Why Everyone Wants to Live in the Lehigh Valley
🎧 Listen to the full conversation at www.lvwithlove.com
📍 Connect with Rebecca: rebeccafrancisrealtors.com
What makes the Lehigh Valley so appealing? In this episode of the Lehigh Valley with Love Podcast, George Wacker talks with Rebecca Francis, a luxury real estate expert whose personal story of growing up here, leaving, and returning gives her unique perspective on the Valley’s boom.
Rebecca’s ties run deep.
“We moved here when I was ten with good old Bethlehem Steel... I went to Saucon Valley, then Moravian for undergrad.”
After working in Miami, London, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, Rebecca returned with her family to the Lehigh Valley in 2013. She says she could not be happier to be back.
A Place That Feels Like Home
Rebecca sees something different about the Valley that goes beyond price or location:
“Everybody comes back to the Valley.”
That sense of coming home is supported by local strengths in health care, culture, and education. Her husband, experiencing the Valley as an outsider, noticed how health care is woven into the fabric of the region:
“He said, there are doctors offices, hospitals everywhere.”
Rebecca noted that years ago, people had to go to Philly or New York for medical care, but now the Valley’s health network rivals bigger cities.
Community and Lifestyle Matter
George asked what people are looking for beyond houses. Rebecca explained:
“It’s often not a conversation about a specific house... It’s more of a conversation of what’s my lifestyle, and how does that translate into areas or homes I might like to buy.”
She mentions buyers who want biking, hiking, or kayaking nearby. For example, the Saucon Rail Trail, the Lehigh River, and the D&L Trail have become huge lifestyle draws.
And neighborhoods with a lively community feel — block parties, events, farmers markets — make a big impact.
“Those are the things that make people feel a connection to the people around them.”
Shifts in Home Design
Rebecca described how COVID changed buyer behavior. Before the pandemic, buyers wanted open-concept layouts. After spending so much time together indoors, many wanted more defined spaces.
“Before COVID it was like, open concept everything... then COVID came along and everybody was together and said, put up walls!”
She also saw a huge jump in demand for outdoor space and proximity to recreation.
Hot Areas and Market Challenges
George brought up articles naming Bethlehem’s 18018 zip code one of the hottest in the country. Rebecca agreed that some zip codes are very hard to buy into, like 18018, 18036, 18015, as well as areas like Macungie, Palmer, and Nazareth.
“It can be difficult, because they just don’t come up that often.”
She described how these areas have expanded outward, just like the Valley itself.
However, she also pointed out major challenges with affordability. The “lock-in effect,” where owners keep ultra-low mortgage rates and refuse to sell, is keeping inventory tight and prices high.
“People have these low interest rates, they don’t want to give them up... so they don’t move.”
Rebecca believes mixed-use projects, like Madison Farms or the Promenade, offer clues to the Valley’s future: walkable, multi-use, community-centered living.
The Growing Diversity of the Valley
Rebecca noted how dramatically the Valley has changed since her childhood.
“When I grew up, everybody looked like me... now, the diversity is incredible.”
She credits globalization and the Valley’s proximity to airports and major cities with drawing a wider range of residents, which she sees as a huge strength.
George added that colleges like Moravian, Lehigh, Cedar Crest, and community schools attract even more people with new ideas and backgrounds.
A Valley That Feels Like Belonging
Rebecca closed by saying that newcomers are often surprised at how welcoming the Valley is.
“People come here and they say, wow, people are so nice.”
For Rebecca, that’s the Valley’s superpower. Its combination of community, diversity, education, location, and a thriving cultural scene is why so many people want to live here.
“There is a place for everyone.”
🎧 Listen to the full conversation at www.lvwithlove.com
📍 Connect with Rebecca: rebeccafrancisrealtors.com