Find out more about all the benefits of becoming a RetireNet.com member!
Not a member yet? Sign up today!
All Lifestyles
Eastern Pennsylvania
Area Info
The Eastern Pennsylvania region takes in the easternmost third of the state, minus the metropolitan Philadelphia area. It varies greatly in character, from the quiet pastoral landscapes in the southern part (which includes a large portion of the famed "Pennsylvania Dutch" country), to the industrial cities of Allentown, Scranton, and Wilkes-Barre farther north.
The Pennsylvania Dutch area is a rolling, wooded landscape, highly fertile and watered by the Susquehanna River. It has long been famed for the produce of its farms, and especially noted for the Amish folk who settled here originally in the 18th century. Many of the early immigrants and their families never adopted English; and their cultural isolation was a decisive factor in keeping the region essentially agricultural and rural. Today, it is becoming steadily more popular with affluent ex-urbanites from the adjacent Philadelphia region, and it has long been popular with tourists.
To the north, the higher proportion of English speakers assured that when industrialization came, it would come here rather than in the Pennsylvania Dutch country. And it came with a vengeance: coal and steel production made Pennsylvania an economic powerhouse in the 19th and 20th centuries. Allentown and the surrounding Lehigh Valley make up the third-largest population center in Pennsylvania; and although Bethlehem Steel, once one of the largest producers in the world, closed down in 2003, the area is still home to smaller industries ranging from Crayola to Olympus and Mack Trucks.
Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, in the northern tier of the region, were once dominated by steel production and especially coal mining; but the steel companies moved and the mines played out, and the region became more famed as part of the "Rust Belt." But the cities endure, and have turned more to tourism as an important part of their economy, helped by their proximity to the Poconos to the east.
Articles
Top Headlines for Eastern Pennsylvania from TheMorningCall.com
Woman's face cut as car hits Allentown wall
Feb 10, 2012 5:00 am
A woman was injured Thursday night in south Allentown when a vehicle crashed into a wall along the street, according to police radio reports.
Ambulance called for unconscious woman at Muhlenberg
Feb 10, 2012 5:00 am
An Allentown ambulance was called to Muhlenberg College early Friday on a report of an unconscious woman who had just returned to the campus after a night at a city bar.
A year later, 200 gather to remember gas explosion
Feb 10, 2012 4:03 am
A year later, 200 people gather to remember fatal Allentown gas explosion.Five simple wooden crosses were stuck into the rocky lot in Allentown where one year ago a fiery natural gas explosion ended l...
Man admits injuring women in purse snatchings
Feb 10, 2012 4:01 am
34-year-old faces up to 21 years in prison for crimes outside Lehigh County stores.A Schuylkill County man has admitted hurting two women with his car in separate purse snatchings in September outside...
Bethlehem Skate Plaza to double in size
Feb 10, 2012 3:49 am
New features at the Bethlehem facility to include a 10 Stair handrail.Bethlehem Skate Plaza, a concrete collage of obstacles inspired by skate spots around the world, will nearly double in size by the...
Easton strikes deal for Riegelsville transfer
Feb 10, 2012 3:48 am
Students could attend Palisades district in 2013-14 if state approves agreement.The Easton Area School District on Thursday reached a preliminary agreement to transfer its Riegelsville students to the...
Uncertainly the only constant in political mapping debate
Feb 10, 2012 3:47 am
For now, Pennsylvania's primary is still set for April 24. But don't count on it.— The only thing that's certain about the once-a-decade redrawing of Pennsylvania's 203 House and 50 state Se...
Route 329: Dangerous road, or dangerous driving?
Feb 10, 2012 3:47 am
Q: It seems like once a week (but it's probably more like once a month) there's an accident on the stretch of Route 329 (Old Post Road) between Maple Street and Mauch Chunk Road. All the intersections...
Allentown hockey arena-linked donors help fill Pawlowski campaign fund
Feb 10, 2012 3:42 am
Including construction unions, arena-linked donors gave Allentown mayor more than $70,000 in 2011.Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski's healthy 2011 campaign fundraising haul got significant help from donors...
Top Local News for Eastern Pennsylvania from TheMorningCall.com
A year later, 200 gather to remember gas explosion
Feb 10, 2012 4:03 am
A year later, 200 people gather to remember fatal Allentown gas explosion.Five simple wooden crosses were stuck into the rocky lot in Allentown where one year ago a fiery natural gas explosion ended l...
Bethlehem Skate Plaza to double in size
Feb 10, 2012 3:49 am
New features at the Bethlehem facility to include a 10 Stair handrail.Bethlehem Skate Plaza, a concrete collage of obstacles inspired by skate spots around the world, will nearly double in size by the...
Easton strikes deal for Riegelsville transfer
Feb 10, 2012 3:48 am
Students could attend Palisades district in 2013-14 if state approves agreement.The Easton Area School District on Thursday reached a preliminary agreement to transfer its Riegelsville students to the...
Uncertainly the only constant in political mapping debate
Feb 10, 2012 3:47 am
For now, Pennsylvania's primary is still set for April 24. But don't count on it.— The only thing that's certain about the once-a-decade redrawing of Pennsylvania's 203 House and 50 state Se...
Route 329: Dangerous road, or dangerous driving?
Feb 10, 2012 3:47 am
Q: It seems like once a week (but it's probably more like once a month) there's an accident on the stretch of Route 329 (Old Post Road) between Maple Street and Mauch Chunk Road. All the intersections...
Lehigh Valley grandmother and granddaughter compete on 'Rachael Ray'
Feb 10, 2012 3:45 am
Whitehall woman and Emmaus granddaughter try to win trip to GrammysAn 80-year-old family recipe for barbecued spare ribs could win a Lehigh Valley grandmother and granddaughter a trip to the Grammy Aw...
Allentown hockey arena-linked donors help fill Pawlowski campaign fund
Feb 10, 2012 3:42 am
Including construction unions, arena-linked donors gave Allentown mayor more than $70,000 in 2011.Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski's healthy 2011 campaign fundraising haul got significant help from donors...
A year later, families in Allentown gas explosion trying to move forward
Feb 10, 2012 3:37 am
Karen Grabowski can't sleep beneath a ceiling fan. Antonio Arroyo flinches at the smell of gas. Donald OShall Sr. dreams of silhouettes on fire.
Allentown native Dane DeHaan: "I was obsessed with acting"
Feb 10, 2012 1:33 am
Star of the new sci-fi film 'Chronicle,' Allentown native Dane DeHaan is on a roll, with three other films set for release this year and comparisons to Leonard DiCaprioWhen Dane DeHaan was a student a...
Featured Communities
Robin Hill Camping Resort - ELS
Create memories that will last for an eternity at ROBIN HILL RV RESORT located in beautiful Lenhartsville, Pennsylvania just off Exit 35 from I-78. This resort attracts tourists from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh & Washington D.C.
Spring Gulch Resort is a premier RV Resort in the Pennsylvania Dutch Country of New Holland, Pennsylvania. Our resort has more than 450 sites sprawled across 115 acres of forest and farmland, located in the heart of Lancaster County.
Make your next vacation spectacular at Appalachian Resort located in picturesque Shartlesville, Pennsylvania just off Exit 23 from I-78. This resort attracts tourists from Philadelphia, Pittsburg and Washington D.C with its wealth of things to see and do.
My Saved Searches
Sign In or Create your free account to see your saved searches.
