Reading is the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania. In the 2000 census, the city had a population of 81,207, making it the fifth most populated city in Pennsylvania behind Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, and Erie.
Overlooking the city on Mount Penn is Reading's symbol, a photogenic Japanese pagoda visible from everywhere in town and referred to familiarly as "the pagoda." At present there are civic efforts in progress to restore it to its original condition, as part of Reading's program of urban renewal. The classic view of the structure is from the Penn Street Bridge looking east as one enters the city; Reading has always been renowned for its physical setting, and this is one of the most appealing urban vistas in the state. Duryea Drive, which ascends Mount Penn in a series of sharp bends, was a testing place for early automobiles; arriving at the top, the motorist has earned an impressive three-direction view of the city spread out below and of Neversink Mountain to the south.
The city once was famous for the Reading Railroad, which brought anthracite coal from the Pennsylvania coal regions up north. The railroad figures as a property in the Monopoly board game: One may draw a game card, "take a ride on the Reading." The city is also well known for its introduction of outlet shopping as a tourist industry, coming to call itself "The Original Outlet Capital of the World." Of late, however, it is trying to diversify its image.
Reading plays host to the Reading Phillies, a minor league baseball team, and to an East Coast Hockey League hockey team, the Reading Royals. It is also the home of the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum.
Four institutions of higher learning are located in Reading: Albright College, Alvernia College, Penn State Berks, and Reading Area Community College. A symphony orchestra is worth hearing, and a museum and art gallery worth seeing.
The current mayor, Tom McMahon, was elected in November 2003. He is pledged to a diminution of crime and recently presided at a prayer breakfast directed largely toward that end.
Reading is located at 40°20'30" North, 75°55'35" West (40.341692, -75.926301).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.1 km2 (10.1 mi2). 25.4 km2 (9.8 mi2) of it is land and 0.6 km2 (0.2 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 2.39% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 81,207 people, 30,113 households, and 18,429 families residing in the city. The population density is 3,192.9/km2 (8,270.2/mi2). There are 34,314 housing units at an average density of 1,349.2/km2 (3,494.6/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 59.18% White, 37.31% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. 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.
There are 30,113 households out of which 33.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.4% are married couples living together, 20.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% are non-families. 31.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.63 and the average family size is 3.33.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $26,698, and the median income for a family is $31,067. Males have a median income of $28,114 versus $21,993 for females. The per capita income for the city is $13,086. 26.1% of the population and 22.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 36.5% of those under the age of 18 and 15.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
In 1743, Richard and Thomas Penn (sons of William Penn, for whom Pennsylvania is named) planned the town of Reading. The namesake of Reading, England, 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 Mountains.
By the time of the American Revolution, the area's iron industry had a total production which exceeded that of England, a production 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. For the following century and a quarter, Reading was still largely a Pennsylvania Dutch city, with many inhabitants speaking a dialect of German and programs in the language being broadcast regularly on the chief radio station by "Die Wunnernaus" (The Amazing Nose) and other colorful personalities. The same station offered a weekly program of polkas announced in Polish. But all this was to change in the 1960s.
Reading saw continuous growth until the 1930s, when the population reached nearly 120,000. But from the 1940s to the 1970s, Reading saw a sharp downturn in prosperity, largely owing to the decline of the heavy industry and railroads on which the city had been built and a large-scale flight to the suburbs. Boarded-up shops became endemic in the town center.
In 1972, Hurricane Agnes caused extensive flooding in the city, not the first time the lower precincts of Reading were inundated by the Schuylkill River. Old railroad-and-textile, beer-and-pretzel Reading survived the flood but not the times in which it occurred.
In the early 1970s, abandoned textile mills just outside Reading--the industry went south-- were developed to create the VF Outlet Village, the first outlet mall in the United States. The mall became so successful that it brought millions of tourists to Reading every year and caused hundreds of imitators to sprout up around the country. Accordingly, Reading is known to many as "The Original Outlet Capital of the World"--the constraints of which it is now trying to free itself. A new Walmart on the west side of the Schuylkill will, in any case, contribute to the economic redefinition of Greater Reading.
Census 2000 shows Reading is a growing city again, like other once-declining Pennsylvania cities. Much of Reading's growth is accountable to population shift and rapid expansion outside the city; many challenges remain (in 2003, Reading's crime index was 638.3, higher than Philadelphia's and far above the national urban average of 329.7). A new police chief has been appointed (2006) in the hope of increased community safety.
For a clearer sense of today's Reading, a long walk from the Penn Street Bridge to City Park would be instructive, though not recommended after dark.
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Reading, PA
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