center city pottsville pa (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: real estate, apartments, lofts)

[momndad1958]

my wife & I are looking to buy a home thinking of pottsville ( were from philadelphia,tired of the hustle bustle,crime,inflated home prices ) we are into the downtown atmosphere any comments suggestions thanks

[bluemonday]

I used to live near Pottsville, and I have to say that I don't think it is as bad as some people make it out to be. It has relatively low crime, people are pretty down to earth and friendly, and it has a low COL. Granted, there are good and bad sections of pottsville, but they are pretty easy to tell apart. Recommended areas are Yorkville and Mahantango St. Also, I would agree that Pottsville is definately slow paced...it is pretty relaxing there.

I'd say the biggest problem about Pottsville is the availability of jobs. If you are just looking for "a job" you will find it, but if you have a careeer or specialized job or trade, you may have to travel for work an hour each way to Allentown, Harrsiburg, or Reading. Will you be commuting to a job in Philadelphia?

[SteelCityRising]

Pottsville truly isn't as bad of a town as many people make it out to seem. Most with a negative image of town are those who've simply passed through it along Route 61 en route to Reading from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and I'll admit that much of the view from this roadway isn't exactly "attractive." From what I can tell, the downtown is trying to get its act back together again, but don't be expecting to find loft apartments, condos, etc. in the heart of town, as the concept of "living, working, and playing downtown" hasn't really "caught on" yet in Pottsville. I remember seeing recently that an old theater in town was being restored and is now a historic showplace again. The Yuengling Brewery is also in town, and this complex offers tours that attract tourists (mostly regional---I don't think people from further than an hour away would really want to drive to Pottsville for a brewery tour).

The skilled employment outlook is rather bleak in Pottsville and its surrounding towns (Schuylkill Haven, Frackville, St. Clair, Port Carbon, etc.) It is feasible to commute to either Reading or Hazleton for work if you'd be willing to embark upon a rather lengthy commute. Many people in the Deer Lake/Orwigsburg area to the southeast of town along Route 61 commute into Reading for work. Many to the north of town (Frackville, McAdoo, etc.) commute to Hazleton for work. Just to give you insight into how bleak the employment outlook is in Schuylkill County, the locals rampaged and flooded to work at a new Wal-Mart distribution center in the county (the same complex that was cited for employing numerous illegal immigrants to construct the building). If you're a blue-collar type and are handy (plumber, roofer, electrician, contractor, etc.), then Pottsville is a dream town, as much of the housing stock in and around the city is nearing the point of requiring TLC. There's also a Lowe's and Home Depot in town, as well as a Wal-Mart, Hollywood Video, and a few other chain stores along the Route 61 corridor. The Schuylkill Mall in Frackville offers an alternative. There truly isn't that much of a "vibrant" vibe eminating from downtown Pottsville, but you can definitely get the sense that a lot of the locals want to see their community thrive again. The outpouring of support for this new, restored theater is a good example of that.

If you want to be more of an "urban pioneer" and be among the first to settle down in the heart of Downtown Pottsville, then more power to you. Two other regional options for rebounding downtown living areas include Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. Scranton has a lot more in the way of downtown shops, galleries, coffee houses, etc., but there aren't a whole lot of lofts, condos, etc. built as of yet. Scranton does have the "Hill Section", a tree-lined neighborhood replete with Victorian homes on the edge of downtown, but prices here have been climbing higher and higher in recent years as the city, overall, continues to rebuild itself after years of neglect. In contrast, Wilkes-Barre has four new mixed-use projects that will house Class-A office space, boutiques, restaurants, condos, lofts, etc. currently under development, but retail options are very scarce. There is the new "Diamond City Entertainment District" in Wilkes-Barre that is home to a new movie theater, the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, Club Mardi Gras, Club FUSE, Katana, Bart & Urby's, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, Campus Billiards, and a few other upcoming restaurants and nightlife destinations to help cater to the crowds from Wilkes University and King's College, but, as I said, shopping remains the downtown's weak point. (Perhaps that will improve now that foot traffic is increasing?)

Also bear in mind that Pottsville is a small town, with roughly 15,000 residents. In contrast, Scranton has around 70,000, and Wilkes-Barre has 40,000. Naturally, the more people you have living in the city, the greater demand you'll have for downtown services and businesses.

[Phish Head]

ScrantonWilkesBarre, give it a break for a bit! They are looking at moving to Pottsville, not Scranton. Every time someone is looking for a place to live in PA, you HAVE to throw in how great Scranton is. If it were that great, the population would be booming. Your town isn't that great. Jiminy Crickets, try and give it a rest for a few topics!

Don't worry, though, I still like you.

[SteelCityRising]

I suppose the "Shangri-La Nirvanas" that are Clarks Summit and Dallas are also "booming", right? These communities are also losing population, as is much of the Northeast. Very few of our urban core communities, if any, in all of Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Schuylkill Counties are gaining population. As budding urban planner, I blame this phenomenon solely upon urban sprawl. Some of you people may think McMansions and strip malls are "the wave of the future", but if we're not careful, NEPA will soon resemble the next North Jersey or "Sprawlanta." Do you really want an area devoid of thriving independent Main Streets and home to traffic congestion nightmares? I don't see anything wrong with touting the recent recovery efforts underway in both Scranton and Wilkes-Barre as a viable means to help eradicate our region's urban sprawl epidemic. It's fine that most people living near the city of Scranton think it's a dump; when all of you people are looking at "Sprawlsylvania" in another generation or so with no way out, then you'd all wish you had listened to people such as myself who preached incessantly about the benefits of in-town living and the follies of urban sprawl. Just because Scranton's population is declining doesn't mean it's undesirable; been to Newport, RI lately? Their population is also on the decline.

[The Founder]

I moved to Pottsville from the Lehigh Valley. Allentown is the 3ed largest city in PA, the Lehigh Valley is the second largest, I think it took out Pittsburgh in Metro area as of 2 years ago.

I moved to this town so I could raise my kid up in a good area with little crime..

Pottsville started an http://www.incubator-tech.com to attract firms like mine to the area. And it's working like a charm.

The cost of living is lower, and the work enviroment is a billion times better than what I am used to... such as my whopping 5 minute commute to get to work as compared to the 1 hour and 5 minutes in the lehigh valley.

Take it for what's it's worth, but I brought my 2 year old here to grow up because I think this area is exactly right for a little one to grow up in.

[UrbanPottsville]

Originally Posted by bluemonday

I used to live near Pottsville, and I have to say that I don't think it is as bad as some people make it out to be. It has relatively low crime, people are pretty down to earth and friendly, and it has a low COL. Granted, there are good and bad sections of pottsville, but they are pretty easy to tell apart. Recommended areas are Yorkville and Mahantango St. Also, I would agree that Pottsville is definately slow paced...it is pretty relaxing there.

I'd say the biggest problem about Pottsville is the availability of jobs. If you are just looking for "a job" you will find it, but if you have a careeer or specialized job or trade, you may have to travel for work an hour each way to Allentown, Harrsiburg, or Reading. Will you be commuting to a job in Philadelphia?

You know, there ARE good and bad sections of Pottsville. In my 100s of Visits from Reading, I've seen both types. Yes, Mahantongo street is a nice section. I could agree with you no better. Yes, people are friendly in Pottsville. Relitavely low crime is True.

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by The Founder

I moved to Pottsville from the Lehigh Valley. Allentown is the 3ed largest city in PA, the Lehigh Valley is the second largest, I think it took out Pittsburgh in Metro area as of 2 years ago.

I moved to this town so I could raise my kid up in a good area with little crime..

Pottsville started an Pottsville Schuylkill Technology Incubator to attract firms like mine to the area. And it's working like a charm.

The cost of living is lower, and the work enviroment is a billion times better than what I am used to... such as my whopping 5 minute commute to get to work as compared to the 1 hour and 5 minutes in the lehigh valley.

Take it for what's it's worth, but I brought my 2 year old here to grow up because I think this area is exactly right for a little one to grow up in.

Uhhh no, the Pittsburgh metro is still way larger then the Allentown metro and will likely be for another 50 years at least (longer if Pittsburgh starts growing again).

[fatgrat]

WE, too, are looking to re-locate to Pottsville from Lebanon. The lower housing costs are very appealing. We are retired and want to get our living costs as low as we can, cause the economic future of this nation isn't looking too bright, in our opinion. However, the previous post about THE BEER is right on the money, to say nothing of Chesterfield ale. One last query. How are real estate and school taxes there?