From parts of Chester, Lancaster, and Philadelphia counties, Berks County was born on March 11, 1752. It was named after the English County of Berkshire, where William Penn’s family came from. The largest city in Berks County is the City of Reading, which is also the county seat. With a population of almost 90,000, Reading is the state’s 5th largest city.
The City of Reading takes its name from Reading, Berkshire in England. The sons of William Penn with German immigrant Conrad Weiser mapped out the town which was established in 1748. The first Amish community in the New World was established in the area of Reading and Berks.
By the time of the American Revolution, the area’s iron industry exceeded England’s production – it helped in providing cannons, rifles, and ammunition during the Revolutionary War. The nation’s first President visited Reading and considered making it the emergency national capital during the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793.
Reading was among the nation’s top one hundred largest urban places between 1810 and 1950. The city reached nearly 120,000 residents in the 1930s. According to today’s numbers, Reading and Allentown would have been tied for third place of the largest cities in PA.
Today, the city of Reading is one of the most diverse cities in the nation with a profound connection to our country’s history. The home of Albert Boscov (Boscov’s Department Store), Taylor Swift (Grammy and Emmy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer), Lonnie Walker (NBA Player), and where our current PA Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman was born.
If we are going to judge the City of Reading and the County of Berks by their rich history, greatness is on the horizon and progress is just steps away. The great history makers of the region will undoubtedly have last names such as Moran, Rivera, Cepeda and Parra.
Norman Bristol Colón
