501(c)(3) non-profit youth soccer organization in the Lehigh Valley, PA
The Lehigh Valley is a scenic region of eastern Pennsylvania. The region's official census area includes Lehigh and Northampton counties. The traditional boundaries of the region are the Pocono Mountains to the north, the Delaware River and New Jersey to the east, the boundaries of Berks and Montgomery counties to the southwest, and the boundary with Bucks County to the south. More recently, however, parts of upper Bucks County near Quakertown, eastern portions of Berks County, southern sections of Carbon County, and the area surrounding Phillipsburg, N.J., are also considered an extended part of the Lehigh Valley. The Lehigh Valley's principal cities are Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton. The Lehigh Valley is located approximately 60 miles (96 km) north of Philadelphia, the country's fifth largest city, 80 miles (129 km) east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's capital, and 80 miles (144 km) west of New York City, the country's largest city. The area is home to more than 820,000 people as of the 2010 U.S. Recent census studies show it to be the fastest growing region in Pennsylvania, due in part to its growing popularity as a bedroom community for the highly-populated neighboring regions of Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York City as well as its favorable business climate and much lower cost of living in comparison to surrounding areas. The Lehigh Valley is geologically and geographically part of the Great Appalachian Valley, a region largely made up of limestone that stretches along the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains. The Lehigh Valley is so named because it is composed of an actual valley that lies between two mountain ranges, Blue Mountain to the north and South Mountain to the south. Lehigh Valley also is considered part of the historic Pennsylvania Dutch Country.
