Allentown, Pennsylvania
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Template:Infobox U.S. City Allentown is a city located on the Lehigh River, in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. After Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Allentown is Pennsylvania's third most populous city. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 106,632. It is the county seat of Lehigh County.
Allentown is the largest of three adjacent cities that comprise an area of Pennsylvania known as the Lehigh Valley, with the cities of Bethlehem and Easton surrounding. Allentown is 50 miles (80 km) north of Philadelphia, the fifth largest city in the United States, and 90 miles (145 km) west of New York City, the largest city in the country.
Allentown is the home of Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom, a highly popular amusement park. Two four-year colleges, Muhlenberg College and Cedar Crest College, are based in Allentown. The city is served by Lehigh Valley International Airport.
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Allentown history
Allentown was founded in 1762 by William Allen, who originally called it Allentown. In 1811, it was incorporated as the borough of Northampton. In 1838, the original name was restored.
Allentown holds historical significance as the location where the Liberty Bell was hidden by the Continental Congress during a portion of the Revolutionary War. As the British were attempting to seize Philadelphia in 1777, the Liberty Bell was moved north and hidden successfully by the colonies in the basement of a center city Allentown church.
Today, at Allentown's Old Zion Reformed Church, a shrine in the church's basement marks the exact spot where the Liberty Bell was hidden. It features a full-size official replica of the Liberty Bell flanked by the flags of the original thirteen colonies and is the only replica of its type.
Also during the Revolutionary War, the son of the founder of Allentown, James Allen, built a summer home in the middle of Allentown called Trout Hall. Allen and his family moved there from Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War to escape British attempts to capture or kill him.
Allentown in popular culture
The city also is somewhat known for a Billy Joel song, "Allentown," which appeared on Joel's "The Nylon Curtain" (1982) and "Greatest Hits: Volume II" (1985) albums. The song depicts the resolve of Allentonians, amidst the rough and hardened life that characterizes this East Coast, industrial city. "Allentown" also references nearby Bethlehem, home of the then-declining (and now defunct) Bethlehem Steel Corporation.
In "Allentown," representing the challenges associated with the demise of American industry for Allentonians, Joel sings: "They never taught us what was real. Iron and coke. And chromium steel. And we're waiting here in Allentown."
Allentown also features prominently in the famous Broadway musical 42nd Street. In the musical, up-and-coming chorus girl Peggy Sawyer hails from Allentown. As the plot unfolds, the talented singer and dancer considers leaving Broadway and returning to her hometown of Allentown, but is persuaded to stay by her director Julian Marsh. In an effort to convince Sawyer not to return to Allentown, Marsh sings to her some of the most famous lyrics in the history of Broadway: "Come on along and listen to the lullaby of Broadway...." Sawyer decides not to return to Allentown, and Marsh's production, starring Sawyer, goes on to become a roaring success.
Famous Allentonians
Allentown is the birthplace of several famous Americans, including:
- Charlie Dent, Member of Congress
- Keith Dorney, former professional football player, Detroit Lions
- Peter Gruner, professional wrestler known as Billy Kidman
- Lee Iacocca, former chairman of Chrysler Corporation
- Keith Jarrett, musician
- Michael Johns, health care executive and former White House speechwriter
- John Kline, Member of Congress
- Carson Kressley, fashion consultant, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
- Lara Jill Miller, actress
- Irene Ng, actress
- Andre Reed, former professional football player, Buffalo Bills
- Amanda Seyfried, actress and model
- Dana Snyder, voice actor
- Christine Taylor, actress and wife of actor Ben Stiller
- Cindy Werley, former Olympic field hockey player
Geography
Allentown is located at 40°36'6" North, 75°28'38" West (40.601697, -75.477328)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 46.5 km² (18.0 mi²). 45.9 km² (17.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.34% water.
Demographics
In the past, the population of Allentown rose at a sprightly rate, reaching 25,288 in 1890; 35,416 in 1900; 51,913 in 1910; 73,502 in 1920; and 96,904 in 1940.
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 106,632 people, 42,032 households, and 25,135 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,320.8/km² (6,011.5/mi²). There were 45,960 housing units at an average density of 1,000.3/km² (2,591.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.55% White, 7.85% African American, 0.33% Native American, 2.27% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 13.37% from other races, and 3.55% from two or more races. 24.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Allentown's population has started to increase due to immigration and many migrants from New Jersey and New York City.
There are 42,032 households in the city, of which 28.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.4% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The city's average household size is 2.42 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the city, the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there are 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,016, and the median income for a family was $37,356. Males had a median income of $30,426 versus $23,882 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,282. 18.5% of the population and 14.6% of families were below the poverty line. 29.4% of those under the age of 18 and 10.3 percent of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Allentown transportation
Public Transit: Public transportation services provided within the City of Allentown are provided by LANTA ([1]).
Roads: Allentown's road network does not run on any grid system, and it is infamously confusing for out-of-town motorists. Roads frequently change name or direction without warning, or stop and continue elsewhere without additional information. The naming scheme in most areas of the city appears to be named street and numbered street one after another. However, this plan is not always consistent. The downtown center city area is arranged in a grid, with numbered streets running north-south and named streets running east-west. In the portion of Allentown which lies east of the Lehigh River (the "east side"), the streets follow a more understandable naming convention. Roads that run north-south are arranged in approximate alphabetical order as one travels east, away from the river. Alphabetical order by first letter is maintained throughout the east side, although streets which bear the same first letter are not necessarily alphabetized (e.g., as one heads east from Irving St., one would encounter Jerome St., then Jay St., Kiowa St., etc.). Most roads in the city are two-lane highways, even though passing is usually prohibited on them. There are several major inbound roads to Allentown, including Airport Road, MacArthur Road, Lehigh Street, Tilghman Street, Cedar Crest Boulevard, and Hamilton Boulevard/Hamilton Street.
Major highways: Four expressways run through the Allentown area: Interstate 78, Interstate 476/Pennsylvania Turnpike, PA State Route 309, and U.S. Highway 22. US 22 is an expressway throughout the entire city, running parallel to Interstate 78. The highway is co-signed with I-78 just west of the Interstate 476/PA Turnpike interchange. PA 309 is co-signed with I-78 east of Hamilton Boulevard and west of Emaus Avenue, and has small expressway spurts where the highway leads off of I-78. Both US 22 and PA 309 have cloverleaf interchanges, small or absent acceleration lanes, and generally poor signage.
Allentown industry
While many of Allentown's major industrial businesses have disappeared over the past two decades as a result of foreign competition, Allentown continues to be a corporate headquarters for several large, global companies, including Agere Systems, Air Products & Chemicals, Mack Trucks, Olympus Corporation USA, Pennsylvania Power & Light (PPL) and others.
Professional athletics
Allentown plans to unveil an 8,000-seat Minor League Baseball stadium in 2008, located in the eastern section of the city, to be used for a yet unannounced AAA-level minor league baseball team. At the end of the 2006 season, the Philadelphia Phillies will most likely choose to part ways with their AAA affiliate of the past 18 seasons, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons. The Ottawa franchise of the International League is expected to sign a PDC (Player Development Contract) with the Phillies at this time in anticipation of a possible move to Allentown for the 2008 season.
Education
High schools
Allentown is served by three high schools for grades nine through 12, William Allen High School, Dieruff High School and Central Catholic High School. Several large Allentown suburban high schools, including Emmaus High School and Parkland High School, also draw some students from Allentown.
Middle and elementary schools
Allentown School District's four middle schools, for grades six through eight, include: Harrison-Morton Middle School, Francis D. Raub Middle School, South Mountain Middle School and Trexler Middle School. The city is served by 17 elementary schools, for kindergarten through fifth grade. These schools include: Central, Cleveland, Hiram W Dodd, Jackson, Jefferson, Lehigh Park, McKinley, Mosser, Muhlenberg, Ritter, Roosevelt, Sheridan, Union Terrace and Washington. Several middle schools also house fifth graders.
Allentown shopping
Allentown is home to two major shopping malls. The largest, Lehigh Valley Mall, is located at US 22 & PA 145/MacArthur Road on the township border of Whitehall. The other, the Salisbury Township South Mall, is located at Lehigh Street, south of I-78/PA-309, on the township border of Emmaus.
The upscale Hess's department store chain had its flagship store located in the business district. The defunct Hess's chain became part of The Bon-Ton chain in the mid-1990's, and the flagship store was torn down in 2002. A new, multi-million dollar office building was built by PPL and placed onto the site of the old Hess's department store building. The building mainly is used for office space and is connected to the PPL tower. However, the main lobby is designed to hold shops and restaurants.
Allentown landmarks
- Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom
- The Farmer's Market and Agricultural Hall
- Hess's Department Store (no longer in existence)
- Old Zion Reformed Church (temporary home of the Liberty Bell)
- PPL Building
- The Ritz
- William F. Curtis Arboretum
- Yocco's Hotdogs
Sister Cities & Twin Cities
Allentown has two official sister cities as designated by Sister Cities International:
Allentown also has two designated "twin cities":
- Template:Flagicon Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States.
- Template:Flagicon Easton, Pennsylvania, United States.
External links
- Allentown Fair.
- Allentown Fairground Farmers Market.
- Allentown School District.
- City of Allentown.
- Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom.
- Famous Allentonians.
- Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority.
- Lehigh Valley International Airport.
- Lehigh Valley Mall.
- Mayfair Festival of the Arts.
See also
- "Allentown", the song by Billy Joel.
- List of mayors of Allentown.
- Pabst Blue Ribbon, whose last-standing brewery was located in Allentown.
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