36 Facts About Allentown Pennsylvania

1.

Allentown Pennsylvania was founded in 1762 and is the county seat of Lehigh County.

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2.

Allentown Pennsylvania is located 48 miles north of Philadelphia and 78 miles west of New York City.

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3.

In 1763, the year after Allentown Pennsylvania's founding, an effort was made to move the county seat from Easton to Allentown Pennsylvania.

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4.

Immediately following the Declaration of Independence, the Colonial British government in Allentown Pennsylvania began to break down and patriot militias took control.

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5.

Allentown Pennsylvania housed four hospital structures, including one in the Zion Reformed Church and one in the Farr Building, used in treating wounded Continental Army soldiers.

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6.

In 1777, with Toryism on ascent in neighboring Bethlehem, the Continental Congress found it necessary to move their cartridge manufacturing to a safer location, and Allentown Pennsylvania was selected for repairing patriot arms and bayonets and the manufacturing of saddles.

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7.

Allentown Pennsylvania holds historical significance as the location where the Liberty Bell was successfully hidden by American patriots to avoid its capture by the British Army during the American Revolutionary War.

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8.

In 1855, the first railroads to reach Allentown Pennsylvania were opened, representing direct competition for the Lehigh Canal's coal transport.

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9.

Allentown Pennsylvania Rolling Mill Company was created in 1860 from a merger of several smaller companies and became the most significant iron company in the city.

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10.

Allentown Pennsylvania manufactured iron products, some of which were used in constructing the White House and the U S Military Academy at West Point.

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11.

Food processing started in Allentown Pennsylvania following the arrival of bakers, who were among Allentown Pennsylvania's first settlers.

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12.

In 1905, Jack and Gus Mack moved their motor car plant, Mack Trucks, from Brooklyn to Allentown Pennsylvania, taking over foundries of Weaver-Hirsh company on South 10th Street.

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13.

Allentown Pennsylvania began being drained of its working class, who began migrating to the newer, less-expensive housing in Allentown Pennsylvania's suburbs, which offered lower taxes, green space, less crime, and newer schools.

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14.

Large areas of Allentown Pennsylvania's downtown were subsequently torn down for parking lots, and the downtown business district was rebuilt in an attempt to compete with the newer suburban shopping locations.

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15.

Mack Trucks relocated to Greensboro, North Carolina; Agere Systems moved to San Jose, California; and other Allentown Pennsylvania-based factories downsized considerably or ceased operations.

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16.

Center City Allentown Pennsylvania's redevelopment included the opening of a full-service Renaissance Hotel and redeveloped office buildings.

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17.

Allentown Pennsylvania is characterized by a large stock of historic homes, commercial structures, and century-old industrial buildings reflecting its standing as one of the nation's earliest urban centers.

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18.

Allentown Pennsylvania has many loft apartments in converted mills and historic brick manufacturing buildings and modern and historic high-rise apartment buildings in Center City.

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19.

Allentown Pennsylvania has three primary historic districts: Old Allentown Pennsylvania, the Old Fairgrounds, and West Park.

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20.

Allentown Pennsylvania falls under the USDA 6b Plant Hardiness zone, now 7a under the 1991 to 2020 climate normals mean minimum.

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21.

Allentown Pennsylvania does have organized violent gangs, and the city has experienced sporadic gang-related crime and violence.

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22.

Allentown Pennsylvania historically was a hub for the nation's earliest industrialization and heavily manufacturing-based.

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23.

Federally, Allentown is part of Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district, represented currently by Democrat Susan Wild.

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24.

Roberto Clemente Charter School, located at 4th and Walnut Streets in Allentown Pennsylvania, is a Title I charter school that provides educational services to mainly Hispanic students in grades 6 through 12.

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25.

Allentown Pennsylvania is home to a satellite campus of Lehigh Carbon Community College, a comprehensive community college that offers two-year and four-year degree programs, continuing education, and industry training.

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26.

Allentown Pennsylvania is part of the Philadelphia media market, the fourth largest television market in the nation.

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27.

Major Philadelphia-based network stations serving Allentown Pennsylvania include KYW-TV Channel 3, WCAU Channel 10, WPVI Channel 6, and WTXF Channel 29 .

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28.

WFMZ-TV Channel 69, based in Allentown Pennsylvania with studios and a transmitting site atop South Mountain, is an independent station.

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29.

Stations licensed to Allentown Pennsylvania include WAEB-AM, WAEB-FM, WDIY, WHOL, WLEV, WMUH, WSAN, WZZO, and others.

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30.

Allentown Pennsylvania has two daily newspapers, The Morning Call and The Express-Times.

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31.

Public buses within Allentown Pennsylvania are provided by LANTA, a bus system serving Lehigh and Northampton counties.

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32.

Allentown Pennsylvania was once a passenger rail hub served by the Central Railroad of New Jersey, using the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad, Lehigh and New England Railroad, Lehigh Valley Railroad, the Reading Railroad, the Lehigh Valley Transit Company, and Conrail.

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33.

Allentown Pennsylvania is a regional center for commercial freight rail traffic.

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34.

Electricity in Allentown Pennsylvania is provided by PPL Corporation, which is headquartered in Allentown Pennsylvania.

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35.

Since its 1762 founding, Allentown Pennsylvania has been the birthplace or home to several notable Americans, including:.

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36.

Allentown Pennsylvania has a reputation as a rugged blue-collar city and is referenced broadly in popular culture.

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