Lehigh Valley
For the railroad company, see Lehigh Valley Railroad.The
Lehigh Valley (known to local residents simply as
The Valley) is a region of the
U.S. state of
Pennsylvania, located along the
Lehigh River in the eastern part of the state.
The Valley's official census area includes Pennsylvania's
Lehigh and
Northampton counties.
The Lehigh Valley's principal cities are
Allentown,
Bethlehem, and
Easton. The traditional bounds of the region are
The Poconos to the north, the
Delaware River to the east, the boundaries of
Berks County and
Montgomery County to the southwest, and the boundary with
Bucks County to the south. More recently, however, the area around
Phillipsburg, New Jersey west of
Pohatcong Mountain, parts of upper
Bucks County around
Quakertown, and portions of northeastern
Berks County and southwestern
Carbon County in Pennsylvania are considered outer parts of The Valley.
The Lehigh Valley is located approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of
Philadelphia, the country's fifth largest city, and 60 miles (100 km) west of
New York City, the largest city. The Lehigh Valley is home to some 740,000 people, making it Pennsylvania's third most populated metropolitan region. Recent Pennsylvania census studies show it to be the fastest growing region of the state, due mostly to its growing popularity as a
bedroom community for neighboring Philadelphia and New York City.
The Lehigh Valley is
geologically and
geographically part of the Great Valley, a region largely made up of
limestone that stretches along the eastern edge of the
Appalachian Mountains. As such, the Lehigh Valley suffers from a great number of
sinkholes, which have caused millions of dollars of property damage annually.
The Lehigh Valley is historically important for its production of
steel,
anthracite coal, and other natural resources. It has historically served as a major U.S. center of industrial manufacturing, though this role has diminished at least slightly in the 21st century as companies have shifted to
Asia and other off-shore locations for industrial mining and manufacturing.
Companies based in the Lehigh Valley include
Agere Systems,
Air Products & Chemicals, the
Bethlehem Steel Corporation (which ceased operations in
2003),
Buckeye Pipe Line,
Mack Trucks,
Olympus Corporation USA,
Pennsylvania Power & Light,
Rodale Press and others.
After the demise of Bethlehem Steel,
Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network, one of Pennsylvania's largest hospital systems, has taken Bethlehem Steel's place as the Lehigh Valley's largest employer.
Colleges and universities
The Lehigh Valley is a center of post-secondary education, with seven four-year colleges and universities. These include:
Cedar Crest College (in Allentown),
DeSales University (in Center Valley),
Lafayette College (in Easton),
Lehigh University (in Bethlehem),
Moravian College (in Bethlehem),
Muhlenberg College (in Allentown), and
Penn State Lehigh Valley (in Fogelsville).
The Lehigh Valley is also home to three two-year colleges: Lehigh Carbon Community College (with campuses in Allentown, Carbon County and Schnecksville),
Lehigh Valley College (in Center Valley), and Northampton Community College (with campuses in Bethlehem Township and
Monroe County).
Primary education
As the third most populous region in Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Valley is served by numerous school districts, public and private high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools.
Lehigh Valley-based high schools include:
Allentown Central Catholic High School (Allentown), Bangor Area High School (Bangor), Bethlehem Catholic High School (Bethlehem), Catasauqua High School (Catasauqua),
Easton High School (Easton),
Emmaus High School (Emmaus), Freedom High School (Bethlehem), Lehigh Valley Christian High School (Allentown),
Liberty High School (Bethlehem),
Louis E. Dieruff High School (Allentown),
Moravian Academy (Bethlehem), Nazareth High School (Nazareth),
Northampton Area High School (Northampton),
Northern Lehigh High School (Slatington), Notre Dame Area High School (Easton),
Parkland High School (Allentown), Pen Argyl Area High School (Pen Argyl),
Phillipsburg High School (Phillipsburg, New Jersey), Pius X High School (Bangor), Salisbury High School (Salisbury Township), Saucon Valley Area High School (Hellertown), Southern Lehigh High School (Center Valley), Whitehall High School (Whitehall),
William Allen High School (Allentown) and Wilson Area High School (Easton).
Philadelphia Eagles
The Lehigh Valley is the home of pre-season training camp for the
NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, who hold their pre-season training camp each summer on the football and practice fields of Lehigh University in Bethlehem. The camp routinely draws some of the largest crowds of any NFL team's pre-season training.
Stabler Arena
Stabler Arena, one of the
East Coast's premier indoor arenas, is based in the Lehigh Valley. Stabler hosts regular sporting and music events. It is home to Lehigh University men's and women's
college basketball teams and also to the
Lehigh Valley Outlawz, an indoor football team that plays in the
Great Lakes Indoor Football League.
Minor League baseball
In
2008, the Lehigh Valley is scheduled to open an 8,000-seat
AAA minor league stadium, to be located in Allentown's east side. The stadium will host a yet unannounced AAA-level minor league baseball team, though there is speculation that the
Ottawa Lynx may be bought by the owners of the
Philadelphia Phillies-affiliated
Reading Phillies and
Lakewood BlueClaws and moved to Allentown. At the end of the 2006 season, the 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 is expected to sign a Player Development Contract with the Phillies at this time in an effort to bring the team to Allentown and vastly closer to its Philadelphia fan base. However, since the stadium will not be complete until 2008, the Phillies will likely be affiliated with the Ottawa Lynx for a transitional year, in 2007, until the Allentown stadium's construction is completed. The Red Barons, owned by the Lackawanna County Stadium Authority, will then be free to negotiate affiliations with any of the other remaining
Major League Baseball teams.
Recreation
The Lehigh Valley is home to
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, based in
South Whitehall Township. The park is one of the most popular amusement and
water parks in the country, featuring some of the country's most elaborate
roller coasters and water rides.
The Lehigh Valley is also approximately 30 miles south of the
Poconos, which features some of the region's best
skiing and several large lakes used for boating and fishing.
New Jersey shore beaches are approximately 45 miles east of the region.
The Lehigh Valley is served by air tranportation through
Lehigh Valley International Airport (
IATA: ABE), located in the Lehigh Valley's
Hanover Township, three miles northeast of Allentown. Private bus companies provide multiple daily roundtrip transportation to New York City's
Port Authority Bus Terminal, Philadelphia,
Atlantic City and other regional locations. Public bus service in The Valley is provided by
LANTA, which serves Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and neighboring suburbs with various routes.
The Lehigh Valley is the birthplace or home to a number of famous Americans, including:
*
Michael Andretti, professional racing team owner, former professional race car driver.
*
Chuck Bednarik, former professional football player,
Philadelphia Eagles.
*
Stephen Vincent Benét, author.
*
H.D., writer.
*
Charlie Dent, member of
Congress.
*
Jonathan Frakes, actor.
*
Peter Gruner, professional wrestler.
*
Larry Holmes, former boxing heavyweight champion.
*
Lee Iacocca, former chairman,
Chrysler Corporation.
*
Keith Jarrett, musician.
*
Michael Johns, health care executive, former
White House speechwriter.
*
Dwayne Johnson ("The Rock"), actor, former professional wrestler.
*
Steve Kimock, rock musician.
*
John Kline, member of
Congress.
*
Carson Kressley, fashion consultant,
Bravo's
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
*
Matt Millen, former professional football player,
Oakland Raiders,
San Francisco 49ers and
Washington Redskins, current President,
Detroit Lions.
*
Lara Jill Miller, actress.
*
Andre Reed, former professional football player,
Buffalo Bills.
*
Amanda Seyfried, actress, model.
*
Dana Snyder, voice actor.
*
Christine Taylor, actress, wife of actor
Ben Stiller.
*
Jonathan Taylor Thomas, actor.
*
Boris Vallejo, artist.
*
Lauren Weisberger, author,
The Devil Wears Prada.
The Lehigh Valley is the subject of three
rock music songs:
"Allentown", a song by
Billy Joel.
"Speedway at Nazareth", a song by
Mark Knopfler.
"The Weight", a song by
The Band.
*
Lehigh Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau.
*
Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC).
*
Lehigh Valley International Airport.
*
Lehigh Valley Online.
*
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission.
*
Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp at Lehigh University.
*
Stabler Arena.
