Reading

Sister cities

• Reutlingen

History

Lenape people, also known as Delaware Indians, inhabited the Reading area prior to European settlement of the region in the 17th century. The Colony of Pennsylvania was a 1680 land grant from King Charles II of England to William Penn. Comprising more than , it was named for his father, William Penn. In 1743, Richard and Thomas Penn, both sons of William Penn, mapped out the town of Reading with Conrad Weiser. Taking its name from Reading, Berkshire, England, the town was established in 1748. Upon the creation of Berks County in 1752, Reading became the county seat. The region was settled by emigrants from southern and western Germany, who bought land from the Penns. The first Amish community in the New World was established in Greater Reading, Berks County. The Pennsylvanian German dialect was spoken in the area well into the 1950s. During the French and Indian War, Reading was a military base for a chain of forts along the Blue Mountain. James Wilson practiced law in Reading from 1767 until 1775. By the time of the American Revolution, the area's iron industry had a total production exceeding England's. There were several prominent Ironmasters like Samuel Van Leer who helped supply George Washington's troops with cannons, rifles, and ammunition in the Revolutionary War. During the early period of the conflict, Reading was again a depot for military supply. Hessian prisoners from the Battle of Trenton were also detained here. Philadelphia was the nation's capital at the time of the 1793 Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic. President George Washington traveled to Reading, and considered making it the emergency national capital, but chose Germantown instead. In 1809, Susanna Cox was tried and convicted for infanticide in Reading. Her case attracted tremendous…

Geography

Reading is located at (40.341692, −75.926301) in southeastern Pennsylvania, roughly northwest of Philadelphia. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . of it is land and of it, or 2.39%, is water. The city is largely bounded on the west by the Schuylkill River, on the east by Mount Penn, and on the south by Neversink Mountain. The Reading Prong, the mountain formation stretching northeast into New Jersey, has come to be associated with naturally occurring radon gas; however, homes in Reading are not particularly affected. The surrounding county is home to a number of family-owned farms. The climate in and around Reading is variable, but relatively mild compared to areas further north. The Reading area falls under the southern periphery of the hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa), with areas just to the south designated as a humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa). Summers are warm and humid with average July highs around . Extended periods of heat and high humidity occur. On average, there are 27 days per year where the temperature exceeds . Reading becomes milder in the autumn, as the heat and humidity of summer relent to lower humidity and temperatures. The first killing frost generally occurs in late October. Winters bring freezing temperatures, but usually move above freezing during the day's warmest point. The average January high is ; the average January low is , but it is quite common for winter temperatures to undergo much variance from the averages. The all-time record low air temperature (not including wind chill) was during a widespread cold wave in January 1994. Annual snowfall is variable, but averages around . Spring temperatures vary widely between freezing temperatures and the 80s or even 90s (around…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  16,472
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  14,617
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,469
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,319
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13,747
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  12,201
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  11,994
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  11,750

Most recent

• M 2.81 — 2019-09-15
  5 km ESE of East Berlin, Pennsylvania
• M 2.64 — 2015-01-25
  4 km ESE of Downingtown, Pennsylvania
• M 3.05 — 2010-06-03
  4 km ENE of Franklintown, Pennsylvania
• M 2.76 — 2009-10-25
  4 km ENE of Franklintown, Pennsylvania
• M 2.78 — 2009-07-01
  3 km ESE of Pennsville, New Jersey
• M 2.93 — 2009-04-24
  1 km S of Franklintown, Pennsylvania