We moved into the town and within a few years
my mom, who (stupidly) used to mix that crappy Nestea mix with tap water into a gallon jug, and she liked
that stuff. She contracted cancer in a few years and died in a few more. Not that it couldn't have just been a
coincidence, and to be honest I for years felt that she just died, but it wasn't till I moved back to town and saw
that ace report (site above) on the local Ptown cable channel, that I gained the idea that it was an actual INDUSTRIAL
landfill, and that there had been all kinds of cancer clusters, children with strange illnesses (including cancer), etc.
You can't imagine how many people I've known there who I talk to and the first topic is one of theirs who died,
and I mean YOUNG, 30, 40.

This added to the fact that in general as it's a still functioning industrial town, it's kind of a center for companies
who like the area because it's kind of accepted you can pour stuff down the drain. I worked in town there for 10 years
in a factory, and we did a modicum of dumping, and it wasn't till I left and did a random search on the place that I found
that the previous location they were at they had ruined the entire water table of Parkerford. Here's the site I came across,
and it's also telling because you can see the nearby Limerick nuclear plant in the background, which I reaad a while back
when researching this for "fun" I saw they're trying to expand the amounts of toxins they can release from the nuke plant:
Pennsylvania, Recticon/Allied Steel Corporation | Mid-Atlantic Superfund | US EPA

The water there tastes like you shouldn't drink it. Particularly if you come from a place where you have good water.
I mean i had a friend who gave me a plant and over the years i never repotted it but just kept pouring tap water into it,
and when I went to repot it finally after moving out after my mom died the residue in that pot looked
like thick caked toxic waste.

My overall point to you is that no matter where you move to, one of the essential parts of researching your
possible locations is to find EPA or other community environmental ratings sites to judge the eco-quality there.
Particularly in ex-industrial (ie rustbelt) regions.

But there are an awful lot of wonderful places to live in PA. I would mention right off, PA Dutch country, (Lancaster
REGION, not city particularly, like Honeybrook), Saint Peters, West Chester, Jim Thorpe, York, State College
(with Penn State of course).
One of the greatest things about PA is the Appalachian Trail that goes through it. If you google Dauphin, PA, and look
to the east of it on satellite map, you'll see the gigantic green area that is saint anthony's wilderness, I believe the second
largest wilderness area in PA, no roads, nearly or truly virgin legacy forest, etc.
http://www.google.com/search?client=...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
I moved to Saint Peters for the cheap rent, it's outside of the problems of Ptown but near enough to be able to use
stores etc and was near enough to my job in King Of Prussia, I was able to make it the back way on Rt. 23 really
quickly in the morning. It's like a paradise in St Petes:
http://www.google.com/search?client=...Bci42QX5lailDQ
And right down the road is my favorite place on earth, French Creek Park. Lotta good mountain biking and
hiking in Pa, if you're into that. Oh yes, look up "The Pinnacle" near Hamburg.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vei8lDklas
The App. Trail runs from about Harrisburg on a wide swath up to Del Water Gap, so I'd
recommend looking around those regions, Allentown (again, old industrial town though), but your main problem
will be finding affordable near places with enough job potential.
One of the greatest things I found also about living in SE PA is it's a hop skip jump to Maryland/Chespeake,
Virginia (again with App Trail, Skyline Drive/Shenandoah) and Jersey shore.
Ask away for more info (if that's not already way too much), or if I think of anywhere else I'll continue.
Good luck in your search.

[atbauer95]

I moved to P-Town for work - my job was then downsized. here is my opinion.
Positive - small town, schuylkill river trail, convenient to 100 and 422, convenient fast
food and nearby applebees, etc, nearby gym. Negatives - Not much night-life, no identity,
no culture, 422 is a nightmare to drive during rush hour, not alot of young people,
not alot of "things to do" , downtown is PATHETIC and run down, nuclear power plant nearby,
water is gross,

-- you can find things to do, but you really have to look. for young professionals
there are much better places. like i said i moved for my job - and i can say i wish i had
not moved here now.