Northampton County, Pennsylvania

Northampton County, Pennsylvania
Seal
Location in the state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location in the U.S.
Founded	March 11, 1752
Seat	Easton
Largest city	Bethlehem (partial)
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	377 sq mi (976 km²) 374 sq mi (969 km²) 4 sq mi (10 km²), 0.94%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	297,735 796/sq mi (307.2/km²)
Website	www.northamptoncounty.org

Northampton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It was formed in 1752 from parts of Bucks County with the county seat of Easton.^[1] Its namesake was Northamptonshire and the country house, Easton Neston. As of 2010, the population was 297,735.

Northampton County is located in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. Its northern edge borders The Poconos. The eastern section of the county borders the Delaware River, which divides Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It is bordered on the west by Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Valley's more highly populated county.

The county is industrially-oriented, producing anthracite coal, cement, and other industrial products. Bethlehem Steel, once one of the world's largest manufacturers of steel, was located there prior to its closing in 2003.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 377 square miles (977 km²), of which 374 square miles (968 km²) is land and 4 square miles (9 km²) (0.94%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Monroe County (north)
• Warren County, New Jersey (east)
• Bucks County (south)
• Lehigh County (west)
• Carbon County (northwest)

National protected areas

• Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (part)
• Middle Delaware National Scenic River (part)

Government

Northampton is one of the six counties in Pennsylvania which has adopted a home rule charter. Instead of being run by a Board of Commissioners and several Row Officers, voters elect an Executive, a nine-person Council, a Controller, and a District Attorney. The Executive, Controller and District Attorney are elected by all voters in the County, as are five members of the Council. The other four Councilmen are elected by districts.

Elected Officials[1]

• County Executive:
  • John Stoffa, Democrat

• County Council:
  • Ron Angle, Republican
  • John Cusick, Republican
  • Thomas H Dietrich, Republican
  • J. Michael Dowd, Republican
  • Margaret (Peg) Ferraro, Republican
  • Bruce A Gilbert, Republican
  • Lamont G. McClure Jr., Democrat
  • Ann McHale, Democrat
  • Barbara A. Thierry, Republican

• Clerk of Courts:
  • Leigh Ann Fisher, Democrat

• County Controller:
  • Stephen Barron, Jr. , Democrat

• District Attorney:
  • John Morganelli, Democrat

• Prothonotary:
  • Holly Ruggiero, Democrat

• Register of Wills:
  • Dorothy Cole, Democrat

• Sheriff:
  • Randall Miller

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1790	24,238		—
1800	30,062		24.0%
1810	38,145		26.9%
1820	31,765		−16.7%
1830	39,482		24.3%
1840	40,996		3.8%
1850	40,235		−1.9%
1860	47,904		19.1%
1870	61,432		28.2%
1880	70,312		14.5%
1890	84,220		19.8%
1900	99,687		18.4%
1910	127,667		28.1%
1920	153,506		20.2%
1930	169,304		10.3%
1940	168,959		−0.2%
1950	185,243		9.6%
1960	201,412		8.7%
1970	214,368		6.4%
1980	225,418		5.2%
1990	247,105		9.6%
2000	267,066		8.1%
2010	297,735		11.5%
[2][3]

As of the 2010 census, the county was 86.3% White, 5.0% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 2.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 2.2% were two or more races, and 3.8% were some other race. 10.5% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 267,066 people, 101,541 households, and 71,078 families residing in the county. The population density was 714 people per square mile (276/km²). There were 106,710 housing units at an average density of 286 per square mile (110/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.23% White, 2.77% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 1.37% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.06% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. 6.69% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.0% were of German, 14.0% Italian, 8.8% Irish, 5.1% English and 5.1% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 89.3% spoke English and 5.5% Spanish as their first language.

There were 101,541 households out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.40% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.30% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.

Politics

As of January 2010, there are 196,862 registered voters in Northampton County.^[5]

• Democratic: 98,451 (50.00%)
• Republican: 65,975 (33.51%)
• Other Parties: 32,436 (16.48%)

In recent decades, Northampton has been identified as one of Pennsylvania's "swing counties," with statewide winners carrying it in most cases. All five statewide winners carried it in November 2004 and all four statewide Democratic candidates carried it in November 2008, with its DA John Morganelli doing well there despite losing statewide to incumbent Attorney General Tom Corbett. The Democratic Party has been dominant most of the time in county-level politics in recent decades, County Executive John Stoffa, and most of the row offices. However with only two out of nine current county council seats.

County Council Members

• John Cusick, President, Republican, (At-Large)
• Margaret (Peg) Ferraro, Vice President, Republican, (At-Large)
• Ron Angle, Republican, District 4
• Thomas H Dietrich, Republican, (At-Large)
• J. Michael Dowd, Republican, District 2
• Bruce A Gilbert, Republican, (At-Large)
• Lamont G. McClure Jr., Democrat, District 3
• Ann McHale, Democrat, District 1
• Barbara A. Thierry, Republican, (At-Large)

State Representatives

• Justin Simmons, Republican, 131st district
• Joseph F. Brennan, Democrat, 133rd district
• Steve Samuelson, Democrat, 135th district
• Robert L. Freeman, Democrat, 136th district
• Joe Emrick, Republican, 137th district
• Marcia Hahn, Republican, 138th district
• Julie Harhart, Republican, 183rd district

State Senators

• Pat Browne, Republican, 16th district
• Lisa Boscola, Democrat, 18th district
• Bob Mensch, Republican, 24th district
• Dave Argall, Republican, 29th district

US Representative

• Charlie Dent, Republican, 15th district

Notable people

Main article: List of people from the Lehigh Valley

• Marco Andretti, professional race car driver.
• Mario Andretti, former professional race car driver.
• Michael Andretti, professional racing team owner, former professional race car driver.
• Jonathan Frakes, director and actor.
• Larry Holmes, boxing's former heavyweight champion of the world.
• Daniel Dae Kim, actor.
• Samuel Henry Kress, founder of S. H. Kress & Co. and noted art collector.
• Kristen Maloney, gymnast and former Olympian.
• Bob Parsons, former professional football player, Chicago Bears.
• Aldo Ray, actor.
• Daniel Roebuck, actor.
• Brian Schneider, professional baseball player, Philadelphia Phillies.
• Tighe Scott, NASCAR and modified driver.
• Jonathan Taylor Thomas, actor.
• George Wolf, Governor of Pennsylvania 1829–1835.

Municipalities

Map of Northampton County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing Cities and Boroughs (red), Townships (white), and Census-designated places (blue).

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and two towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Northampton County:

Cities

Bethlehem Easton

Boroughs

Bangor Bath Chapman East Bangor Freemansburg

Glendon Hellertown Nazareth North Catasauqua Northampton

Pen Argyl Portland Roseto Stockertown Tatamy

Walnutport West Easton Wilson Wind Gap

Townships

Allen Township Bethlehem Township Bushkill Township East Allen Township Forks Township

Hanover Township Lehigh Township Lower Mount Bethel Township Lower Nazareth Township Lower Saucon Township Moore Township

Palmer Township Plainfield Township Upper Mount Bethel Township Upper Nazareth Township Washington Township Williams Township

Census-designated places

Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.

• Belfast
• Eastlawn Gardens
• Middletown
• Old Orchard
• Palmer Heights

Education

Colleges & Universities

Map of Northampton County, Pennsylvania School Districts

• Lafayette College, Easton.
• Lehigh University, Bethlehem.
• Moravian College, Bethlehem.
• Northampton County Area Community College, Bethlehem Township.

Public school districts & schools

• Bangor Area School District
  • Bangor Area High School, Upper Mount Bethel Township
• Bethlehem Area School District
  • Freedom High School, Bethlehem
  • Liberty High School, Bethlehem
• Catasauqua Area School District
  • Catasauqua High School, Northampton
• Easton Area School District
  • Easton Area High School, Palmer Township
• Nazareth Area School District
  • Nazareth Area High School, Nazareth
• Northampton Area School District
  • Northampton Area High School, Northampton
• Pen Argyl Area School District
  • Pen Argyl Area High School, Pen Argyl
• Saucon Valley School District
  • Saucon Valley High School, Hellertown
• Wilson Area School District
  • Wilson Area High School, Wilson

Public Charter High Schools

The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts, Bethlehem

Non-public high schools

• Bethlehem Catholic High School, Bethlehem
• Holy Family School, Nazareth
• Moravian Academy, Bethlehem
• Notre Dame High School, Bethlehem Township
• Pius X High School, Bangor

Transportation

Aerial photo of Lehigh Valley International Airport (IATA: ABE, ICAO: KABE), 2005

Main article: Transportation in the Lehigh Valley

Air transportation

Air transport to and from Northampton County is available through Lehigh Valley International Airport (IATA: ABE, ICAO: KABE).

Bus transportation

Public bus service in Northampton County is available through the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority, known as LANTA. A shuttle bus service, The Bethlehem Loop, also operates in Bethlehem.

Expressways

• Interstate 78
• Pennsylvania Route 33
• U.S. Route 22

Telecommunications

Northampton County was once served only by the 215 area code from 1947 (when the North American Numbering Plan of the Bell System went into effect) until 1994. With the county's growing population, however, Northampton County was afforded area code 610 in 1994. Today, Northampton County is covered by 610. An overlay area code, 484, was added to the 610 service area in 1999.^[6] A plan to introduce area code 835 as an additional overlay was rescinded in 2001.^[7]

Recreation

There are 2 Pennsylvania state parks in Northampton County.

• Delaware Canal State Park follows the course of the old Delaware Canal along the Delaware River from Easton in Northampton County to Bristol in Bucks County.
• Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center

See also

• Lehigh Valley Conference
• List of shopping malls in the Lehigh Valley
• Media in the Lehigh Valley
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Northampton County, Pennsylvania
• Northampton County Prison

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ http://factfinder2.census.gov
3. ^ http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/
4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
5. ^ "Running for office". Pennsylvania Department of State. http://www.dos.state.pa.us/elections/lib/elections/055_voter_registration_statistics/currentstats/currentvotestats.xls. 
6. ^ NANP-Overlay of 610 (Pennsylvania) Numbering Plan Area (NPA) with 484 NPAPDF (359 KB)
7. ^ PA 835 Implementation for 484/610 NPA Rescinded – 835 NPA Code ReclaimedPDF (20.8 KB)

External links

• Northampton County travel guide from Wikitravel.
• Northampton County news at Lehigh Valley Live.
• Northampton County Official Web Site.
• "Living in the Greater Lehigh Valley," by The Allentown Morning Call.

Coordinates: 40°45′N 75°19′W / 40.75°N 75.31°W / 40.75; -75.31