I graduated Allen High in the mid 1960's. Allentown was a prosperous city, with a large center city shopping district supporting three large department stores. There were also three five and dimes, six movie theaters and a hundred other stores. In addition to Hamilton Street, the stores extended two blocks out on the number streets, between 5th and 10th. On 7th Street, the stores extended out to the new Route 22.
The newspaper was family owned and produced two editions, both morning and evening. The streets were immaculate, keep swept by diligent homeowners. Factories ran two and three shifts...you get the picture.
Yesterday on facebook a young man wrote that he is optimistic that Allentown is turning around for the better. For someone my age, with my frame of reference, that is a challenging statement. Although I'm glad that he is optimistic, and I can appreciate that being so is beneficial in 2018, it is an attitude which wasn't necessary in Allentown's past.
I produce this blog as the intersection of local history and politics. I do not purport to be a life coach. Although I can analyze our current events through an historical prism, those seeking attitude enhancement might do better looking elsewhere.
Youth is full of confidence, for those who have lived it comes in smaller doses. How long have we been told the city is turning around? Answer; since Roy Afflerbach was elected. The truth is the city is very badly broken from top to bottom. There is no institutional knowledge left in city hall. The city's financial future is bleak, the city itself is disproportionately poverty level. The school district shares the same problems but worse. Now add that our elected officials are incompetent hacks. Optimism? Really?
ReplyDeleteWhere is the light at the end of the tunnel? Bad school district (financially) , terrible management from City Council (3 million dollar hole of a swimming pool), lousy outlook on taxes, (only going to go UP), County Water Authority wants to dump on City residents with HIGH monthly bills. Shootings continue to plague downtown, lack of a real plan for Center City - (They can't seem to put the pieces of the puzzle together). GOOD LUCK for the millenials - nice apartments downtown, albeit expensive, nice clubs but NO grocery shopping!! I'll wait another 20 years or so till it comes around!!
ReplyDelete"Sweeping the streets?" I'm from the same era, MM, but in a different and much larger city. If we dropped a baseball card wrapper on the sidewalk we would be reprimanded, even smacked, by a parent.....and not necessarily our own! Watch the hundreds of 40-year olds sitting on stoops in Allentown today and you'll watch a parade of junk getting tossed right at their own feet: litter, cigarettes, flyers, as well as the frequent hocked-up 'clam'. Thank you, but I'll skip today's boxball game.
ReplyDeleteThe Lehigh Valley had it all: Great growing climate / located between Philadelphia and NY / residents with a European work ethic / Lehigh river for transportation. The Second Industrial Revolution (starting about 1900) witnessed the expansion of electricity, petroleum and steel. This propelled Ford and companies like the Bethlehem Steel, and all the other, now defunct rust-belt industries. Add to that WWII demand, and after WWII, the US supplied 60% of the worlds manufactured goods. This was because the means of production in Europe and Japan were mostly destroyed.
ReplyDeleteThe new revolution was Tech. In 1971 when I left Allentown, it was apparent that it was not 'knowledge' oriented. The population wasn't focused on the next new revolution - Tech.
Additionally, the elected leaders tried to maintain the status-quo eg: rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Allentown isn't going to turn around because there is nothing to turn to.
Duug b,
ReplyDeleteI respectfully disagree that Allentown can't turn around. We are surrounded by growing, medium to high income communities. Allentown could easily be on the same road of real growth and opportunities if the city voters would elect real leaders. The location of the city isn't the problem, the buildings in the city aren't the problem, the roads in the city aren't the problem, the infrastructure isn't the problem, we are the problem. Next door Bethlehem was very distressed just a decade ago, unlike Allentown they voted into office competent elected officials. They competently managed the city and things improved because the Lehigh Valley is a good place to be geographically.
Remember the famous line from the old cartoon Pogo, we have met the enemy and it is us.
Putting on my analyst hat, for A-Town to turn around:
ReplyDeleteChange the citizens in Allentown proper. Polite, respectful, peaceful, educated, law abiding, work ethic - those properties come to mind.
Focus for the economy. It used to be heavy manufacturing. A-Town needs a focus - office jobs are too general.
As it stands now - no middle class person is going to come and send their children to Allentown public schools. This can only be fixed by changing the citizenry.
doug...b@4:27, although your comments reflect your opinion and not mine, because you're using a pseudonym, comments are often mistakenly associated with me.
ReplyDeletethe demographics of allentown are not going to change significantly at this point. i do not believe that the current attempt to gentrify center city (Reilly's City Center) will have much impact.
I believe that even "general" office jobs are the best hope that center city has, but hopefully with less poaching from the suburban employers.
there are those dedicated to improving the schools, hopefully they will find a formula that works toward that end
there is no going back to the allentown of the 1960's, but hopefully the 2020's will be better than the previous few decades.
MM, now if downtown had a anchor home depot maybe that would take care of some of the blight by design! Instead of poaching pa tax revenuez to build white boxez. Reily could take yet another tax cut by having depot donate building materials in city center 1,2 or 3 or the many other separated fictitious LLC'z created to separate from the city?
ReplyDelete