Allentown, PA Summary

A city of 105,000 residents in eastern Pennsylvania, Allentown is part of a metropolitan area on the Lehigh River of 595,000 people. Located 54 miles northeast of Philadelphia, it was where the Liberty Bell was hidden during the British occupation of Philadelphia, then the capital of the fledgling United States.

The Liberty Bell was rung on July 8, 1776, after the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. A replica is displayed in Allentown in the Liberty Bell Shrine Museum, in Zion’s Reformed United Church of Christ on Hamilton Street, where the original was hidden.

Allentown’s oldest building, Trout Hall, is on Fourth and Walnut streets. It was built in 1770 by James Allen, son of the city’s founder and namesake, Pennsylvania Chief Justice William Allen.

Visitors can spend at least a day at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom, a 200-acre amusement and water park. Its attractions include five roller coasters, a whitewater rafting ride, a 1921 Dentzel carousel, a wave pool, 11 water slides, and a three-story water playground.

The Allentown Art Museum exhibits a wide range of art, including examples of Renaissance and Baroque European paintings and sculptures, and American art spanning 200 years. It also houses the library of the Francis W. Little House. The building was designed in 1912 by architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

The industrial economy of Allentown includes the manufacture of aircraft instruments, clothing, industrial machinery, electronics, and beer. It is also an important center for pipeline transportation, and storage of oil and natural gas. It is known also for the manufacture of equipment and gases for use in cryogenics, the study and use of materials at extremely cold temperatures.

About 25 miles southeast of Allentown, via Hwy 309 and US-313, is Nockamixon State Park. Encompassing Nockamixon Lake, the year-round park is particularly popular for boating, although it also offers hiking, fishing, biking, horseback riding, picnicking, and rental cabins. Swimming in the lake is not permitted, but the park does have a public swimming pool. Skating, sledding, and crosscountry skiing are popular in the winter months.

Allentown has an international airport, bus service, and can be reached by car by I-78 and I-476.