Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

Measuring Up: Can Harrisburg Put Itself Back Together?

James Fallows wrote a fascinating and insightful article for the March edition of The Atlantic titled “How America is Putting Itself Back Together.” Fallows’ essay provides a powerful and persuasive counter-argument to the prevailing political and media-driven narrative of America as a country in decline.

Over the past three years, Fallows and his family visited numerous small- and medium-sized cities throughout the country (i.e., not NYC, SF, LA and DC). The real story, he writes, is not that of a country in decline, but one of rebirth and resurgence. (He cites Pittsburgh and Allentown as two examples from Pennsylvania.) While some point to problems the country as a whole is said to have, most people he talked to refuse to acknowledge that those “other people’s problems” affect where they actually live and work.

Taken as a whole, America is still the land of invention, renewal, talent, assimilation, creativity and opportunity. While many are led to believe we are on the wrong track nationally, that story runs contrary to what is actually happening, according to Fallows. This may not be convenient for politicians running for office or media outlets that believe that only bad news sells, but it is a truth that is out there for those who spend the time to look, as he did.

I found Fallows’ observations to be exactly right, both from my travels around the country and here in our small city of Harrisburg. As I’ve often said in this column, don’t believe the bad news you read. Ninety-five or even 99 percent of what happens here every day tends to be positive, even it you have to wait monthly for TheBurg to read about it.

Fallows also suggests a way to evaluate the health of small cities and towns in the United States. His “Eleven Signs A City Will Succeed” is an instructive way of looking at the issue. So, I thought it would be a good exercise to take those 11 criteria and grade Harrisburg on the “Fallows scale.” Below is my attempt. No doubt your grades will be different based on your perspective. I find just thinking about these criteria and how we are doing in them can help determine how to move our city forward.

  • Divisive national politics seem a distant concern. Grade: B+. If this were “state” instead of “national” politics, the grade would go down, but, in general, I find that the many folks who hold strong views on national issues are quite willing to work together to make the local area, particularly the city, a better place. Many people who will never vote for the same presidential or gubernatorial candidate routinely work together on civic matters like the Downtown Improvement District, Harrisburg Chamber, Harrisburg Young Professionals and the like. The recent dust-ups between city and county leaders, however, prevent this category from being a solid A.
  • You can pick out the local patriots. Grade A. This one is easy. Harrisburg has both a broad-based group of civic leaders and a deep pool of talent that work daily to make the city better. It also has young talent rising through its ranks. Just look at the list of emerging leaders in HYP or the three newest members of City Council.
  • “Public-private partnerships” are real. Grade C. This item is hard to grade. On the one hand, a number of successful initiatives fall into this category: Whitaker Center, Harrisburg University, Harristown Development Corp. and Senators Baseball being a few. On the other hand, some of our biggest disasters do too: the former Harrisburg incinerator (now properly run by LCSWMA), the initially failed project at Cameron and Herr streets and the Wild West Museum, among others. The Civil War Museum may fall into either category, depending whom you talk to. Clearly, we have room for improvement here.
  • People know the civic story. Grade C. This category also highlights the strength of our city and a great weakness. For all the efforts of the Central Penn Business Journal, Harrisburg Magazine, Historic Harrisburg Association and, yes, TheBurg, to tell the real—and very encouraging—civic story about our city, the paper of record across the river runs a fairly constant drumbeat of doom and despair. Venture into the comment section of PennLive on nearly any article about the city (not that I recommend it), and you will see what giving public forum to a tiny minority of the disaffected will do to your civic psyche. Until PennLive vastly changes its ways, which are driven primarily by the motive to garner clicks for advertiser ratings rather than promote responsible discussion, it will continue to impede a healthy civic story about Harrisburg.
  • They have a downtown. Grade B+. From great restaurants, coffee shops and bars, a lively arts scene, 3rd in the Burg and new apartments and condos, downtown is alive and well. However, many people correctly associate retail with a healthy downtown and, in this area, Harrisburg lags. Retail is tough, however, and it mostly follows residents, not leads them. As more people move downtown, more amenities and retail will follow.
  • They are near a research university. Grade D. I have often wondered what Harrisburg would look like if Penn State Harrisburg (the largest Penn State campus outside of State College) were actually in Harrisburg, instead of Middletown. There is no substitute for having a major research university physically located in your city as anyone from Madison, Columbus or Austin can tell you. But the good news is that, after 10 years, Harrisburg University has found its footing and is on its way to becoming a major institutional anchor and economic generator for the city.
  • They have, and care about, a community college. Grade B+. For what we lack in #6, we make up a lot of ground with this one. Both HACC and now Harrisburg University are important community educators in Harrisburg. Both are committed to the city and improving its overall health and reputation. Other area colleges like Messiah and Temple have also taken a welcome interest in the city by sending their students downtown during and after college, providing a bit of the college-town vibe.
  • They have unusual schools (K-12 level). Grade C. Harrisburg’s public schools are undeniably troubled, but this criterion involves “distinctive” schools. Harrisburg has several, led by the Capital Area School for the Arts Charter School, SciTech High and Math Science Academy, as well as several excellent parochial schools. My grade may have been higher, but Fallows adds that the average resident should be able to list these schools quickly as a source of pride. Unfortunately, the district’s general poor performance casts a shadow over other schools in the city.
  • They make themselves open. Grade B. Harrisburg is a diverse city on many levels, a source of both strength and strain from time to time. We welcome a variety of immigrants and visitors, whether to our colleges or for housing. We have been supporters of various religions and lifestyles long before those things were acceptable elsewhere. Some may argue that we have a long way to go, and I would not disagree, but we are no doubt ahead of many other parts of the country.
  • They have big plans. Grade A. Fallows means this as a government-led category, but, in Harrisburg, we tried that once, and it came crashing down around us. Today, city leadership is focused on basic competence, as it should be. The big plans come from the city’s entrepreneurial class. Witness St@rtup, WebpageFX, The Laus Group restaurants, Urban Churn, Stash, Char’s, AndCulture, Mangia Qui, Midtown Scholar, The Millworks, HMAC, The MakeSpace and many others with big plans that are happening today. One civic item Fallows also referenced is urban infrastructure. When 2nd Street is returned to two-way traffic, Harrisburg will take a major step toward putting that part of the city back together again.
  • They have craft breweries (and small distilleries). Grade A. Harrisburg boasts Zeroday Brewing, Appalachian Brewing Company, Midstate Distillery and Troegs (a legacy Harrisburg company, so we still claim them). A few other breweries are slated to open this year. Let me add Little Amps coffee shop, which gives the same vibe. All fantastic.

Overall grade: solid B. On the items city residents can actually control, things are improving and have a very bright future. On those we cannot (schools, research universities and suburban media), we suffer. As an artist acquaintance of mine, who recently moved to Harrisburg from Chicago, told me, “There are few places around the country where you can have so much, for so little.” We need more people (and attitudes) like him to come help us grow.

J. Alex Hartzler is publisher of TheBurg.

Continue Reading