Chapter 3
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through the city. It was first settled in 1795
and grew rapidly with the lumber industry
in the 1800s. Today, nearly 30,000 people
live and work here producing furniture,
wire rope, leather, and clothing fabric. Little
League baseball started in Williamsport.
Every year, the Little LeagueWorld Series is
played here.
Wilkes-Barre
was founded in 1769 and
named after John Wilkes and Isaac Barre.
These two men were in the English
Government. They favored the American
cause for freedom. The city is located
in northeastern Pennsylvania on the
SusquehannaRiver. Themining of rich coal
deposits lead to its early development. The
city’s population is more than 41,000. It is
located close to the PoconoMountains. The
industries of the city produce clothing
fabric, footwear, leather, andmetal goods.
About 20 miles to the northeast of
Wilkes-Barre, the city of
Scranton
is located.
It was settled in 1788 and given several
names. In 1851, the city was named after
the founder of an iron and coal company.
The regionhad richhard coal deposits. This
led to a money-making coal and iron
industry. In 1897, the first United Mine
Workers union was organized in Scranton.
Today, the population of Scranton is nearly
73,000 people. The city is an industrial
center. Workers manufacture furniture,
clothing material, metal products, and
electronic equipment.
Allentown
is located on the Lehigh River
in eastern Pennsylvania. It is our third
largest city. Allentownwas founded in1762
byoneof our state’s SupremeCourt Justices,
WilliamAllen.
Over 107,000 people live in Allentown.
The city produces a great variety of
industrial products. However, it also serves
as a shipping center for farmproducts from
the rich soils of Lehigh Valley. There are
also several colleges located inAllentown.
Bethlehem is also located along the
LehighRiver. The city is close toAllentown.
It was founded in 1741 byMoravians from
Germany. The opening of Lehigh Canal in
1829 helped the town to grow.
Today, nearly 73,000 people live in
Bethlehem. The Bethlehem Steel Corpor-
ation produced steel that became world
famous. During the Christmas season,
tourists are attracted to Bethlehem’s
lighting display.
Easton,
withmore than 26,000 people, is
located at themouth of the LehighRiver. It
is also located close to Allentown and
Pittsburgh began as a fur-trading post
in the 1600’s.
