The Death of Newtown Square

[DavePa]

Originally Posted by Pilot1

It isn't just Bucks. Many are moving to Montco, and Chester County also, and bringing their attitudes with them.

Also thru small cities further into eastern PA also. Cheap old-stock row-housing in depressed Counties into the Coal region also. Especially Counties Welfare is easy to continue and good gang-free schools for their children. Many especially from NYC Borough's. All ethnic groups included.

Some stay, but many just move from city to city running up utility bills and skip town. Many with records that are unlikely to be hired. They add diversity to this region. But not so much vibrancy. Drug issues have skyrocketed .... but then tat is a Nations problem today.

But when they fall virtually dead till revived by paramedics from overdoses like heroin. By the home I was raised and on the side, where my Mother still lives ..... it hits home (pun intended). Sadly, they end up out on the street to OD again perhaps.

I can hear the accents that can say NYC or Philly for some. You never in the past saw these big lidded trash bins ... on sidewalks in front of these row-homes in the past. But you do today. Makes for a obstacle-course on small sidewalks walking.

It is what it is. People have to live somewhere and happy to find homes for under $30,000 or less. Some find them on the internet and word of mouth, or rent of course. Taxes on a home in that range including school, county and city taxes .... are in the hundreds and no thousands. Free County bus to get to Walmart too.

Just adding to where some Philly residents and where especially, poorer folk are moving to outside of Philly metro.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Patmcpsu

This is my theory, and it's more about Delco in general than Newtown Square:

The City of Philadelphia is gentrifying, which is great. Places like Fishtown and Brewerytown are getting filled with hipsters and the property values are going up. However, the former residents in those places need to go somewhere. Some of them might bounce elsewhere in Philly, but Philly can only handle so many people, and for every hipster going into Philly, there basically needs to be a former resident leaving Philly.

Of all the surrounding counties around Philly, Delco is the most accessible to these transplants (generally poor, generally without a car); it has the lowest housing/rent prices and good public transit options into the city.

Newtown Square has always been too upscale to be directly-impacted, but its indirect effects can be felt. On top of that, its demographics are still great, so its prime space for new houses, shopping centers, etc.

Philadelphia used to have over 2 million residents. Now it's about 1.6 million. So it can handle way more people than it currently has. But, your point is a good one.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by Patmcpsu

This is my theory, and it's more about Delco in general than Newtown Square:

The City of Philadelphia is gentrifying, which is great. Places like Fishtown and Brewerytown are getting filled with hipsters and the property values are going up. However, the former residents in those places need to go somewhere. Some of them might bounce elsewhere in Philly, but Philly can only handle so many people, and for every hipster going into Philly, there basically needs to be a former resident leaving Philly.

Of all the surrounding counties around Philly, Delco is the most accessible to these transplants (generally poor, generally without a car); it has the lowest housing/rent prices and good public transit options into the city.

Newtown Square has always been too upscale to be directly-impacted, but its indirect effects can be felt. On top of that, its demographics are still great, so its prime space for new houses, shopping centers, etc.

I know there is some dispersal of Philadelphia's poor into the suburbs, but I think that is an extremely small percentage/ a very small area affected by it.

The very far Southeastern portions of Delaware County see it a little bit, as well as Southern Bucks County, but those portions were never trophy communities to begin with. I think SJ is more prone to the shifting of demographics, because the COL is uniformly lower in SJ than Delaware County or any other PA suburb.

I also think a lot of the poor just leave the area altogether rather than relocate to the burbs, the general economics and demographics of Delaware County have remained virtually unchanged over the past 10-20 years, if anything the median incomes and home prices have risen.