Berks County (

Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch (), also referred to as Pennsylvania Germans, are an ethnic group in Pennsylvania in the United States, Ontario in Canada, and other regions of both nations. They largely originate from the Palatinate (region), Palatina ...

: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 428,849. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

, the fourth-most populous city in the state. The county is part of the South Central region of the commonwealth. The county borders Lehigh County to its north, Schuylkill County to its north,

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and Lancaster counties to its west, Chester County to its south, and Montgomery County to its east. The county is approximately southwest of Allentown, the state's third-largest city, and northwest of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, the state's largest city. The

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river in eastern Pennsylvania. It flows for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map(). accessed April 1, 2011. from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Pottsville ...

, a tributary of the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

, flows through Berks County. The county is part of the Reading, PA metropolitan statistical area (MSA), which in turn is part of the Greater Philadelphia metropolitan area known as the

-Reading- Camden, PA- NJ- DE- MD combined statistical area (CSA).

History

Reading developed during the 1740s when inhabitants of northern Lancaster County sent several petitions requesting that a separate county be established. With the help of German immigrant Conrad Weiser, the county was formed on March 11, 1752, from parts of Chester County, Lancaster County, and

Philadelphia County Philadelphia County is the most populous of the 67 counties of Pennsylvania and the 24th-most populous county in the nation. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,603,797. It is coextensive with Philadelphia, the nation's ...

. It was named after

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

the English county in which

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

's family home lay, of which the original town of

is the county town and which is traditionally abbreviated "Berks". Berks County began much larger than it is today. The northwestern parts of the county went to the founding of Northumberland County in 1772 and Schuylkill County in 1811, when it reached its current size. In 2005, Berks County was added to the

Delaware Valley The Philadelphia metropolitan area, also known as Greater Philadelphia and informally called the Delaware Valley, the Philadelphia tri-state area, and locally and colloquially Philly–Jersey–Delaware, is a major metropolitan area in the Nor ...

Planning Area due to a fast-growing population and close proximity to the other communities.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) of which is water. Most of the county is drained by the

, but an area in the northeast is drained by the Lehigh River via the

Little Lehigh Creek Little Lehigh Creek is approximately long and is located in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It is sometimes referred to as the Little Lehigh River. It is the largest tributary of the Lehigh River. The creek flows in a win ...

and areas are drained by the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

via the Swatara Creek in the northwest and the

Conestoga River The Conestoga River (), also referred to as Conestoga Creek (), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River flowing through t ...

, which starts in Berks County between Morgantown and Elverson in the county's extreme south. It has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(''Dfa'' except for some ''Dfb'' on Blue Mountain at the northern boundary.) The

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

is mostly 7a with 6b in some higher northern and eastern areas

Adjacent counties

* Schuylkill County (north) * Lehigh County (northeast) * Montgomery County (east) * Chester County (southeast) * Lancaster County (southwest) * Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, Lebanon County (west)

National protected area

* Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Elverson

State protected area

* French Creek State Park * Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center

Major roads and highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the county was 76.9% white non-Hispanic, 4.9% black, 0.3% Indian, 1.3% Asian, and 2.5% were two or more races. 16.4% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. Historically there is a large

population. It is known as part of

Pennsylvania Dutch Country The Pennsylvania Dutch Country (Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Pennsylvanie Deitschland,'' ''Deitscherei,'' or ''Pennsilfaanisch-Deitschland''), or Pennsylvania Dutchland, is a region of German Pennsylvania spanning the Delaware Valley and South Central ...

. More recently there is a large Puerto Rican population centered in the city of Reading. There were 411,442 people, 154,356 households, and 106,532 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 164,827 housing units at an average density of . According to Muninet Guide's 2010 analysis, the median household income for Berks County is $54,105. There were 154,356 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.1 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males. Berks County is home to an

Old Order Mennonite Old Order Mennonites (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania German: ) form a branch of the Mennonite tradition. Old Order Movement, Old Order are those Mennonite groups of Swiss people, Swiss German and south Germans, German heritage who prac ...

community consisting of about 160 families, located in the East Penn Valley near Kutztown and

Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830 ...

. The Old Order Mennonites first bought land in the area in 1949. In 2012, Old Order Mennonites bought two large farms in the Oley Valley. The Old Order Mennonites in the area belong to the Groffdale Conference Mennonite Church and use the horse and buggy as transportation. There are several farms in the area belonging to the Old Order Mennonite community and meetinghouses are located near Kutztown and Fleetwood.

2020 census

Metropolitan and Combined Statistical Area

The

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...

has designated Berks County as the Reading, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2010 U.S. census the metropolitan area is the 10th-most populous in

and the 128th-most populous in the U.S. with a population of 413,491. Berks County is part of the larger Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD Combined Statistical Area (CSA), the largest in Pennsylvania and eighth-most populous in the nation with a population of 7,067,807.

Government

State Senate

* Judy Schwank, Democrat, Pennsylvania Senate, District 11 * Tracy Pennycuick, Republican, Pennsylvania Senate, District 24 * Dave Argall, Republican, Pennsylvania Senate, District 29 * Katie Muth, Democrat, Pennsylvania Senate, District 44

State House of Representatives

U.S. House of Representatives

* Madeleine Dean, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district * Chrissy Houlahan, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district * Dan Meuser, Republican, Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district U.S. Senate *

Dave McCormick David Harold McCormick (born August 17, 1965) is an American politician, businessman, and former United States Army, Army officer serving since 2025 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senato ...

, Republican * John Fetterman, Democrat

Politics

As of September 21, 2023, there were 253,186 registered voters in Berks County. * Republican: 107,690 (42.53%) * Democratic: 104,430 (41.24%) *

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

: 30,154 (11.91%) *

Minor parties A minor party is a political party that plays a smaller (in some cases much smaller, even insignificant in comparison) role than a major party in a country's politics and elections. The difference between minor and major parties can be so great ...

: 10,912 (4.31%) Berks County is strongly Republican, but is still competitive. As of 2023, the Republican Party maintained a total registration edge over Democrats in Berks County. At the top of the Pennsylvania ticket in November 2022, Berks County split its votes, supporting Democrat

Josh Shapiro Joshua David Shapiro (born June 20, 1973) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the 48th governor of Pennsylvania since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was the attorney general of Pen ...

for

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

and Republican

Mehmet Oz Mehmet Cengiz Oz ( ; ; born June 11, 1960), also known as Dr. Oz (), is an American television presenter, physician, author, educator and government official serving as the 17th administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sinc ...

for U.S. Senate. The last Democratic presidential candidate to win the county was

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

. The first time since 1964 that a Democrat carried Berks in a Presidential election occurred in 2008, with

receiving 53.9% of the vote to

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

's 44.7%. The other three statewide winners ( Rob McCord for treasurer, Jack Wagner for auditor general, and Tom Corbett for attorney general) also carried it. While Republicans have controlled the commissioner majority most of the time and continue to control most county row offices, Democrats have become more competitive in Berks in recent years. In the 2012 Presidential election,

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

carried the county by approximately a one-percent margin, 49.6% to 48.6%, however, in 2016,

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

carried Berks by a much larger margin of 52.9% to 42.7%.

Education

Colleges and universities

Albright College Albright College is a private liberal arts college in Reading, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1856 and had an enrollment of 1,652 students as of fall 2023. History Albright College traces its founding to 1856 when "Union Sem ...

Alvernia University Alvernia University is a Private university, private Franciscans, Franciscan university in Reading, Pennsylvania. Founded as Alvernia College in 1958 by the Bernardine Sisters of St. Francis, the school gained university status in 2008. History ...

* Kutztown University of Pennsylvania * Penn State Berks * Reading Area Community College

Public school districts

Map of Berks County Pennsylvania School Districts

Private high schools

* Berks Catholic High School in

* Berks Christian School in Birdsboro * Blue Mountain Academy, a

Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbat ...

boarding school in Tilden Township * Conestoga Christian School in Morgantown, Pennsylvania * Fairview Christian School in Reading * Gateway Christian School in Mertztown * Lighthouse Christian Academy in

Lyons Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

* The King's Academy in Mohrsville * Pine Forge Academy, a

boarding school in Pine Forge

Technical and trade schools

* Berks Technical Institute * Pace Institute * Reading Hospital School of Nursing * Berks Career and Technology Center (east campus in Oley, west campus in Leesport)

Libraries

In July of 1985, after a year long study, a 97-page report titled Public Library Service for Berks County was released, recommending a "county-wide system of federated libraries...and to operate a center supportive of all the libraries in the system." Following this report, the Berks County Public Library System was officially established by the Berks County Board of Commissioners in 1986. The Berks County Public Library (BCPL) system consists of 19 member libraries and 4 branches: During the first year, the 12 libraries that were founding charter members served 45,000 registered borrowers and circulated over 470,000 items. Two branches in the county ( Hamburg Public Library and the main branch of the Reading Public Library) were funded by grants from

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

. At this time, county funding for the library system totaled just $125,000. As the system grew with 4 more libraries joining, the funding from the county grew to $325,000 in the year 1990. In 1990, the first public access computers were installed in System member libraries. One year later, the system took over control of a county bookmobile. Several significant things for the library system took place in the year 1996 for its 10 year anniversary. During this year, the library system began van deliveries between branches and initiated involvement in the first ever state-wide Summer Reading program, Pennsylvania Patchwork. The system also began to offer access to the Internet. The following year, the first library automation network was installed across the system to connect the branch's collections. In the year 2000, the number of member libraries totaled 19. The BCPL system was awarded a $225,500 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. These funds were used to expand the internet access points available in the libraries and create a training lab at Reading Public Library. E-books and e-book readers were added to the system in this year as well. In 2002, after a year of development, a children's bookmobile called the Bookasaurus began to visit local preschool programs. In 2008, the system added an Early Literacy Station (ELS) to every branch in the system, which is a specific pre-loaded computer tailored to younger patrons' needs and interests. The following year, due to state-subsidized funding cuts, the county bookmobile ceased operations after more than 30 years. During this year, however, the library hosted its most successful Summer Reading yet, with over half a million books read over the course of the program. The library system began to participate in the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten initiative in 2014. As of 2020, the system has over 130,000 registered cardholders with a collection size of just under 950,000 items.

Arts and culture

Reading Public Museum in Reading is an art, science, and history museum. The Reading Buccaneers Drum and Bugle Corps are an all-age drum corps based in Berks County. Founded in 1957, the corps is a charter member

Drum Corps Associates Drum Corps Associates (DCA) was a governing body for modern all-age and senior drum and bugle corps (modern), drum and bugle corps in North America. Its responsibilities included sanctioning competitions, certifying adjudicators, maintaining and e ...

and an 11-time DCA World Champion. Reading is home to Berks Opera Company, founded in 2007 as Berks Opera Workshop. There are two Pennsylvania state parks and one natural area in Berks County. * French Creek State Park, a former Recreational Demonstration Area, straddles the Berks and Chester County line. * Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center is south of

on land once owned by Jacob Nolde, a Reading businessman and Pennsylvania environmentalist. * Ruth Zimmerman Natural Area, part of the William Penn Forest District in Oley. There are two Pennsylvania Historic Sites in Berks County. *

Conrad Weiser Homestead The Conrad Weiser Homestead was the home of Conrad Weiser, Johann Conrad Weiser, who enlisted the Iroquois on the Great Britain, British side in the French and Indian War. The home is located near Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania, Womelsdorf, Berks Cou ...

near Womelsdorf * Daniel Boone Homestead near Birdsboro The Old Morlatton Village in Douglassville is maintained by the Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County. The village is composed of four historic structures: White Horse Inn, George Douglass Mansion, Bridge keeper's House, and the Mouns Jones House, constructed in 1716, which is the oldest recorded building in the county. West Reading in home to the annual Art on the Avenue, which reached its 25th year in 2019.

Media

Berks County is home to several media outlets, including: * Berks Community Television (BCTV) * ''

Reading Eagle The ''Reading Eagle'' is the major daily newspaper in Reading, Pennsylvania. A family-owned newspaper until the spring of 2019, its reported circulation is 37,000 (daily) and 50,000 (Sundays). It serves the Reading and Berks County region of P ...

'', the daily newspaper, based in Reading and founded in 1867 * WEEU (830 AM), a radio station broadcasting news and

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

talk shows *

WFMZ-TV WFMZ-TV (channel 69) is an independent television station in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Locally-based Maranatha Broadcasting Company owns both WFMZ-TV and Wilmington, Delaware–licensed MeTV affiliate WDPN-TV. The two stations sh ...

, an Allentown-based news channel that covers the region * WRFY-FM (102.5 FM "Y102"), a commercial radio station licensed to serve Reading

Communities

Map of Berks County Pennsylvania With Municipal and Township Labels

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities:

cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

boroughs A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

, townships, and

towns A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Berks County:

City

(county seat)

Boroughs

* Adamstown (mostly in Lancaster County) * Bally * Bechtelsville * Bernville * Birdsboro * Boyertown * Centerport *

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

* Kenhorst * Kutztown * Laureldale * Leesport * Lenhartsville *

* Mohnton * Mount Penn * New Morgan * Robesonia * St. Lawrence * Shillington * Shoemakersville * Sinking Spring * Topton * Wernersville * West Reading * Womelsdorf * Wyomissing

Townships

* Albany *

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

* Amity *

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

Bethel Bethel (, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; ; ) was an ancient Israelite city and sacred space that is frequently mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Bet ...

* Brecknock * Caernarvon * Centre * Colebrookdale * Cumru *

District A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

* Douglass *

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

* Jefferson * Longswamp *

Lower Alsace Lower Alsace (northern Alsace) was a landgraviate of the Holy Roman Empire held ''ex officio'' by the Bishop of Strasbourg. Prior to is acquisition by the bishopric, it was held by the counts of Hüneburg. In 1174 Count Gottfried of Hüneburg wa ...

* Lower Heidelberg * Maidencreek * Marion * Maxatawny * Muhlenberg * North Heidelberg * Oley * Ontelaunee * Penn *

Perry Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Austral ...

* Pike * Richmond * Robeson * Rockland * Ruscombmanor * South Heidelberg * Spring * Tilden * Tulpehocken * Union * Upper Bern * Upper Tulpehocken * Washington * Windsor

Census-designated places

Census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

s are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well. * Alleghenyville * Alsace Manor * Amity Gardens * Baumstown *

* Blandon * Bowers * Colony Park * Dauberville * Douglassville * Dryville * Edenburg * Flying Hills * Fox Chase * Frystown *

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

* Gouglersville * Greenfields * Grill *

* Hyde Park * Jacksonwald * Kempton * Kutztown University * Lincoln Park * Lorane * Maxatawny * Mertztown * Mohrsville * Montrose Manor * Morgantown * Mount Aetna * Muhlenberg Park * New Berlinville *

New Jerusalem In the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible, New Jerusalem (, ''YHWH šāmmā'', YHWH sthere") is Ezekiel's prophetic vision of a city centered on the rebuilt Holy Temple, to be established in Jerusalem, which would be the capital of the ...

* New Schaefferstown * Oley * Pennside * Penn State Berks * Pennwyn * Rehrersburg * Reiffton * Riverview Park *

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

* Shartlesville * South Temple * Springmont * Spring Ridge * Stony Creek Mills * Stouchsburg * Strausstown *

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

* Virginville * Walnuttown * West Hamburg * West Lawn * West Wyomissing * Whitfield

Unincorporated communities

* Brownsville * Blue Marsh * Cacoosing * Geigertown * Leinbachs * North Heidelberg * Pine Swamp * Plowville * Pricetown * Scarlets Mill * State Hill * Wooltown

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Berks County. † ''county seat'' CDP=''census designated population''

Notable people

* William Addams, former U.S. Congressman *

Priscilla Ahn Priscilla Ahn (born Priscilla Natalie Hartranft; March 9, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She released her single "Dream" from her debut album, '' A Good Day'', produced by Joey Waronker for EMI's Blue Note Rec ...

, folk musician, singer, and songwriter *

Alex Anzalone Alex Anzalone ( , born September 22, 1994) is an American professional football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators. Anzalone was selected in the third round ...

(born 1994), Detroit Lions lineman *

John Barrasso John Anthony Barrasso III ( ; born July 21, 1952) is an American physician and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Wyoming, a seat he has held since 2007. A mem ...

, U.S. Senator * Douglas Carter Beane, playwright * Chad Billingsley, former professional baseball player,

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (, 1734September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyo ...

, American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman * Kenny Brightbill, professional race car driver *

Steve Burns Steven Michael Burns (born October 9, 1973) is an American actor, musician and television host. He portrayed a fictional version of himself as the host of the children's television series ''Blue's Clues'' from 1996 until 2002, for which he was ...

, musician and former ''

Blue's Clues ''Blue's Clues'' is an American interactive educational television, educational children's television series created by Traci Paige Johnson, Todd Kessler, and Angela Santomero, Angela C. Santomero. It premiered on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block ...

'' host * James Henry Carpenter,

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

sailor, officer, founder of Carpenter Technology Corporation * Jack Coggins, illustrator, author and artist, lived in Boyertown from 1948 to 2006 * Rocky Colavito, former Major League Baseball player * Kerry Collins, professional football player (Panthers, Saints, Giants, Raiders, Titans, and Colts) * Michael Constantine, actor, star of ''

Room 222 ''Room 222'' is an American comedy-drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC for 112 episodes, from September 17, 1969, until January 11, 1974. The show was broadcast on 1969 ...

'' and ''

My Big Fat Greek Wedding ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Joel Zwick and written by Nia Vardalos. The film stars Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Gia Carides, Louis Mandylor, Andrea Martin, and Joey Faton ...

'' * Amy Cuddy, Harvard psychologist and TED Talks speaker * Lisa Eichhorn, actress * Wayne Ellington, NBA Basketball Player * Carl Furillo, former professional baseball player,

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

* John Henry Gilmore, Jr., former professional football player,

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

, and

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

* Jon Gosselin, reality television personality, '' Jon & Kate Plus 8'' * Kate Gosselin, reality television personality, '' Jon & Kate Plus 8'' * Chris Guiliano, Olympic swimmer *

Keith Haring Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the Graffiti in New York City, New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual l ...

, former artist *

Chad Henne Chad Steven Henne (; born July 2, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines foo ...

, football professional football player,

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

* Chris Hero, professional wrestler * Joseph Hiester, governor of

1820–1823 * Tommy Hinnershitz (1912–1999), auto racing pioneer *

Chad Hurley Chad Meredith Hurley (born January 24, 1977) is an American webmaster and businessman who serves as the advisor and former chief executive officer (CEO) of YouTube. He also co-founded MixBit, a since closed video sharing service. In October 2006 ...

, co-founder of YouTube * Mildred Jordan (1901–1982), novelist *

Chip Kidd Charles Kidd (born 1964) is an American graphic designer known for Cover art, book covers. Early childhood Born in Shillington, Pennsylvania, Shillington in Berks County, Pennsylvania, Kidd grew up being fascinated and heavily inspired by Am ...

(born 1964), book jacket designer at Knopf Publishing Group *

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

(1744–1786), grandfather of 16th U.S. president

* Matt Lytle (born 1975), professional football player * Donyell Marshall, former NBA player * James H. Maurer (1864–1944), Labor leader and two-time Vice Presidential nominee * Kelly McGillis, actress, '' op Gun/Witness/The Accused' * Gordon McKellen, Jr., former U.S. figure skating champion and Hall of Fame member * Morton L. Montgomery (1846–1933), Reading attorney and author of multiple history books about Berks County *

Lenny Moore Leonard Edward Moore (born November 25, 1933) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a Halfback (American football), halfback and wide receiver, flanker for the Baltimore Colts of the National Football Leag ...

, NFL Hall of Fame * Thomas Morris, Democratic politician, served in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

Jillian Murray Jillian Murray (born June 4, 1984) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Portlyn on '' Sonny with a Chance'', Olivia on MTV's '' Awkward'', Gwen Adams in '' American High School'', Lex Mitchell in '' Forget Me Not'', Brandi Cox ...

(b. June 4, 1989), model and actress * Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg, architect, founder of Muhlenberg Greene Architects, American military and political leader 1887–1980 * Jacob Nolde, conservationist * Bodo Otto, Senior Surgeon of the Continental Army during the American Revolution (1711–1787) * William Sands, U.S. Medal of Honor recipient (Civil War)"Sands, William", in
Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War (S-Z)
. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Army Center of Military History, retrieved online October 6, 2018. * Martin Cruz Smith, novelist * Carl Spaatz,

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

general * Wallace Stevens, major American Modernist poet (1879–1955) *

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

(born 1989),

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winning country/pop singer-songwriter * Ross Tucker, professional football player *

John Updike John Hoyer Updike (March 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009) was an American novelist, poet, short-story writer, art critic, and literary critic. One of only four writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once (the others being Booth Tar ...

, writer, 1932–2009 * Lonnie Walker, NBA player * Gus Yatron, former U.S. Representative

Footnotes

External links

* {{authority control 1752 establishments in Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1752