Lehigh Valley Real Estate and MLS

When you are entering a highway, you should yield and don’t push people on the highway to move for you or yield themselves, jeopardizing their life in a fast moving traffic.

It is sad that people take their frustrations out on other drivers. Frustrated drivers often use gestures or words that are uncalled for on the roadway. We all are trying to get somewhere, so let us try to get there safely. Have respect and consideration for your fellow drivers on these dangerous roadways.

I regularly drive on Interstate 78 (a Lehigh Valley Thruway) and the construction is very intense on certain portions of this Interstate. Why can’t people be more considerate and patient? They are doing construction for a reason — to make the road safer — so why are some drivers trying to make it worse?

What do you think of rudeness on your local roadways?

Lehigh Valley Real Estate is the hottest selling real estate around. There are many factors for why the area’s real estate is greatly appreciated and valued. Having a piece of property located in the Lehigh-Valley could be considered of one’s greatest assets. The history behind this great area is the main reason why it is what it is today.

The Lehigh Valley is historically known for its production of steel, anthracite coal, and other natural resources. It has historically served as a major U.S. center of industrial manufacturing, though this role has diminished at least slightly in the 21st century as companies have shifted to Asia and other lower wage, off-shore locations for industrial mining and manufacturing. The “shift” has cutting edge industries invading the Lehigh-Valley area to develop, prosper and become the part of the “economic power house” that the Lehigh Valley area is.

Companies based in the Lehigh Valley include Agere Systems (Hanover Township), Air Products & Chemicals (Allentown), Bethlehem Steel (Bethlehem, which ceased operations in 2003), Buckeye Pipe Line (Emmaus), Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Bethlehem), Mack Trucks (Allentown), Olympus Corporation USA (Allentown), Pennsylvania Power & Light (Allentown), Rodale Press (Emmaus), Lutron (Coopersburg), and many others.

The Lehigh Valley is also one of the larger areas on the east coast for the location of warehouses and distribution centers. This is due to the Lehigh Valley’s central location in the BosWash metropolis. Most of these distribution centers are located along the U.S. Route 22 and Interstate 78 corridors.

After the 2003 demise of Bethlehem Steel, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network (Allentown), one of Pennsylvania’s largest hospital systems, has taken Bethlehem Steel’s place as the Lehigh Valley’s largest employer.

The Lehigh Valley’s top five employers:

1. Lehigh Valley Hospital
2. St. Luke’s Hospital (Bethlehem)
3. Air Products & Chemicals (Allentown)
4. The Federal Government
5. PPL Corporation (Allentown).

The Lehigh Valley is home to many retail establishments. The largest retail area of the Lehigh Valley is the Pennsylvania Route 145/MacArthur Road Corridor, just north of Allentown, and is anchored by the Lehigh Valley Mall.

In October 2006, another Valley-based shopping mall, The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley, opened. The Promenade Shops is located off Route 309 in Upper Saucon Valley Township. It is roughly half the size of the Lehigh Valley Mall, but features more upscale stores.

Philadelphia Eagles
The Lehigh Valley is home to the pre-season training camp of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles. They hold their pre-season training camp each summer on the practice fields of Lehigh University in Bethlehem. The camp draws some of the largest crowds of any NFL team’s pre-season camp.

Stabler Arena
Lehigh University’s Stabler Arena, is an indoor arena in Bethlehem. Stabler hosts regular sporting and concert events. The arena is home to Lehigh University men’s and women’s college basketball teams and also to the Lehigh Valley Outlawz, an indoor football team that plays in the Great Lakes Indoor Football League.

IronPigs Baseball
In 2008, the Lehigh Valley will open Lehigh County Ballpark, a 7,000-seat AAA minor league stadium, to be located in east-side Allentown. Beginning in April 2008, the stadium will host the Philadelphia Phillies’ new AAA-level minor league team. The Phillies’ former AAA team, the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Red Barons of Scranton, is now a Yankees affiliate. The 2008 move will bring the Phillies’ current AAA-level team, the Ottawa Lynx, closer to the franchise’s Philadelphia and eastern Pennsylvania fan base. The Lynx will be redubbed the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, a reference to the production of pig iron, a key ingredient in the steel-making process for which the Lehigh Valley area is world famous.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for Lehigh County Ballpark were held September 6, 2006, and construction is due to be completed in December 2007 in sufficient time for the April 2008 opening.

Lehigh Valley Rugby
The Lehigh Valley RFC rugby union team play their matches at Monocacy Park in Bethlehem.

Yocco’s Hot Dogs, the regionally-famous fast food establishment known for their hot dogs and cheesesteaks, maintains only six locations, all of which are based in the Lehigh Valley. Its original restaurant, founded in 1922, is still located at its original center city Allentown location, on West Liberty Street. Five additional Yocco’s can be found in the Lehigh Valley (in west-side Allentown, east-side Allentown, Emmaus, Fogelsville, and Wescosville).

Pines Diner Theatre in Slatington offers intimate dining and spectacular shows at the Lehigh Valley’s newest dinner theatre.

Enjoy hibachi cooking, sushi and sashimi at Robata of Tokyo, an authentic Japanese restaurant. Robata of Tokyo is owned and operated in Allentown by a Japanese family for the last 22 years.

Colleges and Universities
The Lehigh Valley is a center of post-secondary education, with seven four-year colleges and universities. These include: Cedar Crest College (Allentown), DeSales University (Allentown), Lafayette College (Easton), Lehigh University (Bethlehem), Moravian College (Bethlehem), Muhlenberg College (Allentown), and Penn State Lehigh Valley (Fogelsville).

The Lehigh Valley is also home to three two-year colleges: Lehigh Carbon Community College (with campuses in Allentown, Carbon County and Schnecksville), Lehigh Valley College (Allentown), and Northampton Community College (with campuses in Bethlehem Township and Monroe County).

High school education pertaining to Lehigh Valley Real Estate
As the third most populous metropolitan region in Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Valley is served by numerous school districts, public and private high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools.

Lehigh Valley Real Estate-based high schools include: Allentown Central Catholic High School (Allentown), Bangor Area High School (Bangor), Bethlehem Catholic High School (Bethlehem), Catasauqua High School (Catasauqua), Easton High School (Palmer Township), Emmaus High School (Emmaus), Freedom High School (Bethlehem Township), the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts (Bethlehem), the Lehigh Valley Christian High School (Allentown), Liberty High School (Bethlehem), Louis E. Dieruff High School (Allentown), Moravian Academy (Bethlehem), Nazareth High School (Nazareth), Northampton Area High School (Northampton), Northern Lehigh High School (Slatington), Northwestern Lehigh High School (New Tripoli), Notre Dame Area High School (Easton), Parkland High School (South Whitehall Township), Pen Argyl Area High School (Pen Argyl), Phillipsburg High School (Phillipsburg, NJ), Pius X High School (Bangor), Roberto Clemente Charter School (Allentown), Salisbury High School (Salisbury Township), Saucon Valley Area High School (Hellertown), Southern Lehigh High School (Center Valley), Whitehall High School (Whitehall Township), William Allen High School (Allentown) and Wilson Area High School (Easton).

The largest Lehigh Valley high schools (12 in all) compete athletically in the Lehigh Valley Conference, widely considered one of the most competitive athletic divisions in the state and nation. Most of the smaller schools compete in the Colonial League, which is also very competitive throughout the state, especially in football.

The Lehigh Valley is served by air transportation through Lehigh Valley International Airport (IATA: ABE, ICAO: KABE), located in the Lehigh Valley’s Hanover Township, three miles northeast of Allentown.

Other regionally located airports include Philadelphia International Airport (Philadelphia), Newark Liberty International Airport (Newark, New Jersey), John F. Kennedy International Airport (Jamaica, Queens) and LaGuardia Airport (Flushing, Queens).

Bus transportation Local to Lehigh Valley Real Estate
Private bus companies provide multiple daily round-trip transportation to New York City’s Port Authority Bus Terminal, Philadelphia, Atlantic City and other popular regional locations.

Public bus services within The Lehigh Valley is provided by LANTA, which serves Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and the cities’ suburbs with various routes.

The Allentown Art Museum, based in center city Allentown, is the Lehigh Valley’s largest museum. The museum carries over 11,000 works of art. Lehigh University’s Zoellner Arts Center, as well as Lafayette College’s smaller Williams Center for the Arts, host a wide variety of plays, concerts and performances throughout the year.

The Lehigh Valley is home to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, a popular amusement and water park. Dorney Park is located in South Whitehall Township, and is known nationally for its elaborate roller coasters and water rides.
The region’s ski resorts are Bear Creek Ski and Recreation Area and Blue Mountain Ski Resort. Bear Creek is a 21 slope resort located outside of Macungie, Pennsylvania. Blue Mountain is located near Danielsville, Pennsylvania. Poconos, which feature some of the East Coast’s best-known ski resorts, is approximately 30 miles north of the Lehigh Valley. Several large lakes used for boating and fishing also are located there. The Pocono 500, a NASCAR Nextel Cup race, is run each June at Pocono Raceway in the Poconos.

New Jersey Shore beaches are approximately 45 miles east of the Lehigh Valley.

Dutch Springs, the nation’s largest SCUBA amusement park, is located in Bethlehem and Lower Nazareth Township. Over 40,000 divers annually utilize the facilities, which have sunken “treasures” to enhance the underwater experience. In addition to scuba diving, kayaking and paddle boats are available. The facility has a water park, camping grounds, and picnic areas.

In July 2008, Sands BethWorks, a casino, hotel and apartment complex owned by the Las Vegas Sands is scheduled to open in Bethlehem, bringing legalized gambling to the Lehigh Valley for the first time.

Three large festivals are held each year in the Lehigh Valley. Musikfest, a large, 10-day music festival, is held in Bethlehem each August. Mayfair, an arts and crafts festival, is held in Allentown each May. The Great Allentown Fair is held on the grounds of the Allentown Fairgrounds in Allentown annually in early September.

The Lehigh Valley has three major highways: Interstate 78, a major east-west highway, runs through the southern part of the Valley, duplexed with Pennsylvania Route 309. I-78 runs from Harrisburg in the west to the Holland Tunnel and New York City in the east.

U.S. Route 22 is a major freeway that runs through the Valley from Kuhnsville in the western part of the Valley to Easton in the eastern part of the Valley. U.S. Route 22 starts in Cambridge, Ohio in the west, running through the Valley to Elizabeth, New Jersey in the east. A third highway, Pennsylvania Route 33, runs north-south through the Lehigh Valley, from the Poconos in the north to Northampton County in the south.

Other major roads in the Valley include MacArthur Road (PA 145), a divided local road that leads to the Lehigh Valley Mall and its surrounding commercial district. Cedar Crest Boulevard, a north-south highway, runs from South Whitehall Township in the north through west-side Allentown to Emmaus in the south. Lehigh Street runs from Bethlehem in the east, through Allentown, to Emmaus in the west. Tilghman Street runs from Fogelsville in the west to MacArthur Road (PA 145) in the east. Tilghman Street runs through most of Allentown and also intersects with Cedar Crest Boulevard, Pennsylvania Route 100, Pennsylvania Route 309 and several other major Lehigh Valley highways.