Allentown

Allentown, a manufacturing town of Pennsylvania, U.S., in a fertile district on the Lehigh River, 60 miles NW. of Philadelphia by rail. The Lehigh Valley is rich in iron ore and anthracite coal; large blast-furnaces, iron-works, and rolling-mills are in operation in the neighbourhood; and there are manufactures of furniture and linen thread. The streets are lighted by naphtha and electricity. The inhabitants are mostly of German descent. Allentown possesses a Lutheran college, a female college, an academy, a military institute, and a Lutheran seminary. Pop. (1860) 8025; (1880) 18,063; (1890) 25,228.