Anyone from Johnstown pa (Pittsburgh, Erie: appointed, amusement park, crime)

[slh1179]

Would love to communicate with anyone still living in Johnstown.Need all info available before deciding to move back there. My 3 grown children and thier families are also considering the move. All very unhappy with Florida. Love to hear all sides.Thanks Susan

[mams1559]

Well, I still live here... my entire life. Some say that limits my understanding and gives me a bias. I try to be fair and give all the info I'm aware of, both good and bad.

Bad/Worse: Economy still stinks around here. The city itself has been economically depressed since Bethlehem pulled out completely in 1989. Johnstown America Corp that took over a big portion of Bethlehem's car mfg. just closed last year. There are still 2 smaller steel operations, but they don't employ the numbers Bethlehem did. There's Also JWF .. welding/fabricating who are doing well with 300 employees at the moment. Potentially they will be hiring more in the future. There are a few other bright spots, but they're limited. Most well paying jobs are in the medical field: doctors, nursing, hospitals, physical & occupational therapy, med supply, etc. Also there are some manufacturing jobs, but not near what used to be here with the steel mills. KDH, Kuchera Defense, Koenings, Lockheed, CTC are all hiring, some assembly, some engineering. It's tight to find a job. Teaching positions are hit and miss. For instance, our district just had eight teachers retire this summer, so that was eight new positions filled. But I know there were plenty of subs who applied. So it's sporadic. There's also a push for tech job development. A new tech park was opened where the old Sani-Dairy plant was. There are already 3 new tenants there. Plus a couple tech-related businesses opened close by in Kernville as well. It's a beginning, but it's slow going.

Overall, it's the economic situation that is the worst "black eye" on Johnstown. Without money/jobs, roads go unpaved and lots become unkempt. It makes the city appear worse off than I believe it really is.

I'm blessed to have a decent job that I can support my family on. I see the potential and the positives this area has. We have wonderful scenery, hiking trails, outdoor activities. The cost of living is fairly cheap compared to other areas like eastern PA. Most of the school districts in the area are very good and prepare students for a future of college and learning. There are trade schools and courses to prepare for or retrain workers. There is affordable, quality secondary education available. Richland has snagged most of the commercial business and restaurants, but that's only 10 min from downtown.

Yes, Johnstown has mild to moderate crime/drug problems. In tough economic times it's more apparent because "petty" crime especially .. robbery, theft, etc. .. rises as addicts try to get their fix. We've had an influx of bad influence from Philly and Pgh. into our housing projects (Coopersdale/Solomon/Oakhurt/Prospect homes) which has raised the occurrence of crime somewhat. Still, overall, my personal opinion is Johstown is still safer than many comparable communities. Our police are diligent and effective and do their best to control, contain and apprehend. Crime is also more noticable here because we are a close community and everyone knows everyone in a sense so we're more alert and aware of when crime happens and it's easier to report on.

We have entertainment ... Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, summer concerts in Central Park at the Gazebo and at Roxbury Bandshell, Chiefs hockey, movies, clubs.

We have outdoor activities ... ATV parks, state parks/forests, whitewater park, hiking, biking, camping, skiing.

We have museums ... Johnstown Flood Museum, Heritage Discovery Center, Bottleworks Ethnic Center, SW PA Museum of Art

We have restaurants, many local along with national chains; we have a Wal-Mart, Lowes, Home Depot, JCPenney, Sears, Boscov's, TJ Maxx, Dress Barn, Bed Bath & Beyond.. I could go on and on. Whatever isn't available here is probably available in Altoona (45 min away) or Monroeville (1 hr away) or Pittsburgh (1 1/2 hr away).

We are centrally located ... 5 to 6 hrs to Washington or Baltimore Inner Harbor; 5 hrs to Philly; 90 min to Pittsburgh; 4 hrs to Lake Erie; 6 hrs to Niagra Falls or 8 hrs to NYC. We have a airport not 10 min from downtown that can connect you to Pittsburgh and points west or Dulles and then points east.

We have good colleges: UPJ, Cambria Rowe, PA Highlands Community College (each in Jtwn); Mt. Alloysious in Cresson, PSU in Altoona or the main campus is only 2-2 1/2 hrs away, St. Francis in Loretto; St. Vincent in Latrobe or Pitt, Carnegie Mellon, etc. in Pittsburgh.

I'm raising my family here, where I was raised, and I wouldn't raise them anywhere else. I've visted elsewhere. I go to Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas frequently and I have family who lives in those areas and they all tell me if it wasn't for the lack of jobs, they'd all move back to Johnstown. The people are friendly. There is a sense of community. It's cost effective and most everything is in close proximity. It's worth considering, but be certain to approach any move with your eyes open and informed. Make certain you are informed and educated about everything because I would hate for anyone to move here and then become disappointed it wasn't up to their expectations.

[steel7]

I thought pittsburgh was 60 miles west of johnstown. It usually was a 1 hour drive for me.

[Honest Bob]

All I will add is that Kuchera and a couple of other businesses might be pulling out of Johnstown. The only reason why they were in Johnstown was due to Murtha running the show and pulling strings to bring in the government contractors to keep the city going. Now with the fraud and corruption going on, even Murtha is being investigated.

Like Mams 1559 said, Richland Twp is where it is all happening.

About the only thing beyond that is that unless you have some sort of college degree and are willing to accept less then the mininum amount of a normal entry level pay for the position, you can pretty much forget about making a living at anything other then teaching or health care.

The accepted wage around Johnstown is Mininum wage or slightly above, unless you get a job at one of the manufacturing places Mams just mentioned.

You can starve a little at a time in Johnstown or starve all at once in Florida. But in Florida you don't have to have HEAT in the wintertime.

You don't pay the gas bill here or the fuel oil bill and you will be froze like a popsicle by the end of Feburary.

Goods and services might be cheaper here, but so is the standard of living.

[steel7]

I always liked richland. Westmont is nice as well. If i moved back to Johnstown i would live in Richland township. I went to Johnstown vo-tech hs way back when (4 months & then i moved to ca).

[Diane_Beau]

My husband and I are thinking of relcating to Johnstown or one of the surrounding communitues on the out skirts of town within a 20 mile radius. Any suggestions? Thinking Legoneir, Somerset or Westmoreland.

Thanks,

[tmee1409]

Originally Posted by Internet Superman

All I will add is that Kuchera and a couple of other businesses might be pulling out of Johnstown.

Where did you hear that? I just interviewed with Kuchera for a tech job (even though I have an engineering degree) and CTC just received something around $10 mil (I think) from the government.

[jkbatca]

Originally Posted by Diane_Beau

My husband and I are thinking of relcating to Johnstown or one of the surrounding communitues on the out skirts of town within a 20 mile radius. Any suggestions? Thinking Legoneir, Somerset or Westmoreland.

Thanks,

IMHO, if I were to move back to Johnstown, it would be in the Richland area around UPJ. If I wanted to live in a more rural area, it would be from Richland down 219 towards Somerset or 56 towards Bedford. I really like that area, very nice countryside.

[mams1559]

Originally Posted by Diane_Beau

My husband and I are thinking of relcating to Johnstown or one of the surrounding communitues on the out skirts of town within a 20 mile radius. Any suggestions? Thinking Legoneir, Somerset or Westmoreland.

Thanks,

20 mi radius....

Well, to the west that may include Ligonier, but to get to Jtwn you'd have to go over the mountain (State Rte 271) which can get pretty bad. Ligonier is a historic district with Fort Ligonier. The downtown square has many antique shops and boutiques. They also have Idelwild Park.. a small amusement park geared toward families with younger kids. Don't know about the job situation there.

Or you could go to the smaller communities like New Florence or Seward off of Rte 56/Rte 711 at the end of Haws Pike. They're more like what you would call bedroom communities. Most folks who live there work elsewhere. Except if they work at the power station.

All of the above towns are part of the same school district.

To the north that would include small towns like Sidman, St. Michael, South Fork, New Germany and possibly Ebensburg and/or Nanty Glo. They are all relatively quiet and most folks commute from there for work. They have good school districts (Forest Hills and Central Cambria, respectively).

To the east it would include not too many places actually. I guess you could include Geistown Boro or Richland Twp, possibly Elton and Salix. Geistown & Richland are only 7 mi from Jtwn and have all the shopping districts and the industrial parks along with residential. They have a good district (Richland).

To the south would include Windber, Davidsville, Boswell, Jerome, Hollsopple up to Somerset (25 mi). Windber is a small town just beyond Richland Twp. It has the Windber Medical Center & Research Institute and the breast care center for women's health and a hospice. It's mainly a blue-collar coal mining town and has good schools. The other towns are quite rural and many commute to bigger areas for work. Somerset is the county seat, right on the turnpike.

Hope that helps you get started on your research.

[Diane_Beau]

Thank you jkbatca for your opinion. Being somewhere on the outskirts of town is where we hope to be.