THE LEHIGH VALLEY

Our Community: The Lehigh Valley is Pennsylvania’s third largest metropolitan area, with a census population just over 800,000. Comprised of Lehigh and Northampton Counties, the Greater Lehigh consists of three cities (Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton), 27 boroughs and 32 townships, all benefiting from a well-established and diversified economic base. Major highways such as U.S. Routes 22 and 309, Interstate 78 and Interstate 476 (Pennsylvania Turnpike) provide easy access to major metropolitan cites of the East Coast and Midwest. Daily commuter, national and international air service is available at the Lehigh Valley International Airport.

Mileage to Various Metropolitan Areas

Employment: Being centrally located in the Northeast with ease of access and close proximity to several of the largest markets and population centers in the United States, the Lehigh Valley has a much lower cost of living than most other Northeastern US regions. Theses attributes and amenities offered throughout the Greater Lehigh Valley provide a highly desirable quality of life, as well as an excellent climate for business, commerce and industry. For more information, visit Lehigh Valley Economic Development and Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.

The Lehigh Valley's top five employers

Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network
St. Luke's Hospital
Air Products & Chemicals

Federal Government

• Allentown
• Bethlehem
• Easton
• Lehigh County
• Northampton County

PPL Corporation

National and international companies based in the Lehigh Valley

Warehouses and distribution centers in the Lehigh Valley include

Amazon.com
B. Braun
Boston Beer Company/Samuel Adams
BMW
FedEx SmartPost
Firestone
Home Depot
J. C. Penney
Nestle Purina
ShopRite
The Coca-Cola Company
True Value
Uline

Education: Education is given a high priority in the Lehigh Valley. As the third most populous metropolitan region in Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Valley is served by numerous public elementary, middle and high schools, many having earned a state-wide reputation for superior education as evidenced by their constant high rankings. Private schools in the area are of the highest quality, too. Moravian Academy, the The Swain School and the The Hillside School are a few of the finest. The schools of the The Diocese of Allentown, Christian schools and the Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley are also renowned for their academic excellence. The Lehigh Valley is also a center of post-secondary education, offering a large selection of colleges and universities and two two-year community colleges.

Public Schools

Lehigh County School Districts:

Allentown
Catasauqua
East Penn
Northern Lehigh
Northwestern Lehigh
Parkland
Salisbury
Southern Lehigh
Whitehall-Coplay

Northampton County School Districts:

Bangor
Bethlehem
Easton
Nazareth
Northampton
Pen Argyl
Saucon Valley
Wilson

Colleges and Universities

Cedar Crest College
DeSales University
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Lafayette College
Lehigh University
Moravian College
Muhlenberg College
Penn State Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Carbon Community College
Northampton Community College

Recreation & Sports: The Lehigh Valley is home to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, a popular amusement known nationally for its roller coasters and water rides and the IronPigs at Coca-Cola Park, the Lehigh Valley's minor league baseball team which is a triple A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. In 2009, Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem opened in Bethlehem, bringing legalized gambling to the Lehigh Valley for the first time.

Amazing world-class arts and culture events are offered through a diverse variety of theatre, dance, music, film, visual arts, museums, festivals, galleries and more. Performances are available through dozens of organizations from the State Theatre for the Arts in Easton to Symphony Hall in Allentown to Zoellner Art Center on the Lehigh University Campus to the Banana Factory, the new ArtsQuest Center at Steelstacks as well as hosts of others. Art in the Park and Christkindlmarkt are popular annual festivals to purchase visual arts and crafts from local artisans. Four large festivals are held each year drawing thousands from near and far. Musikfest, a large, 10-day music festival, is held in Bethlehem each August drawing major recording acts. Mayfair, an arts and crafts festival, is held in Allentown's Cedar Beach Park each May. In September, The Celtic Classic, one of the largest Celtic heritage festivals in America is held in Bethlehem. Annually in late August through early September for more than 150 years, the Great Allentown Fair has been held on the grounds of the Allentown Fairgrounds in Allentown.

A wide array of museums, historic mansions, sites and tours attract a vast number of visitors to the area including the Liberty Bell Museum, Martin Guitar Museum, DaVinci Science Center, American on Wheels and Crayola Factory to name just a few. Home and Garden tours are offered in various communities spring through fall. The Lehigh Valley Wine Trail offers 9 wineries providing unique vintages and the Lehigh Valley Covered Bridge Tour offers a glimpse of the past touring our areas 7 covered bridges with the oldest dating back to 1839.

A broad range of outdoor activities are available such as bicycling, rollerblading, tennis, racquetball and volleyball. Nearly every township has one or more recreation parks that have baseball diamonds, soccer fields, and other recreational areas. Valley Preferred Cycling Center is a professional bike and cycling facility in Trexlertown offering national and international bicycle racing. Dutch Springs, the nation's largest scuba amusement park with sunken "treasures," is located in Bethlehem and Lower Nazareth Township offers swimming, diving, zip line and other activities.

Ice skating (including ice hockey, figure skating and speed skating) is popular in the Lehigh Valley and the region has three facilities. The Steel Ice Center, The Rink and seasonally the City of Bethlehem's covered outdoor rink.

Golf is also a popular outdoor activity with 5 private country clubs and more than 20 public courses to choose among.

Walking trails, wildlife areas and natural science attractions are offered in several parks, along our canals, rivers and portions of the Appalachian Trail. All are within the area or just minutes away National Canal Museum & Hugh Moore Park, Lehigh County Zoo, Hawk Mountain Bird Sanctuary, Lost River Caverns and Crystal Cave. All offer outstanding experiences.

The region's ski resorts include Bear Creek Ski and Recreation Area in Macungie and Blue Mountain Ski Area in The Poconos just 30 miles north of the Lehigh Valley. The Poconos also offers several large lakes used for boating and fishing. The Pocono 500, a NASCAR Nextel Cup race, is run each June at Pocono Raceway in the Poconos.

Other points of interest and nearby attractions include Bushkill Falls, Dutch Wonderland and Hershey Park.

For more information, please consider visiting these sites

Discover Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley Live
Lehigh Valley Kids
Lehigh Valley Council
New Comer of the Lehigh Valley

Shopping and Dining: An abundant array of shopping and dining is available in the Lehigh Valley providing satisfaction for every taste and every budget. Malls, specialty stores, antique shops, farmers markets and spas are located throughout the region including the Promenade Shops at Center Valley, malls including the Lehigh Valley, South, Westgate and Palmer Park. Shopping centers with various specialty stores are found along nearly every major route. Dining, too, offers variety including upscale, gourmet restaurants including Emeril's Chophouse, Shula's Steakhouse, the Blue Orchid Inn and Blue Grillhouse, breweries, such as the Allentown and Bethlehem Brew Works, Pearly Baker's Ale House to bars, pubs, chain restaurants and everything in between. With so many culinary choices, every palette is sure to be pleased.

Healthcare: The Lehigh Valley is home to several hospitals including St. Luke's, Sacred Heart, Easton, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation and Lehigh Valley Health Network, voted one of "America's Best Hospitals," for 14 years straight. Combined, these hospital networks and our other medical professionals offer a wide range of health care services for our ever changing and growing needs. From elder care to pediatric care, home health and hospice care to community health centers and clinics, primary care, specialty physicians, trauma, rehabilitation, laboratories and pharmacy services, our region delivers exceptional service and care through some of the best physicians, nurses and medical professionals found in the nation. It's no wonder health care is also our leading employer.

Landscape: Bound by The Poconos to the north, Delaware River to the east and the boundaries of Bucks County to the south and Berks County and Montgomery County to the southwest, the Lehigh Valley is composed of an actual valley that lies between two mountain ranges, Blue Mountain (Kittatinny) to the north and South Mountain to the south. The Lehigh River flows between these mountain ranges. Geologically and geographically it is all part of the Great Appalachian Valley.

Climate: The Lehigh Valley has a pleasant climate with four distinct seasons, which typically include warm summers, cool winters, mild springs and autumns. Winter lows average in the 20's, summer high's in the mid 80's, spring and autumn averages in the 50's. The Lehigh Valley sees average rain fall and some snow fall annually.

Lehigh Valley History: Once inhabited by Lenni Lenape (Delaware) Indian tribes, the Lehigh Valley found its earliest settlers to be of European descent who came to trade with the Indians. During the 1730's many Germans began settling to the area to farm as a result of favorable land advertisements promoted by William Penn. Immigrants from various countries continued to flourish to the region and by the early 1800's, the Lehigh Valley saw the development of the Lehigh River Canal System which transported coal from Carbon County to Easton then onward to Philadelphia via the Delaware Canal. As technology advanced, the Canal System soon found itself replaced by the Lehigh Valley Railroad which allowed coal to be distributed beyond the areas served by the canal and as far as New York City.

While the nation became embraced by the Industrial Revolution, the Lehigh Valley saw the development of Bethlehem Steel Company and in the 20th Century the development of the Allentown Airport now known as Lehigh Valley International Airport. Known historically for its production of steel, Portland cement and apparel, the Lehigh Valley also served as a major U.S. center of industrial manufacturing. Although, manufacturing has diminished during the 21st century, the Lehigh Valley has since successfully shifted its industrial focus toward financial services, health care, life sciences and technology as well as becoming a distribution hub for some of the largest US markets.