You know you're from the Lehigh Valley if... (Bethlehem, King of Prussia: home, tenants)

[toobusytoday]

The Coopersburg Diner is still going strong with locals as well as people just passing through. A few years ago though, they changed their hours and now close around 10 pm I think. They said they had too many teenagers just hanging out for hours. What else can a teen do in a small town?

I am not a long term local so am not familiar with lots of things that some of you have mentioned but reading them make me wish that I had grown up here too.

[karen_s]

Chip, that put a huge smile on my face

And I'm only 37 ROFL

A couple more:
You were amazed to discover that "cream soda" to the rest of the world isn't bright red like the A-Treat stuff

You know what a "pasty" is and it doesn't involve strip clubs (yum!)

You used to get covered with dirt watching races @ the old Nazareth Raceway

You might think Jimmy's hot dogs kick Yocco's and Pott's butts!!!

You used to sneak over to NJ to drink in yrs past because their drinking age was 18 and ours was 21....

[stuntmonkey123]

These are great! (And I'm only 31.)

I had totally forgot about Laneco -- Walmart did totally rip them off!

[twoeightythreez]

I remember when:
If you wanted Yoccos you went downtown.
-Hamilton mall and the awnings
-Hanoverville road actually had passing zones on it and wasn't full of cookie cutter suburbs!
-The roar of the coke ovens lulled me to sleep (I grew up on Minsi trail st.)
-the bethlehem christmas star was lit only at christmastime
-the best place to get a sundae was Hess's
-Musikfest was free for every tent
-Broad street was foot traffic only
-Northeast had basketball courts and a baseball field
-I78 bypass wasn't built yet
-route 100 was the middle of freakin nowhere
-speed limits on the back roads were actually set right and not for making tickets
-Nazareth speedway was open (and was just about the only thing to do in Nazareth...lol)
-Bethlehem wasn't defined by Lehigh university, only was enhanced by it
-the 3rd to 4th st. merger (on the way to hellertown) was a steep hill (great to learn stick shift!)
-Hellertown was a short cut to 378 instead of a hindrance!
-people actually knew how to drive!
-two lane roads had passing zones (you know, because they relied on people knowing how to use them to get around slowpokes instead of crashing all the time!)
-in a nutshell, when the valley was a place with a unique identity, not a me-too Jersey or El Cajon.

I'm only 32! Born and raised here. Moved back and discovered the valley has been Californicized. (strip malls and suburbs! Vain, Trendy people! Yay!...and don't say I don't know what I'm talking about, I lived in SoCal for 5 years when I was in the Military..came back here because I was sick of it...lol ) What a shame. I guess I'm gonna move to Philly as soon as I can, because it hasn't lost it's identity in the name of trendiness.

[sickofthelehighvalley]

if you are one of the 3 of the 5 total people at the bar that says "Onest"

if you say the word "neat", example: "We went to the Allentown Fair the other day, we had funnel cake and saw the show, it was neat."

after you park and turn off your car, you basically jump out of your car and slam the door and run to wherever it is that you need to be.

when you are cruising down the back roads, some dude races up around on your left and in overgrown hotwheels pick up truck.

you tailgate when driving.

you wear a polo shirt and khakis and a baseball cap and think you look cool.

if you drink Yuengling, Milwaukee's Best, and Keystone.

[LifetimeLocal]

Good memories coming back here and I am wearing a polo shirt with a hat right now lol.

[loose cannon]

Originally Posted by twoeightythreez

I remember when:
If you wanted Yoccos you went downtown.
-Hamilton mall and the awnings
-Hanoverville road actually had passing zones on it and wasn't full of cookie cutter suburbs!
-The roar of the coke ovens lulled me to sleep (I grew up on Minsi trail st.)
-the bethlehem christmas star was lit only at christmastime
-the best place to get a sundae was Hess's
-Musikfest was free for every tent
-Broad street was foot traffic only
-Northeast had basketball courts and a baseball field
-I78 bypass wasn't built yet
-route 100 was the middle of freakin nowhere
-speed limits on the back roads were actually set right and not for making tickets
-Nazareth speedway was open (and was just about the only thing to do in Nazareth...lol)
-Bethlehem wasn't defined by Lehigh university, only was enhanced by it
-the 3rd to 4th st. merger (on the way to hellertown) was a steep hill (great to learn stick shift!)
-Hellertown was a short cut to 378 instead of a hindrance!
-people actually knew how to drive!
-two lane roads had passing zones (you know, because they relied on people knowing how to use them to get around slowpokes instead of crashing all the time!)
-in a nutshell, when the valley was a place with a unique identity, not a me-too Jersey or El Cajon.

I'm only 32! Born and raised here. Moved back and discovered the valley has been Californicized. (strip malls and suburbs! Vain, Trendy people! Yay!...and don't say I don't know what I'm talking about, I lived in SoCal for 5 years when I was in the Military..came back here because I was sick of it...lol ) What a shame. I guess I'm gonna move to Philly as soon as I can, because it hasn't lost it's identity in the name of trendiness.

Mostly true, but watch out for that WIP, Chickie and Pete's Eagles crowd. Subhumans! All of them!

[thruthebridgoverthehill]

When you mark your calender for the 'Gathering'.

When you think 'Emerald Fireworks' are the best.

[18060]

-When somebody asked you something, the question usually ended in "Say once?"

-You did your grocery shopping at Acme, A&P/Superfresh, or Laneco instead of Weis, Wegmans or Giant

-The Whitehall Mall was an "Inside" mall, and was known as the old people's mall

-You can go from town to town in less time on back roads than on the main routes

-You know it's spring or fall because everyday you smell the smoke from one of your neighbors burning yet again

-People moved to NJ/NY from the LV

-Late night activities included driving around aimlessly, smashing mailboxes and stealing street signs

-Every year around Christmastime you see that commercial for Service Electric and you know that the kids in it are now almost 40 (but I think they finally changed it this past year after at least 28 years)

-When driving up to Palmerton, you don't think nothing about the lack of trees on the mountain

-You know the real reason why the Center Valley Golf Course exists, and found it funny when they built the Promenade across the street 20 years later

-78 and 22 were once one in the same going through the valley

-You keep saying "I remember when there was an (apple orchard/corn field) here"

-You brought a "lunch kettle" to school

-309 was only 4 lanes with a tiny median hump in the middle

[farmerk]

So, what is the reason the Center Valley Golf Course exists?