Reading, Pennsylvania

 city, county seat

In 1733, the site of present day Reading was chosen. It was set at the intersection of two great valleys, the east Penn-Lebanon Valley and the Schuylkill river. This site was known as Finney's Ford until 1743 when Thomas Lawrence, a Penn Land agent, made the first attempt at the layout for Reading.

In 1748, the town was laid out by Thomas and Richard Penn, the sons of William Penn. The name was chosen after Penn's own county seat, Reading, in Berkshire, England. In 1752, Reading became the county seat of Berks county.

Population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census. It is the fifth most populated city in the state and the sixth most-populous municipality. Ranked as having one of the highest crime rates in the United States, Reading is the county seat of Berks County, PA.

www.readingpa.gov/
www.readingberkspa.com/
www.greaterreadingchamber.org/