Set amid gentle hills and charming countrysides, Lehigh Valley, Pa. is home to Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, as well as dozens of small towns – Emmaus, Nazareth, Hellertown, Bangor, and more – and picturesque boroughs, all peppered with parks, trails, and waterways ready for exploration.
Steeped in pre-Colonial, early American, and industrial history, the region’s storied past became its uplifting present, from crayons and craft beer to Martin Guitars and museums, covered bridges, and nationally-recognized events such as Musikfest® and Christkindlmarkt.
You'll find world-class health care, outstanding higher education, affordable housing options in urban, suburban, and rural settings, and more than enough things to do and places to eat. Lehigh Valley is the very definition of neighborhood living.
Old factories, former garment mills, and an old book bindery are among Allentown’s industrial artifacts – all being reclaimed and reborn as apartments, offices, and restaurants, each helping to redefine the city’s skyline. Home to three historic districts, one of the best park systems in the country, and hubs for health care and e-commerce, Allentown no longer relies on the power of the Lehigh River to drive industry and trade, but instead, depends on devout hockey fans who flock to the PPL Center to see the Phantoms and fabulous concerts, diners willing to taste the culinary personalities of downtown restaurants, and visitors looking to spend the night in the aptly-named Renaissance® Allentown Hotel.
At the base of Bethlehem Steel’s iconic blast furnaces – now shuttered for 20-plus years – there is a sculpture, a public artwork that so perfectly symbolizes the city of Bethlehem. “The Bridge,” an arching band of steel reflects the city’s rich industrial history and the natural gas-fed blue flame is the light of revitalization, the promise of preservation and the commitment to put Bethlehem on the map where culture meets commerce. And, both Main Street and the South Side mirror that sentiment. Lehigh University and Moravian College are bookends to a diverse community of both pre-colonial heritage and a booming music scene. Turn toward South Mountain at the holidays where the star of Bethlehem honors the Moravians, the original titans of industry.
A vintage box of Crayola crayons contained red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black wax sticks. But that’s not the only colorful fact you’ll learn on a visit to Easton. At the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers, visitors come to the charming riverside town to take in the vibrant greens of heirloom veggies at Easton Farmers’ Market, root for the Lafayette College maroon and white and debate the age-old controversy about the Easton flag: did its 13 white, eight-pointed stars and red and white stripes predate the one made by Betsy Ross?
