Tell me about some of PA's 2nd tier cities (Philadelphia: bankrupt, universities)

[Pine to Vine]

I’m pretty new to PA and I’m wondering how some of the state's 2nd tier cities stack up against one another – specifically:
Allentown
Bethlehem
Scranton
Harrisburg

I’d like to hear from folks who live there and/or know the cities well: What do you see as their pros and cons? What does their future look like? Why do you live there? etc.

I realize even in posting this, I run two risks:
1) You’re offended because I called your city 2nd tier. I simply mean the next tier down from Philly and Pittsburgh in terms of population – nothing more.
2) You're offended because I haven’t listed your city as 2nd tier. Well, it's just that these are the cities I’m interested in learning more about in this thread. If you want to tell me about your city and it’s not here, then just do it.

It would be great if this thread could proceed based on facts or opinions backed up with reasoning. I don't find trash talking particularly informative. Looking forward to learning something new here.

[danwxman]

In reality, Philadelphia is in a tier by itself, as is Pittsburgh.

I'd rank Harrisburg, Allentown, Scranton/WB, and Lancaster in the third tier.

[Pine to Vine]

^^^
I'm not really interested in this distinction. I'd rather actually hear about the cities.

[ki0eh]

Well, Scranton is second class A, the rest are third class. http://www.lgc.state.pa.us/deskbook0...t_Entities.pdf

The OP would probably be better off looking in the respective sub-forums for more detailed info.

[maf763]

I think Harrisburg and Bethlehem hold advantages over Allentown and Scranton. As the capitol, Harrisburg will always have the state system and all its workers and offices as an economic engine the other places lack so even with its admittedly awful current economic woes, I see the potential for it to sustain the progress that has been made in the downtown and midtown areas. What Bethlehem has is Lehigh, which also provides an economic driver beyond anything in Allentown or Scranton. The music festival and Christmas connections are also long-established events that help inject economic stimulus. There is also the casino, which may actually be a mixed blessing.

This is not to say that Scranton or Allentown stink, just that they lack some advantages the others have.

[ki0eh]

Harrisburg and the LV also have advantages as logistical hubs (i.e. all those trucks), yes there are a few truck terminals as far up as WB/Scr but not quite as big a deal. The LV and S/WB also seem to have more of a NYC/NJ influx than Harrisburg does, although Baltimore has been spilling into southern York County for a while now and I've also noticed a few NoVA rat race refugees in the Hbg area.

[rsrobbins]

Harrisburg is going bankrupt so I would not move there. Their taxes are going to go up. However, Harrisburg does have an Amtrak station so you can make trips to Lancaster, Philadelphia, and New York City.

[ki0eh]

Originally Posted by rsrobbins

Harrisburg is going bankrupt so I would not move there. Their taxes are going to go up.

That's the City of Harrisburg, which is a small part of the area with a Harrisburg postal address.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by maf763

What Bethlehem has is Lehigh, which also provides an economic driver beyond anything in Allentown or Scranton.

Scranton has the ever-expanding University of Scranton, Marywood University, Johnson College, Lackawanna College, and the new Commonwealth Medical College, along with several suburban campuses that include Penn State, Keystone College, and Baptist Bible College. Scranton also has three pretty large hospitals. To say that Lehigh University is a much larger economic driver to Bethlehem than the universities in Scranton are to the Electric City is a bit inaccurate.

[Pine to Vine]

So for the four cities, would it be easy to characterize each them individually as in clear growth mode, turning the corner, holding their own, in danger of losing ground or in free fall? What basis are your using for your determination?

Thanks.