Lehigh Valley

The Lehigh Valley (/ˈli.haɪ ˈvæ.li/), known officially by the United States Census Bureau and the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area and referred to informally and locally as The Valley is a metropolitan region officially consisting of Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties in eastern Pennsylvania and Warren county on the western edge of New Jersey, in the United States. The core population centers are located in southern and central Lehigh and Northampton counties along U.S. Highway 22 and Interstate 78.

The Lehigh Valley is the fastest growing and third most populous region in the state of Pennsylvania with a population of 821,623 residents as of the 2010 U.S. Census. It is eclipsed in total population only by the metropolitan areas of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. It is the 64th most populated metropolitan area in the United States. Lehigh County, the Valley's largest county in terms of overall population, is amongst the fastest growing in the nation as well, ranking in the 79th percentile for population growth between 2010-2012.

In March 2014, the Lehigh Valley was recognized by business publication Site Selection Magazine as being the second-best performing region of its size for economic development in the entire United States.

The region is named for the Lehigh River, which runs through it, and it is part of the Great Appalachian Valley.

Cities and location

The Lehigh Valley's principal cities are Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, comprising the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metropolitan area. 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 southern Carbon and Schuylkill counties in Pennsylvania are considered outer parts of the Valley.

The Lehigh Valley is located approximately 60 mi (97 km) north of Philadelphia, 80 mi (130 km) northeast of Harrisburg, and 90 mi (140 km) west of New York City, the country's largest city. The area is home to more than 820,000 people as of the 2010 U.S. Census. Recent census studies show it to be the fastest growing region in Pennsylvania, due in part to its growing popularity as a bedroom community for the highly populated neighboring regions of Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York City as well as its favorable business climate and much lower cost of living in comparison to surrounding areas.

The Lehigh Valley is geologically and geographically part of the Great Appalachian Valley, a region largely made up of limestone that stretches along the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains. The Lehigh Valley is so named because it is composed of an actual valley that lies between two mountain ranges, Blue Mountain to the north and South Mountain to the south. Lehigh Valley also is considered part of the historic Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

Municipalities with more than 10,000 people

Municipalities with fewer than 10,000 people

Census-designated places and villages

Metropolitan and Combined Statistical Areas

The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The three counties in the Metropolitan area are Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton. As of the 2010 United States Census the Metro area had a population of 821,173. The Lehigh Valley ranks as the third most populous metropolitan areas in the state of Pennsylvania and ranks 68th most populous in the United States.

The United States Office of Management and Budget also has designated the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania as part of the larger New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area. The larger combined area consists of the Lehigh Valley counties of Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton as well as Pike County and the Monroe County/East Stroudsburg, PA Metropolitan Statistical Areas in Pennsylvania, and several other Metro areas from the States of New Jersey and New York. As of the 2010 US Census, the population of the CSA was 23,076,664, making it the most populous Combined Statistical Area in the United States.

Climate

The Lehigh Valley has four distinct seasons, which typically include humid summers, cold winters, and very short and mild springs and falls.

Demographics

At the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, the Lehigh Valley had a population of 808,210. 87.1% of the population were White American, 4.6% were Black or African American, 0.1% were American Indian, 2.3% were Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Americans made up 0.1%, 4.3% were of some other race, and 1.5% belonged to two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race made up 11.3% of the population.

The Lehigh Valley has seen an influx of residents coming from New Jersey and New York to take advantage of the reduced cost of living. The population of the area is expected to increase by 227,000 people by 2040.

Economy

The most common industries for residents in are area include educational services, construction and health care as of 2009. The Lehigh Valley was recognized by business publication Site Selection Magazine in March 2014 as being the second-best performing region of its size for economic development in the entire United States.

History

The Lehigh Valley is known historically for its production of steel, Portland cement and apparel. It had served as a major U.S. center of industrial manufacturing since the 1800s but this role had diminished significantly in the late 20th century and early 21st century as companies moved to offshore locations for these activities.

Once a formidable industrial and manufacturing powerhouse serving the entire United States, the nationwide decline of this industry in the late 20th century and early 2000s led the Lehigh Valley to shift its economic focus more towards financial services, health care, life sciences and technology as well as becoming a distribution hub for some of the largest U.S. markets due to its comparatively low cost of living and proximity to some of the nation's largest metropolitan areas.

However, a recent movement to reestablish manufacturing activities in the United States driven by customer demand for American made products, faster product delivery, increased overseas wages, and inflated costs of shipping has led to a sizeable increase in the local manufacturing base and rapidly growing interest in the region. Few other areas in the country are able to offer such comparatively low costs of living and doing business, including low energy costs, tax incentives and overnight distribution access to more than one-third the total population of the United States. Several large manufacturing companies from countries such as China and Germany have already invested tens of millions of dollars into establishing significant operations in the Lehigh Valley with the potential to create thousands of new local jobs in this sector.

Largest employers

After the demise of Bethlehem Steel, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network (in Allentown), one of Pennsylvania's largest hospital systems, replaced it as the Lehigh Valley's largest employer. As of 2014, the Lehigh Valley's top ten employers are: 1.) Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network, 2.) St. Luke's Hospital and Health Network, 3.) Air Products & Chemicals, 4.) PPL Corporation, 5.) Giant-Carlisle, 6.) PPL, 7.) Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, 8.) Sodexo, 9.) B. Braun Medical, 10.) Amazon.com

Business and economic environment

The Lehigh Valley is centrally located in the Northeast Megalopolis with ease of access and close proximity to several of the largest markets, population centers, airports, terminals, railways and seaports in the United States including both the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. The Lehigh Valley is also situated within a one day drive to more than one third of the total population of the United States and more than one half of the total population of Canada.

The Lehigh Valley has a lower cost of living, more affordable real estate, lower taxes and a more affordable labor pool than most other Northeastern US regions. These attributes and others, such as sizable investments in business development and a friendlier regulatory environment, provide the area with an attractive business climate in comparison to surrounding states and areas.

Due in large part to the aforementioned comparably favorable business climate, the Lehigh Valley has experienced success in luring large, established businesses as well as new startup companies from nearby states such as New York and New Jersey, bringing with them upwards of thousands of new jobs to the area. Large companies such as Amazon.com have praised the region for its commitment to business investments and incentives, citing them as a major reason for continuing expansions and increased hiring in the Lehigh Valley.

Further reaffirming this advantageous business and economic environment, the Lehigh Valley was recognized by business publication Site Selection Magazine in March 2014 as being the second-best performing region of its size for economic development in the United States.

Large national and international companies based in the Lehigh Valley include LSI Corporation (in Allentown), Avantor Performance Materials (Center Valley), Air Products & Chemicals (in Trexlertown), Bethlehem Steel (which ceased operations in 2003, in Bethlehem), Crayola LLC (in Easton), Buckeye Partners (in Emmaus), Heidelberg Cement (in Fogelsville), Just Born (in Bethlehem), Lutron Electronics (in Coopersburg), Mack Trucks (in Allentown), Olympus Corporation USA (in Center Valley), OraSure Technologies (in Behlehem), PPL Corporation (in Allentown), Rodale Press (in Emmaus), Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, Dun & Bradstreet (in Center Valley), Synchronoss Technologies (Bethlehem), Victaulic (in Easton), and many others.

The Lehigh Valley is also one of the largest areas on the East Coast for the location of warehouses and distribution centers. Companies that own and operate warehouses and distribution centers in the Lehigh Valley include Amazon.com, B. Braun, Boston Beer Company (brewer of Samuel Adams brand beer), BMW, Bridgestone, FedEx SmartPost, Home Depot, J. C. Penney, Nestle Purina, ShopRite, The Coca-Cola Company, True Value, Uline and many others. Most of these distribution centers are located along the U.S. Route 22, Interstate 78 and Interstate 476 corridors.

The Boston Beer Company operates its largest production brewery facility in the Lehigh Valley (in Breinigsville), which produces more than 2/3rds of all Samuel Adams beer in the world. The company continues to upgrade and expand operations at this facility and has cited the location as central to the company's success.

Due to Pennsylvania's lack of an excise tax on cigars, the Lehigh Valley is also home to some of the United States' largest cigar distributors and retailers.

Renewable energy

Pennsylvania is ranked fourth in the nation in the production of renewable, notably solar, energy. The Lehigh Valley boasts one of the largest solar panel installations in Pennsylvania and is a leading producer of solar and other renewable energy in the region. As an example, Air Products & Chemicals, in Trexlertown, installed and maintains a 15-acre solar farm which generates more than half the required electricity for their corporate headquarters, saving an estimated $250,000 per year in utility costs. The comparatively large solar industry in the Lehigh Valley is due mostly to a combination of federal, state and local incentive programs which make using renewable energy sources more lucrative and cost effective than in years past.

Retail shopping

The Lehigh Valley is home to many retail establishments. The largest retail area of the Lehigh Valley is the Pennsylvania Route 145/MacArthur Road Corridor, just north of Allentown. It is anchored by the Lehigh Valley Mall and the Whitehall Mall.

Other malls in the region include Palmer Park Mall (in Easton), Phillipsburg Mall (in Phillipsburg, New Jersey), South Mall (in Allentown), and the Westgate Mall (in Bethlehem). In October 2006, a new Valley-based shopping mall, The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley, was opened. Located off Route 309 in Upper Saucon Township, The Promenade is roughly half the size of the Lehigh Valley Mall, but features more upscale stores. In 2011, The Outlets at Sands Bethlehem opened at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, becoming the first outlet mall in the Lehigh Valley.

Yocco's Hot Dogs, the regionally-famous fast food establishment known for their hot dogs and cheesesteaks, maintains six locations, all of which are based in the Lehigh Valley. Its original restaurant, founded in 1922, is still located at its original center city Allentown location, on West Liberty Street. Five additional Yocco's locations can be found in the Lehigh Valley (in west-side Allentown, east-side Allentown, Emmaus, Fogelsville, and Wescosville).

Media

Television

The Lehigh Valley is part of the Philadelphia television market, and also receives television stations from New York City and Scranton/Wilkes Barre. Lehigh Valley-based stations include WBPH-TV, an affiliate of FamilyNet, a Christian network licensed to Bethlehem but based in Allentown; WFMZ-TV, an independent commercial television station based in Allentown; and WLVT-TV, a PBS station licensed to Allentown but based in Bethlehem.

Radio

The Lehigh Valley is home to over 35 radio stations, spanning multiple formats, including news, talk, and sports, CHR/pop music, country music, National Public Radio, sports radio, oldies, polka, hot adult contemporary, soft rock, classic rock, hard rock, and a variety of college radio stations.

Print media

Lehigh Valley-based daily newspapers include the Allentown The Morning Call and the Easton The Express-Times, both with rich traditions dating back to the mid-1800s. The Lehigh Valley also features Lehigh Valley and Pocono Sports Extra (a monthly all sports publication), Lehigh Valley Style (a regional lifestyle publication), Lehigh Valley Magazine (the region's oldest lifestyle publication), Lehigh Valley Exposed (an alternative news and entertainment weekly), and four Spanish language newspapers, Al Dia, El Hispano, El Torero, and La Cronica. Lehigh Valley community publications include The Blue Mountain Town & Country Gazette in the northern part of the Valley.

Education

Colleges and universities

The Lehigh Valley is a center of post-secondary education, with several 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)
• Penn State Lehigh Valley (in Center Valley)

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 Allentown) (defunct since 2008)
• Northampton Community College (with campuses in Bethlehem Township and Monroe County)

High school education

As the third most populous metropolitan 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:

The largest Lehigh Valley high schools (12 in all) compete athletically in the Lehigh Valley Conference. Smaller Lehigh Valley high schools compete in the Colonial League. In addition to its exceptional high school athletic teams, the Lehigh Valley is known nationally for their excellent math team, the Lehigh Valley Fire. The team has won the ARML competition in 2005 and every year since 2009. They also placed highly in previous years.

Sports

Philadelphia Eagles, Lehigh Valley Storm and Lehigh Valley Steelhawks

From 1996 until 2012, the Lehigh Valley was the home of pre-season training camp for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, which was held each summer on the practice fields of Lehigh University in Bethlehem.

The Lehigh Valley Storm, a semi-professional football team, is based in Bethlehem. The Lehigh Valley also is home to the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks, an Professional Indoor Football League team, which began playing their home games at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem in 2011.

IronPigs baseball

In early 2008, Coca-Cola Park, an 8,100-seat Minor League baseball stadium, opened in east-side Allentown. The stadium hosts the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Philadelphia Phillies' AAA-level International League franchise. The team previously played as the Ottawa Lynx (1993â€"2007). The club's move to the Lehigh Valley brought the franchise closer to Philadelphia and the Phillies' large eastern Pennsylvania fan base. The team’s name is a reference to pig iron, a key ingredient in the steel-making process for which the Lehigh Valley area is known worldwide.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for Coca-Cola Park were held September 6, 2006, and construction was completed in December 2007. The stadium hosted its first game on March 30, 2008, when the Phillies major league team faced the IronPigs.

Phantoms ice hockey

In March 2011, plans were announced for the creation of PPL Center, an 8,500-seat arena to be built in Allentown as the future home for the Adirondack Phantoms, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers. The arena will be located in downtown Allentown taking up the entire block between 7th and 8th Streets and Hamilton Boulevard and Linden Street. In a controversial decision, the city has invoked eminent domain to help obtain the necessary properties and a contractor is expected to be chosen in 2012. The stadium is expected to be ready for the 2013â€"2014 season. In January 2012, buildings on the current site began to be demolished to make room for the new arena.

Stabler Arena

Lehigh University's Stabler Arena, an indoor arena, is in Bethlehem, in the Lehigh Valley. Stabler hosts regular sporting and concert events. The arena is also home to Lehigh University men's and women's college basketball teams.

"The Rivalry"

The Lehigh Valley is also home to a strong collegiate football rivalry, between two local colleges: Easton's Lafayette College and Bethlehem's Lehigh University. The two teams have played each other 150 times since 1884, making it the longest uninterrupted rivalry in college football.

High school athletics

The 12 largest high schools in the Lehigh Valley compete athletically in the Lehigh Valley Conference. The conference has produced numerous professional and Olympic-level athletes, and its football, basketball and wrestling teams are often ranked among the best in the nation. In USA Today's annual ranking of the nation's top high school sports teams, Liberty High School was ranked second in the Eastern United States in football in 2008 and 20th among all high schools nationally. Parkland High School was ranked fifth in the East in football in 2002 and 11th among all high schools nationally. And Allentown Central Catholic High School was ranked seventh in girls' basketball in the East in both 2001â€"02 and 2002â€"03.

Currently, three former athletes from Lehigh Valley Conference schools are on active professional athletic rosters, including one in the National Football League (Dan Koppen, Denver Broncos center from Whitehall High School), one in the National Basketball Association (Aaron Gray, Detroit Pistons center from Emmaus High School), and one in Major League Baseball (Brian Schneider, Philadelphia Phillies catcher from Northampton Area High School).

An additional 14 Lehigh Valley high schools too small to compete in the Lehigh Valley Conference compete in the Colonial League. Anthony Recker from Catasauqua High School currently plays for the New York Mets.

Gymnastics

Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center, which has been the training ground for numerous Olympians and U.S. national gymnastics champions, is based in Allentown. In 2003, CNN aired a documentary on Parkettes, Achieving the Perfect 10, which depicted it as a hugely demanding and competitive training program.

Running events

The Lehigh Valley hosts the Lehigh Valley 15K Road Race annually in September. It is one of the premiere eastern Pennsylvania running events. The Lehigh Valley Hospital Marathon, which features a certified marathon, five-person team relay, 20-mile (32 km) training run and 5K walk is also held annually in September. The 42.195-kilometre (26.219 mi) course follows the Lehigh River Canal Towpath from Allentown to Easton.

The Lehigh Valley also plays host to one of the largest cross country events in the nation. Lehigh University's Paul Short Run is held annually at the Goodman Cross Country Course and participation has climbed to over 5,000 runners spread throughout 14 college and high school races. The Emmaus 5K race is held annually in mid-October, coinciding with Emmaus' annual Halloween parade.

Arts

The Allentown Art Museum, based in center city Allentown, is the Lehigh Valley's largest museum. The museum's collection includes more than 11,000 works of art. Lehigh University's Zoellner Arts Center and Lafayette College's smaller Williams Center for the Arts host a wide variety of plays, concerts and performances throughout the year.

Lehigh Valley in popular music

The Lehigh Valley is the subject of four rock music songs, one folk music song and one ska reggae album:

• "Cheeses...(of Nazareth)," an album by Five Iron Frenzy (2003).
• "Speedway at Nazareth," a song by Mark Knopfler (appears on Sailing to Philadelphia) (2000).
• "Allentown," a song by Billy Joel (appears on The Nylon Curtain) (1982).
• "200 Years Old," a song by Frank Zappa (appears on Bongo Fury) (1975).
• "The Weight," a song by The Band (appears on Music from Big Pink) (1968).
• "Allentown Jail," a song by Irving Gordon and recorded by Jo Stafford (1951).

Several music videos have been filmed in the Lehigh Valley, including:

• "Bed of Roses" and "In These Arms" by Bon Jovi (filmed at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem).
• "Breath" by Breaking Benjamin (filmed at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem).
• "Dirty Little Secret" by The All-American Rejects (filmed at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown and various Allentown locations).
• "So Emotional" by Whitney Houston (filmed at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem).

In addition, the heavy metal group Nazareth is named for Nazareth, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley.

Lehigh Valley in film and television

• The Lehigh Valley is featured prominently in the 2010 documentary Most Valuable Players about The Freddy Awards. The 2003 CNN documentary Achieving the Perfect 10 is based on the area and was filmed there.

Lehigh Valley in literature

• In recurring Sarah Strohmeyer novels, the fictional character Bubbles Yablonsky resides in the Lehigh Valley.
• In the Starman story of Adventure Comics, #67, October 1941, the enemy the Mist mentions using his invisible bombers to bomb the "big factory districts" of Pittsburgh and Bethlehem.

Recreation

The Lehigh Valley is home to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, a popular amusement and water park. Located in South Whitehall Township, Dorney Park is known nationally for its elaborate roller coasters and water rides.

The region's ski resorts are Bear Creek Ski and Recreation Area and Blue Mountain Ski Area. Bear Creek is a 21 slope resort located outside of Macungie, Pennsylvania. Blue Mountain is located near Danielsville, Pennsylvania. The Poconos, which feature some of the East Coast's best-known ski resorts, is approximately 30 miles (48 km) north of the Lehigh Valley. Several large lakes used for boating and fishing also are located there. Pocono Raceway in the Poconos holds two NASCAR race weekends a year along with an IndyCar race.

New Jersey shore beaches are approximately 70 to 140 miles (110 to 230 km) to the east and southeast of the Lehigh Valley.

Dutch Springs, the nation's largest SCUBA amusement park, is in Bethlehem and Lower Nazareth Township. Over 40,000 divers annually utilize the facilities, which have sunken "treasures" to enhance the underwater experience. In addition to scuba diving, kayaking and paddle boats are available. The facility has a water park, camping grounds, and picnic areas.

In 2009, Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, an $879 million casino, hotel and apartment complex owned by the Las Vegas Sands, opened in Bethlehem, bringing legalized gambling to the Lehigh Valley for the first time. It is one of only 13 authorized gaming sites in Pennsylvania.

Many large festivals are held each year in the Lehigh Valley. Musikfest, a large, 10-day music festival, is held in Bethlehem each August. Mayfair Festival of the Arts, a visual and performing arts festival, is held in the Allentown Fairgrounds each May. In September, one of the largest Celtic heritage festivals in America, The Celtic Classic, is held in Bethlehem. The Great Allentown Fair has been held on the grounds of the Allentown Fairgrounds in Allentown annually in late August through early September for more than 150 years. Das Awkscht Fescht is an antique car festival that is held annually the beginning of August in Macungie's Memorial Park.

Ice skating (including ice hockey, figure skating and speed skating) is popular in the Lehigh Valley and the region has three facilities. The Steel Ice Center is the premier ice skating facility, in Bethlehem on East 1st Street, not far from the Sands Casino. The Rink, formerly Lehigh Valley Ice Arena, is in Whitehall (north of Allentown) just off MacArthur Road (Route 145) on 7th Street. Each facility has two ice surfaces and public skate times are available at both facilities. The City of Bethlehem also opens a covered outdoor rink (one ice surface) annually from November through March.

The Bethlehem Skateplaza is a city park for skateboarding and freestyle BMX riding located at 1325 Steel Avenue, in Bethlehem.

Transportation

Air transportation

The Lehigh Valley is served by air transportation through Lehigh Valley International Airport (IATA: ABE, ICAO: KABE), in the Lehigh Valley's Hanover Township, three miles (5 km) northeast of Allentown.

The Valley is also served by Allentown Queen City Municipal Airport, a two-runway general aviation facility located off Allentown's Lehigh Street. Queen City is used predominantly by private aviation. The airport was awarded General Aviation Airport of the year by the Eastern Region of the Federal Aviation Administration in 2006.

Bus transportation

Public bus service in Lehigh Valley is available through the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority, known as LANTA. In New Jersey, bus service is provided by New Jersey Transit.

Several private bus lines, including Bieber Tourways, Susquehanna Trailways and Trans-Bridge Lines, provide bus service from various Valley locations to New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal, Philadelphia's Greyhound Terminal, Atlantic City's Bus Terminal, and other regional locations.

Rail

Passenger service to the Lehigh Valley ceased in 1981 when several rail operators opted to curtail long-distance services. From the south, SEPTA Regional Rail limited their services to their electrified-only territory with trains going only as far north as Lansdale and Doylestown, Pennsylvania. (In the early and mid twentieth century golden age of passenger rail, the Reading Railroad provided rail service south and west of the area.) To the east, the Central Railroad of New Jersey ceased passenger operations into the area, from Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1967 in conjunction with the Aldene Connection. The Lehigh Valley Railroad served the areas with freight transporting along with the Lehigh & Hudson River Railway and the Lehigh & New England Railroad. In 1974, passenger service was restored to Phillipsburg under state (New Jersey) subsidy. That service was terminated in 1984. All of the original railroads ultimately went bankrupt and were taken over by today's railroads. SEPTA removed the tracks approaching Allentown and Bethlehem from the south. The nearest rail station for travel south towards Philadelphia is in Lansdale, Pennsylvania on SEPTA's Lansdale/Doylestown Line. The nearest station for travel eastward is High Bridge, New Jersey on New Jersey Transit Rail Operations's Raritan Valley Line.

Current operator New Jersey Transit has looked at restoring rail service to Phillipsburg, New Jersey, but there are no official plans to extend service over the border into Pennsylvania at present. Nor are there official plans to restore SEPTA service to Philadelphia. Currently, freight operator Norfolk Southern Railway heavily serves the region with a major classification yard in Allentown. Canadian Pacific, another freight operator, also transports through the Lehigh Valley.

In November 2008, the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC), along with both Lehigh and Northampton Counties, commissioned a study to explore the merits of expanding the New Jersey Transit line to the Lehigh Valley, which would potentially include stops in Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton. The Lehigh Valley is currently the largest metropolitan area by population on the East Coast of the United States without passenger rail service of any kind.

Roads

The Lehigh Valley has four major highways: Interstate 78, a major east-west highway, runs through the southern part of the Valley, duplexed with Pennsylvania Route 309. I-78 runs from Lebanon County in the west, where Interstate 81 provides a connection to Harrisburg, to the Holland Tunnel and New York City in the east.

U.S. Route 22 is a major freeway that runs through the Valley from Kuhnsville in the western part of the Valley to Easton in the eastern part of the Valley. U.S. Route 22 starts in Cincinnati, Ohio in the west, running through the Valley to Newark, New Jersey in the east. A third highway, Pennsylvania Route 33, runs north-south through the Lehigh Valley, from the Poconos in the north to Northampton County in the south.

The fourth major highway in the Valley is Interstate 476, the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It stretches 131 miles (211 km) from Chester in the south to the Scranton-Wilkes Barre area in the north.

Other major roads in the Valley include MacArthur Road (PA 145), a divided local road that leads to the Lehigh Valley Mall and its surrounding commercial district. Cedar Crest Boulevard, a north-south highway, runs from North Whitehall Township in the north through west-side Allentown to Emmaus in the south. Lehigh Street runs from northeast to southwest, originating in downtown Allentown and ending in Emmaus. Tilghman Street runs from Fogelsville in the west to continue as Union Boulevard into Bethlehem in the east. Tilghman Street runs through most of Allentown and also intersects with Cedar Crest Boulevard, Pennsylvania Route 100, Pennsylvania Route 309 and several other major Lehigh Valley highways.

Telecommunications

The Lehigh Valley area was once served only by the 215 area code from 1947 (when the North American Numbering Plan of the Bell System went into effect) until 1994. With the region's growing population, however, Lehigh Valley areas were afforded area code 610 in 1994. Today, the Lehigh Valley is covered by 610. An overlay area code, 484, was added to the 610 service area in 1999. A plan to introduce area code 835 as an additional overlay was rescinded in 2001.

Wine

The Lehigh Valley AVA was designated an official American Viticultural Area in March, 2008. The wine region includes 230 acres (93 ha) of vineyards, planted to several Vitis vinifera and French-American hybrid grape varieties. Blue Mountain Vineyards in New Tripoli accounts of over 50 acres in the region and has won national and international awards. Fifteen to twenty percent of the wine produced commercially in Pennsylvania is made from grapes grown in the Lehigh Valley AVA.

Famous people from the Lehigh Valley

The Lehigh Valley is the birthplace or home to a number of famous Americans, including:

• Mario Andretti, former professional race car driver.
• Michael Andretti, professional racing team owner, former professional race car driver.
• Chuck Bednarik, former professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles, Pro Football Hall of Fame member.
• Stephen Vincent Benét, author.
• Sabrina Carpenter, actress and singer.
• Leon Carr, Broadway composer and television advertising songwriter.
• Jack Coleman, actor, NBC's Heroes .
• Michaela Conlin, actress, Fox's Bones.
• H.D., writer, poet.
• Jimmy DeGrasso, drummer, Alice Cooper band, former drummer, Megadeth.
• Dane DeHaan, actor, In Treatment and Chronicle.
• Charlie Dent, member of Congress.
• Devon, adult film actress.
• Keith Dorney, former professional football player, Detroit Lions.
• Jonathan Frakes, actor, Star Trek: The Next Generation.
• Peter Gruner, professional wrestler.
• Mike Hartenstine, former professional football player, Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings.
• Bob Heffner, former professional baseball player, Boston Red Sox, California Angels and Cleveland Indians.
• Tim Heidecker, actor, comedian, co-star, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!.
• Larry Holmes, former boxing heavyweight champion.
• Lee Iacocca, former chairman, Chrysler Corporation.
• Keith Jarrett, jazz musician.
• Michael Johns, health care executive, former White House speechwriter.
• Dwayne Johnson ("The Rock"), actor, former professional wrestler.
• Daniel Dae Kim, actor, ABC's Lost.
• Steve Kimock, rock musician.
• John Kline, member of Congress.
• Brian Knobs, former professional wrestler.
• Dan Koppen, professional football player, Denver Broncos.
• Carson Kressley, fashion consultant, Bravo's Queer Eye.
• Varvara Lepchenko, professional tennis player.
• Jonathan Linton, former professional football player, Buffalo Bills.
• William Marchant, playwright and screenwriter.
• Kristen Maloney, gymnast, former Olympian.
• Ed McCaffrey, former professional football player, Denver Broncos, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ers.
• Kate Micucci, actress, singer-songwriter
• Matt Millen, former professional football player, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins, former President and General Manager, Detroit Lions and current broadcaster, NFL on Fox.
• Lara Jill Miller, voice actress, Cartoon Network's The Life and Times of Juniper Lee.
• Marty Nothstein, Olympic gold medal winner, track cycling.
• Andre Reed, former professional football player, Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins.
• Daniel Roebuck, actor, ABC's Lost.
• Jimmie Schaffer, former professional baseball player, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals.
• Brian Schneider, professional baseball player, Philadelphia Phillies.
• Amanda Seyfried, model and actress, The CW's Veronica Mars and HBO's Big Love.
• Shadow Gallery, progressive metal band
• Sheetal Sheth, actress, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World.
• Curt Simmons, former professional baseball player, California Angels, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals.
• Dana Snyder, voice actor, Cartoon Network's Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
• Christine Taylor, actress, wife of actor Ben Stiller.
• Jonathan Taylor Thomas, actor, ABC's Home Improvement.
• Boris Vallejo, artist.
• Bobby Weaver, Olympic gold medal winner, freestyle wrestling.
• Lauren Weisberger, author, The Devil Wears Prada.
• Cindy Werley, former Olympic field hockey player.
• Jordan White (musician), rock musician.
• Dan Yochum, former professional football player, Montreal Alouettes and Edmonton Eskimos.
• David Zippel, Tony-award winning lyricist, City of Angels.

See also

• List of tallest buildings and structures in the Lehigh Valley

County statistics

Notes

References

External links

• Discover Lehigh Valley (Formerly Lehigh Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau).
• Lehigh Valley travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Beyond Steel: An Archive of Lehigh Valley Industry and Culture.
• "Famous People from the Lehigh Valley," The Baltimore Sun.
• Lehigh Valley news at The (Allentown) Morning Call newspaper.
• Lehigh Valley Online.

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