Reading, Pennsylvania

Reading is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania. Located on the southeastern part of the state, where it is county seat of Berks County, Reading covers 10.1 sq mi (26.2 sq km) and has a population of 88,000 people (2011 estimate).

Reading, Pennsylvania
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reading_Urban.jpg
Author: Nicholas


The climate of Reading is somewhere between the humid subtropical and the humid continental. Its summers are hot and humid, while its winters can often get bitterly cold. July is the warmest month, with temperatures of 85°F on the high side. January is the coldest month, when temperatures drop to 21°F or lower. Rain is quite evenly distributed, though May seems to be the wettest month, receiving 4.5 in of rainfall.

The city of Reading was founded by Richard and Thomas Penn, sons of William Penn (founder of Pennsylvania), in 1743. They named it after the town of Reading, England, which was their hometown. When Berks County was created in 1752, Reading was made the county seat.

Wanner Mansion, Reading, Pennsylvania
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wanner_Mansion.jpg
Author: Smallbones


In the early years, it had an iron industry which during the American Revolutionary War outstripped that of England. The factories of Scranton manufactured arms to support George Washington in the Revolutionary War.

Scranton experienced rapid growth in the years after the Long Depression (1873-1896), and before the onset of the Great Depression (1930s). During those years of prosperity, it even had a brass era car company, the Daniels. An economic downturn reach Scranton in the 1940s and remained till the 1970s, weighed down by the poor competitiveness of its heavy industry. It was only towards the end of the 20th century that the city began to revitalize. The population, which had gone into decline in the second half of the 20th century shows signs of upswing.

Liberty Fire Company No 5, Reading
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Liberty_No_5_Reading_PA.jpg
Author: Smallbones

Visiting Reading

Interstate 176 and US Highway 222 are the two main highways connecting Reading with the rest of the country.

Places of Interest in Reading

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About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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