The city of Allentown, Pennsylvania has been known for its diners since the early 1900s. Many highways were built to accommodate early truck traffic between manufacturing cities to distribution centers, and the concept developed to support truck and long distance travelers along these inter-city roads.Located at the intersection of several main highways (U.S. Route 22, US 309, US 222), as automobile traffic along the roads increased during the 1920s and 1930s, Allentown became a popular stopover for travelers heading to New York City and Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Lancaster. Route 22 in particular, known as the "William Penn Highway," brought hungry travelers though the city on Tilghman Street before the Lehigh Valley Thruway bypass (1955) moved most long-distance road traffic north of the city.OverviewDiners differ from restaurants in the sense that they were set up as prefabricated buildings, mostly manufactured from aluminum or stainless steel. Less expensive to buy because of their prefabricated nature, they were manufactured in assembly plants, with different manufacturers having different styles, and could be purchased and set up quickly once land was obtained by the buyers. Also, they could be picked up and moved from one location to another. Large outdoor signs, mostly using neon, advertised the facility along the highway.
