Bethlehem (Philadelphia, Polk, Penn: new home, buy, school)

[zansky]

Hi all My husband and I just bought a house in North/West Bethlehem. We have 3 kids, ages 12,9 & 2. We will be moving in totally after school lets out here in June (we are in NJ). We will be spending weekends there and slowly moving the smaller stuff in before that though. I was just wondering if anybody has recently relocated to the area and their experiences with it. And since I'm basically unfamiliar with the area I was also wondering if anybody had any "insider info" on the area...such as...what are the community pools like (are they worth joining??), are there any fun events or things to do that aren't the big deal stuff like Musikfest...just any info would be nice. We spent our first weekend there this past weekend and though we enjoyed being in our very first home and all, I felt pretty lost lol. Thanks in advance for any information anybody has.

[valentine92]

Hi and Welcome to Bethlehem. I hope your family enjoys living here as much as mine does. There are city pools and you can purchase a family pass to include all city pools if you would like. The most popular would be Memorial Pool, which is by the ick rink and the golf course. The City of Bethlehem also runs a Summer Day Camp out of the Ice Rink for kids up to the age of 12, they going swimming daily at Memorial Pool.

Enjoy your new home.

[zansky]

Thanks so much valentine I will definately keep the day camp in mind..now I just have to find the ice rink and the pools lol

[FLhereIcome]

Maybe this will help - City of Bethlehem Homepage. Parks and recreation info is listed under departments.

[loose cannon]

For local non-corporate radio listen to Sunny 1100 WGPA and 88.1 WDIY public radio.

[jimmyrocks]

this may not be too popular in the valley.. but I generally listen to WXPN from U Penn in Philadelphia, they have a local frequency (104.9) and have some excellent programs (Kid's Corner, y-rock on XPN, World Cafe Live). B104 and ZZO are both Clear Channel, and I tend to like the stuff on Philly's 104.5 (also clear channel) better than the local radio stations.

[ScranBarre]

Welcome to Bethlehem. You've made a fine choice for sure. Out of the three hub cities in the Lehigh Valley I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Bethlehem. I hope you come to love your new hometown as much as I love it from afar!

[toobusytoday]

Welcome to the Lehigh Valley Zansky! I would suggest that you buy a good map (my favorite is the ADC Lehigh Valley bookmap) and drive around a bit. I love this area in the spring time. There are lots of parks to walk in, bike in and just sit and watch the kids run around. I think all of the local libraries will have summer reading programs so you might start there. A great place for you to meet friends too.

We listen to satellite radio mostly but wake up to WLEV, 100.7 in the morning. We used to listen to 'XPN when we lived in Delaware county but can't pick up the local connection very well.

[PAman]

I'm with the cannon. Listen to WGPA. Great variety of talk,music and sports. Musical format is varied keeping listeners happy; Big Band, Easy Listening, Oldies, Polka music, it's the best!!

[markas214]

I live nearby. 9th Ave near W Broad. I've been here over 40 years. I know the area as good as anybody. Better than most actually. PM me with any questions. I take my kids to Memoria Pool in the summer. Right down the road is Illick's Mill park A nice place to walk and enjoy the creek. My kids play football and cheerlead for the Steeler's right at 8th Ave and Schoenersville Rd. Westgate Mall is nearby. There's a nice park off Pennsylvania Ave., West Side Park at 13 Ave and Lehigh St. and the Rose Garden is nice 8th and Union Blvd. Good fishing in the Monocacy Creek, Lehigh River and Lehigh Canal all within 10 minutes. Downtown Bethlehem is a nice area to walk along with the old Moravian campuses in town. All are safe and friendly toward families with kids. Musikfest is nice but gets crowded on the weekends.

I listen to 95.1 and 99.1 which are rock and roll. 104.1 is top 40. 96 is country. These are the most popular stations and what you will hear in most places.

My kids go to Calypso. 3, 6, 8. Clearview school has a nice playground and a public pool. Get a season pass from the city. The pools are never crowded. Memorial has a huge kiddie pool for the 2 year old and a huge pool for older kids and adults.Iit's a little extra for the pass but well worth it.