Reading, Pennsylvania

City of Reading
View of downtown Reading looking west from the Pagoda atop Mount Penn
Official seal of City of Reading Seal
Berks County’s location in Pennsylvania
Reading’s location in Berks County
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Berks
Founded	1748
Government
• Mayor	Thomas McMahon (D)
Area
• City	26.2 km2 (10.1 sq mi)
• Land	25.4 km2 (9.8 sq mi)
• Water	0.5 km2 (0.2 sq mi)
Elevation	93 m (305 ft)
Population  (2000)
• City	81,207
• Density	3,193.1/km2 (8,270.2/sq mi)
• Metro	373,638
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	19601-19612, 19640
Website	http://www.readingpa.gov

Reading (Template:PronEng, RED-ing) is a city in, and the county seat of, Berks County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.Template:GR It is the center of the Greater Reading Area. The population was 81,207 at the 2000 census; by 2008, it was estimated to have fallen to 80,560, making it the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, and Erie, and the sixth largest municipality after Upper Darby Township.

Overview

Overlooking the city on Mount Penn is Reading's symbol, a Japanese-style pagoda visible from everywhere in town and referred to locally as "the Pagoda." It was built in 1908 as a hotel and restaurant, but was never used for that purpose. It remains a tourist attraction. In 2007, plans were announced to renovate the area surrounding the Pagoda. The vision is to include walking paths and, possibly, a new mountaintop restaurant.

Duryea Drive, which ascends Mount Penn in a series of sharp bends, was a testing place for early automobiles and was named for Charles Duryea.

The city lent its name to the now-defunct Reading Railroad, which brought anthracite coal from the Pennsylvania Coal Region to cities along the Schuylkill River. The railroad is one of the four railroad properties in the classic English-language version of the Monopoly board game.

During the general decline of heavy manufacturing, 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. It is also known as "Baseballtown," after the Reading Phillies trademarked this moniker to market Reading's rich baseball history. Legendary left-handed pitcher Ty Sofflet led Reading to several fast-pitch softball victories in the mid-1970s.

The city has been the residence of numerous professional athletes of national stature. Among the athletes native to the Reading are Brooklyn Dodgers outfielder Carl Furillo, Baltimore Colts running back Lenny Moore, and Philadelphia 76ers forward Donyell Marshall.

The book and movie Rabbit, Run and others of the Rabbit series were set in fictionalized versions of Reading and nearby Shillington, called Brewer and Olinger respectively. These stories were written by John Updike, who was born in Reading and lived in nearby Shillington until he was thirteen.

Six institutions of higher education serve the Reading area. The city's cultural institutions include the Reading Symphony Orchestra and its education project the Reading Symphony Youth Orchestra, the GoggleWorks Art Gallery, the Reading Public Museum and the Historical Society of Berks County.

Reading is the birth place of artist Keith Haring (May 4, 1958), graphic artist Jim Steranko (November 5, 1938), poet Wallace Stevens (October 2, 1879), and country singer Taylor Swift. John Philip Sousa, the March King, died there March 6, 1932.

Since the November 2006 relocation of St. Joseph's Medical Center, Reading no longer has any hospitals within its city limits. There are, however, two hospital satellites in downtown Reading: the Reading Hospital Health Dispensary on Penn Street, and St. Joseph's Medical Center Community Campus on 6th Street. The Reading Hospital is located in nearby West Reading, just outside the city limits.

The genius loci, something more than a collection of rowhouses, factories, warehouses, and railroad tracks, was captured by watercolorist Matthew Daub from the mid-1990s. Filmmakers Gary Adelstein, Costa Mantis, and Jerry Orr's Reading 1974: Portrait of a City, relying heavily on montage, is a cultural time capsule.

History

In 1743, Richard and Thomas Penn (sons of William Penn the founder of Pennsylvania, and grandsons of Sir William Penn for whom Pennsylvania is named) planned the town of Reading with Conrad Weiser. Taking its name from the town of Reading in England in honor of their home, it was established in 1748. Upon the creation of Berks County in 1752 the town became the county seat.

During the French and Indian War, Reading was a military base for a chain of forts along the Blue Mountain. Meanwhile the region was being settled by emigrants from southern and western Germany. The Pennsylvanian German dialect was spoken in Reading well into the 1950s and later.

By the time of the American Revolution, the area's iron industry had a total production which exceeded England's, an output that would help supply George Washington's troops with cannons, rifles, and ammunition in the Revolutionary War. During the early period of the conflict, Reading was a depot again for military supply. Hessian prisoners from the Battle of Trenton were also detained here.

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. After over 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).

File:Pagoda reading pa.jpg

Reading's Pagoda seen from Skyline Drive

Early in the 20th century, the city participated in the burgeoning automobile industry, hosting the pioneer brass era company, Daniels.

In 1927, Reading elected J. Henry Stump as its first and only Socialist mayor. Stump was re-elected on two other occasions, and during his first term, the entire city government was Socialist. Many tangible improvements were made during his tenure.

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 general flight to the suburbs.

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 as a similar, though not as devastating, flood occurred during June 2006.

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 mall is so successful that it draws hundreds of thousands of tourists to Reading every year.

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

Like all metropolitan areas, Reading has its share of obstacles to overcome, namely crime. However, new crime fighting strategies appear to be having an impact, as in 2006 the city dropped in the rankings of dangerous cities, and then 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. The interviewee Barbara Corcoran chose the city by looking for areas of big change, renovations, cleanups of parks, waterfronts, and warehouses. The criteria for the study of these neighborhoods was hip factor, nightlife, creative types, new cars, and ladies sitting on park benches. Corcoran also noted Reading's proximity to Philadelphia, New York, and other cities.

Climate

Reading, Pennsylvania
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     3.7     37 21     2.8     41 23     3.6     50 31     3.7     62 40     4.5     72 51     4.4     80 60     4.1     85 65     3.6     83 62     4.4     76 55     3.3     65 42     3.5     54 35     3.3     42 26 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches Source: Weather.com
Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     94     3 −6     70     5 −5     91     10 −1     93     17 4     115     22 11     111     27 16     103     29 18     92     28 17     111     24 13     83     18 6     90     12 2     84     6 −3 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm

The climate in and around Reading is variable, but relatively mild overall. The Reading area is generally considered to be on the northern edge of the humid subtropical climate zone, as areas just to the north are in the humid continental climate zone. Summers are very warm and sticky, with average July highs around 85 °F. Extended periods of heat and high humidity do occur. On average, there are about 15–20 days per year where the temperature exceeds 90 °F. Autumn can be gorgeous, as the heat and humidity of summer move out and clearer skies and lower humidity and temperatures move in. The first killing frost generally occurs in mid to late October.

Winters can occasionally be harsh, but it is rarely long-lived. A respectable snowstorm will occur from time to time, but the harsher winter conditions experienced to the north and west don't often visit Reading and Berks. It is not unusual for temperatures to fall to 0 °F at least once per winter, but rarely are below zero temperatures reported. Average January highs are in the upper 30s, average January low is around 20 °F. The all-time record low was −21 °F during a widespread cold wave in January 1994 (actual temp, not wind chill). Annual snowfall is variable, but averages around 32 inches. There may be 60 or more inches (152 cm) of snow in a winter (which is rare), as in 1993–94, 1995–96, and 2002–03, but then the following winter may feature very little snowfall. Spring is variable, it may snow one day in March and then a few days later temps may be in the 70s. The last killing frost usually is in later April, but freezing temperatures have occurred into May. Total precipitation for the entire year is around 44 inches (112 cm).

Geography

Reading is located at 40°20′30″N 75°55′35″W (40.341692, -75.926301)Template:GR in southeastern Pennsylvania, roughly 65 miles (93 km) northwest of Philadelphia. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.1 square miles (26.1 km²). 9.8 square miles (25.4 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 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 north 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.

Transportation

Public transit in Reading and its surrounding communities has been provided since 1973 by BARTA, the Berks Area Reading Transit Authority. BARTA operates a fleet of 81 buses serving 21 routes, mostly originating at the BARTA Transportation Center in Downtown Reading.

A number of federal and state highways allow entry to and egress from Reading. U.S. Route 222 Business is designated as Lancaster Avenue, Bingaman Street, South 4th Street, and 5th Street. U.S. Route 422 Business is designated as Penn Street, Cherry Street, Franklin Street, and Perkiomen Avenue. U.S. Route 422, the major east-west artery, circles the western edge of the city and is known locally as The West Shore Bypass. PA Route 12 is known as the Warren Street Bypass, as it bypasses the city to the north. PA Route 10 is known as Morgantown Road.

The most congested intersection in Reading and all of Berks County is in the Millmont section of the city, where U.S. Route 222 Business, U.S. Route 422, and PA Route 10 all converge.

Reading and the surrounding area is serviced by the Reading Regional Airport, a general aviation airfield. Scheduled commercial airline service to Reading ended in 2004, though Reading is a short drive from Harrisburg International Airport, Lehigh Valley International Airport, and Philadelphia International Airport.

In the late 1990s and up to 2003, Philadelphia-based SEPTA, in cooperation with Reading-based BARTA funded a study called the Schuylkill Valley Metro which included plans to extend both sides of SEPTA's R6 regional railroad line to Pottstown, Reading, and Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. The project suffered a major setback when it was rejected by the Federal Transit Administration New Starts program, which cited doubts about the ridership projections and financing assumptions used by the study. With the recent surge in gasoline prices and ever-increasing traffic, the planning commissions of Montgomery County and Berks County have teamed to study the feasibility of a simple extension of the R6 from Wyomissing to Norristown, PA. Options to be studied include complete electrification of the line, diesel service (with a cross-platform change in Norristown), or an electric-diesel hybrid. The study had been expected to be completed sometime during the summer of 2008[1].

Neighborhoods

• Center City/Downtown Reading
• Southeast Reading
• Northeast Reading
• Northwest Reading
• South Central Reading
• Oakbrook/Wyomissing Park
• Millmont
• Hampden Heights

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1800	2,386		—
1810	3,462		45.1%
1820	4,332		25.1%
1830	5,856		35.2%
1840	8,410		43.6%
1850	15,743		87.2%
1860	23,162		47.1%
1870	33,930		46.5%
1880	43,278		27.6%
1890	58,661		35.5%
1900	78,961		34.6%
1910	96,071		21.7%
1920	107,784		12.2%
1930	111,171		3.1%
1940	110,568		−0.5%
1950	109,320		−1.1%
1960	98,061		−10.3%
1970	87,643		−10.6%
1980	78,686		−10.2%
1990	78,380		−0.4%
2000	81,207		3.6%
2008 (est.)	80,506
historical data sources:

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 81,207 people, 30,113 households, and 18,429 families residing in the city. The population density was 8,270.2 persons per square mile (3,192.9/km²). There were 34,314 housing units at an average density of 3,494.6 houses per square mile (1,349.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.18% White, 12.25% African American, 0.44% Native American, 1.60% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 22.32% from other races, and 4.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 37.31% of the population.

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.

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.

In 2000, the Reading metropolitan statistical area was the second most segregated place for Hispanics in the United States, behind only the Lawrence, Massachusetts area. Only 2.1% of the rest of Berks County is Hispanic or Latino, while this ethnic group is highly concentrated in certain city neighborhoods.

2008 estimates

According to the US Census Bureau, Reading's population in 2008 was 80,888. 51.9% of the residents were White, 11.9% were African American, 0.3% were Native American, 1.6% were Asian, 0.1% were Pacific Islander, 30.3% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. 52.1% were Hispanic or Latino of any race, with 28.7% being of Puerto Rican descent. Reading has the highest percentage of Hispanics in a single city in Pennsylvania. Other cities in the state with high Hispanic populations include Allentown, Lancaster, and Bethlehem.

32.9% of all residents live below the poverty level, including 45.7% of those under 18. Reading has an unemployment rate of 7.6%.

Education

Four institutions of higher learning are located within Reading's city limits:

• Albright College
• Alvernia University
• Pace Institute
• Reading Area Community College

Three high schools serve the city:

• Holy Name High School
• Reading Central Catholic High School
• Reading High School

The Reading School District provides elementary and middle schools for the city's children. Numerous Catholic parochial schools are also available. It is possible to get a complete education, from kindergarten through college, on 13th Street.

Sports

Club	League	Venue	Established	Championships
Reading Phillies	EL, Baseball	FirstEnergy Stadium	1967	4
Reading Royals	ECHL, Ice hockey	Sovereign Center	2001	0
Reading Express	AIFA, Indoor football	Sovereign Center	2006	1
Reading Railers	PBL, Basketball	Sovereign Center	2008	0
Reading Rage	USL, Soccer	Don Thomas Stadium	1996	0
Reading Buccaneers	DCA, Drum and Bugle Corps	Buc Field	1957	9

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

Notable residents

Main category: People from Reading, Pennsylvania

• Gus Alberts, Major League Baseball player (b. 1861–d. May 7, 1912)
• John Barrasso, current U.S. Senator from Wyoming (b. July 21, 1952)
• Albert Boscov, chairman of Boscov's department store.
• George Bradley, Major League Baseball player, (b. July 13, 1852–d. October 2, 1931)
• Jack Coggins, artist and author (b. July 10, 1911 – d. January 30, 2006)
• Forrest Compton, actor (b. Sept. 15, 1925 in Reading)
• Michael Constantine, actor (b. May 22, 1927)
• Meg Foster, actress (b. May 10, 1948)
• Harry Whittier Frees, photographer (b. 1879)
• Carl Furillo, Brooklyn Dodgers (b. March 8, 1922 - d. January 21, 1989)
• David McMurtrie Gregg, American Civil War general
• Stu Jackson, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations for the NBA (b. December 11, 1955)
• Chip Kidd, book jacket designer at Knopf Publishing Group (b. 1964)
• Richie Kotzen, rock guitarist (b. February 3, 1970)
• Henry Larkin, Major League Baseball player (b. January 12, 1860; d. January 31, 1942). Captain of the Philadelphia Athletics in 1888.
• Donyell Marshall, NBA power forward (b. May 18, 1973)
• Lenny Moore, NFL running back and Pro Football Hall of Famer (b. November 25, 1933)
• Stephen Mull, United States Assistant Secretary of State for Political Ministry Affairs, Former U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania
• Jillian Murray, actress (b. June 4, 1984)
• James Nagle, Civil War general (b. April 5, 1822)
• Lori and Reba Schappell, conjoined twins
• Ray Dennis Steckler, film director (b. 1939)
• Jim Steranko, Silver Age comic book artist (b. November 5, 1938)
• Wallace Stevens, poet (b. October 2, 1879)
• Joe Toye, fought in World War II with E Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment featured in Band of Brothers (b. March 14, 1919; d. September 3, 1995)
• John Updike, author (b. March 18, 1932 - d. Jan. 27, 2009)
• Charlie Wagner, Boston Red Sox (b. December 3, 1912; d. August 30, 2006)
• Delores Wells, actress (b. October 17, 1937)
• Thomas C. Zimmerman, Pennsylvania German writer and translator, notable for his translations of English language classics into the Pennsylvania German dialect

Recreation

The Reading Public Museum is an art, science, and history museum in Reading.

In popular culture

M. Night Shyamalan will use the Pagoda as an ancient temple in his upcoming film, The Last Airbender. Reading held the Grand Lodge meeting in 1922 and 1926.

External links

• City of Reading
• Template:Wikitravel
• Template:Dmoz
• The Reading Area Fire Fighter's Museum
• Reading Eagle Newspaper
• Brookings Institution Report on recommendations for revitalization of cities in Pennsylvania
• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Reading, Pennsylvania
• Reading Public Library