Pottstown / Sanatoga / Limerick
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5/9/2006
As of late Spring 2006, this area off Highway 422 (approx 35-45 minutes from Center City / downtown Philadelphia / PHL International Airport)in the Northeastern portion of Montgomery County, had a proposed Slots Casino (Boyd's Gaming) which apparently has not been granted approval and in it's place a Shopping Outlet proposal is pending. Since this county was previously farmland that has, in the past decade, been sideswiped with the housing development boom, unfortunately the locales and the amenities that should follow the urban sprawl migration has only now started to gain ANY momentum. What I mean is the traffic is more congested, the roads have barely been upgraded (street lights added in most cases), and the new shopping/restaurants are not forthcoming (dribs and drabs since I have lived here since 1998). Sure, we have the grandiose King of Prussia mall 15-20 minutes down 422, but nothing in the way of decent restaurants / mom and pop's / bars (apparently the favorite dining out hotspot, based on the indigent socio-economic population, is Applebee's--since there are 2 within 2 highway stops). Besides a new and upcomingly posh Upper Providence Center mall being built at the Collegeville / Phoenixville exit of 422 (expected by end of 2006), Limerick is soon to have a completed Target/Staples/Olive garden plaza by end of 2006/early 2007. Perhaps it's the "evil" Triad, as it is coined on the local channel (Limerick Nuclear Power Plant, Occidental Chemical Plant--now closed outside Pottstown, and a landfill on the other side of Route 100 above Pottstown). Good grocery stores are limited and sell out of items (Giant in particular) because there too many people and not enought decent places to buy your food. Perhaps it's the locals, who are not friendly to change, do not know what customer service is, and have only now welcomed the use of plastic (credit/debit cards). If you are looking to move up this way, know that progress is slow (if non-existent).
Steve | Collegeville, PA