Bethlehem is acity inNorthampton andLehigh counties in theLehigh Valley region of easternPennsylvania, United States.[5] As of the2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781, making it the second-largest city in the Lehigh Valley afterAllentown and theseventh-largest city in the state.[6] Among its total population as of 2020, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19,343 were in Lehigh County. The city is located along theLehigh River, a 109-mile-long (175 km) tributary of theDelaware River.
Bethlehem lies in the geographic center of the Lehigh Valley, a metropolitan region of731 sq mi (1,890 km2) with a population of 861,899 people as of the 2020 census that is Pennsylvania'sthird-most populous metropolitan area and the 68th-most populatedmetropolitan area in the U.S. Bethlehem borders Allentown to its west and is 48 miles (77 km) north ofPhiladelphia and 72 miles (116 km) west ofNew York City.
Bethlehem has a long historical relationship with the celebration ofChristmas. The city was christened as Bethlehem onChristmas Eve 1741 byNicolaus Zinzendorf, aMoravian bishop. In 1747, Bethlehem was the first U.S. city to feature a decoratedChristmas tree.[7] On December 7, 1937, at a grand ceremony during theGreat Depression, the city adopted the nicknameChristmas City USA in a large ceremony.[8] It is one of several Lehigh Valley locations, includingEgypt,Emmaus,Jordan Creek, andNazareth, whose names were inspired by locations in theBible.[9]
View of Bethlehem, an 1832aquatint byKarl BodmerAn 1878 map of Bethlehem andSouth BethlehemSouth Bethlehem homes in the foreground andBethlehem Steel in the background in 1935Bethlehem Graveyard and Steel Mill, a 1935 photo byWalker Evans of St. Michael's Cemetery in the foreground with Bethlehem Steel's smokestacks in the background
They established missionary communities among the Native Americans and unchurchedGerman-speakingChristians and named the settlement after the Biblical townBethlehem ofJudea, said to be the birthplace ofJesus. "Count Zinzendorf said, 'Brothers, how more fittingly could we call our new home than to name it in honor of the spot where the event we now commemorate took place. We will call this place Bethlehem.' And so was Bethlehem named after the birthplace of the Man of Peace."
Bethlehem was started as a typical Moravian Settlement Congregation, where the Church owned all the property. In the late 1700s, Bethlehem established grist and saw mills, known as Calvin's Mills.[12] The historic Brethren's House, Sisters' House, Widows' House, andCongregation House, with the Old Chapel, are remnants of this period of communal living.[13]
Moravians ministered to the regionalLenape Native Americans through their mission in the area, and to others further east in theNew York colony. In historic Bethlehem'sGod's Acre cemetery, converted Lenape were buried alongside Moravians. In 1762, Bethlehem built the firstwaterworks in America to pump water for public use.
George Washington stored his personal effects at theJames Burnside farm at 1461 Schoenersville Road in Bethlehem. As of 1998, the farm is operated as a historical museum known as James Burnside Plantation.[16]
Until the 1850s, officially only members of the Moravian Church were permitted to lease land plots in Bethlehem. A member of a group ofHuguenot families also settled in Bethlehem.
In 1865, after the end of theCivil War, the Borough of South Bethlehem was formed. In 1886, the Borough of West Bethlehem inLehigh County was formed.
In 1901, the Borough of Northampton Heights was incorporated. Starting in 1904, the borough of Bethlehem began a concerted effort to merge with its neighboring municipalities. In 1904 Bethlehem absorbed West Bethlehem followed shortly after in 1905 by Hottlesville. South Bethlehem would attempt to resist merger and incorporated themselves as their own city in 1913; however, theSupreme Court of Pennsylvania struck down their incorporation as unconstitutional in 1915 and in 1917 South Bethlehem would be annexed.
Following the merger with South Bethlehem, the new consolidated City of Bethlehem was incorporated.Bethlehem Steel executiveArchibald Johnston was elected the new city's first mayor. Northampton Heights was incorporated into the city in 1920 after significant local resistance and a failed proposed merger between Northampton Heights andHellertown to make a rival city. With the annexation ofHottlesville,Macada,Altonah, and the former town ofShimersville, Bethlehem's present borders were established.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.4 square miles (50 km2), of which 19.3 square miles (50 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (0.88%) is water. Because large volumes of water were required in thesteelmaking process, the city purchased22,000 acres (8,900 ha) of land in thePocono Mountains, where its water is stored in reservoirs. TheLehigh River, a tributary of theDelaware, flows through Bethlehem.Monocacy andSaucon Creeks empty into the Lehigh River in Bethlehem.
Bethlehem is approximately 50 miles (80 km) north ofPhiladelphia and about 80 miles (130 km) west ofNew York City.
Bethlehem has ahumid continental climate (Dfa). Summers are typically hot and humid, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is cold. Precipitation is distributed fairly uniformly throughout the year, with thunderstorms in the summer, showers in spring and fall, and snow in winter. The average high temperature varies widely, from 37 °F (3 °C) in January to 85 °F (29 °C) in July. The highest recorded temperature was 105 °F (41 °C), while the lowest recorded temperature was −16 °F (−27 °C).
Center City is bounded byMonocacy Creek to the west, Dewberry Ave. to the North, and Stefko Boulevard to the east.
The West Side begins at the city's western border withAllentown and continues east to the Monocacy Creek and north toHanover Township.
The Mount Airy Neighborhood is bounded by Pennsylvania Ave to the west, West Broad St to the north, 2nd Avenue to the east, and theLehigh River to the south.
The East Side is bordered to the west by Center City and to the east by Bethlehem Township andFreemansburg. The East Side includes thePembroke Village area.
The North Side begins above Dewberry Ave and extends up Route 191 (Linden Ave) to Oakland Road, where the city and township divide is. Northside extends as far West as Monocacy Creek on Macada Road and as far East as Easton Ave and Stefko Blvd. intersection. 'North Side' refers more to a cultural division than an actual boundary.
As of the census[21] of 2010, there were 74,982 people living in the city. There were 31,221 housing units, with 5.9% vacant. The racial makeup of the city was 76.4%White, 6.9%African American, 0.3%Native American, 2.9%Asian, 0.0%Pacific Islander, 10.0% fromother races, and 3.4% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 24.4% of the population.
As of the census[21] of 2000, there were 71,329 people living in the city, including 17,094 families and 28,116 households. The population density was 3,704.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,430.3/km2). There were 29,631 housing units at an average density of 1,538.8 per square mile (594.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 81.85%White, 3.64%African American, 0.26%Native American, 2.22%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 9.44% fromother races, and 2.56% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 18.23% of the population.There were 28,116 households, out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.0% under the age of 18, 14.4% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,815, and the median income for a family was $45,354. Males had a median income of $35,190 versus $25,817 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,987. About 11.1% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2018 in theLehigh Valley, Bethlehem had a lower crime rate thanAllentown, but a higher crime rate thanEaston, the Lehigh Valley's third-largest city. In 2018, Bethlehem had a violent crime index of 273.0, while Allentown's violent crime index was 338.4 and Easton's was 254.1.[24] For reference, the United States' average was 368.9 in 2018.[25]
Bethlehem became a center of heavy industry and trade during theIndustrial Revolution.Bethlehem Steel (1857–2003), founded and based in Bethlehem, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, afterPittsburgh-basedU.S. Steel. The company was a powerhouse in the mid-twentieth century, with over 30,000 employees at its peak.[26] Bethlehem Steel was also one of the largestshipbuilding companies in the world and one of the most powerful symbols of American industrial manufacturing leadership, and it manufactured over 1,100warships used inWorld War II.
Bethlehem Steel began producing the first wide-flange structural shapes made in the United States and they pioneered the production of the now-ubiquitous "I-beam" used in construction of steel-framed buildings, including skyscrapers. It manufactured construction materials for numerousNew York City and other city skyscrapers and major bridges.
The company became a major supplier ofarmor plate and ordnance products during World War I and World War II. After roughly 140 years of metal production at its Bethlehem plant, Bethlehem Steel ceased operations there in 1995, in the face of overseas competition and declining demand, and the company's liquidation was completed in 2003.
In December 2006,Las Vegas Sands Corp was awarded a Category 2 Slot Machine License by thePennsylvania Gaming Control Board. LVSC began work on the site, categorized as both the largestbrownfield redevelopment project in the nation and the largest casino development investment made to date in Pennsylvania.[27] Its mission was to create reinvestment and urbanization in the area. At a projected cost of $743 million, the historicBethlehem Steel plant is being redeveloped as a fully integratedresort, to include 3,000 slot machines, over 300 hotel rooms, 9 restaurants, 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2) of retail outlet shopping, and 46,000 square feet (4,300 m2) of flexible multi-purpose space.[28] In 2007, the casino resort company ofLas Vegas Sands began the construction of Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, later rebranded asWind Creek Bethlehem. The casino has been projected to bring in approximately $1 million in revenue per day as of 2009.
In the early 21st century, several shops and restaurants have opened in the city'sdowntown andSouth Side.[31] In the mid-1970s, West Broad Street between New and Guetter Streets in center city was converted to a pedestrian plaza. The buildings on the south side of the block were torn down and replaced by an enclosed mall and an eleven-story office tower.[32] The tower, at One Bethlehem Plaza on the corner of Broad and New, continues to operate, but the 80,000-square-foot (7,400 m2) mall, which was erected in response to the development of suburban shopping malls, failed. Since then, the block has been reopened to traffic, and the mall has been converted into offices for PowerSchool, a software company based inFolsom, California, and theInternal Revenue Service.[32][33]
Retail business in downtown Bethlehem on Main Street south of Broad Street has experienced growth.[34] The two-block shopping area is anchored by the campus ofMoravian University, Central Moravian Church in the south, Bethlehem Common indoor mall, and the historicMoravian Sun Inn, built in 1758, in the north.[35]
Among the blocks' attractions are theMoravian Book Shop, the country's oldest continuously operating bookstore built in 1756, and the historicHotel Bethlehem, built in 1922.[35][36]
On the city's South Side, new stores and restaurants opened on 3rd and 4th streets in the early 21st century, due partly to the presence ofLehigh University and the 2009 openings ofWind Creek Bethlehem casino and SteelStacks, a 10-acre (4.0 ha) campus dedicated to music and the arts, on property that was previously part ofBethlehem Steel's global manufacturing headquarters prior to the company's 2001 liquidation.[31][37]
Outside center city Bethlehem, there are five additional shopping centers:
A replica of theStar of Bethlehem on Main Street in Bethlehem with historicHotel Bethlehem on the right in December 2007; Bethlehem is known as "Christmas City USA".
Bethlehem has a long historical relationship with the celebration ofChristmas, which is prominently celebrated in the city annually. The city was christened as Bethlehem onChristmas Eve 1741 byNicolaus Zinzendorf, aMoravian bishop. In 1747, Bethlehem was the first U.S. city to feature a decoratedChristmas tree.[7]
On December 7, 1937, at a grand ceremony during theGreat Depression, the city adopted the nickname 'Christmas City USA in a large ceremony that included Marion Brown Grace, the daughter of formerSouth Bethlehem burgess Charles F. Brown and wife ofBethlehem Steel presidentEugene Grace. Hundreds of citizens attended the ceremony and thousands more listened to the speeches and musical performances on the radio, which was held atHotel Bethlehem, then a two-room log house, where the original settlers conducted their evening worship onChristmas Eve in 1741. As their benefactor, Count Zinzendorf, observed the farm animals that shared the space and listened to the settlers sing the hymn, "Not Jerusalem, But Lowly Bethlehem", he proclaimed the name of the settlement to be Bethlehem. The people gathered at the 1937 ceremony heard the same words when the Bach Choir sang the old German hymn, "Jesu, Rufe Mich (Jesus, Call Thou Me)", by Adam Drese.
TheBethlehem Globe-Times, which later merged intoThe Express-Times, paid for the large wooden star erected on the top ofSouth Mountain, at a cost of $460. The original star was created with four wooden planks, overlapped to create an eight-point star, which was 60 feet high and 51 feet wide, mounted on two wooden poles, and lit by 150 50-watt light bulbs.PPL Corporation and the Bethlehem Water Department installed the star, which was erected at the top of South Mountain on property owned by the Water Department, inLower Saucon Township.
In 1939, the wooden star was replaced with a star made of steel fromBethlehem Steel, at a cost of $5,000. It had eight rays, with the main horizontal ray 81 feet (25 m) wide and the main vertical ray 53 feet (16 m) high. In 1967, the current star, 91 feet (28 m) high, was installed on the old steel frame and set in a concrete base 25 feet (7.6 m) wide by 5 feet (1.5 m) deep. Plexiglas was installed to protect the 250 fifty-watt light bulbs. In the summer of 2006, the city repaired the base. A crew of municipal electricians changes the bulbs every two years. Beginning in the mid-1990s, the star was lit from 4:30 p.m. until midnight, every day of the year.[8]
Bach Choir of Bethlehem, founded in 1898, attracts thousands of visitors to the annual Bethlehem Bach Festival,[38] held annually on the campus ofLehigh University and on the historic grounds of the nation's earliestMoravians. Other Bethlehem festivals include The Celtic Classic, which celebratesCeltic culture, food and music,[39] and theSouthSide Film Festival, a film festival. The city also hosts the North East Art Rock Festival, orNEARFest, a three-dayprogressive rock music event.
The Bethlehem Area Public Library is a popular destination for recreation and entertainment.[40] The Banana Factory houses studios of area artists and is open to the public every first Friday of the month.[41] Touchstone Theatre, also on Bethlehem's SouthSide, houses the Valley's only professional resident theatre company, which produces and presents original theatre performances.[42]
Musikfest, the nation's largest free music festival, held annually in August in Bethlehem
Bethlehem hostsMusikfest, the nation's largest free music festival, annually each August. The festival spans 10 days, attracts roughly a million attendees from all over the world, and features hundreds of musical acts from all genres.[43]
In 2011, ArtsQuest, a non-profit that runs Musikfest and other cultural facilities and events in the Bethlehem area, coordinated with local community partners including the City of Bethlehem andPBS 39 to open SteelStacks. The facility currently spans a 10-acre campus on the former grounds ofBethlehem Steel. SteelStacks showcases music, art, festivals, films and educational programming throughout the year, and acts as the "South Side" portion of Musikfest.[44][45] It is located in the backdrop of the blast furnaces of the former Bethlehem Steel plant.
On the first Friday of the month, the businesses of the Southside Shopping District host First Friday,[46] a celebration of arts and culture. Stores, restaurants and art galleries stay open late and offer special discounts, refreshments, gallery openings and more. TheLehigh Canal provides hiking and biking opportunities along the canaltowpath which follows theLehigh River in Bethlehem. Both the Lehigh Canal and theMonocacy Creek are popular for sport fishing, and both are stocked annually with trout.
In the early part of the 20th century, Bethlehem had a corporate soccer team, theBethlehem Steel F.C., which won the 1918–19 championship in the National Association Football League (NAFL), and then won what amounted to national championships three more times during the next decade (1920–21 in the NAFL; 1926–27 in the American Soccer League I; and in 1928–29 winning the EPSL II). The Bethlehem Steel sides consisted largely of British imported players and also had the distinction of being the first American professional soccer team to play in Europe, which it did during its tour ofSweden in 1919. The team also won the National Challenge Cup, now called theLamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after billionaire sports franchise ownerLamar Hunt, five times beginning in 1915, and for the last time in 1926.
Bethlehem owns 39 park sites, encompassing 568 acres (2.3 km2). Among the city's parks are Buchannan Park, Elmwood Park, Illick's Mill Park, Johnston Park, Monocacy Park, Rockland Park, Rose Garden, Sand Island, Saucon Park, Sell Field, South Mountain Park, Triangle Park, West Side Park, and Yosko Park.[50][51]
Bethlehem's Municipal and Public Safety Complex in 2011
The city government is composed of a mayor and a seven-person city council. Mayor J. William Reynolds was sworn in on January 3, 2022. Federally, Bethlehem is part ofPennsylvania's 7th congressional district, represented by RepublicanRyan Mackenzie.[52]
Bethlehem has a seven-person city council with staggered elections. Four members are elected in the same election as a mayor, the other three members are elected in between elections. Since 1998 the city council has been uniformly filled by members of theDemocratic Party.
Following the 2021 municipal election, the current council composition is:[53]
Bethlehem is home to three institutes of higher education.Lehigh University, located onSouth Mountain on Bethlehem's South Side, has 5,000 undergraduates and 2,100 graduate students.[54] The university, which was founded in 1865, was ranked 51st nationally inU.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Ranking of the nation's best colleges in 2022.[55]
Moravian University, located in center city Bethlehem, is a smallliberal arts college. Founded in 1742 as the Bethlehem Female Seminary, aPrimary school.[56] Besides undergraduate programs, the college also includes the Moravian Theological Seminary, a graduate school with approximately 100 students from more than a dozen religious denominations.[57]
TheInternational Institute for Restorative Practices is a graduate school dedicated to the advanced education of professionals and to the conduct of research that can develop the growing field ofrestorative practices.[58] The IIRP offers two master's degrees: the Master of Restorative Practices and Education (MRPE) and the Master of Restorative Practices and Youth Counseling (MRPYC). The IIRP also offers an 18-credit Graduate Certificate in Restorative Practices.[59]
The district also has four public middle schools for grades 6–8: Broughal Middle School, East Hills Middle School, Nitschmann Middle School, and Northeast Middle School. In addition, BASD maintains 16 public elementary schools for grades K-5: Asa Packer Elementary School, Calypso Elementary School, Clearview Elementary School, Donegan Elementary School, Farmersville Elementary School, Fountain Hill Elementary School, Freemansburg Elementary School, Governor Wolf Elementary School, Hanover Elementary School, James Buchanan Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School, Marvine Elementary School, Miller Heights Elementary School, Spring Garden Elementary School, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, and William Penn Elementary School.Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts is also operated by the district, though it accepts students in grades 9–12 from throughout Northampton and surrounding counties.
Each of Bethlehem's three large high schools, Bethlehem Catholic, Freedom, and Liberty, compete athletically in Pennsylvania'sEastern Pennsylvania Conference and play their home football games atBethlehem Area School District Stadium, a 14,000-capacity stadium that is one of the largest high school football stadiums in the state and has been labeled "a local football mecca."[62]
Two daily newspapers currently serve Bethlehem.The Morning Call, based inAllentown, andThe Express-Times, based inEaston. Other smaller newspapers includeThe Bethlehem Press, an award-winning weekly,Pulse Weekly, based in Allentown,Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal, based in Bethlehem, andLehigh Valley Sports Extra, an all-sports monthly newspaper founded in 2001. A Bethlehem-based daily,The Globe-Times, founded in 1855, ceased publication in 1991.
Religious broadcaster WBPH is the only television station licensed in Bethlehem, thoughWLVT Channel 39, aPBS affiliate, has its operations in the city.WFMZ Channel 69, an independent station, is based in neighboring Allentown. Bethlehem is part of the Philadelphiamedia market, the nation's fourth-largest, and its cable systems also receive select radio and television broadcasts fromNew York City.
Bethlehem has two licensed commercial radio stations, varietyWGPA-AM andhard rockWZZO-FM. There is also one non-commercial station,WLVR-FM, operated byLehigh University.Public radio stationWDIY-FM, while licensed in Allentown, maintains its facilities in Bethlehem. There are numerous other stations broadcast from Allentown andEaston, representing a variety of commercial formats and severaltranslators of public stations fromPhiladelphia andNew Jersey.
As of 2022, there were 234.13 miles (376.80 km) of public roads in Bethlehem, of which 27.35 miles (44.02 km) were maintained by thePennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 206.78 miles (332.78 km) were maintained by the city.[63]
Interstate 78 is the most prominent highway serving Bethlehem. It traverses the southeastern corner of the city along an east–west alignment.U.S. Route 22 follows the Lehigh Valley Thruway along a southwest–northeast alignment through the northwestern corner of the city.Pennsylvania Route 378 heads southeastward from US 22 through the heart of downtown Bethlehem on a freeway, then transitions to surface streets as it crosses theHill to Hill Bridge, following Wyandote Street southward out of the city. Finally,Pennsylvania Route 412 heads northwest from its interchange with I-78, following Hellertown Road into downtown, then a variety of city streets before coming to its northern terminus at PA 378.
LANta provides local bus service in Bethlehem, serving points in the city and providing connections toAllentown,Easton, theLehigh Valley Mall, and other points in the Lehigh Valley. The Bethlehem Transportation Center at Broad and Guetter streets serves as a transit hub for LANTA buses in Bethlehem.[64]
Freight rail service in Bethlehem is provided by theNorfolk Southern Railway and Lehigh Valley Rail Management. Norfolk Southern Railway operates theLehigh Line through the city along the Lehigh River, with theReading Line splitting from the Lehigh Line in Bethlehem.[68][69]
Electricity in Bethlehem is provided byPPL Corporation.[70][71]UGI Utilities suppliesnatural gas to the city.[72][73] The Department of Water and Sewer Resources provides water and sewer service to Bethlehem and parts of 10 adjacent municipalities in Lehigh and Northampton counties, serving 35,000 water customers and 25,000 sewer customers. The city's water supply comes from thePocono Mountains, with the surface water sources containing 10 billion gallons of freshwater capacity in an area consisting of 23,000 acres of protected watershed.[74] Trash collection in Bethlehem is provided by private haulers while the City of Bethlehem Recycling Department provides recycling collection.[75]
1982: The lyrics to theBilly Joel song "Allentown", the lead track onThe Nylon Curtain album, references Bethlehem: "Out in Bethlehem, they're killing time. Filling out forms, standing in line."
1963: In the comic strip "Dennis in the Christmas City", aDennis the Menace series, Dennis' grandfather lives in Bethlehem. The comic strip has been reprinted frequently since its original publication.[80]
^Cf. Werner Raupp: „Ein vergnügter Herrnhuter“. Johann Martin Mack, Württembergs erster evangelischer Missionar, in: Blätter für Württembergische Kirchengeschichte 92 (1992), ISSN 0341-9479, p. 111–115.
^Calvin, Claude (1945).The Calvin Families. University of Wisconsin. p. 59.Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. RetrievedJanuary 9, 2019.
^Agricultural Research Center, PRISM Climate Group Oregon State University."USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map".USDA.Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. RetrievedFebruary 24, 2014.
Core cities are metropolitan core cities of at least a million people. The other areas are urban areas of cities that have an urban area of 150,000+ or of a metropolitan area of at least 250,000+. Satellite cities are in italics.
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