Lehigh Valley
Encyclopedia : L : LE : LEH : Lehigh Valley
- For the railroad company, see Lehigh Valley Railroad.
Cities and location
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.
Industry
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.
Education
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 three campuses, one in Schnecksville, one in Allentown, and one in Carbon County), Lehigh Valley College (in Center Valley), and Northampton Community College (with two campuses, one in Bethlehem Township and one in 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), Bethlehem Catholic High School (Bethlehem), Catasauqua High School (Catasauqua), Easton High School (Easton), Emmaus High School (Emmaus), Freedom High School (Bethlehem), 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), Parkland High School (Allentown), Phillipsburg High School (Phillipsburg, New Jersey), Southern Lehigh High School (Center Valley), Whitehall High School (Whitehall), William Allen High School (Allentown), and others.
Athletics and entertainment
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.
Transportation
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.
Famous people from the Lehigh Valley
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.
Lehigh Valley in popular music
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.
External links
- [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].
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