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Reading (City and county-seat of Berks)

a city and county-seat of Berks co., Pa.; on the Schuylkill river, the Schuylkill canal, and the Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphia and Reading railroads; 54 miles E. of Harrisburg; 58 miles N. W. of Philadelphia. The city is regularly laid out on a site gradually rising to picturesque hills, which not only afford fine scenic views, but give a copious supply of pure water. Here are waterworks owned by the city and costing $1,500,000, 500,000, gas and electric lights, inclined gravity and electric railroads, READING several National and State banks, and Mineral Springs and Penn's Common parks. The charitable institutions include the Reading, St. Joseph's, and the Homeopathic Medical and Surgical Hospitals, several dispensaries, and a Home for Orphans. The city contains over 60 churches, about 50 school buildings, and public school property valued at over $1,000,000. There are upward of 500 manufacturing establishments. Reading is the seat of the Philadelphia and Reading railroad car and machine shops. The chief manufactures are foundry and machine shop products, iron and steel, stoves, woolen hats, brick and tile, cigars and cigarettes, and planing mill products .

Reading was settled in 1748, became a borough in 1783, and a city in 1847.

Pop. (1910) 96,071; (1920) 107,784.