Which is the best of the Eastern PA small cities? (Philadelphia: for sale, real estate)

[eschaton]

I have no plans in the near future for relocation from Pittsburgh. However, I really enjoy the physical look of the small cities of Eastern Pennsylvania. I love dense rowhouse neighborhoods. I have zero interest in car-dominated suburbs.

Whenever threads come up in the general PA forum, however, people always explain how city X is a crime-ridden pit. I find it hard to imagine that every city in eastern PA has high crime. Pittsburgh has some dodgy neighborhoods, but the city as a whole is very safe minus occasional property crime.

So out of the cities in the Eastern part of the state, which would you say is best under the following terms:

1. Intact 19th century architecture (rowhouse neighborhoods)
2. Safety
3. Some level of social amenities (nightlife, restaurants, etc).

I'm interested in cities in South-Central PA, the Lehigh Valley, and places in the Philly burbs which have old architecture (Pottstown, Phoenixville, Norristown, etc). I'm not interested in NEPA, because in my experience the Wyoming Valley cities remind me of New England (ugly detached wood housing, rather than attached brick housing).

Anyway, fire away.

EDIT: To be clear, I mean city very loosely here. A borough of a few thousand people can be urban if it has a dense built structure. Jim Thorpe is probably a bit too small though.

[pman]

phoenixville has really come back to life and doesn't have a big problem with crime, pottstown is incredibly intact but not much going on right now. west chester is also very nice, it looks a lot like philly, and has no serious problem with crime. lancaster is improving, crime seems to be mostly isolated and trending downward slightly. lancaster's population density trails only philadelphia's (I think allentown is up there as well). more going on there than in a long, long time. bethlehem is also safe, old, interesting. saw a show at the steel stacks in the shadow of an old blast furnace, very cool.

norristown is still struggling, chester is still terrible

[Mr Yuk]

Can't believe anyone would rather row houses over detached housing. One thing I like about Scranton....very very few row houses. I can live in a city and not have to share a wall with neighbors, and have a decent sized yard with some space between me and my neighbors.

But for what you're looking for, I'd say Bethlehem would be the best choice.

[mancat100]

Bethlehem. Lancaster. West Chester.

If you like dense, brick rowhouse neighborhoods, why not consider some of the nice parts of Philly?

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Mr Yuk

Can't believe anyone would rather row houses over detached housing. One thing I like about Scranton....very very few row houses. I can live in a city and not have to share a wall with neighbors, and have a decent sized yard with some space between me and my neighbors.

I grew up in suburban Connecticut and hated it. Mowing a lawn is something I hope to never do. I have no problem with having a back yard, but a front yard should be big enough for a flower patch and a street tree and no bigger, in my opinion.

Originally Posted by mancat100

If you like dense, brick rowhouse neighborhoods, why not consider some of the nice parts of Philly?

As I said, this is hypothetical at this point. Philly does have a draw to me, as my family was originally out that way, and both my mothers parents grew up in the city itself (East Falls and Port Chester). Our daughter isn't going to have any first cousins, so it would be nice to be close to some distant relatives. That said, while I think we have a lot more tolerance of city public schools than most parents (we're enrolling her in public school here), I've heard the number of magnet options isn't as good in Philadelphia as Pittsburgh, and they are harder to get into.

[toobusytoday]

There's eastern PA and Southeastern PA, do you mean eastern PA, which would include all of the Eastern edge of Pennsylvania?

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

There's eastern PA and Southeastern PA, do you mean eastern PA, which would include all of the Eastern edge of Pennsylvania?

As I said, I was including all of eastern PA barring the Wyoming Valley, as the cities up there don't have the built style I am interested in. They're more New England style wood-clad detached housing, not mid-Atlantic brick rowhouses.

[pman]

Originally Posted by mancat100

Bethlehem. Lancaster. West Chester.

If you like dense, brick rowhouse neighborhoods, why not consider some of the nice parts of Philly?

If good schools are tops then wc first and pville has to be in the list. Schools are decent.
Fishtown is probably the neighborhood most equivalent to lawrenceville. Maybe south philly particularly east passyunk.
I'd also point out that Lancaster is probably the most walkable in terms of everyday living including am excellent market house and a train station with service to philly and ny. Bethlehem probably comes in next but its topography is more like Pittsburgh which can leave some neighborhoods somewhat disconnected. If there were train service to philly still that would be a big plus.

[PreservationPioneer]

Like you, Eschaton, I'm in love with the small row-house cities in Eastern and South Central PA. I haven't been able to visit all of them yet. I'll be visiting Reading for the first time later this month, and I'm excited to see Pottsville, Lancaster, Allentown and Bethlehem.

I've detected what might be a bias on this forum against the smaller cities, in favor of Pgh and Philly. Oh well, I'm not ashamed to say I love the smaller cities and think they probably offer an easier and less cutthroat and expensive way of life. Maybe I am wrong, though. I like the smaller cities because they seem to be less choked by sprawl, highways, and the cities themselves are usually more historically intact.

I visited York, Gettysburg, and Harrisburg back in April and I fell in love with all three cities. York is definitely my favorite, though. The city apparently has crime issues, but it's completely intact, beautifully preserved, and has all off the city amenities I like (coffee houses, gay bars, symphonies, boutiques, etc.).

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

Like you, Eschaton, I'm in love with the small row-house cities in Eastern and South Central PA. I haven't been able to visit all of them yet. I'll be visiting Reading for the first time later this month, and I'm excited to see Pottsville, Lancaster, Allentown and Bethlehem.

I've detected what might be a bias on this forum against the smaller cities, in favor of Pgh and Philly. Oh well, I'm not ashamed to say I love the smaller cities and think they probably offer an easier and less cutthroat and expensive way of life. Maybe I am wrong, though. I like the smaller cities because they seem to be less choked by sprawl, highways, and the cities themselves are usually more historically intact.

I visited York, Gettysburg, and Harrisburg back in April and I fell in love with all three cities. York is definitely my favorite, though. The city apparently has crime issues, but it's completely intact, beautifully preserved, and has all off the city amenities I like (coffee houses, gay bars, symphonies, boutiques, etc.).

You would love Lewistown:

Lewistown PA Houses for Sale, Homes & Real Estate - The Housing Block