City Makers: American Futures
The people, organizations, and ideas reshaping the country. A journey piloted by James Fallows with Deborah Fallows.
Allentown, PA
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From Fresno to Duluth to Allentown, with Montana in Between: Civic Updates
Here are some generally positive developments from places we’ve visited in our travels. Fresno: This evening Fresno, California…
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Jinx!/Flickr The Hard Road to Making Hard Liquor
A look at a nascent distillery in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley
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The Colony Meadery Making Mead in a Space-Age World
A new craft-beverage business in Allentown, Pennsylvania, benefits from its association with an incubator of high-tech businesses.
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James Fallows What the Beer Industry and the Computer Industry Have in Common
They grew up in the same era and, despite some obvious differences, have some surprising parallels.
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John Tierney Pennsylvania's Beer Economy
Brewers have been perfecting their recipes in this part of the country since the middle of the 19th century.
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Tim Sharp/Reuters How the Boy Scouts Are Adapting to Modern American Life
A local example of a century-old organization finding a new place and role for itself
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All photos by John Tierney How Are the Boy Scouts Doing in American Cities?
A visit to the headquarters of the Minsi Trails Council in Allentown, Pennsylvania, reveals the lasting influence of the organization—and some of the challenges of modern parenting.
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John Tierney Urban Comeback Stories in 2 Swing States
Tales from two cities, plus the secret of the writing life
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TheWaterfront.com Wasted Waterfronts: Why Cities Struggle to Build Along Rivers
The story of Allentown, Pennsylvania, as it turns its attention to a long-neglected asset
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A Day on the Road: A Story-Map View of Allentown
What you find is usually not quite what you were looking for.
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James Fallows Iron Pigs Rising
Another strand in the fibers of civic connection
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Iron Pigs baseball club The Iron Pigs Come to Allentown
Changing the spirit of a town with sports
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John Tierney Water, Water, Everywhere: Lehigh Valley Edition
Allentown deals with fiscal problems from its past with a bet about water supplies for its future
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John Tierney The City That Turned Its Water Into Cash
"We've got unfunded obligations in the hundreds of millions. What can we leverage?"
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Deborah Fallows First Bowling Alone, Now Vaulting Together
From Tocqueville onward, observers have thought that informal organizations held America together. Are any of them left?
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Photos by Deborah Fallows Vaulting to Great Heights in Allentown
How girls from the Lehigh Valley become world-class gymnasts
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John Tierney Greening Up in Burlington, Rocking Out in Allentown
As American government seems ever more paralyzed at the national level, cities continue to find ways to grapple with real problems. Two more examples.
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John Tierney Breathing Life Into Allentown: Pennsylvania Comes to the Rescue
What does it take to raise a city? More than a village. In fact, it may take a whole state.
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Village Bake Shoppe Countdown to Tonight's Arena Debut in Allentown
Is the city ready for its close-up? The locals say it is.
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All photos: Deborah and James Fallows The Eagles Come to Allentown, and So Does 'American Futures'
Tomorrow is the first day in an old city's new life—or so the city leaders hope and believe.
