Reading is a city in Berks County, Pennsylvania, serving as the county seat. Located in the southeastern part of the state, it sits roughly 65 miles northwest of Philadelphia and 38.8 miles southwest of Allentown. The city is largely bounded on the west by the Schuylkill River, on the east by Mount Penn, and on the south by Neversink Mountain. It functions as the principal city of the Greater Reading area.

The town was mapped out in 1743 by Richard and Thomas Penn with Conrad Weiser, taking its name from Reading, Berkshire, England, and established in 1748. Settled by German emigrants, it became the county seat when Berks County was created in 1752. The area played a vital role in the American Revolution, supplying troops and detaining Hessian prisoners, while its iron industry production exceeded that of England by the time of the conflict.

The city is known as "The Pretzel City" due to numerous local bakeries, including Bachman and Unique Pretzel. It was one of the first localities where outlet shopping became a tourist industry and features the Charles Evans Cemetery, a primary gathering point for Memorial Day activities since 1887. The surrounding region includes the Reading Prong mountain formation and is home to many family-owned farms.

Reading offers more than 125 miles of trails in five major preserves, making it a destination for cyclists and an International Mountain Bicycling Association ride center. The area has seen potential for real estate growth, with neighborhoods noted for renovations and park cleanups. The city also retains historical ties to the defunct Reading Company railroad, which transported anthracite coal and appears in the classic U.S. version of Monopoly.

The city had a population of 95,112 at the 2020 census, ranking as the fourth-most populous in Pennsylvania. Its economy has shifted from heavy industry and railroads to tourism and retail. The climate is a hot-summer humid continental zone with warm, humid summers and mild winters. The region experiences variable weather, with average July highs around 86.5 °F and first killing frosts typically occurring in late October.