Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States

🇺🇸 Bethlehem is a city along the Lehigh River in Northampton and Lehigh counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania.

Bethlehem lies in the centre of the Lehigh Valley, a metropolitan region which is Pennsylvania's third most populous metropolitan area and the 68th most populated metropolitan area in the U.S. Smaller than Allentown but larger than Easton, Bethlehem is the Lehigh Valley's second most populous city.

There are four sections to Bethlehem: central Bethlehem, the south side, the east side, and the west side. Each of these sections blossomed at different times in the city's development and each contains areas recognised under the National Register of Historic Places. These ZIP Codes include Bethlehem Township and Hanover Township.

The Norfolk Southern Railway's Lehigh Line (formerly the main line of the Lehigh Valley Railroad) runs through Bethlehem heading east to Easton and across the Delaware River to Phillipsburg, New Jersey. The Norfolk Southern Railway's Reading Line runs through Bethlehem and west to Allentown and Reading.

Bethlehem has a long historical relationship with the celebration of Christmas. The city was christened as Bethlehem on Christmas Eve 1741 by Nicolaus Zinzendorf, a Moravian bishop. In 1747, Bethlehem was the first U.S. city to feature a decorated Christmas tree. On December 7, 1937, at a grand ceremony during the Great Depression, the city adopted the nickname "Christmas City USA" in a large ceremony. It is one of several Lehigh Valley locations, including Emmaus, Egypt, and Allentown's Jordan Creek, whose names were inspired by locations referenced in the Bible. The Lehigh River, a 109-mile-long (175 km) tributary of the Delaware River, flows through the city.

Bethlehem borders Allentown to its west and is 48 miles (77 km) north of Philadelphia and 72 miles (116 km) west of New York City.

Bethlehem Steel Bethlehem became a centre of heavy industry and trade during the industrial revolution. Bethlehem Steel (1857–2003), founded and based in Bethlehem, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel. Bethlehem Steel was also one of the largest shipbuilding companies in the world and one of the most powerful symbols of American industrial manufacturing leadership, and it manufactured over 1,100 warships used in World War II.

Bethlehem Steel began producing the first wide-flange structural shapes made in the United States and they pioneered the production of the now-ubiquitous "I-beam" used in construction of steel-framed buildings, including skyscrapers. It manufactured construction materials for numerous New York City and other city skyscrapers and major bridges.

The company became a major supplier of armor plate and ordnance products during World War I and World War II. After roughly 140 years of metal production at its Bethlehem plant, Bethlehem Steel ceased operations there in 1995, in the face of overseas competition and declining demand, and the company's liquidation was completed in 2003.

Wind Creek Bethlehem In December 2006, Las Vegas Sands Corp was awarded a Category 2 Slot Machine License by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. LVSC began work on the site, categorised as both the largest brown-field redevelopment project in the nation and the largest casino development investment made to date in the Commonwealth. Its mission was to create reinvestment and urbanisation in the area. At a projected cost of $743 million, the historic Bethlehem Steel plant is being redeveloped as a fully integrated resort, to include 3,000 slot machines, over 300 hotel rooms, 9 restaurants, 200,000 square feet (19,000 m²) of retail outlet shopping, and 46,000 square feet (4,300 m²) of flexible multi purpose space. In 2007, the casino resort company of Las Vegas Sands began the construction of Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, later rebranded as Wind Creek Bethlehem. The casino has been projected to bring in approximately one million dollars in revenue per day as of 2009.

Another major economic anchor to the city is St. Luke's Hospital located in neighboring Fountain Hill. That Hospital and Health Network is the second largest of its type in the Lehigh Valley. Other major employers include B. Braun, Lehigh University, and the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. Other companies in Bethlehem include the candy company Just Born. Zulily also has a large logistics operation in the city and serves the United States.

Retail Over the past two decades, many shops and restaurants have opened in the city's downtown and South Side. In the mid 1970s, West Broad Street between New and Guetter Streets in centre city was converted to a pedestrian plaza. The buildings on the south side of the block were torn down and replaced by an enclosed mall and 11-story office tower. The tower, at One Bethlehem Plaza on the corner of Broad and New, continues to operate, but the 80,000-square-foot mall, which was erected in response to the development of suburban shopping malls, failed. Since then, the block has been reopened to traffic, and the mall has been converted into offices for PowerSchool, a major software company based in California, and the Internal Revenue Service.

In recent years, retail business in downtown Bethlehem, particularly along Main Street south of Broad, has experienced a renaissance, based on the city's historic character. The two-block shopping area is anchored by Moravian University's Main Street Campus and Central Moravian Church at the southern end and The Bethlehem Commons indoor mall and historic Sun Inn (1758) at its northern end. In between, numerous boutiques have opened, selling artwork, gifts, clothing, antiques, crafted beverages, gourmet foods, jewellery, hand cut crystal, holiday decorations, and other specialities. Among the blocks' additional attractions are the Moravian Book Shop (1745), the country's oldest continuously operating bookstore, and the historic Hotel Bethlehem (1922). Meanwhile, on the city's South Side, stores and restaurants have sprung up on Third and Fourth Streets, largely because of the presence of Lehigh University but also tied to the opening of the Sands Casino and the development of the SteelStacks Arts and Cultural campus.

Outside the centre city there are several shopping centres: • Westgate Mall, on Schoenersville Road, is an enclosed mall anchored by Weis Markets. • Lehigh Center Shopping Center, on Union Boulevard near the Allentown border, includes Marshalls/HomeGoods, Staples, Giant supermarket, and Big Lots. • Martin Court Shopping Center, on Eighth Avenue near Rt. 378, has Lowe's and PriceRite. • Stefko Boulevard Shopping Center, between Washington and Easton Avenues, includes Valley Farm Market, Dollar Tree, and Pennsylvania Wine and Spirits • Bethlehem Squares shopping centre, on the edge of the city in Bethlehem Township, has Giant supermarket, TJMaxx, Wal-Mart, and The Home Depot.

Colleges and universities Bethlehem is home to three institutes of higher education. Lehigh University, located on South Mountain on the Bethlehem's South Side, has 5,000 undergraduates and 2,100 graduate students. The university, which was founded in 1865, was ranked No. 44 in U.S. News & World Report's 2017 ratings of America's best colleges.

Moravian University, located in the centre city area, is a small, highly respected liberal arts college. Founded in 1742 as Bethlehem Female Seminary, Moravian is the sixth oldest college in the nation. Besides undergraduate programs, the college also includes the Moravian Theological Seminary, a graduate school with approximately 100 students from more than a dozen religious denominations.

The International Institute for Restorative Practices is a graduate school dedicated to the advanced education of professionals and to the conduct of research that can develop the growing field of restorative practices. The IIRP offers two master's degrees: the Master of Restorative Practices and Education (MRPE) and the Master of Restorative Practices and Youth Counseling (MRPYC). The IIRP also offers an 18-credit Graduate Certificate in Restorative Practices.

The main campus of Northampton Community College is located in neighboring Bethlehem Township, but it does have a satellite campus within the city.