"One thing that has helped Bethlehem stay a really nice place to live is that there now is a regional school system," Smith said. "Each little borough and township used to have their own schools. Now they're all in it together. As a result, the middle class didn't flee from here like they did in Allentown and Easton."
Though visiting Eagles fans tend to sequester themselves on the south side of the river, where Lehigh's campus is cut in half by South Mountain, downtown Bethlehem, with its historic and shopping districts, is undergoing a renaissance.
Its unique Moravian heritage increasingly draws visitors to the Colonial-flavored historic district. The Inquirer recently wrote about an upsurge in fine-dining options. And there still are several independently owned shops and even an old-fashioned movie theater downtown.
Beginning this Friday, the annual 10-day Musikfest, an event that grew out of the Moravians' musical nature, will lure nearly a million people to Bethlehem.
If there's one complaint about the citizens here, it's that, despite the broadening influences of its two colleges, Lehigh and Moravian, and the influx of newcomers, they remain somewhat parochial - particularly when it comes to Philadelphia.
"When I was getting a fellowship in Philadelphia, I began by driving there each day," Smith said. "After a while, I got tired of the traffic on the Schuylkill and the long commute, so I started taking the bus.
"You could tell the people who were going to Philadelphia for a first time because they'd been picked for jury duty at the federal courthouse on Market Street. They'd sit there looking terrified. They'd never been to the city and they were fearful of all sorts of things. Would they get mugged? Should they take a taxi or walk?
"For them, Philadelphia was foreign, faraway, threatening."
The Eagles fans could have told them that.
Follow the Eagles every day at Lehigh with breaking news, video, blogs, columnists, feature stories and photo slideshows at http://go.philly.com/sports.
Contact staff writer Frank Fitzpatrick at 215-854-5068 or ffitzpatrick@phillynews.com.
