Reading, Pennsylvania

The 500-block of Court Street in Downtown Reading, with Berks County courthouse on the left

Reading and its suburbs, 1955

Lenni Lenape people, also known as "Delaware Indians", were the original inhabitants of the Reading area.

The Colony of Pennsylvania was a 1680 land grant from King Charles II of England to William Penn. Comprising more than 45,000 square miles (120,000 km2), it was named for his father, Sir William Penn.

In 1743, Richard and Thomas Penn (sons of William Penn) mapped out the town of Reading with Conrad Weiser. Taking its name from Reading, Berkshire, England, the town was established in 1748. Upon the creation of Berks County in 1752, Reading became the county seat. The region was settled by emigrants from southern and western Germany, who bought land from the Penns. The first Amish community in the New World was established in Greater Reading, Berks County.[16] The Pennsylvanian German dialect was spoken in the area well into the 1950s.

During the French and Indian War, Reading was a military base for a chain of forts along the Blue Mountain.

Reading downtown as seen from Penn and 2nd Streets

By the time of the American Revolution, the area's iron industry had a total production exceeding England's. There were several prominent Ironmasters like Samuel Van Leer who helped supply George Washington's troops with cannons, rifles, and ammunition in the Revolutionary War.[17] During the early period of the conflict, Reading was again a depot for military supply. Hessian prisoners from the Battle of Trenton were also detained here.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the capital of the United States at the time of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793.[18] President Washington traveled to Reading, and considered making it the emergency national capital, but chose Germantown instead.

Susanna Cox was tried and convicted for infanticide in Reading in 1809. Her case attracted tremendous sympathy; 20,000 viewers came to view her hanging, swamping the 3,000 inhabitants.

Census data showed that, from 1810 to 1950, Reading was among the nation's top one hundred largest urban places.

The Schuylkill Canal, a north–south canal completed in 1825, paralleled the Schuylkill River and connected Reading with Philadelphia and the Delaware River. The Union Canal, an east–west canal completed in 1828, connected the Schuylkill and Susquehanna Rivers, and ran from Reading to Middletown, Pennsylvania, a few miles south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Railroads forced the abandonment of the canals by the 1880s.

The Philadelphia and Reading Railroad (P&R) was incorporated in 1833. During the Long Depression following the Panic of 1873, a statewide railroad strike in 1877 over delayed wages led to a violent protest and clash with the National Guard in which six Reading men were killed.[19] Following more than a century of prosperity, the Reading Company was forced to file for bankruptcy protection in 1971. The bankruptcy was a result of dwindling coal shipping revenues and strict government regulations that denied railroads the ability to set competitive prices, required high taxes, and forced the railroads to continue to operate money-losing passenger service lines. On April 1, 1976, the Reading Company sold its current railroad interests to the newly formed Consolidated Railroad Corporation (Conrail).

The Charles Evans Cemetery is the non-sectarian cemetery where many of the city's prominent business and community leaders have been buried since the cemetery's opening in the 1840s. Established through the donation of land by Reading attorney and philanthropist Charles Evans and a subsequent financial endowment upon his death in 1847, which provided for future improvements to the grounds,[20] the cemetery became a primary gathering point for annual Memorial Day activities from the late 19th through the late 20th centuries due to the presence of the Grand Army of the Republic monument, which was dedicated there in 1887.[21][22][23][24]

Early in the 20th century, the city participated in the burgeoning automobile and motorcycle industry as home to the pioneer "Brass Era" companies, Daniels Motor Company, Duryea Motor Wagon Company and Reading-Standard Company.[25]

Reading experienced continuous growth until the 1930s, when its population reached nearly 120,000. From the 1940s to the 1970s, however, the city saw a sharp downturn in prosperity, largely owing to the decline of the heavy industry and railroads, on which Reading had been built, and a national trend of urban decline.

In 1972, Hurricane Agnes caused extensive flooding in the city, not the last time the lower precincts of Reading were inundated by the Schuylkill River. A similar, though not as devastating, flood occurred during June 2006.

The 2000 census showed that Reading's population decline had ceased. This was attributed to an influx of Hispanic residents from New York City, as well as from the extension of suburban sprawl from Philadelphia's northwest suburbs.

Reading has its share of obstacles to overcome, namely crime.[26] However, new crime fighting strategies appear to have had an impact. In 2006, the city dropped in the rankings of dangerous cities, and again in 2007.

In December 2007, NBC's Today show featured Reading as one of the top four "Up and Coming Neighborhoods" in the United States as showing potential for a real estate boom.[27] The interviewee, Barbara Corcoran, chose the city by looking for areas of big change, renovations, cleanups of parks, waterfronts, and warehouses. Corcoran also noted Reading's proximity to Philadelphia, New York, and other cities.

The climate in and around Reading is variable, but relatively mild compared to areas further north. The Reading area is considered a hot-summer humid continental climate, with areas just to the north designated as a humid continental climate (Dfb). Summers are warm and humid with average July highs around 85 °F (29 °C). Extended periods of heat and high humidity occur. On average, there are 15–20 days per year where the temperature exceeds 90 °F (32 °C). Reading becomes milder in the autumn, as the heat and humidity of summer relent to lower humidity and temperatures. The first killing frost generally occurs in mid to late October.

Winters bring freezing temperatures, but usually move above freezing during the day's warmest point. The average January high is 38 °F (3 °C); the average January low is 22 °F (−6 °C), but it is not unusual for winter temperatures to be much lower or higher than the averages. The all-time record low (not including wind chill) was −21 °F (−29 °C) during a widespread cold wave in January 1994. Snow is common in some winters, but the harsher winter conditions experienced to the north and west are not typical of Greater Reading. Annual snowfall is variable, but averages around 32 inches (81 cm). Spring temperatures vary widely between freezing temperatures and the 80s or even 90s (around 30 °C) later in spring. The last killing frost usually is in later April, but freezing temperatures have occurred in May. Total precipitation for the entire year is around 45 inches (110 cm).

Reading is located at 40°20′30″N 75°55′35″W (40.341692, −75.926301)[31] in southeastern Pennsylvania, roughly 65 miles (105 km) northwest of Philadelphia. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.1 square miles (26 km²). 9.8 square miles (25 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) of it (2.39%) is water. The total area is 2.39% water. The city is largely bounded on the west by the Schuylkill River, on the east by Mount Penn, and on the south by Neversink Mountain. The Reading Prong, the mountain formation stretching northeast into New Jersey, has come to be associated with naturally occurring radon gas; however, homes in Reading are not particularly affected. The surrounding county is home to a number of family-owned farms.

Companies based in Reading and surrounding communities include Boscov's, EnerSys, Carpenter, GK Elite Sportswear, Penske Truck Leasing, and Redner's Markets.

In 2012, The New York Times called Reading "the nation's poorest city."[32]

According to the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce and Industry,[33] the largest employers in the Berks county area are:

Jump Start Incubator, a program of Berks County Community Foundation, and Berks LaunchBox, a project of Penn State Berks, are programs intended to provide office space and support to entrepreneurs in the area.[34]

As of the 2010 census, the city was 48.4% White, 13.2% Black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian, and 6.1% were two or more races. 58.2% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.[58]

As of the census of 2000, there were 30,113 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.4% were married couples living together, 20.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.33.[59]

In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.9% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,698, and the median income for a family was $31,067. Males had a median income of $28,114 versus $21,993 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,086. 26.1% of the population and 22.3% of families were below the poverty line. 36.5% of those under the age of 18 and 15.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

The Reading Fire Museum

The city of Reading is protected by the 135 firefighters and paramedics of the Reading Fire and EMS Department (RFD). The RFD operates out of seven fire stations throughout the city. The RFD operates a fire apparatus fleet of five Engine Companies, three Ladder Companies, one Rescue Company, brush unit, and four front-line Medic Ambulances. In 2018, fire units responded to 9,992 incidents. EMS responses totaled 19,505 calls for service. Department staffing is only two firefighters per apparatus.[61]

Reading High School

The Reading School District provides elementary and middle schools for the city's children. Numerous Catholic parochial schools are also available.

Press reports have indicated that in 2012, about eight percent of Reading's residents have a college degree, compared to a national average of 28%.[32]

Four institutions of higher learning are located in Reading:

• Penn State Berks
• Albright College
• Alvernia University
• Reading Area Community College

Four high schools serve the city:

• Berks Catholic High School (grades 9–12)
• Reading High School (grades 9–12)
• Reading Intermediate High School (grade 8)
• I-LEAD Charter School

FirstEnergy Stadium, 2006

Reading is known for multiple sports franchises, all of which have a long history of success creating professional athletes at the highest levels.

The Reading Fightin Phils, minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, who play at FirstEnergy Stadium. Notable alumni are Larry Bowa, Ryne Sandberg, Mike Schmidt, Ryan Howard, and Jimmy Rollins.

Reading United AC, USL League Two affiliate of the Philadelphia Union, are considered one of the top amateur soccer teams in the United States. The team most recently played in the first PDL Championship in team history in 2018. Notable alumni include multiple players with United States men's national soccer team experience, including Matt Hedges, Alex Bono, CJ Sapong, Ben Sweat, and Keegan Rosenberry. Over 110 alumni from the team have gone on to play soccer professionally.

The city has been the residence of numerous professional athletes. Among these native to Reading are Brooklyn Dodgers outfielder Carl Furillo, Baltimore Colts running back Lenny Moore, and Philadelphia 76ers forward Donyell Marshall. Pro golfer Betsy King, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, was born in Reading.

The open-wheel racing portion of Penske Racing had been based in Reading, Pennsylvania since 1973 with the cars, during the F1 and CART era, being constructed in Poole, Dorset, England as well as being the base for the F1 team. On October 31, 2005, Penske Racing announced after the 2006 IRL season, they would consolidate IRL and NASCAR operations at the team's Mooresville, North Carolina facility; with the flooding in Pennsylvania in 2006, the team's operations were moved to Mooresville earlier than expected. Penske Truck Leasing is still based in Reading.

Duryea Drive, which ascends Mount Penn in a series of switchbacks, was a testing place for early automobiles and was named for Charles Duryea. The Blue Mountain Region Sports Car Club of America hosts the Duryea Hill Climb, the longest in the Pennsylvania Hillclimb Association series, which follows the same route the automaker used to test his cars.[62]

Reading played host to a stop on the PGA Tour, the Reading Open, in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Reading Public Museum in 2011

The city's cultural institutions include the Reading Symphony Orchestra and its education project the Reading Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Reading Choral Society, Opus One: Berks Chamber Choir, Berks Sinfonietta Chamber Orchestra, Vox Philia Chamber Choir, the GoggleWorks Art Gallery, the Reading Public Museum and the Historical Society of Berks County.

Reading is the birthplace of graphic artist Jim Steranko, guitar virtuoso Richie Kotzen, novelist and poet John Updike, and poet Wallace Stevens. Marching band composer and writer John Philip Sousa, the March King, died in Reading's Abraham Lincoln Hotel in 1932. Artist Keith Haring[63] was born in Reading.

Downtown Reading

Reading is home to the 15-time DCA world champion drum and bugle corps, The Reading Buccaneers.

In 1914, one of the anchors of the Battleship Maine was delivered from the Washington Navy Yard to City Park, off of Perkiomen Avenue. The anchor was dedicated during a ceremony presided over by Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was then assistant secretary of the navy.

Reading was home to several movie and theater palaces in the early 20th century. The Astor, Embassy, Loew's Colonial, and Rajah Shrine Theater were grand monuments of architecture and entertainment. Today, after depression, recession, and urban renewal, the Rajah is the only one to remain. The Astor Theater was demolished in 1998 to make way for The Sovereign Center. Certain steps were taken to retain mementos of the Astor, including its ornate Art Deco chandelier and gates. These are on display and in use inside the arena corridors, allowing insight into the ambiance of the former movie house. In 2000, the Rajah was purchased from the Shriners. After a much needed restoration, it was renamed the Sovereign Performing Arts Center.

The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum is a membership-supported museum and restoration facility located at Carl A. Spaatz Field. The museum actively displays and restores historic and rare war aircraft and civilian airliners. Most notable to their collection is a Northrop P-61 Black Widow under active restoration since its recovery from Mount Cyclops, New Guinea in 1989. Beginning in 1990, the museum has hosted "World War II Weekend Air Show", scheduled to coincide with D-Day. On display are period wartime aircraft (many of which fly throughout the show) vehicles, and weapons.

The mechanical ice cream scoop was invented in Reading by William Clewell in 1878. The 5th Avenue candy bar and York Peppermint Pattie were invented in Reading.[16]

The City of Reading and Reutlingen, Germany are sister cities which participate in student exchanges. Students from Reading High School can apply to become a part of the exchange and travel to Reutlingen for two weeks (mid-September to early October) and in return host German exchange students in the spring. Kutztown University also has a program with Reutlingen.

Reading is twinned with:

• Reutlingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, since 1998
• Changzhi, Shanxi, China, since 1992[64]

Reading's Pagoda seen from Skyline Drive

In 1908, a Japanese-style pagoda was built on Mount Penn, where it overlooks the city and is visible from almost everywhere in town. Locally, it is called the "Pagoda". It is currently the home of a café and a gift shop. It remains a popular tourist attraction.

Another fixture in Reading's skyline is the William Penn Memorial Fire Tower, one mile from the Pagoda on Skyline Drive. Built in 1939 for fire department and forestry observation, the tower is 120 feet tall, and rises 950 feet above the intersection of fifth and Penn Streets. From the top of the tower is a 60-mile panoramic view.

The Reading Glove and Mitten Manufacturing Company founded in 1899, just outside Reading city limits, in West Reading and Wyomissing boroughs changed its name to Vanity Fair in 1911 and is now the major clothing manufacturer VF Corp. In the early 1970s, the original factories were developed to create the VF Outlet Village, the first outlet mall in the United States. The VF Outlet closed in 2020.[65]

The book and movie Rabbit, Run and the other three novels of the Rabbit series by John Updike were set in fictionalized versions of Reading and nearby Shillington, called Brewer and Olinger respectively. Updike was born in Reading and lived in nearby Shillington until he was thirteen. He also makes reference to the Brewer suburb of Mount Judge, equivalent to Mount Penn, east of Reading.

The play Sweat by Lynn Nottage is set in Reading.[66][67]

The movie Goon: Last of the Enforcers features Reading as the home of the rival team, the Reading Wolf Dogs.

David McMurtrie Gregg (1922) by Augustus Lukeman

• Gus Alberts (1861–1912), Major League Baseball player[68]
• Coit Albertson (1880–1953), silent film actor
• George Warren Alexander (1829–1903), US Army officer and founder of G.W. Alexander & Co., a hat factory[69]
• Elvin Ayala (b. 1981), professional boxer, World Boxing Council and U.S. National Boxing Council middleweight champion
• John Barrasso (b. 1952),[70] U.S. Senator from Wyoming
• Allison Baver (b. 1980), professional speed skater[71]
• Fay Biles (b. 1927), professor emerita of Kent State University
• Albert Boscov (1929–2017), chairman of Boscov's department store
• George Bradley (1852–1931), Major League Baseball player[68]
• Sylvanus C. Breyfogel (b. 1851), bishop of Evangelical Association
• Kenny Brightbill (b. 1948), race car driver
• James Bryant, professional football player
• Harry Buckwalter (1867–1930), photographer, journalist, film director and producer
• James Henry Carpenter (1846–1898), Civil War sailor, officer, founder of Carpenter Technology Corporation
• Ariel Castro, convicted rapist and kidnapper of three women in Cleveland
• Jack Coggins (1911–2006), artist and author
• Kayla Collins (b. 1987), model and Playboy Playmate (August 2008)
• Forrest Compton (1925-2020), actor
• Michael Constantine (b. 1927), actor
• Tullio DeSantis (b. 1948), artist, writer, professor
• Lisa Eichhorn (b. 1952), actress, writer, producer
• John Fetterman (b. 1969), Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
• Meg Foster (b. 1948), actress
• Roy Frankhouser (1939–2009), Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan
• Harry Whittier Frees (1879–1953), photographer
• Carl Furillo (1922–1989), Major League Baseball outfielder[68]
• Megan Gallagher (b. 1960), actress
• David McMurtrie Gregg (1833–1916), American Civil War general
• Keith Haring (1958–1990), artist, activist
• Mervin Heller, Jr., past president of the United States Tennis Association
• Corey Hertzog (b. 1990), professional soccer player
• William Muhlenberg Hiester (1818–1878), political and military leader
• Alice Hoover (1928–2014), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
• Frank Hovington (1919–1982), blues musician
• Chad Hurley (b. 1977), co-founder and former CEO of YouTube
• Stu Jackson (b. 1955), executive vice president of basketball operations for the NBA
• Mildred Jordan (1901–1982), novelist
• Travis Kauffman (b. 1985), WBF Inter-Continental heavyweight boxing champion and ranked contender
• Ed Kemmer (1921–2004), combat pilot and actor
• Chip Kidd (b. 1964), graphic designer and author
• A.S. King (b. 1970), author, winner of the LA Times Book Prize and a Printz Award honoree
• Betsy King (b.1955), golfer, winner of 34 LPGA Tour events and member of the World Golf Hall of Fame
• Richie Kotzen (b. 1970), rock guitarist
• Rick Krebs (b. 1949), game designer
• Whitey Kurowski (1918–1999), All-Star infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals
• Henry Larkin (1860–1942), Major League Baseball player
• Julian Letterlough (1969–2005), light heavyweight boxing champion
• Steve Little (1965–2000), WBA world middleweight boxing champion
• Donyell Marshall (b. 1973), basketball player, Connecticut and NBA power forward
• Julio Cesar Matthews (b. 1970), Golden Gloves champion and unbeaten professional cruiserweight boxer
• James H. Maurer (1864–1944), Labor leader and two-time Vice Presidential nominee
• Draya Michele (b. 1985), American social media personality, fashion designer, socialite, actress and model
• Morton L. Montgomery (1846–1933), Pennsylvania attorney and historian
• Lenny Moore (b. 1933), NFL running back and Pro Football Hall of Famer
• Stephen Mull, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Political Ministry Affairs, U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania[72]
• James Nagle (1822–1866), Civil War general
• Hildegard Peplau (1909–1999), nurse theorist
• Mike Pilot (b. 1975), podcaster
• Curtis R. Reitz (b. 1929), Algernon Sydney Biddle Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
• David Robidoux, composer[73]
• Kevin Ross (kickboxer) (b. 1980), current Bellator Kickboxing featherweight champion
• Denise Rutkowski (b. 1962), professional female bodybuilder
• William Sands (1835–1918), U.S. Medal of Honor winner (Civil War)[74]
• Lori and George Schappell (b. 1961), conjoined twins
• John Philip Sousa (1854–1932), iconic composer, died in Reading
• Ray Dennis Steckler (1939–2009), film director
• Jim Steranko (b. 1938), Silver Age comic book artist, magazine publisher and escape artist
• Wallace Stevens (1879–1955), poet
• Taylor Swift (b. 1989), singer-songwriter
• Chuck Thompson (1921–2005), sportscaster
• John Updike (1932–2009), Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, poet, essayist
• Thomas Usher, CEO of U.S. Steel and Chairman of the Board of Marathon Oil
• Samuel Van Leer, (1747–1825) ironmaster and captain in the American Revolutionary War
• Isaac Van Leer, (1772-1821) iron works entrepreneur and owner of several nearby historical homes
• Byron Vazakas (1905–1987), poet
• Charlie Wagner (1912–2006), baseball player for Boston Red Sox
• Lonnie Walker IV (b. 1998), NBA basketball player for San Antonio Spurs
• Angela Washko (b. 1986), artist
• Delores Wells (b. 1937), actress
• Thomas C. Zimmerman (1838–1914), writer, translator of English language classics to Pennsylvania German dialect

• Reading Eagle archive, Google News Archive, 1868–2000. —PDFs of 38,630 issues.
• Kenneth E. Hendrickson, Jr., The Socialists of Reading, Pennsylvanian and World War I: A Question of Loyalty," Pennsylvania History, vol. 36, no. 4 (October 1969), pp. 430–450. In JSTOR
• Kenneth E. Hendrickson, Jr., "The Socialist Administration in Reading, Pennsylvania, Part I, 1927–1931," Pennsylvania History, vol. 39, no. 4 (October 1972), pp. 417–442. In JSTOR
• Kenneth E. Hendrickson, Jr., "Triumph and Disaster: The Reading Socialists in Power and Decline, Part II, 1932–1939," Pennsylvania History, vol. 40, no. 4 (October 1973), pp. 380–411. In JSTOR
• Henry G. Stetler, The Socialist Movement in Reading, Pennsylvania, 1896–1936. PhD dissertation. Storrs, CT: Henry G. Stetler, 1943.

• Official website
• Reading at Curlie
• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Reading, Pennsylvania