Neighborhoods

After the Walking Purchase of 1737 and the subsequent sell and transfer of land to Europeans, the towns of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton were settled.  With the development of numerous trades, factories, and iron and steel, and the need for laborers to fill positions within these industries, immigrants settled in the Lehigh Valley where they built homes, religious structures, and stores.  Like most U.S. cities, neighborhoods were often formed based on language, country of origin, and/or proximity to employment. The items (oral histories, pamphlets, maps, post cards, and photographs) in this section speak to these trends.