johnstown. pa

[gravity1974]

Johnstown Pa sadly, I should say has dwindled in populous over the past thirty+ years to a measly 22,000 people, for really good reasons.
My dad used to say that the city is run by a bunch of old men with no regard of business sense or anything for that matter. They jack the taxes up way high so businesses don't want to be in the downtown area. Now, I know there may be some "mouths" out there that want to be in adversity to all that I say but here is the truth.
Downtown is rundown & the central park down there has weirdos perverts & mostly mental whackos yelling and flinging there arms about.
The areas that used to be good Moxham,Geistown,Dale,Ferndale etc. are quickly diminishing in aesthetic and safety qualities. And they were't good for activities or jobs just not as rampid with drug dealers and the like.
Jobs? Forget about it, if your not in the Hospital field well, didn't I tell you to forget about it? Good luck at Sheetz! Friends & family ask me "whats there to do in this dead-ass town"? I simply laugh & say there is the movies and bars, sadly. Hey that's how I see it, don't blame me.

[NoMoss]

I haven't been on this site for a long time because my moving days are on hold for about the next 5 to 10 years, but I thought I would put my two cents in about Jtown and update those interested about my move there.

I did move from TN to Johnstown in 2010. I stayed in my rented house for about a year and a half before moving in with my sister in a different town about 30 to 40 minutes away (where we grew up...that's another story!).
I liked Johnstown. Yes, there are bad areas. Yes, there is lots of drug activity. But I lived in a house on a good street near a bad neighborhood that I loved--3 bdrms, big kitchen, fenced yard, big porch--for $425. The main reason I moved is that my sister was tired of making the drive to visit me, and I was just too lonely there living by myself. It was not easy for me to make friends, although I did have some really good and friendly neighbors. (My other reason for moving was that my house, which I loved, was just too big for me and the animals, and it was too expensive to heat. I had a roommate for a while, but it is really hard to find someone who likes pets--and quiet--as much as I do.)
I liked the public transportation--which I used nearly every day. It took me into and around downtown, which is not swarming with weirdos as some people would have you believe. I knew some of those "mental" people and they have diseases, the same way that cancer or alcoholism are diseases. Have some empathy, for god's sake.
I sat in Central Park and heard lots of good, free concerts. Ate on a bench in the shade. People watched. It was fine; don't be scared off.

Anyway, back in my old hometown here, it seems that no one can hire anyone for the simplest job because, apparently, everyone is a heroin addict these days. Anywhere there are few opportunities and education is not a priority there are going to be drugs...and do any of you live in a drug- and crime-free city? I doubt it.

My point--and I do have one--is that places are what you make of them. If you need a good-paying job in a growing field, you are obviously not going to have PA on the top of your list. Try NYC, NC, VA, CO, etc. And as far as the people go, there are good and bad everywhere. There are drunks passed out on Fourth Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska, all winter, but should that keep people from visiting there or moving there? Maybe only if you plan on competing for the same space on the sidewalk....
My next move(s) are to Europe, when I don't have so many dependents (dogs and cats) any more. I want to see it all!

[dtg1970]

Chiefs- gone, football-gone. And the "disgruntled" comments are as close to fact as you can get. "Ppl that move away want to move back when possible?" That's the point, its not possible. The cost of living is so low because jobs pay nothing, drugs, crime are rampant. The ones that say its that way everywhere, are the ones that never leave and are very defensive. I've invited these ppl to come see where I live, see the lack of public housing and lack of crime. No takers. Why? Jealous and afraid of being wrong. "You have a 2k mortgage?" Yes and I make 6 figures after being offered a job in that god forsaken Johnstown, well below my qualifications for $10 hr because I didn't drink murtha kool aid

[PABlondie]

Well I have been all up and down the east coast and the story is the same almost everywhere, degradation, drugs, crime. I wonder if Johnstown is improving at all. I see so many houses for sale and there are a lot of people that just need a decent roof over their heads, including myself. Is there anyone there who can speak to the good things about the city? Has the Kernville Arts District materialized or died out. Are there any artists there? I know that there is a distinct lack of work but what about retirees. Is anyone happily retired there? What parts of the city would you say are the worst? I would love to hear from someone who recently moved there.

[NoMoss]

I am still a supporter of Johnstown's, even though I haven't lived there for 3 years. I wish I would have never left (I live in Blairsville for the time being, about 30 min away). If I wasn't moving to Bowling Green, OH, in 3 weeks, I would move back to Johnstown in a minute. There are lots of affordable places to live, I love the architecture, the roads were just re-done, there is the Flood City Music Festival, and lots of downtown activities, as well as a great bus system.
I don't know which section is the worst...I can't remember the names of the neighborhoods now, but I lived about 2 min from downtown on Oak Street (near Messenger) and I was very happy. There are bad places everywhere. When I lived in Greeley, CO, I lived next to a wonderful family on a well-tended street, but on the other side of me were crackheads. You can't get away from it all, unless you have hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend on a house, which I never will. I will always be a renter on the edge of the bad section of town...and I have done just fine.

[jkbatca]

Last year was the last time I have visited Johnstown, and sad to say I will never be going back. The economy is imploding like a black hole and for all the areas I've seen (and I've covered almost all the town), only Richland looked like an area I would live in, maybe, if I had to live in Johnstown. There are some rural areas east and south which are nice, but you would have to really like living out in the country with very little civilization. Real estate in Johnstown is so bad, you cannot give (donate) a house away! No joke.

As for all places having bad sections, yes that is true. The difference is percentage wise how much of the area is bad. I can show you cities where there may be a few blocks compared to square miles of nice area. Johnstown is almost all bad, with a few pockets of areas which are tolerable, and only Richland being livable. I've seen plenty of areas I would rather move to. That's my opinion anyways. And I lived in Johnstown for half of my life and visited regularly since (until now).

Johnstown could have made something of itself after the steel mill collapse, but it didn't probably due to Murtha.

[Lycanthrope001]

Johnstown is a decaying city full of shot out druggies, welfare slobs and people lost in the past. Hockeyville as its now know is also frought with corruption in both its city government and the county. It has a disproportionate number of Megan's law sex offenders that the dept of corrections dumps there as well. Homicide numbers are up only rivaled by Pittsburgh. Heroin use and overdoses are the norm. Jobs are scarce. Houses are vacant and falling down. Slumlords abound. If you are smart you'll do well to avoid this city of darkeness.

[HDRoadking3058]

I was born and raised in Johnstown, lived there for 45 years. Raised a family and had a good job. Growing up as a kid I loved the place. My Father being a steelworker for Bethlehem Steel Corp. made alot of money and had great benefits as most of the population did. At one time Bethlehem employed what the population of the city is now around 19,000. Growing up there were alot of kids your age. Dad's went to work in the mills, moms stayed home and run the household. The mountains were a playground growing up. Building cabins, riding dirtbikes and the hunting was nothing short of incredible. The churches were full every sunday, carnivals, picnics...etc. Then 1977. The flood pretty much destroyed the downtown and some surrounding areas. Bethlehem tried to do business for a couple years afterward but could not hold on, not only from the flood but from overseas steel. All steelworkers lost their jobs gradually over the years. People moved. Sad. The older folks, the lucky ones who were able to retire from the mill and collected a monthly pension stayed. These are the poor folks who have had to watch the town die off or practically give their homes away to relocate. Homes go for cheap. Decent homes. A slumlords dream. Buy a bunch of houses up cheap, get them approved for section 8 and the town gets even worse. And that's exactly what happened, and the city government let it happen as long as they were and are getting their property tax money. I live an hour west of Johnstown for 12 years now. I still have family there and go back occasionally to visit or ride in the beauty of the mountains. The Wildnerness has not changed beside the lack wildlife (that's another subject). When I drive thru the west end where I was raised I could cry. Alot of it and most other areas of the city are rundown and boarded up. I talk to friends and relatives who still live there, I read the local paper online and its sad to say that my opinion is that crime, drugs, shootings, burglarys are the norm. So many from philadelphia, baltimore and the like have set up their drug business in the low income neighborhoods. It's only a matter of time until it reaches the better sections like westmont and richland, and it will, like a plague. It's not rocket science. Churches and schools have closed, people have moved. I am so happy that I took my family from there when I did and the way Johnstown is now I would NEVER return. You have to live in a successful environment to be successful.

[bigben1234]

Originally Posted by HDRoadking3058

I was born and raised in Johnstown, lived there for 45 years. Raised a family and had a good job. Growing up as a kid I loved the place. My Father being a steelworker for Bethlehem Steel Corp. made alot of money and had great benefits as most of the population did. At one time Bethlehem employed what the population of the city is now around 19,000. Growing up there were alot of kids your age. Dad's went to work in the mills, moms stayed home and run the household. The mountains were a playground growing up. Building cabins, riding dirtbikes and the hunting was nothing short of incredible. The churches were full every sunday, carnivals, picnics...etc. Then 1977. The flood pretty much destroyed the downtown and some surrounding areas. Bethlehem tried to do business for a couple years afterward but could not hold on, not only from the flood but from overseas steel. All steelworkers lost their jobs gradually over the years. People moved. Sad. The older folks, the lucky ones who were able to retire from the mill and collected a monthly pension stayed. These are the poor folks who have had to watch the town die off or practically give their homes away to relocate. Homes go for cheap. Decent homes. A slumlords dream. Buy a bunch of houses up cheap, get them approved for section 8 and the town gets even worse. And that's exactly what happened, and the city government let it happen as long as they were and are getting their property tax money. I live an hour west of Johnstown for 12 years now. I still have family there and go back occasionally to visit or ride in the beauty of the mountains. The Wildnerness has not changed beside the lack wildlife (that's another subject). When I drive thru the west end where I was raised I could cry. Alot of it and most other areas of the city are rundown and boarded up. I talk to friends and relatives who still live there, I read the local paper online and its sad to say that my opinion is that crime, drugs, shootings, burglarys are the norm. So many from philadelphia, baltimore and the like have set up their drug business in the low income neighborhoods. It's only a matter of time until it reaches the better sections like westmont and richland, and it will, like a plague. It's not rocket science. Churches and schools have closed, people have moved. I am so happy that I took my family from there when I did and the way Johnstown is now I would NEVER return. You have to live in a successful environment to be successful.

This is all true. I also was born and raised there. I now live in the Harrisburg area. When I talk about my hometown (much like the poster above) out here people don't believe me. It didn't just happen to Johnstown. It happened to a lot of cities (big and small) in Ohio, Michigan and Western PA, and it is sad. I wonder what Johnstown will look like in 10 or 20 years?