Low real estate prices, a slower pace of life, and glimpses of green earth have been the Lehigh Valley's draw for New Yorkers choosing to make their homes in Pennsylvania. The present day exodus from the north is not new. The first wave of New York and New Jersey expatriates hit the fertile eastern shores of the Keystone State in the mid 1980s. Today the Lehigh Valley boasts about 50 commuter buses that make the hour-and-a-half trip to NYC each week day. A look at the real estate market in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area proves that Pennsy offers a lot more "bang for the buck" than NYC. Check my link at the right for "Listing of the Week" and then check the NYC ad below (courtesy of Best of Craig's List):
RENT YOUR 3x3 foot SQUARE!!! $600
I am looking for 3 people (who will have separate shifts to share the space) to rent out my “space” in my apartment. It’s a 3x3’ foot square which includes a pillow and a bucket. You do not have access to the apartment; however, I will allow you to walk from the door to your ‘area’ in a straight line. You're 'space' will be outlined by NEON Duct-tape on the floor!
The shifts are as follows:
one person from 9am – 5 pm, one person from 5pm – 1 am, and 1am – 9am. No overlapping as an overage charge will be placed on your rent. This is the right kind of deal for a student with a useless major (English. Drama, Pottery) or an actor who has no potential and will probably never make it, but lives off of daddy’s trust fund.
YOU DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO ANY FACILITIES IN MY APARTMENT. FIND YOUR OWN BATHROOM OR SHOWER, THERE IS A BURGER KING ON THE CORNER, AND A BODY SHOP 3 BLOCKS AWAY. YOU SLEEP, WAKE UP, LEAVE!!!!
I DO NOT ALLOW ANY FORM OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ME AND MY RENTERS, IF YOU BOTHER ME, I WILL RAISE YOUR RENT. IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS PLEASE CALL MY CELL PHONE AND LEAVE A POLITE VOICE MAIL.
FIRST+LAST + SECURITY DEPOSIT REQUIRED LOOKING FOR SOMEONE VERY LONG TERM -2-3 YEARS
There are about 4 of these ‘squares’ in my apartment, Will go FAST, REPLY ASAP, to MOVE IN ASAP!
I just came across your link. I have lived in the Lehigh Valley since 1989. We moved due to the lower housing costs. I originally bought an 1100 square foot house in the Alton Park section of Allentown which is about 2 minutes away fro the Lehigh St exit of I-78. The house had radiant heat in the floors, a woodburning fireplace, 3 bedrooms and a large lot with a side patio and built in charcoal grille. It is near a mall and lots o other shopping. About 6 years ago I moved to a twin in the historic district of West Park. It has almost 2800 square feet of living space, a full basement and a finished attic. It was built in 1915 and has harwood floors, great woodwork, wainscotting, plate rail and boxed beaed ceilings in the dining room. None of the woodwork is painted which is what attracted us to this house. It has stained glass windows and a built in bench in the entry/living room. We did have to replace some dropped ceilings and are currently working on the main bathroom-there are 2 other bathrooms, one with just a toilet and one on the thrid floor with a shower, sink and toilet that we just re-did.
The downtown area is currently in the midst of a renovation that hopefully will bring a little more culture and vibrancy to an area with too many sports bars. The park system is great. West Park is a city park that is also an arboreatum with a fountain and a bandshell where there are concerts during the summer-not music to my taste, but a least it draws people to the park. The bes real estate link is http://www.lvarmls.com/.
It covers the entire Lehigh Valley. It's definiely worth a trip. There are at least 2 house tours-one of the Old Allentown Historic District in the Fall and one in West Park in June, but if you can't wait until then, check out the open house listings every week on the Lehigh Valley Association of Reaoltors website. The only thing we're missing out here is a good Italian bakery and some counter culture.
Posted by: Diana, Allentown, PA | December 03, 2005 at 07:37 AM