East Stroudsburg PA Economic Inequality Jacob Soto East

East Stroudsburg, PA Economic Inequality Jacob Soto

East Stroudsburg, PA v Monroe County, Pennsylvania v 80, 000 people v Delaware Water Gap v Pocono Mountains v Borough + Greater Area v Technically, part of the New York Metropolitan Area dd

Background v Initially, not much here other than farms v Train stop added v Manufacturing and production began v No change until the 1960 s

Tourism v The upper class from the NYC and Philadelphia areas would travel to the Poconos v Flying still too expensive, so the Poconos were the perfect distance v Weekend trips, summer homes v Recreational activity,

Penn Hills Resort 1960

Penn Hills Resort Now

Decline in tourism, rise in population v Tourism in the area declined when flying became more convenient v More and more people began to look for homes outside of big cities v Crime, not fit for families, high cost of living v Population soared between 1970 and 2008 quadrupled

Monroe County Population 180, 000 160, 000 140, 000 120, 000 100, 000 80, 000 60, 000 dd 40, 000 20, 000 0 1960 1970 1980 1990 Population 2000 2010

Monroe County Population dd www. poconorecord. com

Low Inequality dd

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Explanation of Equality v The NYC residents that moved here were more likely than average to become part of the middle class v Capital to relocate v Purchase a home, initiate a lease v Steady income v Job worth commuting for v Few people that make up the “extremes” v No millionaires or billionaires to skew the wealth v Few large impoverished neighborhoods

Total Population People Living in Poverty United States Green = white portion of that population Yellow – nonwhite portion of that population dd East Stroudsburg

Reduced Inequality among Ethnicities v Those who relocated from NYC were more likely to be Latino or black v White people that already lived here were more likely to be poor v Livelihoods disrupted v Same qualities that reduce inequality v Capital to purchase/lease home v Steady income v Small farming, manufacturing, production v Industries collapsed in the 90 s

Food/Housing Insecurity v 48% of children using free lunch program, 8% on reduced v Section 8 Housing has a 6 month waiting list v The only recent grant was for $183, 000 to support 15 families www. feedingamerica. org

Reproduction of Income Inequality v Gerrymandering: PA is the 5 th most gerrymandered state v Lines are drawn by the controlling party v Hurts economic reform for those who need it most v Healthcare, SNAP, housing

Reproduction of Income Inequality v Cost of commuting - Bus v $70 per trip v $400 a month for commuter pass v Longest commute in the country - CNN v Cost of commuting – Car v Tolls v Service, repairs v 50, 000 miles a year, 4 times higher than average

Reproduction of Income Inequality v Housing bubble crippled the area when it burst v 1 out of every 40 homes was foreclosed compared to 1 out of every 500 today v 1/1100 for the country v Migration seized, emigration started population dwindling

Economic Future of East Stroudsburg v Attract new businesses v Trains, driverless cars to ease commuting v Renewable energy resources v Continue support for the growing healthcare industry