Reading, PA

Reading's industrial history has been reused as public space at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts. The nonprofit fills nearly a city block in a former goggle factory downtown, with 35 artist studios, galleries, an art-house cinema, maker spaces, teaching shops for glass, ceramics, metals, wood, printmaking, photography, and textiles, and classes for children and adults. Its 2026 calendar also placed the weekly Reading Roots farmers market on the campus from June into October. West of downtown, the Reading Public Museum combines art, history, and science exhibits with the Neag Planetarium and a 25-acre arboretum that opens daily from sunrise to sunset. These two institutions make hands-on arts and informal learning a visible part of current city life rather than a separate cultural district. The larger city grew from a street plan laid out by Thomas and Richard Penn in 1748 near the Schuylkill River.

Reading became the Berks County seat in 1752, gained a canal connection to Philadelphia in 1825, and then developed around the Reading Railroad, which carried anthracite from Pennsylvania's Coal Region to eastern markets. The population was 95,112 in the 2020 census and an estimated 95,832 in July 2025. BARTA's downtown transportation center remains the hub of a bus network reaching city neighborhoods, Reading Hospital, shopping areas, nearby boroughs, and other Berks County destinations. City recreation operates neighborhood centers and fieldhouses, summer playground programs, Schlegel Pool, sports, arts, field trips, and meal programs. On Mount Penn, the century-old Pagoda remains the skyline landmark, but as of July 2026 its building and grounds had limited access during a major restoration; the foundation anticipated public walkthroughs later in 2026 and regular operations in 2027.