Northeast Reading

Situated southeast of the intersection of U.S. Route 222 and state Route 12, Northeast Reading offers city living with quick access to shopping and commutes as well as downtown and parks. Realtor Joan Antosy with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty says it’s a great place for people who want the urban experience. “There’s a lot of nice things that go on in the city,” she says. With Mount Penn Preserve to the east and shops and dining both within the residential area and outside it, you can have it all in Northeast Reading.

Northeast Reading is part urban neighborhood and part commercial district, with row house-lined streets to the south and shopping and dining to the north along Rockland Street. Row homes dominate in the residential streets lined up east of the railroad and north of downtown. Built in the early 1900s, they feature multicolored stone, brick or siding exteriors and range from 800 to 3,000 square feet. A typical house might be a 1,400-square-foot, three- or four-bedroom row house built in 1910 with a Victorian-style bay window and painted brick exterior. Prices range from as low as $65,000 for a smaller home that needs work to a recently renovated 2,700-square-foot home for $270,000. The median is $130,000, more affordable than College Heights to the east where detached single-family homes are dominant, bringing the median to $205,000. If you do want a detached, single-family house, look in the developments along Hampden Boulevard, north of College Heights. There you can find ranch-style homes, split levels and Cape Cods with three or four bedrooms, one or two bathrooms and ranging from $200,000 to $250,000 in price.

Most students here attend schools lined up along 13th Street in College Heights. From preschool to fifth grade, they head to Thirteenth & Union Elementary School. Northeast Middle School is just a few blocks south. And a few blocks after that is Reading Senior High School. “They call it ‘the castle on the hill,’” Antosy says. “It’s huge.” The school is known for its Marine Corps JROTC program, which earned the Naval Honor School designation in 2021, and was awarded the 2022 Spirit Banner during the National High School Drill Team Championships.

Greenspace is easy to find here. Hop on your mountain bike and hit the scenic trails in the Mount Penn Preserve, less than a mile east. Children will love the neighborhood’s 11th and Pike Recreation Center. Enjoy the standard slides and swings, as well as a less typical circular wavy wall and rope net for climbing. Cool off on the splash pad in the summer and keep kids busy all year with the rec center’s holiday events, dance classes and summer and after-school programs. Play ball on the basketball court, tennis court and soccer field.

Relax after a long day at one of the local bars and restaurants. Soak up the sun on the outdoor patio at Pike Café, a sports bar with a wide-ranging menu from seafood chowder to burgers. Sidle up to the bar at Jack’s Pub, a Reading institution since 1925 and where third-shift railroad works used to stop in at dawn. Try a Cuban sandwich at El Unico Restaurant, known for its authentic Caribbean cuisine.

Shopping, dining and entertainment can be found on Rockland Street. For groceries, visit Weis Markets. Pick up extras at the strip mall across the street featuring a Dollar Tree, a wine store, a few takeout restaurants and a community health center. Knock down some pins at Hiester Lanes a little farther west. Or cheer on the Fightin Phils minor league baseball at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Downtown Reading is close enough for a night out. Don’t miss the First Friday Block Parties in the summer with beer, food trucks, DJs, dancing and special exhibits and performances at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts. Catch more minor league sports at Santander Arena where the Reading Royals play. And the whole city comes out for the holiday parade every November.

Written By

Kelli Yoder

Photography Contributed By

Jay Ratchford

Video By

Michael Voyack