Northern Liberties Neighbors Association buys northernliberties.org

Northern Liberties Neighbors Association has purchased discussion and news site northernliberties.org, said John Myers, who has run the site for the last 13 years. It was likely the first hyperlocal Philadelphia website, Myers said.

Myers, an audio producer who left Northern Liberties for West Philadelphia seven years ago, no longer had the time to maintain the site and wanted to hand it over to an organization that would turn it into a better community resource.

He got about five offers but eventually chose to sell it to NLNA for $3,200. It wasn’t the highest offer, he said, but he accepted it because he knew the association would do a good job taking care of the site.

Myers started northernliberties.org in 2001 in an effort to create a digital version of a community bulletin board. It now has more than 4,000 registered members who discuss topics like crime, development and lost pets.

Myers said his favorite memories from the site have been when neighbors would use it to help each other out:

“Over the years the NL Message Board has been used to reunite lost pets, wallets and keys with their owners. People have used it to advertise things that they are looking to trade or sell. The community has also used the website to alert neighbors about crimes (both violent and petty) that aren’t covered by the mainstream media, and as a forum to discuss neighborhood development. I hope that it continues to be a valuable resource for the community.”