Post by Jose Sanchez on Jun 19, 2011 5:29:21 GMT -5
I have to admit, I'm beginning to feel a bit frightened of what the gas drilling is doing and will do to our area and the State. I just read the letters to the editor for today and so many had to deal with negative impacts of the gas drilling, and it seems like the same thing on a daily basis. So many folks have been negatively impacted by this; creeks and streams contaminated, wells contaminated, huge influx (there's that word again, don't tell "He who must not be named") of traffic... etc.
The housing situation around here is terrible. I couldn't afford to move within this area if I wanted to. I was looking at homes online last week and couldn't believe the prices. A little ranch in the west side of Loyalsock, near the City line was going for $127,000. A few years ago it would have been less than $100 grand, maybe high 90's at best. It's what I would have considered a nice starter home for a young couple or even a place to move an aging parent - one floor and small. How the heck can a senior citizen downsize or young people start out if they can't afford to buy an itsy-bitsy house like that? The senior has a slight advantage you would think since likely they would have a larger home to sell, but who's going to be able to buy their larger home if a rinky-dink place is going for $127,000?
We're going to wind up losing more people that have been born and raised here. The kids will finish school and leave and never come back, not just to the Williamsport area, but leave PA altogether. Then what, in 10 years or whatever when the gas boom is over we'll be stuck with a geriatric populace living in a wasteland - kind of like a Mad Max retirement community.
Frightening.
The housing situation around here is terrible. I couldn't afford to move within this area if I wanted to. I was looking at homes online last week and couldn't believe the prices. A little ranch in the west side of Loyalsock, near the City line was going for $127,000. A few years ago it would have been less than $100 grand, maybe high 90's at best. It's what I would have considered a nice starter home for a young couple or even a place to move an aging parent - one floor and small. How the heck can a senior citizen downsize or young people start out if they can't afford to buy an itsy-bitsy house like that? The senior has a slight advantage you would think since likely they would have a larger home to sell, but who's going to be able to buy their larger home if a rinky-dink place is going for $127,000?
We're going to wind up losing more people that have been born and raised here. The kids will finish school and leave and never come back, not just to the Williamsport area, but leave PA altogether. Then what, in 10 years or whatever when the gas boom is over we'll be stuck with a geriatric populace living in a wasteland - kind of like a Mad Max retirement community.
Frightening.
