Interesting Facts About Bethlehem

The city of Bethlehem is bustling with nearly 75,000 people that call the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania home. But despite the fact that it’s the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, Bethlehem still offers plenty of quiet and homely things to do as well. If you’ve never been to Bethlehem before, you are missing out. Here are some interesting facts to entice you to visit Bethlehem, or maybe you’ll even want to call this place home.

The Center Of Lehigh Valley

Lehigh Valley consists of 731 square miles and 800,000 Pennsylvanians. Of that, just over 19 square miles and 75,000 people live in Bethlehem, as it’s located in the center of Lehigh Valley. It’s said that the history of Bethlehem can be traced back to Christmas Eve of 1741. It was on that night that David Nitschmann and Nicolas von Zinzendorf led a small group of people to the area that is now considered the center of Lehigh Valley. The two men took the name of the birthplace of Jesus, and called their settled area Bethlehem.

Lehigh-UniversityRevolutionary Involvement

During the industrial revolution, Bethlehem was a booming centerpiece of the industry. The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was founded in Bethlehem in 1857, and it was in operation for over 150  years before closing in 2003. This company grew to become the second-largest steel producer in the United States, and it was also a big player in the boat building industry as well. Bethlehem Steel brought many revolutionary ideas to the industrial revolution movement, and it was a prime reason that the economy in Bethlehem was so strong for many years.

Education

Bethlehem is home to many prestigious schools for people of all ages. For primary school students, the Bethlehem Area School District serves students in kindergarten through 12th grade. There are also two private schools; including Bethlehem Catholic High School and Moravian Academy.

There are also a variety of different secondary institutions in Bethlehem as well. Lehigh University is known as one of the most prestigious schools in the nation, as it was ranked as the 35th best college in America by the US News & World Report in 2010. There are other colleges in the area; including Moravian College, Northampton Community College, and the International Institute For Restorative Practices.

Did You Know…

Did you know that Bethlehem made the list of “Top 100 Places To Live” in a 2006 Money magazine issue? That’s right – this quaint and quiet town crept into the list at number 88, and this was a big draw for those looking to make Bethlehem home.

Many of the small boroughs and towns outside of the big cities of Pennsylvania offer plenty of small-town charm and excitement. One of the best things of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is that it’s big enough to offer plenty of things to do, but it still offers plenty of small-town charm. Whether you are looking for an exciting vacation or you think a more permanent option is needed, Bethlehem is an ideal location for those looking in Pennsylvania.

Commuting Benefits of Apartments

It’s hard to shortlist the top benefits for living in an apartment. For some, it’s the fact that apartment complexes often offer all-inclusive amenities, such as a pool or clubhouse. For other renters, apartments are ideal because they often just the right amount of space for a new family or single bachelor. Whatever the case may be, apartments are the right choice for a lot of people.

With so many benefits to consider, one of the elements that often gets overlooked with living in an apartment is how easy it is to commute. This is because apartments are often located centrally in a place that makes it incredibly easy for you to access major highways or interstates. Whether you go into the city for work every day or you only go home on the weekends, it’s certainly a great idea to consider living in an apartment that is conveniently located for commuting.

It’s no mystery that location is often considered to be the most important part of real estate. As for your apartment, here are some reasons as to why it’s location should have commuting in mind.

Morning-CommuteEasy Access To Shops And Stores

Many apartments are located in centralized areas with a lot of people in one place. With those people also comes plenty of entrepreneurs who want to capitalize by starting businesses in the area. However, while you may have your favorite local places that you can walk to each day, apartments are also great for commuting to other places as well. In many cases, the location of an apartment complex next to a highway or interstate will make it very easy for tenants to get to other areas.

A Quick Drive To Work

Your drive to work is something that will take a big chunk of your life. If you end up getting caught in traffic each day, you could be looking hours of your week, and maybe even weeks of your year, that are stuck sitting in your car. Luckily, when you live in a great location, it’s much easier for you to avoid that traffic during your daily commute. When you factor in all of the time that you’ll have back to yourself because you aren’t stuck in traffic, you’ll certainly be happy that you considered an apartment that provided a commute that was convenient.

Carpool With Others

It’s not just the shops, restaurants, and businesses, but also the people that live in an apartment that make it a valuable option to consider. When you live in a complex that is popular, there are likely going to be other people that live there to. As you meet people in your area, you might find the option to carpool for your commute. This will not only help you save money on your gas bill to work each day, but it’ll also help you get out there and meet your neighbors.

The list of benefits for an apartment goes on and on. Among those benefits certainly has to be the ability to easily commute thanks to convenient locations. If you are considering a move to an apartment, be sure that the location provides or an easy commute for you and you’ll enjoy living there much more.

Dealing With Noisy Neighbors

Living in an apartment can provide for a variety of different benefits. Many apartments are located in great areas with tons of amenities, so you’ll never have to worry about a shortage of activities to keep you busy.

However, one of the downsides that many people complain about with apartment living is the presence of noisy neighbors. When you are living right next to someone and you share a wall with one another, it might seem like every move they make shakes your entire apartment.

Since you have to continue living next to your neighbors, at least through the terms of your lease, then it’s unlikely that you’ll want to cause any sort of rift or conflict with them. That is why it’s important that you deal with your noisy neighbors in a way that will still make things pleasant for everyone involved.

Here are some calm and collected tips for dealing with noisy neighbors, which will hopefully improve your apartment living conditions.

Loud-NeighborsAddress Your Neighbor First

It’s amazing that people often look for any sort of solution to fix a noisy neighbor, but they overlook the simple idea of going and talking with the people next door. The truth is that the person next to you is a human just like you are, and talking to them might be a great way to get them to quiet down a bit. Granted, talking to a neighbor can be a bit nerve-wracking at first. However, if you go and introduce yourself first, then talk about noise concerns later, then it presents a calming environment that both parties can rationally talk about.

Introduce Yourself As A Way To Break The Ice

When talking with your neighbor, it’s a good idea if you don’t accuse them of being incredibly noisy and inconsiderate. Instead, explain to them that you can hear the noises they are making. They might be surprised to find out that they are being so loud, at which point they’ll likely be incredibly apologetic and work towards being more accommodating to neighbors in the future.

Address Your Schedule And Noise Concerns

If your neighbor is someone who works the graveyard shift at their job, they may have a schedule that is entirely different than yours. When this happens, it may end up affecting your sleep and how you go through your day. Therefore, when you are having your introductory conversation with your neighbor, consider getting to know one another better in terms of the schedules that you both have. By understanding one another’s schedule, you and your neighbors will have a better respect for when it’s thoughtful to keep it down. After all, it’s just as unlikely that your neighbor will want you to keep them up, and they’ll be able to understand how things would look if the tables were shifted.

Many people avoid living in an apartment because of the fear of noisy neighbors. However, apartments offer so many benefits that this truly shouldn’t be something that keeps you from such a convenient lifestyle. Instead, consider the tips here for talking and addressing that noisy neighbor who might be bothering you.

How Apartment Living Helps With a Busy Lifestyle

For many people, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. You might think that as you get older your schedule includes more people (such as a family, possibly), so you might have more to do. However, you’ll come to find out that even single people have plenty going on in their lives as well.

For a busy person, an apartment can be an ideal living situation. This is also the case with busy families as well, as apartment provides tons of accommodations that are typically quite beneficial to the residents.

Here’s a look at how apartment living helps with any busy lifestyle, no matter who you are.

A Great Location

Most apartment communities are located in areas where there are large numbers of people. Typically, this includes in busy areas that offer tons of services in a nearby location. For example, if you live in an apartment in a downtown area, then you’ll have grocery markets, convenience stores, restaurants, and much more within walking distance. Your work may even be close to your apartment, which will substantially cut down on your commute to work each day.

For those that are always on the go and need to be centrally located, an apartment is a great option. This especially the case when the apartment is located in a prime area with tons of services nearby.

Woman-StretchingIdeal Amenities

Apartment living isn’t just about the services that are nearby, but also the amenities that are included within the complex itself. It’s common for apartment complexes to offer amenities as part of their home owners association, which makes living even easier for tenants who have a busy life. Some of the amenities that are common in apartment complexes include:

  • A business center
  • A gym and yoga studio, as well as a pool
  • Theater or entertainment room and clubhouse for friends and guests
  • A daycare for children during your day at work

With all of these services located on the premise of your apartment, you can see just how much easier this sort of living will make your lifestyle. Not only will you have the place that all of your friends want to visit, but you’ll have plenty of amenities available for yourself as well.

A Great Place For Pets

If your complex allows pets, then you’ll see how living in apartment can be beneficial with an animal that needs to be walked or looked after. Most apartment communities work as their own small economies. Therefore, it’s not a surprise to hear that someone in the complex may be a dog walker or pet sitter. When you have this sort of service that lives in your apartment complex, it makes it even easier for pet owners. They can limit the amount of time that they need to walk their dog or feed their pet, by instead relying on services from within the apartment complex for help.

It doesn’t matter where you live – there will never be more hours in the day. But if you find yourself strapped for time every day and you are looking for living accommodations that will make your life easier, then an apartment could be the ideal solution.

Keeping a Clean Apartment

our apartment is something that you should take great pride in. Whether it’s your first time on your own or you have been living alone for years, an apartment is your own personal sanctuary that you can retreat to after a long day.

For many people, it can be a tedious chore to keep things in your home looking tidy. This is especially true for those that live in apartments, at these units are often smaller and even the tiniest of messes can look like massive catastrophes.

Here are some tips for keeping a clean apartment, in order to ensure that you enjoy living there much better. In addition, a clean apartment is ideal for having guests over, so these tips will also help if you plan on having a great housewarming party soon.

Woman-CleaningHave A Plan

If you never have a plan to start cleaning, then chances are that this is a task that you will keep pushing off with each passing weekend. That’s why it’s much more helpful for you to at least have a plan of how you want to go about cleaning your apartment. For some, this might mean one deep clean a month, while others prefer multiple small cleans on the weekends.

Your schedule will determine your personal cleaning routine, but at least having an idea of when you plan to clean will help you very much in the long run. If you don’t have a plan, the only time that you end up cleaning might be for spring cleaning season, which will make for an incredibly dirty apartment throughout the rest of the year.

Clean As You Go

Cleaning your apartment will be much easier if you simply plan to clean as you go along. That doesn’t mean pulling out the sponge and cleaning detergent every time that you use the bathroom, but instead you can tidy things up as you go through your day. If you notice that clothes are lying on the floor or you have dishes that need to be done, take the time to do these small tasks. They’ll only take a few minutes out of your day, and they’ll make your apartment look much better. This this plan, you can also schedule to dust or do more serious cleaning requirements on more spread-out occasions.

Optimize Storage

You don’t have to be living on your own for long before you realize that storage is going to be your best friend when you are living in an apartment. The truth is that most apartments simply don’t have the type of storage space that a single-family home might have. Luckily, you can get storage options – such as extra closets, drawers, etc. – that will help you keep things tidy in your apartment. Storage options will not only keep your space tidy, but many choices can even compliment the overall theme of furniture in your apartment.

For many people, living in an apartment is an ideal option. It offers the perfect amount of space, extra amenities, and other benefits that many single-family homes do not come with. But in order to make sure that your apartment is kept clean, be sure to consider the tips on this list.