ARTICLE
Small downtowns emerging on the other side of the Great Recession are discovering their potential and finding an audience more welcoming than ever before. Though the Lehigh Valley's flagship cities — Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton — have made headlines with their growth in recent years, smaller municipalities dotting the area also have been working hard on reinvention. It's all just in time for a generation that prefers smaller, walkable communities. A National Association of Realtors poll last summer found that millennials — those ages 18 to 34 — prefer to live in communities in which they can walk to local shops or restaurants. The Lehigh Valley is poised to cash in on that generation, according to Colin McEvoy, director of communications for the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. Promoted stories from PoliticsChatter.com Trump family members receive threats Photos: President Obama visits Cuba Get to know Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland Outlook 2016 Complete Coverage: How small businesses are shaping the Lehigh Valley economy Outlook 2016 Complete Coverage: How small businesses are shaping the Lehigh Valley economy "The three most important factors millennials consider when deciding where to live are accessibility, affordability, and cultural amenities," McEvoy said. "The walkability of the Lehigh Valley's downtown neighborhoods certainly have a strong appeal for this fast-growing demographic." Boroughs such as Emmaus, Hellertown and Catasauqua have learned that attracting millennials and other generations requires solidarity — whether by forming new business alliances or teaming up with traditional groups like the Chamber of Commerce. "It just makes sense to pull it all together. And the only way we're going to do it is by partnering with one another," said Marlyn Kissner, executive vice president of the Northern Region for the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. Worries that the protracted Route 412 widening project would forever hurt businesses led to formation of the Hellertown Marketing Initiative in 2015. At the time, membership in the Hellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce had dropped off to the point where there wasn't always a quorum at meetings to conduct business, according to Mark Albright, a Hellertown attorney and founding member of the initiative. Albright said borough business owners had soured on paying dues... Read the full article here.
Small downtowns emerging on the other side of the Great Recession are discovering their potential and finding an audience more welcoming than ever before.
Though the Lehigh Valley's flagship cities — Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton — have made headlines with their growth in recent years, smaller municipalities dotting the area also have been working hard on reinvention. It's all just in time for a generation that prefers smaller, walkable communities.
A National Association of Realtors poll last summer found that millennials — those ages 18 to 34 — prefer to live in communities in which they can walk to local shops or restaurants.
The Lehigh Valley is poised to cash in on that generation, according to Colin McEvoy, director of communications for the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp.
Promoted stories from PoliticsChatter.com Trump family members receive threats Photos: President Obama visits Cuba Get to know Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland Outlook 2016 Complete Coverage: How small businesses are shaping the Lehigh Valley economy Outlook 2016 Complete Coverage: How small businesses are shaping the Lehigh Valley economy
"The three most important factors millennials consider when deciding where to live are accessibility, affordability, and cultural amenities," McEvoy said. "The walkability of the Lehigh Valley's downtown neighborhoods certainly have a strong appeal for this fast-growing demographic."
Boroughs such as Emmaus, Hellertown and Catasauqua have learned that attracting millennials and other generations requires solidarity — whether by forming new business alliances or teaming up with traditional groups like the Chamber of Commerce.
"It just makes sense to pull it all together. And the only way we're going to do it is by partnering with one another," said Marlyn Kissner, executive vice president of the Northern Region for the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Worries that the protracted Route 412 widening project would forever hurt businesses led to formation of the Hellertown Marketing Initiative in 2015.
At the time, membership in the Hellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce had dropped off to the point where there wasn't always a quorum at meetings to conduct business, according to Mark Albright, a Hellertown attorney and founding member of the initiative. Albright said borough business owners had soured on paying dues... Read the full article here.