Blights & Abandoned buildings in the City of Johnstown, Pa

Taking a small tour of the Blights & Abandoned buildings in different areas in the city of Johnstown, Pa. There are 15.1 million vacant homes in the USA other than Johnstown.
johnstownpa.gov

[@theklanch]

Thanks for sharing some awareness to this problem. Great video. I subscribed..!!

[@dtail4u]

My grand father and grand mother lived in Johnstown. He owned very successful car repair garages. Called Curry Garage. His name was Gus. Im glad hes not around to see these homes. It's absolutely pitiful. This city has seen horrendous floods as well. I really loved visiting my grandparents.Back in the 70s thru 90s. The people were very kind, caring, and nice!

[@Michael-mx7uj]

So many rust belt cities looking this way - NY state, PA, OH , WV, MI etc.. I don’t see them recovering in our lifetime .

[@loisaustin6200]

I think many times these homes belonged for decades to a family that all died away, probably leaving one very old person living alone with no help to keep the place up. Once that last remaining person died, there was no one left alive to leave the house to, thus it is just abandoned, left at the mercy of vandals, squatters, dopeheads, just rotten people to tear it up. It is a shame, but we see all over the country.

[@wayneott5990]

My how Johnstown has changed! I was in Johnstown late 1974 to go to Zepka Harley Davidson for Sportster parts. I was a student at Penn State Altoona. Johnstown was a happening place back then and thriving as I remember many of the jobs were steel related. I am from south central Pa it is thriving in and around Chambersburg. Twenty years ago I ventured to Altoona and was totally taken back by what I saw on my visit with friends. The downtown was gone; Gables was even empty and not what I expected. Some areas of the country seem to thrive; but, all too often areas where good manufacturing jobs once were common place, have withered on the vine. It is sad to see people having to leave what generations before took pride of ownership in. we need our corporations to invest in our country and not move jobs to increase profits. Our mills did not invest in new tech to keep competitive; they milked the old as long as they could and vested in outside countries to increase profits. Thank you, for the honest overview!

[@shawnk85]

It is truly sad . The city of Johnstown has some responsibility on why this town is so run to the ground. I mean, old couches and appliances on their front porch’s, over grown grass and so on. Where is the ordnance ? Johnstown needs to be strict on it and crack down . That’s number one. People do not want to come into town the condition that it is in. People want to move out and some will leave a home abandoned and the domino effect goes on. No wonder Johnstown is always in the top 10 of the worst cities to live in. Thank you for watching much appreciated.

[@wayneott5990]

Thank you, for your honest approach and presentation of Johnstown. I believe the city is simply overwhelmed with the loss of population, good jobs and industry. What does one do with homes that no one wants anymore. Long gone are the first and second generation immigrants with family bonds that kept cities like Johnstown and Altoona rooted. The idea of family and community have changed in the last 50 years. Places that can adapt to chance progress and grow. Johnstown is a city that was so dependent on one industry to survive and when that died so did it. @@shawnk85

[@shawnk85]

@@wayneott5990 Well? It’s not just the Johnstown area alone , it’s everywhere you go . I may do a second segment on Blight Homes. In Johnstown and out of the area as well

[@dtail4u]

I have a gr8 idea. The fed govt needs to work with the state and city of Johnstown and hire and pay, military veterans, plus the folks of Johnstown , to help rebuild the city, homes etc. I'm sure you would get thousands to take part. Imho.

[@NicoleLeo-vo6ci]

That’s crazy I grow up in Johnstown I was there from 1991 - 2020

[@brucesheehe6305]

Johnstown, Altoona, and Bedford are among the most depressed areas in the state. Once the roof on a house is bad, the whole structure goes bad quickly. Many of those homes have delinquent taxes owed.

[@oldskooljoesdailyjoe3734]

Man, I thought there were a lot vacant homes in my town 😮 Johnstown is full of those empty houses. Wow thats crazy

[@shawnk85]

Definitely much more here than Titusville .

[@NicoleLeo-vo6ci]

I grow up in Johnstown pa it was not all that bad back in the days but I watched my town fall apart after the steel Mills shut down my town became the poorest town people started to leave do to the employment after the rich left the poor people moved in we have a lot of convex and repeated felons that now surround our Johnstown area, it became overpopulated by the unfortunate people which caused our town to become dangerous and more vacant and rundown I no longer live in the town of Johnstown PA I was able to escape from this soon to be abandoned lost that was the richest city in the United States due to the steelmill that once ran in my hometown

[@pnwoods]

Thanks for your video. Is anyone reading this familiar with the area's current water quality?

[@Sea2TC]

It's still a nice little area and lots of friendly people. The stores are doing good, the galleria mall owner is doing a good job bringing small businesses back into the mall, there's alot of outdoor activities, and so on and so forth. I look forward to living the rest of my days out here. It's the most peaceful place I have lived in the last 22 years. Even though the old locals would say otherwise lol.

[@shawnk85]

It all depends on location in Johnstown. Not all areas are bad.

[@Stars123YT]

THAT INTRO SCARED ME

[@gregorycyr9272]

I was in Altoona 2 years ago for 2 days.I was going to work on a solar farm job in Portage that was going to last 5 months.I decided not to stay and instead visited my hometown of Binghamton NY.Both places seen better days.I stayed in Binghamton for 3 days first time since 1993.I went back home to Raleigh NC.

[@rainbowskies5796]

I was actually thinking of buying a home there because they are so cheap. I’m glad I didn’t.

[@shawnk85]

You still could, there are areas that has nice developments so, not sure what is cheap on your budget ?

[@steel90912]

check out Richland, westmont & southmont areas of Johnstown.

[@shawnk85]

@@steel90912 Are there some there because I want to do a part 2 of the video

[@rainbowskies5796]

@@shawnk85 I’m looking for homes $200,000 and under

[@rainbowskies5796]

@@steel90912 thank you

[@fernandoscrenci4874]

Every town has the "Watchers!!!" That's what you are experience!!!☝🏻🤨🙌🏻

[@kerygonder331]

What a shame. In a lot of cases the houses went back to the banks . Then instead of the banks selling the houses to get what money back they could , they still tried to make a profit on them which in most cases was too much. Then what you see is houses falling apart because banks will write them as atax write off as a loss rather then sell them cheap to get a low income family in them and maybe save the house . It kind of shows the mentality of the banking industry. There is alot of bank owned homes in my area that won't drop in price. They either stand firm for their price or have a public auction with a reserve, and alot of times now contractor's are buying them and flipping them.

[@shawnk85]

I also agree with that as well. Why banks just sell these houses cheap like you said for low income families. The city also has no strict ordnance on many of these homes in Johnstown which starts off making these homes look bad in the beginning and then when the owners move out , there it sits deteriorating away and no one will want the house looking so bad.

[@hightops77]

45% of Johnstown is low income

[@thomashamilton3669]

Man, there are soooooo many homes and towns being put on the net. Look at what is happening to America. Even so, Come Lord Jesus A-men

[@kittygabe]

Cutting property taxes, and taking away the child tax credit is the way to pay for school and not bankrupt people who are responcible

[@user-yy9gd5iu2w]

Ending Pennsylvania property taxes would help.

[@RichardDambrosi]

these are areas unless locals strep up and rebuild and populate corporation mostly from other countrys will buy up and rebuild reantal units usually over priced and reny hop up and more leave the town :) most of these at this point the couny owns and no one purchases them at the tax auctions so they sit and wait because one there are many it to costly to take them down .

[@hightops77]

My house is future blight . The way the city is run , and there sewer project there making everyone pay for. Just leave it fall apart.

[@chadburkhart264]

Recognized alot of those buildings. When the city cleaned up Kernville all the 'problems' moved to Moxham and Dale. When did Brogies close?? Was sad to see that. Got all my suits from there, as well as my tux rentals for my HS proms. And yes.... the city only gets so much money per year and they put that towads demolishing blights and abandoned homes. If they had more money they'd demo alot more.

[@shawnk85]

Brogues has been closed at least perhaps 10 years ago. It was my Fathers favorite place when he use to come to town. If we got rid of all the blights, it would look like nothing in town…sad

[@chadburkhart264]

@@shawnk85 dang. Where the heck I been?! 10 years. Dang. Thanks for letting me know.

[@GerryBlevins]

Does Johnstown allow people to assume ownership of these houses and fix them up.

[@shawnk85]

It's hard to determine if banks still do owe them or not on these vacant housings? Some owners may passed away with no family to take care of the house. There are many possibilities as to why they are just left to rot away

[@user-ul5mg8dk3c]

zepka is in winber

[@ronaldlucero4258]

# 999 x 999🎉

[@shawnk85]

Not sure what this means ?

[@naseerhamidi4052]

I found a house that it was super cheap I was about to buy it but before that I opened the KZbin to see how Johnstown looking like snd suddenly I end up watching your video So I'm not going to buy a house there