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The colleges shape the communities, and the communities shape the colleges. It's why we love the region.
There are places with colleges, and then there are places where colleges become part of the landscape.
The coffee shop opens early because professors stop in before class. Saturday afternoons belong to football games and fall festivals. Students fill neighborhood restaurants while longtime residents catch up over breakfast just a few tables away. Historic brick streets lead from campus greens to family-owned bookstores, breweries, bakeries, and farmers markets.
From Easton to Reading, that rhythm repeats itself every day.
At Brick & Bushel, we call this place University Valley.
University Valley isn't an official destination you'll find on a highway sign. It's our name for the remarkable collection of college towns stretching across the Lehigh Valley and into Berks County—a place where higher education has quietly shaped the character of communities for more than two centuries.
Within roughly fifty miles you'll find nationally recognized universities, respected liberal arts colleges, Penn State campuses, and three outstanding community colleges. Together they educate more than 80,000 students while supporting thriving downtowns, preserving local traditions, fueling small businesses, and creating one of Pennsylvania's most livable regions.
Some towns are bustling cities. Others are quiet boroughs surrounded by farmland. Each offers its own personality, but they all share something special: education isn't tucked away behind campus gates—it spills into everyday life.
Welcome to University Valley.
Perched above the meeting of the Delaware and Lehigh rivers, Easton perfectly blends historic charm with youthful energy.
Founded in 1826, Lafayette College has shaped the city for nearly two centuries. Its hilltop campus overlooks downtown, where Division I athletics, public lectures, art exhibitions, and student life naturally flow into the surrounding neighborhoods.
But Lafayette isn't Easton's only educational anchor.
Northampton Community College serves thousands of students from across the Lehigh Valley through its nearby Bethlehem Township campus and its SouthSide Center, providing affordable degree programs, workforce development, and continuing education that strengthen the region's economy.
Downtown Easton has become one of Pennsylvania's great small-city success stories. Centre Square buzzes with activity nearly every weekend. The country's oldest continuously operating open-air farmers market draws shoppers year-round. Independent bookstores, boutiques, coffee shops, galleries, and award-winning restaurants line streets that somehow feel both historic and fresh.
This is a city that embraces its past while constantly reinventing itself.
College: Lafayette College
College Bar: Two Rivers Brewing Company
Local Favorite: River Grille
Few places capture the spirit of University Valley better than Bethlehem.
On the SouthSide, Lehigh University rises dramatically above the city, its stone buildings overlooking one of America's most successful industrial rebirths. Students fill neighborhood coffee shops before class, while alumni return every fall to cheer on the Mountain Hawks.
Cross the Lehigh River and you'll discover a different academic tradition.
Moravian University—America's sixth-oldest college—has been educating students since 1742. Its beautifully preserved campus blends seamlessly into Bethlehem's historic district, where centuries-old buildings now house bookstores, cafés, restaurants, and boutiques.
Just north of downtown, Northampton Community College educates thousands of students on its main campus while also operating the Fowler Family SouthSide Center. The college has become one of the region's most important gateways to higher education, workforce development, and career training.
Bethlehem is where history meets innovation.
Former steel mills have become concert venues at SteelStacks. Colonial streets host one of the country's largest music festivals during Musikfest. New restaurants open alongside businesses that have served generations of families.
It feels both timeless and constantly evolving.
Lehigh University: Lehigh University
Moravian University: Moravian University
Northampton Community College: Northampton Community College
College Bar: Molly's Irish Grille & Sports Pub
Local Favorite: Apollo Grill
As the Lehigh Valley's largest city, Allentown offers a different college-town experience.
Its west side feels surprisingly intimate, thanks to two respected institutions separated by only a few minutes.
Muhlenberg College has earned a national reputation for performing arts, pre-health programs, and close faculty relationships. Nearby, Cedar Crest College continues a tradition of educating women while expanding graduate and professional programs.
Together, the schools help shape neighborhoods filled with mature trees, beautiful homes, neighborhood parks, cafés, and locally owned businesses.
Beyond campus, students enjoy everything from Broadway tours at Miller Symphony Hall to hockey games at PPL Center, exhibitions at the Allentown Art Museum, and miles of trails through Trexler Memorial Park.
Allentown continues to reinvent itself while maintaining the neighborhood character that makes college towns feel like home.
Muhlenberg College: Muhlenberg College
Cedar Crest College: Cedar Crest College
College Bar: Bru Daddy's Brewing Co.
Local Favorite: Grille 3501
If Easton and Bethlehem represent classic college towns, Center Valley showcases the modern side of higher education.
Penn State Lehigh Valley gives students access to one of the nation's largest university systems while maintaining the close-knit atmosphere of a regional campus. Many begin their Penn State journey here before continuing to University Park, while others complete their degrees entirely in the Lehigh Valley.
Just minutes away, DeSales University has built a reputation for excellence in healthcare, business, communications, education, and the performing arts. Every summer, its campus comes alive with the acclaimed Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, drawing visitors from throughout the Northeast.
Unlike the walkable downtowns of Bethlehem or Kutztown, Center Valley's appeal lies in its balance. Open farmland sits beside modern shopping districts. Scenic roads lead to corporate campuses, healthcare centers, wineries, golf courses, and some of the Valley's newest neighborhoods.
It is a place where education, business, and quality of life intersect.
Penn State Lehigh Valley: Penn State Lehigh Valley
DeSales University: DeSales University
College Bar: Copperhead Grille
Local Favorite: Melt
Not every great college town needs a college campus.
Emmaus has earned its place in University Valley by offering something just as valuable—a welcoming downtown where students, faculty, young professionals, and families choose to live long after graduation.
Just minutes from Lehigh University, Muhlenberg College, Cedar Crest College, Penn State Lehigh Valley, and DeSales University, Emmaus has become a favorite home base for people who want small-town charm without giving up easy access to the region's universities.
Its walkable Main Street is lined with independent coffee shops, breweries, restaurants, boutiques, and locally owned businesses. Community events—from the Halloween Parade to the annual Arts Commission events and farmers markets—keep the borough lively throughout the year.
Emmaus isn't defined by a campus. It's defined by community.
Coffee: The Joint Coffee Co.
Restaurant: Switchback Pizza Company
If someone asked us to define a classic Pennsylvania college town, we'd probably send them to Kutztown.
Surrounded by rolling farmland and Pennsylvania Dutch heritage, Kutztown University has been the heart of the borough for more than 150 years. Students walk from residence halls to Main Street, where local businesses have served generations of Golden Bears.
Football Saturdays bring alumni back to town. Art shows, concerts, theater productions, and community festivals blur the lines between campus and borough.
Beyond downtown, visitors find wineries, covered bridges, roadside farm stands, hiking trails, antique shops, and some of eastern Pennsylvania's most beautiful countryside.
Kutztown remains refreshingly authentic—a place where professors know local business owners by name and students quickly become regulars at neighborhood restaurants.
University: Kutztown University
College Bar: Kutztown Pub (college bar that also has amazing smoked brisket, pork and more made out back)
Local Favorite: Kutztown Tavern
Reading may be the most underrated college city in Pennsylvania.
Its three higher education institutions each bring something different to the community.
Albright College has educated students for more than 165 years, offering a traditional residential campus known for the liberal arts, athletics, and student leadership.
Alvernia University continues to expand its footprint, helping transform downtown Reading through major investments in education, healthcare, and community partnerships.
In the center of downtown, Reading Area Community College provides affordable higher education, workforce development, and transfer opportunities for thousands of Berks County residents every year. RACC has become one of the region's most important educational gateways, connecting students directly with employers and four-year universities.
Together, these schools fuel Reading's revitalization while supporting one of Pennsylvania's most diverse cultural communities.
From the Santander Arena and FirstEnergy Stadium to neighborhood restaurants, historic architecture, and a growing arts scene, Reading offers far more than many visitors expect.
Albright College: Albright College
Alvernia University: Alvernia University
Reading Area Community College: Reading Area Community College
College Bar: Nitro Bar
Local Favorite: Judy's on Cherry
On Reading's western edge sits one of Penn State's most beautiful Commonwealth Campuses.
Penn State Berks combines the resources of Penn State with the close-knit atmosphere of a smaller college. Students enjoy Division III athletics, undergraduate research, clubs, internships, and direct connections to employers throughout Berks County.
Its location places students within minutes of Reading, West Reading, Wyomissing, hiking trails, shopping districts, hospitals, and major employers.
It offers the best of both worlds—Penn State traditions in a campus surrounded by open space.
University: Penn State Berks
College Bar: Brewer's Bar & Grill
Local Favorite: Chatty Monks Brewing Company
Every great college region needs a place where opportunity begins.
For thousands of students each year, that place is Lehigh Carbon Community College.
Located just north of Allentown in Schnecksville, LCCC serves students from Lehigh, Carbon, Schuylkill, and surrounding counties through affordable degree programs, workforce development, healthcare training, skilled trades, and university transfer pathways.
Many graduates continue to universities throughout University Valley, while others move directly into careers that support the region's hospitals, manufacturers, schools, and businesses.
Though Schnecksville lacks the traditional downtown atmosphere of Easton or Kutztown, its campus has quietly become one of the educational pillars of eastern Pennsylvania.
College: Lehigh Carbon Community College
College Bar: Union and Finch
Local Favorite: The Shelby
University Valley isn't defined by county lines.
It isn't limited to one university, one downtown, or one zip code.
It's defined by a way of life.
Here, education is woven into the fabric of everyday living. Professors become regulars at neighborhood coffee shops. Students volunteer at local nonprofits, intern with regional businesses, and cheer beside lifelong residents on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons. Alumni return for homecoming weekends, concerts, theater productions, festivals, and family traditions that stretch across generations.
The colleges shape the communities, and the communities shape the colleges.
Together, they fuel innovation, preserve history, strengthen local businesses, inspire the arts, and create neighborhoods where people don't just come to earn a degree—they come to build a life.
From the riverfront of Easton to the historic streets of Bethlehem. From Allentown's cultural institutions to Emmaus' welcoming downtown. From the rolling farmland surrounding Kutztown to Reading's remarkable revival, every stop offers its own interpretation of what a college town can be.
Some places are urban.
Others are rural.
Some have been educating students since before the American Revolution.
Others are helping prepare tomorrow's workforce through innovative community colleges and regional campuses.
Together they form one connected region—a place where higher education, local businesses, historic neighborhoods, and community traditions come together in a way that's increasingly rare.
Brick sidewalks.
Front porches.
Campus greens.
Saturday football.
Independent bookstores.
Neighborhood taverns.
Family-owned restaurants.
Farmers markets.
Students, professors, artists, entrepreneurs, and lifelong residents sharing the same streets.
That's University Valley.
And here at Brick & Bushel, we're proud to call it home.
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