[PRCo] Re: McKeesport 1953

[Fred Schneider]

Interesting point you make.  Eastern Germany (the former DDR) has also moved to the suburbs
because in the early 1990s it was much easier to get a clear title to a piece of vacant land
in the suburbs than to try to buy a building in the city and be sure that it wouldn't revert
to a family that owned it in the 1920s.  France is probably becoming just as Americanized as
we are though they are loathe to admit it.  Virtually every French town of 5,000 people or
more has a shopping center outside it ... the northern of the Nantes light rail lines ends at
a shopping center (but the parking lot is entirely between the railway and the stores).   This
is a fact of European life that tour bus groups and train travelers don't see.  Those of us
who rent cars and who are travelers instead of tourists see it.  (Yes, I bought a coat in that
mall in Nantes.  I bought an alarm clock in a Globus store outside Erfurt --- almost hidden
among six auto dealers, Days Hotel, Ramada Hotel, and Ibis Hotel.)

I will not win friends by saying it, but no one forced me to buy an automobile.  Henry Ford
didn't threaten to break my knee caps if I didn't buy his cars.  It was my choice.  I made it
of my own free will.  And since 1961 my wife and I driven a Packard, nine Fords, four
Volkswagens, and two Buicks.   And whether or not it is good for the environment or the tax
base, I would, in most instances, rather drive on my own rubber than use public transport.
The suburbs that destroyed McKeesport or Munhall, Reading or Rochester, Pittsburgh or
Philadelphia, were built for those of us who love our automobiles.  (And everyone on this list
whose homes I've visited also lives in the suburbs and drives a car ... Harold may be our
exception.)

And now the scary part.  We all know that our suburbs, where most of our people live today,
were the result of unusually cheap motor fuels. When you see that $1.60 at the pump, remember
that is damn near the cheapest gasoline in the world.  I've been spending $4.50 to $5.50 a
gallon in Europe for at least five years.  There are oil resource and consumption models that
tell us oil shortages will begin in ten years and that the price, owing to demand versus
supply, will rapid rise to $10 a gallon (without the add on taxes).   Will we be able to
restore our mindset and our cities fast enough?   I'm skeptical but I hope the models are
wrong.

And that too ought to set off a barrage of hate mail....

Harold Geissenheimer wrote:

> Fred and all
>
> Thats the problem.  With few exceptions in Europe (UK, Belgium, Russia and Ruhr) they have
> maintained theor cities and small towns.
>
> Its wrong in my opinion to throw a community away.  Its not something
> to be proud of.
>
> McKeesport was a big player in winning World War 2.
>
> Harold Geissenheimer
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Fred Schneider <fschnei at supernet.com>
> Sent: Jan 13, 2004 9:10 AM
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: McKeesport 1953
>
> And sadly, the 30K that still live there are mostly the ones who can't get
> out.
>
> Derrick J Brashear wrote:
>
> > On Mon, 12 Jan 2004, Harold Geissenheimer wrote:
> >
> > > McKeesport had a daily newspaper...Is it still there?
> >
> > Daily News; Still at the corner of Lysle Boulevard (Jerome St) and Walnut
> > St.
> >
> > > They had rail commuter service and it was a stop on mainline B&O trains.
> >
> > They had commuter rail service until 1989, and Amtrak service until a few
> > years later.
> >
> > > PRC trolleys connected to downtown PGH via two routes
> >
> > 56C and 61C buses still approximate those routes.
> >
> > > They had a good downtown.  A Sgt in my National Guard unit
> > > operated a family owned rug business...Sam Dougherty on 5th Ave
> > > It was still there two years ago.
> >
> > It was still there the last time I was through and paying attention, but
> > my wife doesn't live in Versailles anymore, so it's not that frequent
> > anymore.
> >
> > > A good hospital...and lets not forget Dr Hunt
> >
> > The hospital is still there.
> >
> > > What is the current population?  Used to be about 65 K I believe.
> >
> > I'd guess under 30k.
> >
> > The author of that site, incidentally, was a student at CMU a year behind
> > me. He's now Pitt's webmaster (so he told me earlier today)