"Allentown"

 

Well we're living here in Allentown

And they're closing all the factories down

Out in Bethlehem they're killing time

Filling out forms

Standing in line

Well our fathers fought the Second World War

Spent their weekends on the Jersey Shore

Met our mothers in the USO

Asked them to dance

Danced with them slow

And we're living here in Allentown

 

But the restlessness was handed down

And it's getting very hard to stay

 

Well we're waiting here in Allentown

For the Pennsylvania we never found

For the promises our teachers gave

If we worked hard

If we behaved

So the graduations hang on the wall

But they never really helped us at all

No they never taught us what was real

Iron and coal

And chromium steel

And we're waiting here in Allentown

 

But they've taken all the coal from the ground

And the union people crawled away

 

Every child had a pretty good shot

To get at least as far as their old man got

But something happened on the way to that place

They threw an American flag in our face

 

Well I'm living here in Allentown

And it's hard to keep a good man down

But I won't be getting up today

 

And it's getting very hard to stay

And we're living here in Allentown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Man does that remind me a lot of my hometown, Wheeling.

Allentown is doing some great things with their downtown.  It's a criminally underrated city in urban-terms in America and has potential growth with being exurban New York City.

Allentown is really interesting. You captured it well.

I was in Allentown a few years ago looking at Lehigh University with my sister and I found the whole area kind of intriguing, as I had never really heard about it before.  It definitely feels much bigger and more vibrant than Wheeling, and there's very much an East Coast urban vibe mixed with a surprisingly hilly terrain that creates an interesting environment.  It also seems to be both influenced by Philly and NYC, though I don't know which market exerts more influence. 

I was in Allentown a few years ago looking at Lehigh University with my sister and I found the whole area kind of intriguing, as I had never really heard about it before.  It definitely feels much bigger and more vibrant than Wheeling, and there's very much an East Coast urban vibe mixed with a surprisingly hilly terrain that creates an interesting environment.  It also seems to be both influenced by Philly and NYC, though I don't know which market exerts more influence.

 

Of course it's more vibrant than Wheeling, my hometown has been dead for 20 years.

^ Didn't mean that as an insult.  My mom went to Martin's Ferry High School, and I've made countless trips to the Valley over the years to see family and such, so I'm very familiar.  I meant more that Allentown is a much larger city.  Flying out of their airport, I was impressed to see how large the city and its surrounding sprawl went on for.

^ Didn't mean that as an insult.  My mom went to Martin's Ferry High School, and I've made countless trips to the Valley over the years to see family and such, so I'm very familiar.  I meant more that Allentown is a much larger city.  Flying out of their airport, I was impressed to see how large the city and its surrounding sprawl went on for.

 

Ohh I didn't take it as an insult.. it is what it is and Allentown is a town of a similar size that the Valley is, yet one town has leaders that helped keep industry and one doesn't just upsets me to see the results of a place that cares

The OP's PA posts have been awesome. Really enjoying these.

 

Allentown is a place that I never learned to appreciate until I left the Lehigh Valley. There's a very unfortunate stigma attached to the city and therefore most of the surrounding residents tend to view it more negatively than it deserves. I don't see it as being that dissimilar to how a lot of suburbanites view Cleveland, though Allentown's "resurgence" is much less intense and considerably more recent.

 

The city has really great density and the rowhomes are fantastic. A majority of the city is also intact as it thankfully never experienced a population loss; just a socioeconomic shift.

 

I think it's probably the Lehigh Valley's, and probably one of eastern PA's, biggest untapped assets.

 

I think streets like these are great:

 

Utica St. rowhouses

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Allentown,+PA/@40.6092238,-75.4841284,3a,89.4y,180.48h,92.41t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1scoYmV0ueeBK0PaeInNIz1w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c439929f4adce1:0xeaf9df4b246824a1!8m2!3d40.6084305!4d-75.4901833

 

Tilghman St. rowhouses

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6106762,-75.4805215,3a,50.9y,261.78h,97.74t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1ss4cQt7WYp3MNLEMWYL_6Qw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

These rowhouses on Chew St. are some of my favorite in the city:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/1430+W+Chew+St,+Allentown,+PA+18102/@40.6021805,-75.4891363,3a,60y,174.23h,100.58t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sVsuWmOv1J7NOJ_I-6XrZuA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c439876ff38ead:0x40845b1fe0c7cc67!8m2!3d40.601949!4d-75.489012

 

There's also the neighborhood of West Walnut. This area was developed for wealthier residents before the city began a more typical suburban expansion and has some excellent mansions. (If anyone is interested, take a look at Catasauqua, PA. Lots of early industrialist's mansions from a similar time period)

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.595753,-75.4894026,3a,75y,261.89h,92.69t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1ssvqBEFHDq_3QlnYIVGKk6A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.595914,-75.4907217,3a,75y,147.05h,111.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sQw3gcH5y_9F3_4U05rsk9g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

 

I was in Allentown a few years ago looking at Lehigh University with my sister and I found the whole area kind of intriguing, as I had never really heard about it before.  It definitely feels much bigger and more vibrant than Wheeling, and there's very much an East Coast urban vibe mixed with a surprisingly hilly terrain that creates an interesting environment.  It also seems to be both influenced by Philly and NYC, though I don't know which market exerts more influence. 

 

The Lehigh Valley is the 3rd most populous region in PA behind metro Philly and Pittsburgh; it's very substantial.  I've been through there a number of times, both to look at Lehigh U with relatives and (once) attend the Philadelphia Eagles' summer training camp about a decade ago... While the campus is gorgeous and set on the side of a hill, Bethlehem itself showed many ill-effects from the Beth Steel closing; considerable poverty.  I'm hoping the economy has picked up since then. 

 

The OP has done an excellent job in his threads capturing the fact that all Pennsylvania cities seem/feel architecturally related in terms of style and building material. Few states that I know of have this kind of continuity. 

Bethlehem itself showed many ill-effects from the Beth Steel closing; considerable poverty.  I'm hoping the economy has picked up since then.

 

It's going very strong! The South Side around Lehigh has really changed in the past five years. Poverty is still an issue in places, as is standard with a lot of US cities, but I wouldn't call it "considerable."

Allentown is doing some great things with their downtown.  It's a criminally underrated city in urban-terms in America and has potential growth with being exurban New York City.

 

I think you're right that it has geographic opportunities, but I don't know if it's necessarily underrated. It's definitely still struggling, but there is a clear upward trajectory now. I think Bethlehem is doing better lately.

Allentown is doing some great things with their downtown.  It's a criminally underrated city in urban-terms in America and has potential growth with being exurban New York City.

 

I think you're right that it has geographic opportunities, but I don't know if it's necessarily underrated. It's definitely still struggling, but there is a clear upward trajectory now. I think Bethlehem is doing better lately.

 

criminally underrated city in urban-terms...meaning, this.

 

 

 

Allentown has structural density that annihilates cities 3x its size.  It's quite impressive (as all larger eastern Pennsylvania cities show).

its like a smaller, still-dense version of the three ohio red-headed step-sister cities.

Amazing urbanity for a city this size!

If anyone wants to take a streetview tour, check out the West Park and West Walnut neighborhoods:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.5992768,-75.4923424,3a,75y,163.39h,90.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sO2lxLl2rfCk3qd6jkD2f-w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.5994869,-75.4933518,3a,60y,76.81h,88.84t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1si3OsF_fAdntAl6e8sh3p3A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.5983863,-75.4883282,3a,60y,335.41h,92.43t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sYy204dy_dYH2Da8_g2WgKA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.5953123,-75.4910576,3a,75y,97.15h,89.77t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sVqcXC0lXVeCsmkOzIr3K1w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

can you believe places like this have been abandoned for the likes of Phoenix? So gorgeous. It's in the public good to ensure places like Allentown come back.

But but but it snows! Who cares what your built environment looks like when you get the pleasure of sitting inside in your air conditioning year round, right?