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60-402: The Reading Belt Branch is a railway line in Berks County, Pennsylvania . It runs 18.8 miles (30.3 km) from the north end of Reading, Pennsylvania , to Birdsboro, Pennsylvania . It was built by the Philadelphia and Reading Railway in 1902 to allow long, heavy coal trains to bypass downtown Reading. Today, it is part of the Harrisburg Line of the Norfolk Southern Railway . At

120-541: A Democrat carried Berks in a Presidential election occurred in 2008, with Barack Obama receiving 53.9% of the vote to John McCain 's 44.7%. The other three statewide winners ( Rob McCord for treasurer, Jack Wagner for auditor general, and Tom Corbett for attorney general) also carried it. While Republicans have controlled the commissioner majority most of the time and continue to control most county row offices, Democrats have become more competitive in Berks in recent years. In

180-521: A common problem with northern canals. The success of these projects and the rosy promise of anthracite (a new wonder fuel in the day) to alleviate energy problems spurred canal construction for the next decade in the east, and commercial opportunities funded three decades of investment from Illinois to the Atlantic Ocean, including the ambitious 1824 Main Line of Public Works bill to connect Philadelphia with

240-529: A fast-growing population and close proximity to the other communities. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 866 square miles (2,240 km ), 857 square miles (2,220 km ) of which is land and 9.2 square miles (24 km ) (1.1%) of which is water. Most of the county is drained by the Schuylkill River , but an area in the northeast is drained by the Lehigh River via

300-535: A hit by tossing it into the Schuylkill River, noting, "There's a spot in the Schuylkill River everybody uses. If they ever send divers down there, they'd be able to arm a small country." The Schuylkill River has been a plot point in several episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia . In the 2011 episode "Thunder Gun Express", Frank Reynolds , played by Danny DeVito , steals a tourist ferry and travels down

360-505: A new route to the west of the city to reduce through traffic. The line was a mix of new construction and re-purposing of existing routes. First, 7.4 miles (11.9 km) of new track would be built, starting from the Main Line north of the city and following the west bank of the Schuylkill River . A connection was built with the east–west Lebanon Valley Branch at Lebanon Valley Junction and Wyomissing Junction. At Cumru Junction, south of Reading,

420-805: A population of 7,067,807. As of September 21, 2023, there were 253,186 registered voters in Berks County. Berks County leans Republican, but is still competitive, with the last Republican to carry the county by more than 10% being George H.W. Bush in 1988. As of 2023, the Republican Party maintained a total registration edge over Democrats in Berks County. At the top of the Pennsylvania ticket in November 2022, Berks County split its votes, supporting Democrat Josh Shapiro for governor and Republican Mehmet Oz for U.S. Senate . The first time since 1964 that

480-587: Is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania . As of the 2020 census , the county's population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading , the fourth-most populous city in the state. The county is part of the South Central Pennsylvania region of the state. The county borders Lehigh County to its north and its east, Schuylkill County to its north, Lebanon and Lancaster counties to its west, and Chester County to its south. The county

540-505: Is approximately 26 miles (42 km) southwest of Allentown , the state's third-largest city, and 64 miles (103 km) northwest of Philadelphia , the state's largest city. The Schuylkill River , a 135-mile-long (217 km) tributary of the Delaware River , flows through Berks County. The county is part of the Reading, PA metropolitan statistical area (MSA), which in turn is part of

600-811: Is composed of four historic structures: White Horse Inn, George Douglass Mansion, Bridge keeper's House, and the Mouns Jones House, constructed in 1716, which is the oldest recorded building in the county. West Reading in home to the annual Art on the Avenue, which reached its 25th year in 2019. Berks County is home to several media outlets, including: Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities , boroughs , townships , and towns . The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Berks County: Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by

660-598: Is held on the river near Boathouse Row , as is the annual BAYADA Home Health Care Regatta, featuring disabled rowers from all over the continent, and in autumn the annual Head of the Schuylkill Regatta takes place in Philadelphia. Also, the Stotesbury Cup Regatta , the biggest high school regatta in the world, takes place there. The Chinese sport of dragon boat racing was introduced to the United States on

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720-410: Is known to have been on fire more than once throughout history, for example in November 1892 when the surface film of oil that had leaked from nearby oil works at Point Breeze , Philadelphia, was ignited by a match tossed carelessly from a boat, with fatal results. Silt and coal dust from upstream industries, particularly coal mining and washing operations in the headwaters, led to extensive silting of

780-404: The 2010 census , the county was 76.9% White non-Hispanic, 4.9% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.3% Asian, and 2.5% were two or more races. 16.4% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. Historically there is a large Pennsylvania Dutch population. It is known as part of Pennsylvania Dutch Country . More recently there is a large Puerto Rican population centered in

840-771: The Erie people west and northwest through the gaps of the Allegheny in eastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania (between the upper Allegheny River and Lake Erie), as well as the Five Nations of the Iroquois , another Amerindian confederation eastwards from the right bank of the Genesee River through the Finger Lakes region of upper New York down the St. Lawrence . The Lenape had settlements on

900-559: The Grays Ferry section of Philadelphia , overlooking the Schuylkill River. In 2007 Beth Kephart published Flow: The Life and Times of Philadelphia's Schuylkill River , a series of poetic ruminations about the river. Philadelphia on the Fly , published in 2005, and Small Fry: The Lure of the Little , published in 2009 contain essays by Ron P. Swegman describing the experience of fly fishing along

960-596: The Greater Philadelphia metropolitan area known as the Philadelphia -Reading- Camden , PA- NJ - DE - MD combined statistical area (CSA). Reading developed during the 1740s when inhabitants of northern Lancaster County sent several petitions requesting that a separate county be established. With the help of German immigrant Conrad Weiser , the county was formed on March 11, 1752, from parts of Chester County , Lancaster County , and Philadelphia County . It

1020-581: The Industrial Revolution : the Lehigh Coal Company and the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company. Following White's plan, the latter company improved down river navigation on the Lehigh River , using his Bear Trap Locks design to deliver over 365 tons of anthracite to Philadelphia docks by December 1820, four years ahead of promises to Stockholders. The success, along with the pending opening of

1080-681: The Little Lehigh Creek and areas are drained by the Susquehanna River via the Swatara Creek in the northwest and the Conestoga River , which starts in Berks County between Morgantown and Elverson in the county's extreme south. It has a humid continental climate ( Dfa except for some Dfb on Blue Mountain at the northern boundary.) The hardiness zone is mostly 7a with 6b in some higher northern and eastern areas. [1] As of

1140-561: The Pennsylvania Railroad were vital shipping conduits from the second decade of the 19th century through the mid-20th century. The rise of trucking capabilities and state & county development of road and highway networks progressively took increasing amounts of business away from both competing transport industries. By the mid-1930s the canals inflexibility and a geographically limited pool of customers steadily shifting energy usage away from anthracite doomed most eastern canals, so

1200-517: The Reading, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) . As of the 2010 U.S. census the metropolitan area is the 10th-most populous in Pennsylvania and the 128th-most populous in the U.S. with a population of 413,491. Berks County is part of the larger Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD Combined Statistical Area (CSA) , the largest in Pennsylvania and eighth-most populous in the nation with

1260-464: The Schuylkill River Trail . There are efforts to extend both rail and trail farther upriver than they currently reach. The Schuylkill River Trail continues upriver from Norristown to Mont Clare , and designers plan to connect it to sections above Pottstown. SEPTA Regional Rail service currently does not go farther upriver than Norristown. Visions of resuming commuter rail service farther up

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1320-584: The U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well. The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Berks County. † county seat CDP = census designated population 40°25′N 75°56′W  /  40.42°N 75.93°W  / 40.42; -75.93 Schuylkill River The river's watershed of about 2,000 sq mi (5,180 km ) lies entirely within

1380-606: The War of 1812 , the two took delivery of an ark of anthracite coal which was notoriously difficult to combust reliably and experimented with ways to use it industrially, providing the knowledge to successfully begin resolving the ongoing decades long energy crises around eastern cities. The two then heavily backed the flagging effort to improve navigation on the Schuylkill, which efforts date back to legislation measures as early as 1762. By 1816, needing energy resources and disenchanted with

1440-536: The 1860s Iron works, foundries, manufacturing mills, blast furnaces, rolling mills, rail yards , rail roads, warehouses and train stations sprang up throughout the valley. Tiny farm villages grew into vibrant company towns then transitioned into small cities as a major industry and supporting businesses transformed local economics and populations swelled. Restoration of the river has been funded by money left for that purpose in Benjamin Franklin 's will. The river

1500-461: The 2012 Presidential election, Mitt Romney carried the county by approximately a one-percent margin, 49.6% to 48.6%, however, in 2016, Donald Trump carried Berks by a much larger margin of 52.9% to 42.7%. Chart of Voter Registration School districts include: Reading Public Museum in Reading is an art, science, and history museum. The Reading Buccaneers Drum and Bugle Corps are an all-age drum corps based in Berks County. Founded in 1957,

1560-650: The Lehigh, Delaware and Schuylkill Canals all ceased operations during the Great Depression years. The zooming rise of automobile ownership post-World War II, the development of suburbs, and dispersal of industrial buildings into far flung parks serviced by the government supported highways and new Interstate Highways doomed intercity rail transport; even as Interstate Commerce Committee regulations required railway operating companies to maintain passenger rail services past its economic viability—which costs further imperiled

1620-852: The Main Line to the East Pennsylvania Branch , bypassing Temple Hill on the latter. With the Reading Company's final bankruptcy in 1976, the Reading Belt Branch was conveyed to Conrail . Today, the line is part of the Norfolk Southern Railway 's Harrisburg Line , which combines the old Lebanon Valley Branch and the Reading– Philadelphia portion of the Reading Main Line. Berks County, Pennsylvania Berks County ( Pennsylvania Dutch : Barricks Kaundi )

1680-698: The Schuylkill River. In Jerry Spinelli 's 1990 young adult novel Maniac Magee , the protagonists's parents die when their commuter train plunges into the river. Much of the story takes place along the river in Two Mills, a fictionalized version of Norristown . The Schuylkill River is also the setting of the fictional estate White Acre in Elizabeth Gilbert 's 2013 novel The Signature of All Things , based on The Woodlands . The main protagonist in Ta-Nehisi Coates ' 2019 novel The Water Dancer first arrives in

1740-497: The Schuylkill in 1983, and two major dragon boat regattas are held there in June and October of each year. Water skiing, swimming and other aquatic sports are also common outside of Philadelphia city limits. The Schuylkill River Trail , which generally follows the river bank, is a multi-use trail for walking, running, bicycling, rollerblading, and other outdoor activities. The trail presently runs from Philadelphia, through Manayunk to

1800-406: The Schuylkill valley (" Schuylkill Valley Metro ") have yet to become reality. The Schuylkill Expressway ( Interstate 76 ) and the U.S. Route 422 follow the course of the river from Philadelphia to Valley Forge to Reading. Above Reading, Pennsylvania Route 61 continues along the main river valley to Schuylkill Haven, then follows the east branch to Pottsville. U.S. Route 209 continues along

1860-601: The Schuylkill's eastern branch is in heavily mined land, one ridgeline south of Tuscarora Lake along a drainage divide with the Little Schuylkill River , about a mile east of the village of Tuscarora and about a mile west of Tamaqua , at Tuscarora Springs in Schuylkill County . Tuscarora Lake is one source of the Little Schuylkill. The West Branch starts near Minersville and joins the eastern branch at

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1920-486: The Schuylkill, noting that it is "the depository of all the unsolved crimes and murders in Philadelphia". In the 2013 episode "Mac Day", Mac , played by Rob McElhenney , films a stunt video that makes it look like he jumped into the river, after which his cousin Country Mac, played by Seann William Scott , shows him up by actually jumping into the river. The 2005 video for "Doesn't Remind Me" by hard rock band Audioslave

1980-423: The age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under

2040-527: The age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.1 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males. Berks County is home to an Old Order Mennonite community consisting of about 160 families, located in the East Penn Valley near Kutztown and Fleetwood . The Old Order Mennonites first bought land in

2100-642: The area in 1949. In 2012, Old Order Mennonites bought two large farms in the Oley Valley . The Old Order Mennonites in the area belong to the Groffdale Conference Mennonite Church and use the horse and buggy as transportation. There are several farms in the area belonging to the Old Order Mennonite community and meetinghouses are located near Kutztown and Fleetwood. The Office of Management and Budget has designated Berks County as

2160-571: The citizens in funding an iron bridge over this river, before abandoning " pontifical works" on account of the French Revolution . Over the next few decades, industrialists Josiah White and protege and partner Erskine Hazard built iron industries at the Falls of the Schuylkill during the Jefferson's administration , where White built a suspension bridge with cables made from their wire mill. During

2220-448: The city of Reading. There were 411,442 people, 154,356 households, and 106,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 479 inhabitants per square mile (185/km ). There were 164,827 housing units at an average density of 191.9 per square mile (74.1/km ). According to Muninet Guide's 2010 analysis, the median household income for Berks County is $ 54,105. There were 154,356 households, out of which 33.1% had children under

2280-564: The corps is a charter member Drum Corps Associates and an 11-time DCA World Champion. Reading is home to Berks Opera Company, founded in 2007 as Berks Opera Workshop. There are two Pennsylvania state parks and one natural area in Berks County. There are two Pennsylvania Historic Sites in Berks County. The Old Morlatton Village in Douglassville is maintained by the Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County. The village

2340-769: The development of the city and the surrounding region. While long used for transport, the river was made fully navigable via the Schuylkill Canal in 1825, followed by the construction of the Reading Railroad Main Line in 1838 and the Schuylkill Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1884. Through these corridors, millions of tons of anthracite coal flowed down the Schuylkill from the Coal Region to its north in Northeast Pennsylvania . The canal

2400-588: The east branch of the river to its head in Tuscarora . In Philadelphia, Kelly Drive (formerly East River Drive), and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (formerly West River Drive) flank the river. The Schuylkill River is popular with rowing , dragon boat , and outrigger paddling enthusiasts. The Schuylkill Navy was established on the riverside adjacent to the city of Philadelphia to promote amateur rowing in 1858. The Dad Vail Regatta , an annual rowing competition,

2460-464: The first operable sections of New York's Erie Canal spurred stockholders of the Schuylkill Canal to finally fund the works. A project which had languished for over a decade got capitalized and began operations in 1822—the same year the Lehigh companies combined into the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, having had to raise additional funds for repairs due to badly ice-damaged improvements,

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2520-493: The lack of urgency found in other investors to accelerate the anemic and underfunded construction rate of the Schuylkill Canal, the two jumped to option the mining rights of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company , which disenchanted stockholders were giving up on. They then waited until a charter to improve the Lehigh went delinquent, resulting in two groups of investors forming two complementary companies in 1818 that jump-started

2580-719: The lands down along the Chesapeake Bay to the left bank Potomac River across from the Powhatan Confederacy when traders first stopped in the Delaware River and settlers arrived in the first decade of the 1600s. With ample tributary streams, the Schuylkill was ground zero during the early years of the Beaver Wars , during which the Lenape tribe became tributary to the victorious Susquehannocks. The Susquehannocks were an Iroquoian people also often in contention with their relatives:

2640-509: The native name for the river was Ganshowe-hánne , meaning "roaring stream". The river was also sometimes called the Manaiunk in European sources, which derives from a Lenape place-name meaning "place to drink". This name appears on a Swedish map of 1655 in the form Menejackse Kÿl . The mighty Susquehannock confederation claimed the area along the Schuylkill as a hunting ground, as they did to

2700-515: The new construction met the Wilmington and Northern Branch, and a 1.3-mile (2.1 km) connection was built to the Main Line at Klapperthal Junction. Finally, the northern end of the Wilmington and Northern Branch between Cumru Junction and Birdsboro, Pennsylvania , was incorporated into the Reading Belt Branch. The P&R incorporated the Reading Belt Railroad on April 9, 1900, to build

2760-591: The new portions of the line. The line was completed in May 1902, but the coal strike of 1902 delayed its opening until October 27, 1902. The P&R leased the Reading Belt Railroad on July 1, 1902. The Reading Belt Railroad was one of twelve Reading properties merged at the end of 1923 to create the new Reading Company . The line was further extended in 1957 when the Reading built the Blandon Low Grade east from

2820-613: The newly emerging states of the Northwest Territory via the Allegheny & Ohio valleys at Pittsburgh and to Lake Erie — leveraging the wide-ranging branches of the Susquehanna River in the state's center. In the 1830s railway technology and new railroads grew in leaps and bounds, and the Schuylkill Valley was at the heart of these developments, as well as the new Anthracite iron and mining industries. From 1820 to

2880-466: The railroad's profits leading to a widespread collapse of the industry in the 1960s and 1970s. Rail freight still uses many of the same valley rights-of-way that the 19th-century railroads used. Passenger and commuter rail service is more limited. Today, the old rail bed rights-of-way along the river between Philadelphia and Norristown contain SEPTA 's Manayunk/Norristown Line , formerly Reading Railroad and

2940-571: The river has improved much over the past decades. A fish ladder to support shad migration has been constructed at the Manayunk dam. Mayfly hatches (signifying good water quality) now occur yearly along the Montgomery sections of the river. The Schuylkill River valley was an important thoroughfare in the eras of canals and railroads. The river itself, the Schuylkill Canal , the Reading Railroad , and

3000-462: The river through the early 20th century. The river was shallow and filled with extensive black silt bars. By the early 20th century, upstream coal operations contributed over 3 million tons of silt annually to the river. In 1948, led by then governor James H. Duff , a massive cleanup effort began. Twenty three impounding basins were excavated along the river, to receive dredged silt. The 1945 Desilting Act helped begin this cleanup task. The quality of

3060-399: The river, including Nittabakonck ("place where heroes reside"), a village on the east bank just south of the confluence of Wissahickon Creek, and the Passyunk site, on the west bank where the Schuylkill meets the Delaware River. > American patriot paper maker Frederick Bicking owned a fishery on the river prior to the American Revolution , and Thomas Paine tried in vain to interest

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3120-422: The site of the former Philadelphia Navy Yard , now the Philadelphia Naval Business Center, just northeast of Philadelphia International Airport . The Schuylkill's name derives from the Dutch words schuilen , meaning to hide, and kil , meaning stream, apparently because of the "retired and hidden situation of its mouth". According to John Heckewelder , a missionary who worked among the local Lenape Indians ,

3180-412: The state of Pennsylvania, stretching from the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians through the Piedmont to the Atlantic Plain . Historically the Schuylkill lay within the territory of the Susquehannock and Lenape peoples. In 1682, William Penn founded the city of Philadelphia between the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers on lands purchased from the Lenape Indian tribe. The Schuylkill River became key in

3240-403: The town of Schuylkill Haven . It then combines with the Little Schuylkill River downstream in the town of Port Clinton . The Tulpehocken Creek joins it at the western edge of Reading . Wissahickon Creek joins it in northwest Philadelphia. Other major tributaries include: Maiden Creek , Manatawny Creek , French Creek , and Perkiomen Creek . The Schuylkill joins the Delaware River at

3300-456: The turn of the 20th century, Reading, Pennsylvania , was an important hub for the Philadelphia and Reading Railway . Lines approached from the west ( Lebanon Valley Branch ), east ( East Pennsylvania Branch ), north ( Main Line ), and south (Main Line, and the Wilmington and Northern Branch ). Most of this traffic was funneled over the double-track Main Line through downtown Reading, blocking numerous grade crossings. The P&R decided to build

3360-403: The urban Schuylkill River in the 21st century. In several episodes of Cold Case , a CBS television series based on the Philadelphia Police Department that aired from 2003 to 2010, various members of the Cold Case squad mention finding "a floater in the Schuylkill". In the 2019 film The Irishman , mob hitman Frank Sheeran , played by Robert De Niro , disposes of a gun he just used in

3420-406: The village of Mont Clare , the latter of which are the locations of the last two remaining watered stretches of the Schuylkill Canal . There is also a section of trail starting at Pottstown and running upriver toward Reading. Plans are under way to complete the trail from the Delaware River to Reading. Jules Verne 's 1904 novel Robur the Conqueror starts out in Philadelphia on the banks of

3480-471: The years since. The Schuylkill River above Fairmount Dam has been a major rowing venue since the founding of the Schuylkill Navy in 1858. In recent decades the Schuylkill River Trail cycle and foot path has been constructed along the river. The Schuylkill Heritage Corridor was designated a Pennsylvania Heritage Park in 1995 and a National Heritage Area in 2000 to promote the river's historic, environmental, and recreational significance. The source of

3540-439: Was abandoned in 1931, while the Schuylkill Expressway was completed in 1959. Industrial pollution and mining silt plagued the river in the 19th and 20th centuries. Early concerns over water quality led to the creation of Fairmount Park in 1812. Protections came with the 1972 passing of the Clean Water Act , and the Schuylkill was designated as the first Pennsylvania Scenic River in 1978. Water quality has largely recovered in

3600-417: Was named after the English county in which William Penn 's family home lay, Berkshire , which is often abbreviated to Berks. Berks County began much larger than it is today. The northwestern parts of the county went to the founding of Northumberland County in 1772 and Schuylkill County in 1811, when it reached its current size. In 2005, Berks County was added to the Delaware Valley Planning Area due to

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