BETHLEHEM, a city of Pennsylvania, U.S.A., in North ampton and Lehigh counties, on the Lehigh river, som. north-west of Philadelphia. It is on the William Penn highway and the Bethlehem pike (one of the oldest highways in the country) ; is served by the Central Railroad of New Jersey, the Lehigh Valley, the Lehigh and New England, the Philadelphia, Bethlehem and New England, and the Reading railways; and is traversed by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company canal, running from the anthracite fields to tide-water. The area of the city is 17.8sq.m. Its population was 54,149 in 192o of which about a fifth were foreign born; and was 57,892 in 193o.
The city is built on hills on both sides of the river, and com mands delightful views as far as the Blue mountains, 2om. to the north. Three bridges connect the north and south sides. The Hill-to-Hill bridge, built in 1921 to 1924 at a cost of $3,soo,000, has eight approaches at either end, crosses four railroads, the river, and the canal. The beautiful stone community buildings of the Moravians were erected between 1742 and 1774, and their present church dates from 1803. A conspicuous modern structure is the Liberty high school, standing in 16 acres of playgrounds. Lehigh university (chartered 1866) occupies a campus of i8oac. on the slope of South mountain. It has an annual enrolment of more than I,5oo students and an endowment of about $5,000,000.
Steel and silk are the outstanding industries. The Bethlehem Steel Corporation has its main office and parent plant in Bethle hem. Along the south bank of the river for a distance of over 3m. extend the comprehensive plants, which produce pig-iron, steel of all types, coke and its by-products, engines, machinery, ord nance, and many other steel products. Other corporations are engaged in the fabrication and erection of structural steel, notably anthracite breakers and washeries. The silk industry, with an annual output valued at $5o,000,000, includes the manufacture of broad silk, silk throwing and hosiery mills. The assessed valuation of property for 1928 was $65, 711,532. Bank clearings in 1926 were $240,871,752.
Bethlehem was founded in Dec. 1741, by religious exiles from Bohemia and Moravia, who came to America under the lead ership of Bishop David Nitsch mann, influenced by their Saxon patron, Count Zinzendorf, in search of freedom and to do mis sionary work among the Indians and Negroes. They developed their industries under a commu nistic system of labour, but in 1763 distributed most of them among the members of the con gregation. During the revolution, Bethlehem was a thoroughfare for troops; and in 1776 and again in 1777 one of the community buildings was commandeered for a military hospital, where over 70o soldiers died. For a short time the Sun Inn, built in 1758 and still in service, was the refuge of a part of the Continental con gress. The Moravians established a day-school (later developed into a college), a theological seminary, and in 1746 the first board ing school for girls in America (now a college) ; all are still func tioning. Their love of music gave Bethlehem an unique distinction. An orchestra of strings, wind and brass was used in the church services before 17 5o. Since 1754 a choir of trombones has played at funerals, and from the belfry of the church has announced festival days and national holidays and the death of members of the church. An orchestra and a chorus (first the Collegium Musi cum, which gave the first performance in America of Haydn's Creation, and later the Philharmonic Society) were in existence almost continuously until 1885. After a lapse of a few years choral music was revived by the organist, J. F. Wolle, and under his direction a national reputation was gained for the rendering of the works of Bach. Since 1895, except during the years of Dr. Wolle's absence (1906-12) , an annual Bach festival of two days or more has been held in May, drawing music lovers from all parts of the world.
The borough of Bethlehem was incorporated in 1845. West Bethlehem was annexed in 1904. The city was formed in 1917 by the consolidation of Bethlehem and South Bethlehem, and in 192o Northampton Heights was annexed.