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Cedar Crest College sits on an 84-acre arboretum campus on the leafy western edge of Allentown, the third-largest city in Pennsylvania, with around 1,433 students. The campus borders Cedar Beach Park, so morning runs and study breaks happen on public trails and lawns rather than parking lots. The West End neighborhood next door is the city's walkable spine, anchored by the Theatre District and tree-lined commercial blocks. Each May the campus hosts the Mayfair Festival of the Arts, a Lehigh Valley fixture of music, crafts, and food. Downtown Allentown wakes up around the PPL Center arena, home to Phantoms hockey, and the Great Allentown Fair takes over every September. Most students walk campus and hop LANTA buses when they want to reach Center City.
Cedar Crest expects full-time traditional undergraduates to live on campus in the residence halls, which keeps first-years close to the quad and the dining hall. The requirement anchors social life around campus during your early years. Plan on living in the residence halls when you start.
You can live off campus if you reside with a parent, guardian, or spouse within about 40 miles of the College, or if you have a documented disability that makes residence-hall living unworkable. Most students who move off campus do it as juniors and seniors once they have earned the credits and want their own kitchen. The College points students to a free Places4Students listing service, so start there rather than chasing random signs.
Allentown rentals are mostly older twins and converted houses in the West End, which means you will deal with individual landlords more than big management companies on year-long leases. Read the lease for who covers heat and snow removal, and confirm the legal occupancy on multi-bedroom houses. Ask whether the unit has been inspected, since the city does register and inspect rentals.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Cedar Crest College before signing a lease.
Allentown runs on a slower, year-round rental clock than a big state-school town, so you will not see a frantic preleasing stampede. That said, the best West End houses near campus still turn over in late winter and early spring, so smart juniors and seniors start scanning listings in January and February for an August or September move-in. Line up a roommate before you tour, since most of the good houses here split better two or three ways. Getting an early start gives you the cleanest, closest units.
Cedar Crest's fall term begins in late August, and the cleanest, closest units are usually claimed by April or May. The walkable West End houses near campus are the first to go as the spring search heats up. Acting in this window keeps you in the units within easy reach of class. Have your roommate group set so you can commit quickly when a good house appears.
If you are searching late over the summer, widen your radius a few blocks past campus and consider units that open mid-lease. Spring move-ins and summer sublets do pop up, especially around graduation in May when seniors clear out, so a December or January search can land you a spot for the spring semester. The year-round market means options surface outside the main season, just closer to the edges of campus. Flexibility on location helps most when the best West End houses are gone.
The walkable district right off campus, with the Theatre District, older twins, and the easiest stroll to class.
A quiet residential pocket just north, popular for houses with yards and street parking.
Newer apartment buildings near the hospitals, handy if you have a car and want more modern units.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
A room in a shared West End house or twin near Cedar Crest usually runs about $600-$900/month per person. Whole one-bedroom apartments in Allentown sit higher, often $1,200-$1,500/month, which is why most students split a house. Older units near campus land at the bottom of the range, while newer buildings along the Cedar Crest Boulevard corridor sit at the top.