Northampton, Pennsylvania

Not to be confused with Northampton Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania or Northampton Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

Coordinates: 40°41′02″N 75°29′29″W / 40.68389°N 75.49139°W / 40.68389; -75.49139

Northampton
cement capital of the world
Settlement
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Northampton
Elevation	328 ft (100 m)
Coordinates	40°41′02″N 75°29′29″W / 40.68389°N 75.49139°W / 40.68389; -75.49139
Area	2.7 sq mi (7 km2)
- land	2.6 sq mi (7 km2)
- water	0.1 sq mi (0 km2), 3.7%
Density	3,619.1 / sq mi (1,397.3 / km2)
Mayor	Mr. Thomas Reenock
Timezone	EST (UTC-5)
- summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP Code	18067
Area code	610
Location of Northampton in Northampton County
Location of Northampton in Pennsylvania
Location of Pennsylvania in the United States

Northampton is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The borough is located in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, Northampton's population was 14,985.

Geography

Northampton is located 8 miles (13 km) north of Allentown and 15 miles (24 km) west of Easton at 40°41′2″N 75°29′29″W / 40.68389°N 75.49139°W / 40.68389; -75.49139 (40.683896, -75.491353)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough/city has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²), of which 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (3.70%), water. Northampton's elevation is 370 feet (110 m) above sea level.

The Lehigh River, which separates Northampton County from Lehigh County, forms the city's western border.

Government

The governing body consists of a city manager, an assistant borough manager and eight council members (two from each ward) who are voted into office by the citizens of the borough.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 9,405 people, 3,869 households, and 2,634 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,619.1 people per square mile (1,396.7/km²). There were 4,023 housing units at an average density of 1,548.1 per square mile (597.4/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.21% White, 0.35% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.39% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.74% of the population.

There were 3,869 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the borough the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $40,982, and the median income for a family was $49,482. Males had a median income of $37,033 versus $26,422 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $19,516. About 1.3% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

History

Northampton was once a global center for the manufacturing of cement. The Atlas Portland Cement Company was based there, until it was closed in 1982, due largely to foreign competition. Northampton was created from the villages of Siegfried, Newport and Stemton, which together were formed into an alliance in 1902. In 1909, Atlas petitioned county courts to change the alliance into a borough, reportedly because the change would make it easier for the company to send and receive mail. The Atlas Portland Cement Company plant closed in 1982, but city residents many of them former Atlas employees or their descendants — still identify strongly with the company and its history. The Atlas Portland Cement Company supplied most of the cement used in the building of the Panama Canal.

Historical community events included the Northampton Jack Frost Parade every November, celebrating the onset of winter and including marching bands and floats.

Another event that occurred during the 1940s and 1950s was the Northampton County Fair, which was held every year and was spread out across the Lappawinzo Fish & Game Club property North of Northampton (off the Kreidersville Road). There were huge numbers of vendor stands, fair rides, animals, shows/performances, 4-H Club judgings, as well as Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey shows. Visitors came from all over the East Coast during the two-week event and hourly buses ran from downtown Northampton and nearby cities to the Fair.

Part of the opening sequence of the 1992 film School Ties was filmed in downtown Northampton due to the town's preservation of older buildings, which fit with the 1950s setting of the film.

Public education

The City is served by the Northampton Area School District.

Sister city

Stegersbach, Austria

Museums

• The Atlas Cement Memorial Museum, based in Northampton

Nearby areas

References

1. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Official Website.
• Northampton County Official Web Site.
• Northampton Area School District Official Web Site.
• Public Library.
• JB's Northampton.