Allentown is located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, and with an estimated population of 106,632 it is the state's third most populous city. Sitting along the Lehigh River, with the cities of Bethlehem and Easton nearby, Allentown is 60 miles north of Philadelphia and 90 miles west of New York City.
Despite its fate as another industrial town that suffered business closings due to foreign competition and plant shutdowns, Allentown remains the corporate headquarters for several large multi-national firms including Mack Trucks, Olympus Corporation (USA), Agere Systems, Air Products & Chemicals, and state utilities like Pennsylvania Power & Light. The city also has a long history with the brewing of beer, and is home to the notable Neuweiler, Schmidts, and Horlacher Breweries. These have since closed but the Miller Brewing Company still has a facility in the city. The largest employer in the area is the Lehigh Valley Hospital.Allentown can still boast a vital and well-maintained city park system initiated and supported by the industrialist Harry Clay Trexler and inspired by the City Beautiful movement in the early 1990's. These include West Park, Trexler Park, Cedar Parkway, Bicentennial Park, East Side Reservoir, Kimmets Lock Park, Lehigh Canal Park, South Mountain Reservoir, and Union Terrace. Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom, a very popular tourist destination, is also located in the area.
The city is home to the Cedar Crest and Muhlenberg Colleges that help to keep the arts, history, and culture alive in the area. Some of the local museums and arts organizations in Allentown are the Allentown Art Museum, Allentown Symphony Orchestra, The Baum School of Art, the Da Vinci Discovery Center of Science and Technology, Lehigh County Historical Society and Lehigh Valley Heritage Center Museum, the Lenni Lenape Historical Society Museum of Indian Culture and the MunOpCo Music Theatre. Allentown landmarks and popular locations include the Albertus Meyers Bridge, Allentown Symphony Hall, Buchman House, the William F. Curtis Arboretum, the Old Court House County Museum, and the Old Zion Reformed Church & Liberty Bell Shrine Museum.
