Beautiful berks county is located in the south eastern portion of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Berks county consists of a total area of 866 square miles of which 857 square miles is land and 9.2 square miles (1.1%) is water. The 2020 federal census indicates a population of 428,849 people of which approximately 77% are non-Hispanic Whites, 16% are Hispanic or Latino, 5% are black, and 1% are Asian. Historically Berks County has contained a large population of Pennsylvania Dutch residents including old order Mennonites, not to be confused with the Amish.
The county seat is located in Reading. Locally pronounced as "Redding". Reading developed during the 1740s when the then inhabitants of northern Lancaster County requested 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. It was named after the English county in which William Penn's family home lay, Berkshire, which is often abbreviated to 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.
Berks County contains the Schuylkill River, the little Lehigh Creek, the Swatara Creek and the Conestoga River and the Blue Marsh Dam and Creek. It also contains many mountains, peaks and summits such as a portion of the Blue Mountain Range, the South Mountain, and Hawk Mountain, and the Appalachian Mountain Range. It also contains a large section of the Appalachian Trail that stretches over 2190 miles from Georgia to Maine.
The best things to do in Berks County includes many outdoor activities such as hiking, backpacking, camping, swimming, kayaking, boating, trail walking and picnicking just to name a few. There are also many outdoor festivals to be enjoyed from Hamburger festival in Hamburg to the Kutztown folk festival to the German roots of Reading Liederkranz Oktoberfest and the annual World War II festival.
There are many indoor treats to be found as well throughout the county. You can catch a show at the Santander Arena or you can visit one of the many pubs, bars, restaurant and venues throughout the county to get your favorite cuisine.