Living in Lehigh Valley...good idea?

[gauchogolfer]

Hi everyone,
I am considering moving to the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania for a job, but I really don't know much about the place. I've lived in Austin, Denver, and Santa Barbara, and I'm not sure how well I'd handle the move. I guess I'd just like some people's opinion of the area, and what (if anything) good they have to say. So far all I've found that's better than California is the housing market . The job would be a pretty good one as well, which is why I'm considering it. I like to play golf, surf MR, see some sporting events, have nice restaurants, spend time outdoors, and have water and mountains nearby.

Is CNN's 86th best-place-in-the-country-to-live justified? Thanks for your feedback.

 

[Aniej]

Lehigh Valley is a very nice place to live. I live on Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, so I cannot tell you tons about LV, but I do know that it is one of the fastest growing places in PA. Pennsylvania as a whole is a great place to live and proximity to to Philly provides a great night life, awesome cultural resources, the arts and the largest urban park in America. The natural resources of PA and LV area absolutely amazing with the mountains only 2hrs away and the jersey shore 1 hour from philly. Philadelphia is still quite affordable for a major US city, though it is getting more costly. It has a great culture people who want an amazing quality of life on the northeast, but do not want to live in nyc, but it's 1 1/2 hrs to nyc or dc if you need to go. The suburbs are a really nice place to live and provide one of the best places to live that is close to a major urban city. There are tons of good things to go into, but I can only type on this subject so long.

 

[gauchogolfer]

Thanks for such a detailed response! I hope to hear from some more locals. I think I would be OK with the move, but it's pretty far from her family (San Francisco) for my wife to go. Mine is scattered all over the place.

 

[bousozoku]

The Lehigh Valley is a pretty good area. You're far enough from the cities to avoid some of the craziness but close enough to enjoy the museums, restaurants, music, and events.

The food is great, the people are usually friendly, and the traffic is generally okay, as long as you don't live near Dorney Park. Getting to Philly is simple and quick and NYC is not much further.

As a bonus, there are several Apple stores around the area but not in the Lehigh Valley, if you like that sort of thing.

 

[gauchogolfer]

How's the public transportation getting to Philadelphia and NYC, in case I don't want to deal with horrendous traffic?

BTW, so far you guys are doing a good job of selling me on the place, anyone out there with anything negative to say? Speak now or forever hold your peace.

 

[bousozoku]

How's the public transportation getting to Philadelphia and NYC, in case I don't want to deal with horrendous traffic?

BTW, so far you guys are doing a good job of selling me on the place, anyone out there with anything negative to say? Speak now or forever hold your peace.

I only traveled from Philly to NYC and that transportation was good then, especially since the tracks went by my apartment.

SEPTA and New Jersey Transit are your main links to public transportation but the Lehigh Valley has its own bus system. There is also an airport there.

I haven't spent a lot of time there, except for Dorney Park but the t.v. news in Philly always kept me informed.

 

[YS2003]

I heard Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton areas) is an up and coming industrial and commercial area. Some companies from NY and NJ are moving to that areas. I go there periodically on business. The traffic is not that bad. I noticed there are many commuters working in NJ. So, in the morning, the traffic going from Lehigh Valley to NJ would be heavy and the the late afternoon, the traffic coming back from NJ to Lehigh Valley would be heavy as well.
It would be about 1.5 to 2 hours by car to get to GWB from Lehigh Valley.

 

[dmw007]

Lehigh Valley is nice, but all of us cool people live in the Lebanon Valley.

 

[ziwi]

LV is great. THe traffic is only bad in the metro areas, but to get to the city driving is the best bet, but transportation is available, but you have to drive to get to it for about 10-20 minutes South - rumur has it they (SEPTA) will be opening a line that extends North past Colmar.
Eagle training camp in Lehigh University each summer if you are into that as well.
There are easy access routes to NYC, Philly and King of Prussia and beyond, many driving options for each direction. Nice place to live.

Good Luck.

 

[MacFan782040]

It's a good place to live...If you like the rural setting, you can live somewhere like Kutztown or Trexlertown, which is a 20-25 minute from Allentown.

However, there are many nice suburban locations, like Bethlehem.

 

[gauchogolfer]

Thanks for all of the responses, again. The place I'd be working is located in Bethlehem, and it seems like there are plenty of housing options to choose from around there.

Do any of the towns there have a nicer 'downtown' area than the others? Living in Santa Barbara, and then in France, I've grown to like the idea of being able to walk to town and have many different kinds of services/buildings/entertainment options. Would one town or another be preferable in this case?

 

[StarbucksSam]

There are pros and cons to the Lehigh Valley. One pro is that it's between New York and Philadelphia, but it's not really that close to either.

I live in the Philadelphia area and I tend to go back and forth between New York and Washington a lot, so that's convenient for me - but I feel like there's not a lot for me HERE. That's how you might feel living in LV.

At the same time, it's scenic and quiet without being terribly far from "civilization".

 

[Aniej]

I only traveled from Philly to NYC and that transportation was good then, especially since the tracks went by my apartment.

SEPTA and New Jersey Transit are your main links to public transportation but the Lehigh Valley has its own bus system. There is also an airport there.

I haven't spent a lot of time there, except for Dorney Park but the t.v. news in Philly always kept me informed.

I mean it is semi-public transit, but Amtrak is only $65 to get to NYC and it takes only 1hr 15 mins. so nice!

 

[bousozoku]

I mean it is semi-public transit, but Amtrak is only $65 to get to NYC and it takes only 1hr 15 mins. so nice!

Of course.

They talk about how bad public transportation is around Philly but it's not nearly as bad as other parts of the country. NJ Transit does take care of most of that state but PA has a lot more area to cover so it's threadbare in its coverage sometimes.

My last apartment there was on the Delaware River and five minutes walk to the train station and bus stop, so things were rather convenient.

I'd imagine that you'd want to have a car to get around Lehigh Valley, though.

 

[cslewis]

I live in Kutztown, which is 17 miles from Allentown and on the very edge of the Lehigh Valley. Given its proximity to New York City and Philadelphia, the Valley has a large variety of cultural and artistic events as well as a good job market in high-tech industries like computer engineering. Not to metion lower housing prices than in New Jersey, New York, or the Philly 'burbs.

Train service isn't yet available from surrounding cities. But the area's regional transit authority, LANTA, and other independent companies run commuter and municipal bus systems. If you're looking for a 'downtown' urban experience, Bethlehem is one of your best bets. Since the death of Bethlehem Steel and other heavy industry, local cities and small towns have done a nice to reinventing their downtowns as urban communties with walkable lifestyles and cultural and artistic venues.

I hope this helps! Feel free to PM me.

 

[jove4015]

Yeah, I grew up in Bethlehem but I've lived elsewhere the past 6 years or so... (Funny, I'm actually going back there tomorrow, holidays...) It's a great place. The housing is much, much cheaper, and the people are also very friendly. It's just much easier to live there, in general. Only problem is finding work, but if you've already got a job lined up then you're all set. I agree with the last poster, downtown Bethlehem is the best of the 3 - look for something between new st & linden st. close to the river, or close to that area. Easton's downtown is also pretty nice... you probably wouldn't like Allentown much if you're an outdoor type though. Great state parks around, good restaurants downtown Bethlehem and the south side. Public transportation's a little lacking (all busses). Plenty of water and mountains. If you have issues with your mac, there's a good place in the know up on Rt. 191 towards Nazareth. They've fixed my screen a few times... ;-)