Street names mark the character of a community such as Coplay.

The Coplay grid was kept simple; Front, Second, Third and Fourth streets ran north to south and were numbered in sequence to 12th Street on the west end.

The town's main artery is Chestnut Street, which runs east to west the entire length of the town. It starts at Ruch Street on the west and continues to Front Street on the east at the Coplay-Northampton Bridge.

A fondness for trees is also evident in street names such as Cherry, Maple, Oak and Poplar.

In communities like Northampton, presidents such as Washington and Lincoln have avenues named in their honor, as does former presidential candidate Thomas Dewey. Coplay, however, has no streets bearing the name of former presidents.

The Egypt section of Whitehall has a Washington Street. However, the most recognized street name in Whitehall is MacArthur Road, named after Gen. Douglas MacArthur, famed World War II and Korean War hero.

Coplay has streets named for two of those who had an impact on the borough – the Schreiber family and David Saylor. Schreiber Avenue runs from Seventh Street to Second Street. When Lehigh Valley Iron Co. began operations in 1855, the lower end of the town was known as Schreibers. Family members farmed in this area. The iron company brought population growth, leading to the incorporation of Coplay in 1869.

Saylor didn't get a street named after him until the 1950s when the Echo Manor housing development was built in the town's west end. Its two streets, which have a circular pattern, were named Magna Drive and Saylor Drive. Saylor is heralded as the "father of the American portland cement Industry," and was one of the founders of Coplay Cement in 1866.

Other streets include Center, a prominent road carrying east-west traffic through Hokendauqua Street, located on the boundary with Whitehall and the neighboring Hokendauqua village. Bridge Street was named because of its proximity to the Coplay-Northampton Bridge and Lehigh Street, a one-block long road between Front and Second named after the Lehigh River.

Keefer and Hall are not as steeped in the borough's folklore, nor are secondary roads such as Stone and Keystone.

The developer of Parkway West, built more than three decades ago, took a different tack. He named streets after family members such as Catherine, Bernice and Margaret.

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Communities that Care will be the topic of Trinity United Church of Christ's Thursday evening Experiencing Community service 7 p.m. Thursday, May 23.

Whitehall Township and Coplay Borough will be working together with government agencies, schools, civic groups, athletic associations and places of worship to implement Communities that Care, an operating system designed to reduce problem youth behaviors. It is funded by a grant acquired by the Center for Humanistic Change and Penn State Extension.

Improve a young person's life and potential by sharing your time and talent.