Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is a city of 74,982 people located in the Lehigh Valley of eastern Pennsylvania. Along with nearby cities Allentown and Easton, it forms a metropolitan area of almost 800,000 people that is centrally located about 60 miles north of Philadelphia and 80 miles west of New York City.
As the former home of Bethlehem Steel, Bethlehem, PA was once one of the top steel producing cities in the world. Since the closure of the town's steel mills, the city has evolved into a modern, growing city, with a mix of white collar and blue collar jobs, most of which are in computer-related fields.
The city is divided into four neighborhoods: Center City, the West Side, East Side, and South Side. Median home price in Bethlehem is $153,000, a number which was increased by 1.3% in the past year. Home prices are generally higher in the western and northern parts of the city compared to the south side of the city.
Bethlehem is home to Lehigh University, a private university on the city's South Side with over 7000 students that is ranked among the top-50 universities in the United States. The Bethlehem Area School District covers primary and secondary education for residents in the city. Overall, the school district received a four out of 10 rating from GreatSchools.com, though some public schools, especially on the city's west side, received outstanding ratings from the school rating service.
Bethlehem offers a wide array of arts and entertainment options. The former site of the Bethlehem Steel Plant has been rehabilitated and re-developed into a thriving arts and entertainment center. The Sands Casino Resort, on that site, is Pennsylvania's largest casino. That land was also used to create the SteelStacks campus, which hosts concerts, as well as various arts and film festivals throughout the year. The city is also home to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League, a minor league affiliate of the nearby Philadelphia Flyers.
