Lehigh County is located in SE part of Pennsylvania and North of Philadelphia. Lehigh Valley consists Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton metro areas and surrounding suburbs. As of the 2020 Census, the population of Lehigh County was close to 375 thousand and the population of the entire Lehigh Valley is close to 850 thousand. The main municipalities are Allentown, Bethlehem, and Bethlehem Township, Easton, Emmaus, Forks Township, Hanover Township, Lehigh Township, Lower Macungie Township, Lower Saucon Township, Northampton, Whitehall, South Whitehall, North Whitehall, Upper Macungie Township, Upper Saucon Township. The Lehigh Valley was settled in the first half of the 1700s by predominantly German immigrants fleeing war and religious oppression. Prior to their arrival, the region was inhabited by Lenape Indian tribes who hunted, fished, and quarried jasper in the region. Sons of provincial Pennsylvania founder William Penn acquired much of the Lehigh Valley in the Walking Purchase in 1737 during the colonial period. Lenape Indians subsequently retaliated with raids against European settlers throughout the 1750s and early 1760s but were moved out of the region by the mid-1760s. The region was initially established in 1682 as part of Bucks County. In 1752, the region became part of Northampton County, and Lehigh County was established from it in 1812. The opening of the Lehigh Canal in 1827 transformed Allentown and the Lehigh Valley from a rural agricultural area dominated by German-speaking people into an urbanized industrialized area and expanded Allentown as a center for early American commercial and industrial capacity. With this, the Lehigh Valley underwent significant industrialization, ultimately becoming a major center of the American Industrial Revolution.
Today, The Lehigh Valley is one of the fastest-growing and largest economies in Pennsylvania with a total GDP of $43.8 billion that saw a five percent increase between 2016 and 2017 alone driven by strong manufacturing, financial, health care, and professional services industry segments.
Lehigh Valley is a home to some of the great colleges and universities including Lehigh University, DeSales University, Moravian University, Penn State Lehigh Valley, Cedar Crest College, Muhlenberg College and Lafayette College.
Lehigh Valley is the gateway to Poconos. It is located in in the actual valley created by Lehigh River. Its largest cities are located only minutes away from beautiful and well kept natural preserves. New residential developments are booming all around the area, separated by rural farm land and massive industrial parks. Some of the biggest companies located their manufacturing and logistical centers in the Lehigh Valley providing employment for the residents. The Valley is located fairly close to New York and Philadelphia, but it also offers its own taste of the big city living. In Lehigh Valley everything seems close. Within minutes from Allentown you will find great hunting and hiking grounds. There is Dorney Park with a huge waterpark. Vineyards and charming farms are another attraction in the fall. In the winter there are some great ski slopes available. It is safe to say that the Lehigh Valley is a great tourist destination and a very attractive place to live year round.