A few notable landmarks include the Civic Theatre of Allentown, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, Coca-Cola Park, J. Birney Crum Stadium, Lehigh Valley Mall, The Morning Call newspaper, Muhlenberg College and Lehigh Valley International Airport.

Historically, Allentown hid the Liberty Bell from the British during the American Revolutionary War to keep the British from melting it down for canons.

Allentown remained a small town until the Lehigh Canal was built in 1827, allowing greater commerce and industrial capacity, which made it a major center for heavy industry and manufacturing, such as iron, railroads, beer, silk and textiles. It was officially renamed Allentown in 1838 and formally incorporated as a city in 1867.

The wildlife in Allentown is not very unique. It has the usual skunks, squirrels, groundhogs, stray cats and dogs, among other small animals. Due to its proximity to nearby Hawk Mountain, it has its fair share of birds and birds of prey, such as hawks.

The climate is an humid continental climate zone, with hot and muggy summers, mild fall and spring, cold winters. Winter lows average ?6 °C (21.2 °F) and summer highs average 29.2 °C (84.6 °F). Annual average snowfall is 82.3 centimetres (32.4 in) and rain is 110.54 centimetres (43.52 in). While high winds, due to hurricanes or tornadoes, are not common, there have been a few during the last few decades.