As the third largest city in the state of Pennsylvania, Allentown sits near the New York border only 90 miles from New York City. It was known for much of its history as "Silk City", and was at one time home to more than 140 silk and textile mills. Once synthetic materials were introduced into the market, the silk trade slowly deteriorated with the last local silk mill closing in 1989. Now, Allentown's economic backbone is within the service sector and other manufacturing ventures.

AllentownZip.com is a site setup to show you all of the reasons why Allentown is the perfect place to settle down and purchase that nice piece of real estate. Just over 100,000 residents currently call the city home and have found that Allentown is full of advantages and possibilities. The cityscape brings together a wonderful picture of turn of the century architecture, row houses and modern skyscrapers. This is just the place for someone looking for a mid-sized city without feeling separate from the rest of the world outside.

There are a variety of neighborhoods in Allentown to suit any potential resident of the area. For those looking for more of a city feel with their home, Center City is broken up into five different sections. Downtown and 7th Street make up most of the commercial business district of Allentown. While there are residential buildings in this area, with a collection on 7th Street serving as a small artists' colony, these streets are mostly lined with businesses and government buildings. The most desirable areas to live downtown are in Old Allentown Historical District and Old Fairgrounds, which both have a mixture of housing styles. The last area of downtown is NOTI (North of Tilghman) and is seen as the more poverty stricken section of the city.

The East Side has sections for everything from industrial development with East Allentown to homes for the more affluent population with Midway Manor. The South Side is home to the Queen City Airport and is at the foot of the South Mountain. It is also the site of Mack Truck's headquarters. The West End contains the West End Theater District and is one of the most up and coming districts in the city. There are several specialty shops and smaller businesses that have chosen to situate themselves in this growing area. There are also several historic homes and a large public park. The Wards makes up the remainder of the city and will soon be home to the Waterfront district. This section of the city will house an amphitheater, restaurants, a hotel, a walking path, a marina, offices and shops and several modern housing options. For those looking for the best Allentown experience, this might be just the place.

Allentown is a community that seems to be ever growing and one would be wise to join them for the ride. Housing prices are still well below the state average and the cost of living is just 92.8 to the country's average of 100. For those looking to live near but not in America's largest city, this might be the perfect place to be.