Anyone know about Bethlehem? (Bath, Elizabeth: hardwood floors, where to stay, for sale)

[njbuyer]

We are considering moving to Bethlehem, and are trying to figure out what the "decent" areas to raise three kids are. Can anyone fill me in on where to stay away from, and what to look toward? We are on a modest budget of $90,000 avg for a house. We saw one near the West Side Park, near 10th......is that a nice area, or is it "sketchy?" Any advise on areas to look in? Thanks........

[Gettingouttahere]

Originally Posted by njbuyer

We are considering moving to Bethlehem, and are trying to figure out what the "decent" areas to raise three kids are. Can anyone fill me in on where to stay away from, and what to look toward? We are on a modest budget of $90,000 avg for a house. We saw one near the West Side Park, near 10th......is that a nice area, or is it "sketchy?" Any advise on areas to look in? Thanks........

$90K for a house is not going to buy you *anything* decent in a decent area.

[julian17033]

Hello,

With a 90,000 dollar budget you could look into some townhouse developments but on the outer edges of the city.

Many parts arts of Bethlehem are rather dangerous due to crime and gang activity.

I'm going to let others that are more familiar with the area speak to you on more specific areas.

Bethlehem is historically significant and beautiful in many areas but if you move into an area that is questionable the God help you.

[toobusytoday]

I would look at the sticky at the top of this forum for the crime reports. I agree that $90,000 is not going to buy you a house in a safe area.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by njbuyer

We are on a modest budget of $90,000 avg for a house. We saw one near the West Side Park, near 10th......is that a nice area, or is it "sketchy?" Any advise on areas to look in? Thanks........

An older house on 24 W LAUREL ST, 18018 just went for $100,000 on 10-Jan-2012. That area is very near Moravian College, and is safe for families.
Beds:3 Baths:1 Sqft:1746 Lot:0.08 acres Built:1925.

I think you could find a house for your price range between Center and Main and south of Elizabeth Avenue. That neighborhood is a less sketchy than 10th (west side). For that money you will find it difficult to get more than one bathroom. Also the home will probably be at least 70 years old.

[keithlantz]

I live on the north side in DOWNTOWN Bethlehem and there are a few homes in the area that are for sale in the 90K range, but they are older and fixer-uppers. Downtown on the northside is VERY safe. I've lived here 8 years and never had any problems or seen or heard much in terms of crime. Check out Zillow dot com and search in 18018 filtering for your price range and you'll see there are slim pickins, but there are some and most have good bones as they are older, and mostly brick, hardwood floors, etc. My house was built in 1882 and it has been fun to fix up.

You might also look into west Bethelehem...go across the Broad St Bridge. Again, mostly older homes, twins, and townhomes, but nice walkable neighborhoods close to parks and monocacy trail and downtown Bethlehem.