The seat of Berks County, Reading has a population of over 83,000. Established in 1748, Reading was named after a town in England. A Japanese-style pagoda overlooks the city from Mount Penn. It is visible from anywhere in the town and is the city’s symbol. The locals refer to it simply as “the Pagoda.”

One of the first places that outlet shopping became a tourist industry was right here in Reading. It’s also been dubbed “The Pretzel City” due to the many local pretzel bakeries. “Baseballtown” is another name it was called due to the trademarking of this moniker by the Reading Phillies while marketing the town’s rich baseball history.

All levels of excellent education can be found here, along with history, culture, famous residents, burgeoning business, recreational activities for the entire family, shopping, restaurants, movie theaters and anything else you’d need for a day or a night out. If you can’t find enough to do here, then drive on over to Philadelphia for a change of pace. It’s only 58 miles southeast of Reading.

Scenic, outdoor adventure awaits you in or near Reading. Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is a conversation to world-wide birds of prey. You’ll see them all here. It is open year-round and provides an 8-mile trail that connects to the Appalachian Trail, a 2000-mile-long trail system. Spend the day at spectacular Blue Marsh Lake, which offers year-round recreation like ice fishing, ice boating and ice skating in the winter months, and fishing, swimming, scuba diving, boating and skiing the remainder of the year.

Union Canal Tunnel is a very cool historic landmark from the early 1800s. With its serene setting, you can take a boat ride on the canal and through the tunnel, picnic at its mouth or walk the footpath where the mules towed supplies. You won’t want to miss the scenic nature trails in Nolde Forest State Park, lots of wild life to see in their natural habitat. And don’t forget to ride over and through some of the areas coveted covered bridges.

For indoor adventure, you’ve got Genesius Theater, GoogleWorks Center for the Arts, Goodnights Nightclub, Reading Choral Society, Mill Center for the Arts, Reading Civic Center, Reading Community Players, and so many others. You’ll find plenty of entertainment for kids to seniors to keep you busy during the day, evenings and throughout the weekends.

Some of the city’s neighborhoods or traditional districts include Center City in the downtown area; Penn’s Commons that contains much of the town’s history; Callowhill hosts another historic district; Millmont, the highest traffic area in the city; College Heights, Southside, East Reading, Outlet District, Centre Park, North Riverside, Glenside and Oakbrook.

Real estate values in these neighborhoods will make you ready to move in. You’ll find fantastic deals on colonial and Victorian-style homes, along with every other style you’d ever want. If you fancy flats, you’ll find them starting at $19,000. More roomy and stylish single-family homes start at around $80,500. For a quality home with a double-car garage, you’ll pay around $150,000. Classy and sassy homes can be had in the $300,000 range and more.

Park, like the Pagoda, in Reading, Pennsylvania. It’s the perfect thing to do!

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