[xzmattzx]

Norristown is a municipality on the Schuylkill River, and is the seat of Montgomery County. Norristown has a population of around 30,000. Norristown was named after Isaac Norris, a member of the state legislature who ordered the casting of what would become the Liberty Bell for Independence Hall.


Rambo & Regar Globe Knitting Mills, on Main Street. The mill was built in 1897.

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/3104/dscf8509nsv7.jpg

Rowhouses on Walnut Street.

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/5096/dscf8510nkh2.jpg

The Montgomery County Courthouse, on Swede Street. The courthouse was built in 1854.

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/3130/dscf8511nvv3.jpg

Businesses on Airy Street.

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/8462/dscf8512nqk6.jpg

The old Montgomery County Prison, on Airy Street.

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/7407/dscf8513ntm8.jpg

First Presbyterian Church, on Airy Street at Dekalb Street. The parish was organized in 1819.

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/6769/dscf8514niv3.jpg

St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, on Dekalb Street at Chestnut Street. The church was built in 1907.

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/3967/dscf8515nvc4.jpg

Buildings on Dekalb Street.

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/7133/dscf8516ntb8.jpg

Duplexes on Dekalb Street.

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/4381/dscf8517nno2.jpg

Duplexes on Dekalb Street.

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/2470/dscf8518nsb0.jpg

A house on Dekalb Street.

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/8223/dscf8519ntl0.jpg

Houses on Wood Street.

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/9647/dscf8520nql2.jpg

Duplexes on Arch Street.

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/3113/dscf8521nli6.jpg

Rowhouses on Willow Street.

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/8109/dscf8522nga2.jpg

Law offices on Swede Street.

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/1401/dscf8523nyt0.jpg

Buildings on Main Street.

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/4453/dscf8524nwe6.jpg

Businesses on Main Street.

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/4966/dscf8525nsu9.jpg

[Top Of The Park]

well well..very nice

[dugdogmaster]

Rockin:cheers:

[Evergrey]

I believe EastSideHBG now makes his home here.

[Ex-Ithacan]

Nice variety of rows. Thanks for the tour Matt.

[photoLith]

A town of 30,000 that has row houses? WTF Must have had a much much large population in the past. Isnt Norristown the town where there is a huge painting of General Patton or something and it says General Pattons Second Army. It takes up the entire side of about 6 story tall building downtown. Maybe Im just thinking of a different town. Do you have any pictures of the CBD?

[kcexpress69]

Awesome town!! :cool: Like this building!!
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/7407/dscf8513ntm8.jpg

[Wheelingman04]

What an awesome. I love the density.

[flar]

Nice tour.

That big house on Dekalb street looks kinda like a chateau.

[DetroitSky]

Looks like an interesting place.

[ColDayMan]

Fantastic job!

[xzmattzx]

A town of 30,000 that has row houses? WTF Must have had a much much large population in the past. Isnt Norristown the town where there is a huge painting of General Patton or something and it says General Pattons Second Army. It takes up the entire side of about 6 story tall building downtown. Maybe Im just thinking of a different town. Do you have any pictures of the CBD?

I don't know anything about a mural. I didn't see any huge mural in Norristown.

The business district is in my pictures at the beginning and the end. Residential areas uptown from the business district are in the middle.

[Thundertubs]

Thanks for hitting this city. Nice tour.

[pj3000]

Named in honor of:

http://www.nelsonguirado.com/media/users/nguirado/chuckuzi.gif

[philadelphiathrives]

Rowhomes in a town of 30,000 is very common in Pennsylvania. In fact, you probably wouldn't find a town in Pennsylvania bigger than 10,000 people without at least a couple rowhome neighborhoods, and probably several. And even the small towns usually have some blocks of rowhomes.

Pennsylvania's development is different than many states. There is industry everywhere in PA, even the most rural areas. There are also mountains in most of the state. So, most towns have old factories that required people to live within walking distance back in the day and little room to spread out geographically. And that encouraged the building of rowhomes in most towns.

[PhillyRising]

I believe EastSideHBG now makes his home here.

...and where I lived 30+ years of my life!

I wish I still lived there. I should never listen to what my partner says. He wanted to move to Exton.

[PhillyRising]

A town of 30,000 that has row houses? WTF Must have had a much much large population in the past. Isnt Norristown the town where there is a huge painting of General Patton or something and it says General Pattons Second Army. It takes up the entire side of about 6 story tall building downtown. Maybe Im just thinking of a different town. Do you have any pictures of the CBD?

Norristown has never had a large drop in population. The highest it ever got was 38,000 and that was like 1940 or 1950. It's been in the low 30's for years.

As for General Patton...that has to be someplace else because there isn't one of those in Norristown.

[PhillyRising]

This is a picture of Downtown Norristown.

From Wikipedia

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Norristown.jpg/425px-Norristown.jpg

The office building beyond the church and court house dome is One Montgomery Plaza. It was built in the 1970's

[huggkruka]

Castly! ;) I thought Century 21 was a NZ company. I guess it worked it's way there via Australia.

[srr]

yeah montco

[Jibba]

What a nice little chunk of historic urbanism; how I wish new development had the same architectural sensibilities. Thanks for another never-before-seen tour.

[theWatusi]

montco FTW :tomato:

[Evergrey]

...and where I lived 30+ years of my life!

I wish I still lived there. I should never listen to what my partner says. He wanted to move to Exton.

but at least you have...
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/32/49179921_3ef4b9dcf3.jpg?v=0

[Evergrey]

Rowhomes in a town of 30,000 is very common in Pennsylvania. In fact, you probably wouldn't find a town in Pennsylvania bigger than 10,000 people without at least a couple rowhome neighborhoods, and probably several. And even the small towns usually have some blocks of rowhomes.

Pennsylvania's development is different than many states. There is industry everywhere in PA, even the most rural areas. There are also mountains in most of the state. So, most towns have old factories that required people to live within walking distance back in the day and little room to spread out geographically. And that encouraged the building of rowhomes in most towns.

I was going to make a similar point... and in fact, I've seen rowhouses in towns with as few as 1,000 people (such as Renovo... PA's most remote town... located in Clinton Co.). PA's urban/industry/settlement history is unique, and rowhouses can be found in many nooks and crannies throughout the state.

However, there are some Pennsylvania towns over 10,000 without rowhouses... let alone rowhouse neighborhoods. Erie (pop. 103,000) has no rowhouse neighborhoods, which makes sense since it's a Great Lakes city. State College (pop. 40,000) has no rowhouse neighborhoods, owing to the fact that its sole reason for existence is Penn State, and it developed late. I don't recall Williamsport, a northern tier lumber center, (pop. 30,000) having any significant rowhousing. My hometown of St. Marys (pop. 14,000) has not a single rowhouse I can think of. Cities in the Northern Tier and the Northwest (Lake Erie and the flatter areas near the Ohio border) usually don't have rowhouses. Some of the larger county seats surrounding Pittsburgh (like Butler, Uniontown, New Castle) lack significant rowhousing... though rowhouses can be found in SW all over the place in cities big and small (especially in river towns).

[xzmattzx]

There are rowhouses in Williamsport if you look around the working-class neighborhoods. Most neighborhoods (Millionaire's Row, for example) don't have rowhouses simply because people could afford bigger lots and bigger houses from the flourishing lumber industry.

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/5927/img0920wbd8.jpg

[Stephan]

nice shots, looks like a true pearl in the the backyard of Philadelphia

[Austinlee]

I've wondered what this place looks like. Thanks.