Reading city Pennsylvania History & Facts

Reading is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. With a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census, it is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Allentown. Located in the southeastern part of the state, it is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area, home to 420,152 residents, and is part of the greater Delaware Valley.

The city, which is approximately halfway between the state's most populous city, Philadelphia, and the state capital, Harrisburg, is attractively situated along a major transportation route from Central to Eastern Pennsylvania, and lent its name to the now-defunct Reading Railroad, which transported anthracite coal from the Pennsylvania Coal Region to the eastern United States via the Port of Philadelphia. Reading Railroad is one of the four railroad properties in the classic United States version of the Monopoly board game. Reading was one of the first localities where outlet shopping became a tourist industry. It has been known as "The Pretzel City", because of numerous local pretzel bakeries; currently, Bachman, Dieffenbach, Tom Sturgis, and Unique Pretzel bakeries call the Reading area home. In recent years, the Reading area has become a destination for cyclists. With more than 125 miles of trails in five major preserves, it is an International Mountain Bicycling Association Ride Center.

According to 2010 Census Bureau data, Reading had the highest share of citizens living in poverty in the nation for cities with populations of more than 65,000. Reading's poverty rate fell over the next decade. Reading's poverty rate in the 2018 five-year American Community Survey showed that 35.4% of the city's residents were below the poverty line, or less "than the infamous 41.3% from 2011, when Reading was declared the poorest small city in the nation."

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. 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 is located at 40°20′30″N 75°55′35″W (40.341692, −75.926301) 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 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

Famous Peoples From Reading city Pennsylvania

Jillian Murray

Jillian Murray is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Portlyn on Sonny with a Chance, Olivia on MTV's Awkward, Gwen Adams in American High School, Lex Mitchell in Forget Me Not, Brandi Cox in Wild Things: Foursome, and as the body model for Dr. Liara T'Soni for the Mass Effect video game series. She played Dr. Heather Pinkney in the first two seasons of the CBS medical drama Code Black.

Murray was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Wyomissing in Berks County, Pennsylvania. In 1998, she and her parents moved to Tucson, Arizona; Murray later relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film.

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