Quakertown Takes The “Rebranding” Plunge

The next town in my series of redevelopment success stories in Quakertown, PA.  Pottstown area residents are all familiar with Quakertown.  We even share Route 663. 

Quakertown has benefited over the years, to some degree, by their proximity to the big cities in the Lehigh Valley.  They are part of suburbia on heavily traveled Route 309.  What many people think of when they get a visual of Quakertown is the “Big Box” sprawl on 309.  However, there is more to Quakertown.

Quakertown Borough is 2.0 square miles and contained 8,931 residents according to the 2000 census.  A 2009 estimate put the population of the borough at 8,672.  The estimated median income for Quakertown in 2008 was $53,340.  The 2008 estimated per capita income was $27,000.  The City-data crime index for Quakertown in 2009 was 258.0, which is considered low.

This all sounds rather idyllic.  Why not roll with it?  However, the status quo was not good enough for Quakertown officials who felt they needed to get people excited about their downtown and what it has to offer.  Honestly, I never thought there was much more to Quakertown than Route 309, if the truth be told.  So now I am excited too!

Quakertown has come up with the all important “tag line” which is “Explore The Possibilities”.  Kind of peeks your interest further, doesn’t it!  I enjoy exploring!  Now I feel the urge to drive up to Quakertown and venture into their downtown to “explore” the possibilities!  Local officials want to make Quakertown a destination.  To that end, they hired Delta Development Group of Mechanicsburg, PA to help lead them to the promised land of redevelopment.  In addition, Quakertown has hired Marketing Solutions of Quakertown to help them identify and market their borough.

The $64,000 question:  What kind of destination does Quakertown want to be?  The winning answer is recreation, culture, shopping and dining.  To that end a logo was carefully crafted incorporating these elements.  Because Quakertown is strategically located on the edge of the Lehigh and Delaware valleys, they are marketing themselves in both areas.

Quakertown was once a manufacturing and commercial center.  With the decline of industry, Quakertown is now a bedroom community and regional shopping destination.  Quakertown has decided to work with the assets they have and improve upon them.  Instead of crying over what once was, they are embracing what is.

Click here to check out the Quakertown development organization’s website – Quakertown Alive! http://www.quakertownalive.com/

Hat tip to readers Katy and Andrew for bringing this story to my attention!

Demographic data from Wikipedia and City-data.com

Why I Voted No For A 3.1% Tax Increase For Pottstown Borough! By Sixth Ward Councilor Jody Rhoads

Image via Wikipedia

Councilor Rhoads cast the only NO vote at last night’s Pottstown Borough Council meeting for a 3.1% tax increase.  Councilor Rhoads had previously stated he would not vote for any tax increase for Pottstown. 

Evan Brandt and I were handed a list of reasons why Councilor Rhoads chose to cast a NO vote.  Here is the complete list of why Jody voted NO:

Ask the person who just lost his job.

Ask the person who can’t find work.

Ask the person who had his pay cut.

Ask the person who had his hours cut.

Ask the person who is on a fixed income.

Ask the person who cannot pay his bills.

Ask the person who lost his house to Sheriff Sale.

Ask the person who lost his health insurance.

Ask the person who is in financial trouble due to severe health issues.

Ask the person who is just plain struggling.

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Councilor Rhoads is a friend of the working class citizen.  He is not a politician.  He fights for the rights of all Pottstown residents.  That is the platform he campaigned on and that is what he has done while in office.  Fight when you’re right.