Located along the Lehigh River, in Lehigh County you will find Pennsylvania’s third largest city, Allentown. Originally founded as Northampton Town when founded in 1762, the town served as a popular commercial center due to its location along the Lehigh River. It was not until years after populous usage that Northampton Town was officially renamed Allentown.
Steeped in history, Allentown served as the site where one of America’s greatest symbols of freedom, the Liberty Bell, was hidden from the British during the American Revolutionary War. The Liberty Bell was hidden in what is now the center of Allentown, the Old Zion Reformed Church. With the construction of the Lehigh Canal in the 1830s, Allentown would undergo significant industrialization. Serving as a major transport of coal and other major industrial materials from the Lehigh River to the Delaware River, Allentown’s local markets would expand to becoming a major center for industry and manufacturing. Headed by Mayor Ed Pawlowski, Allentown’s economy continues to be manufacturing based. Several large manufacturing companies such as Air Products and Chemicals, PPL, and others’ corporate headquarters reside in the city limits. However, with over 7,800 employees, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network is the largest employer in Allentown. You can find out more information about Allentown’s companies by viewing the Pennsylvania business directory.
A city with great history and beauty, Allentown also boasts one of the best park systems in the country. Each May, one can head down to Cedar Beach Park to partake in Mayfair Festival of the Arts, an annual arts and craft festival established in 1986. Catch one of the oldest fairs in the country, the Great Allentown Fair, located at the Allentown Fairgrounds.For more information on local businesses in Pennsylvania and all U.S. cities, check our our yellow pages.