Overview

Introduction to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in Northampton county, is 47 miles N of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bethlehem is situated in Lehigh Valley in the eastern part of the state. The Lehigh Valley region includes Bethlehem, Easton and Allentown and is the third largest metropolitan area in the state. The city includes three major sections and they all feature locations included in the National Register of Historic Places. Bethlehem is known as Christmas City and during the Christmas season tourists arrive to see the prominent display of light collections.

Bethlehem History

The city was established in 1741 by a group of Moravians. It was named after the town of Bethlehem in Judea. The city was a major location for heavy industry during the Industrial Revolution. Bethlehem Steel was established in 1904 and was the first company to manufacture the popular "I-beam" and was a prominent supplier of armor plates and armaments during World War I and World War II. In 1995 the Bethlehem Steel plant was closed.

In 1937 the notable huge wooden star and the city's Christmas street lights were lit up in a highly attended grand ceremony which was listened to on the radio by thousands of people. This was the year the name "Christmas City, USA" was given to Bethlehem.

Bethlehem Higher Education

Lehigh University and Moravian College are located in the city. Northampton Community College is situated in nearby Bethlehem Township. Moravian College is one of the oldest colleges in the nation.

Bethlehem Transportation

The city is served by the Lehigh Valley International Airport.

Bethlehem Culture

Some of the cultural events in Bethlehem include:

  • The well known Musikfest is a ten day event that occurs in August and typically attracts more than a million people to Bethlehem
  • The Celtic Classic is a popular festival which features Celtic food, music and culture
  • The South Side Film Festival
  • The Banana Factory includes artist studios and is open once a month for visitors
  • Touchtone Theatre offers original theatrical performances
  • Zoellner Arts Center features musical and dramatic performances
  • Harvest Festival occurs in the Historic Bethlehem's Main Street and includes a produce market and a variety of entertainment during the evening
  • Ballet Guild of the Lehigh Valley
  • Chamber Music Society of Bethlehem
  • Moravian Museum is situated in the oldest house in the city and focuses on the art and culture of the early Moravians
  • Pennsylvania Playhouse
  • The Bach Choir
  • First Night Bethlehem
  • The Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts features folk art and furnishings and a large number of cast-iron toys

Bethlehem Attractions

  • The Philadelphia Eagles football team has its pre-season training camp at Lehigh University. Thousands of fans attend each practice session
  • Stabler Arena, located at Lehigh University features sporting and music events
  • The Lehigh Valley Outlaws play indoor football
  • Historic Bethlehem features boutiques, spas and numerous clubs
  • Pre-Revolutionary buildings featuring German architecture are located in the city
  • Lehigh Valley Zoo
  • Lost River Caverns & Gilman Museum includes a limestone cavern which features chambers of crystal formations. It also showcases a museum of natural history and a tropical garden
  • The Star of Bethlehem lights up at night and can be seen throughout the city
  • Hotel Bethlehem
  • The Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom features a vast number of attractions and thrill rides

Bethlehem Nightlife

College students enjoy the Boyd, Pop-mart, Club 40, and Beer Belly's and other popular venues. The Boyd is known for it's excellent sound system. Club 40 offers one of the largest dance floors in the Valley. The Bethlehem Brew Works features various locally produced beers.

Demographics

People

Total Population75,296
Male Share of the Population48.6%
Female Share of the Population51.4%
Senior Citizens15.8%
Employed Population 16+35,081
Age of the Population35

Families

% of people married36.3%
Average household size2

Education and Earnings

Population % with Bachelor Degree or Higher25.2%
Median Earnings25+$37,776
Median Earnings Without High School Qualification$26,792
Median Earnings With High School Degree$30,581

Wealth

Median Family Income$66,986
% Above Poverty Level83.9%
% Below Poverty Level16.1%

Commute & Sprawl

Average Commute Time24 minutes
% Working from Home3.6%
% Walking and Biking to Work5.5%
% Using Public Transportation3.3%

Housing

People Living Alone33.7%
Median Gross Rent$1,013
Median House Value$171,600

Ancestry

Other(often includes Hispanic and African American)37.2%
Irish11.4%
Italian10.1%
English5.3%
Polish4.9%
Hungarian2.8%
Slovak2.5%
German2.2%
Dutch1.6%
French Except Basque1.5%
Welsh1.3%
African1.2%
Scottish1.1%
Russian1.1%
Greek1%
Ukrainian1%
Arab0.8%
Portuguese0.8%
West Indian0.8%
Swedish0.7%
Austrian0.6%
Jamaican0.5%
Turkish0.4%
Lithuanian0.4%
Swiss0.3%
Slovene0.3%
Norwegian0.3%
Croatian0.3%
Brazilian0.3%
Syrian0.3%
Lebanese0.2%
Czech0.2%
Danishn0.2%
Kenyan0.2%
Albanian0.1%
Serbian0.1%
Iranian0.1%
US Virgin Isl0.1%
Canadian0.1%
Romanian0.1%
Finnish0.1%
Nigerian0.1%
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Bethlehem Almanac

CategoryValue
CountyNorthampton County, Lehigh County
Standard Zip Codes18016, 18020, 18018, 18017, 18015
Company Zip Codes18025
Phone Area Codes484, 610
Time ZoneAmerica/New_York
Approximate Latitude40.62
Approximate Longitude-75.36

Bethlehem Climate

Nearest Weather Stations

Notes:

  • Temp ranges are avg daily min and max for the month
  • Precipitation is rainfall (and rainfall equiv of snowfall)

StationALLENTOWN LEHIGH VLY AP
Distance4.5 miles
Jan Temp19 to 35 F
Apr Temp38 to 60 F
Jul Temp63 to 84 F
Oct Temp41 to 63 F
Annual Precip45.1 inches
StationBUCKSVILLE
Distance12.5 miles
Jan Temp20 to 37 F
Apr Temp39 to 62 F
Jul Temp63 to 85 F
Oct Temp42 to 65 F
Annual Precip49.7 inches
StationRODALE RESEARCH CENTER
Distance18.9 miles
Jan Temp17 to 36 F
Apr Temp37 to 60 F
Jul Temp59 to 83 F
Oct Temp39 to 63 F
Annual Precip46 inches

Nearby Cities and Towns

LocationPopulationMedian Family Income
Allentown120,410$44,130
Catasauqua6,550$63,814
Fountain Hill4,675$62,559
Freemansburg2,621$67,727
Hellertown5,848$77,926
Whitehall13,759$85,729

Bethlehem Public Libraries

Bethlehem Area Public Library
11 WEST CHURCH ST
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
(610) 867-3761

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More Information for Librarians

Bethlehem Hospitals

Lehigh Valley Hospital-muhlenberg
(Non-profit)
2545 Schoenersville Road
(610) 861-2200
St Lukes University Hospital - Bethlehem
(Non-profit)
801 Ostrum Street
(610) 954-4000
Coordinated Health Orthopedic Hospital
(Proprietary)
2310 Highland Avenue
(610) 691-4300
Good Shepherd Specialty Hospital
(Non-profit)
2545 Schoenersville Road
(484) 884-5051

Bethlehem Public Schools

Broughal Ms
114 West Morton Street
ZIP: 18015
(610) 866-5041
Middle
Total Enrollment 561
Donegan El Sch
1210 East 4th St
ZIP: 18015
(610) 866-0031
Primary
Total Enrollment 477
Fountain Hill El Sch
1330 Church St
ZIP: 18015
(610) 865-5881
Primary
Total Enrollment 546
Lehigh Valley Dual Language Charter Scho
551 Thomas St.
ZIP: 18015
(610) 419-3120
Primary
Total Enrollment 434
Southern Lehigh Intermediate Sch
5438 Route 378
ZIP: 18015
(610) 861-4040
Middle
Total Enrollment 716
Asa Packer El Sch
1650 Kenwood Dr
ZIP: 18017
(610) 865-0660
Primary
Total Enrollment 328
East Hills Ms
2005 Chester Rd
ZIP: 18017
(610) 867-0541
Middle
Total Enrollment 1075
Governor Wolf El Sch
1920 Butztown Rd
ZIP: 18017
(610) 867-8191
Primary
Total Enrollment 417
Hanover El Sch
3890 Jacksonville Rd
ZIP: 18017
(610) 691-3210
Primary
Total Enrollment 231
James Buchanan El Sch
1621 Catasauqua Road
ZIP: 18017
(610) 865-1766
Primary
Total Enrollment 267
Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Cs
1560 Valley Center Parkway, Suite 200
ZIP: 18017
(610) 866-9660
Other
Total Enrollment 1571
Lincoln El Sch
1260 Gresham St
ZIP: 18017
(610) 866-8727
Primary
Total Enrollment 360
Marvine El Sch
1425 Livingston St
ZIP: 18017
(610) 865-0012
Primary
Total Enrollment 378
Spring Garden El Sch
901 North Blvd
ZIP: 18017
(610) 868-6071
Primary
Total Enrollment 522
Calypso El Sch
1021 Calypso Ave
ZIP: 18018
(610) 691-0152
Primary
Total Enrollment 236
Clearview El Sch
2121 Abington Rd
ZIP: 18018
(610) 868-5994
Primary
Total Enrollment 364
Lehigh Valley Charter High School For Th
675 East Broad Street
ZIP: 18018
(610) 868-2971
High
Total Enrollment 495
Liberty Hs
1115 Linden St
ZIP: 18018
(610) 691-7200
High
Total Enrollment 2759
Nitschmann Ms
909 W Union Blvd
ZIP: 18018
(610) 866-5781
Middle
Total Enrollment 793
Northeast Ms
1170 Fernwood St
ZIP: 18018
(610) 868-8581
Middle
Total Enrollment 764
Thomas Jefferson El Sch
404 E North St
ZIP: 18018
(610) 691-1776
Primary
Total Enrollment 249
Vitalistic Therapeutic Cs Of The Lehigh
902 Fourth Avenue
ZIP: 18018
(610) 861-7570
Other
William Penn El Sch
1002 Main St
ZIP: 18018
(610) 694-0116
Primary
Total Enrollment 236
Bethlehem Avts
3300 Chester Avenue
ZIP: 18020
(610) 866-8013
High
Freedom Hs
3149 Chester Ave
ZIP: 18020
(610) 867-5843
High
Total Enrollment 1843
Miller Heights El Sch
3605 Allen St
ZIP: 18020
(610) 868-6441
Primary
Total Enrollment 433

Bethlehem Private Schools

Holy Infancy School
127 E 4th St
ZIP: 18015
Elementary
Total Enrollment 132
Bethlehem Catholic High School
2133 Madison Ave
ZIP: 18017
Secondary
Total Enrollment 762
Centennial School Lehigh Univ
2196 Avenue C
ZIP: 18017
Combined Elementary And Secondary
Total Enrollment 69
Chesterbrook Academy
1550 Valley Center Pkwy # 200
ZIP: 18017
Elementary
Total Enrollment 16
Creative Kids Club
90 S Commerce Way Ste 480
ZIP: 18017
Elementary
Total Enrollment 8
St Anne School
375 Hickory St
ZIP: 18017
Elementary
Total Enrollment 347
Covenant Christian Academy Of The Lee High Valley
1414 Pennsylvania Ave
ZIP: 18018
Elementary
Total Enrollment 41
Gateway School Of Lehigh Valley
424 Center St
ZIP: 18018
Secondary
Total Enrollment 7
Moravian Academy Middle School
11 W Market St
ZIP: 18018
Elementary
Total Enrollment 198
Notre Dame Of Bethlehem School
1835 Catasauqua Rd
ZIP: 18018
Elementary
Total Enrollment 348
Seton Academy
623 6th Ave
ZIP: 18018
Elementary
Total Enrollment 117
St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Academy
1607 W Union Blvd
ZIP: 18018
Elementary
Total Enrollment 30
Bethlehem Christian School
3100 Hecktown Rd
ZIP: 18020
Elementary
Total Enrollment 126
Cambridge Day School
2201 Emrick Blvd
ZIP: 18020
Elementary
Total Enrollment 10
Cambridge Day School
3986 Township Line Rd
ZIP: 18020
Elementary
Total Enrollment 8
Moravian Academy Upper School
4313 Green Pond Rd
ZIP: 18020
Secondary
Total Enrollment 286
Our Lady Of Perpetual Help School
3221 Santee Rd
ZIP: 18020
Elementary
Total Enrollment 287
The Goddard School
4500 Falmer Dr
ZIP: 18020
Elementary
Total Enrollment 13
Sources :
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