Northampton County, Pennsylvania
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county
Northampton County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 312,951.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Easton.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was formed in 1752 from parts of Bucks County. Its namesake was the county of Northamptonshire in England, and the county seat of Easton was named for Easton Neston, a country house in Northamptonshire.
Northampton County and Lehigh County to its west combine to form the eastern Pennsylvania region known as the Lehigh Valley; Lehigh County, with a population of 374,557 as of the 2020 U.S. census, is the more highly populated of the two counties. Both counties are part of the Philadelphia media market, the fourth-largest in the nation.
Northampton County has historically been a national leader in heavy manufacturing, especially of cement, steel, and other industrial products. Atlas Portland Cement Company, the world's largest cement manufacturer from 1895 until 1982, was based in Northampton in the county.<ref name="atlasMus">Template:Cite web</ref> Bethlehem Steel, the world's second-largest manufacturer of steel for most of the 20th century, was based in Bethlehem, the county's most populous city, prior to its dissolution in 2003.
Northampton County borders Carbon County and the Poconos to its north, Lehigh County to its west, Bucks County to its south, and the Delaware River and New Jersey to its east. The Lehigh River, a Template:Convert tributary of the Delaware River, flows through the county.
Geography
[edit]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (2.0%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> The climate is humid continental (mostly Dfa with a little Dfb in higher northern areas) and the hardiness zone is 7a except in the northern iier where it is 6b. Average monthly temperatures in downtown Bethlehem average from 29.1 °F in January to 74.1 °F in July, while in Wind Gap they average from 27.0 °F in January to 71.7 °F in July.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Notably, the Lehigh and Delaware rivers flow through Northampton County. To its north is the Kittatinny Ridge, in the south are the South Mountains (part of the piedmont) and to its east are the Paxinosa Mountains.
Adjacent counties
[edit]- Monroe County (north)
- Warren County, New Jersey (east)
- Bucks County (south)
- Lehigh County (west)
- Carbon County (northwest)
National protected areas
[edit]Demographics
[edit]As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 312,951, reflecting growth of 5.1% over 2010.<ref name="QF"/> As of the 2010 census, the county was 81.0% White Non-Hispanic, 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.
2020 census
[edit]| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 228,373 | 73% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 17,429 | 5.6% |
| Native American (NH) | 251 | 0.08% |
| Asian (NH) | 9,892 | 3.2% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 75 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mixed (NH) | 12,334 | 4% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 44,597 | 14.25% |
Economy
[edit]Northampton County is part of the larger Lehigh Valley metropolitan region, which was historically a global leader in heavy manufacturing. As of 2023, the Lehigh Valley's gross domestic product (GDP) was $Template:Nts billion, led by its manufacturing sector, which comprised $9 billion, or 16 percent.<ref>"Lehigh Valley GDP grows to record $55.7 billion", Lehigh Valley Business, December 10, 2024, retrieved January 3, 2024</ref>
The county served as the global headquarters of Bethlehem Steel, founded in 1857 and based in Bethlehem, which was the nation's second-largest steel manufacturer after U.S. Steel for most of the 20th century. In 1982, Bethlehem Steel reported an unexpected loss of US$1.5 billion, and responded by promptly shutting down much of its operations. In 2001, the company declared bankruptcy, and it was dissolved in 2003. The plight of Bethlehem Steel is often cited as a prominent example of the impact of deindustrialization associated with the Rust Belt regions of the U.S. during the late 20th century.<ref>"Rust Belt Allure of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania", Pacific Standard, October 6, 2013</ref>
The county is also home to the global headquarters of C. F. Martin & Company, based in Nazareth, which manufacturers Martin Guitars, used by Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Neil Young, John Lennon, Willie Nelson, Kurt Cobain, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, and other prominent guitarists.<ref>"Artists Who Play Martin Guitars", Guitar Guitar, July 2, 2024</ref>
Government
[edit]Northampton is one of the seven counties in Pennsylvania which has adopted a home rule charter. Voters elect a county executive, a nine-person county council, a county controller, and a county district attorney. The executive, controller, district attorney, and five of the nine council members are elected at large by all voters in the county. The other four members of the county council are elected from single-member districts, which they represent. This weighted structure of county government favors the majority of voters. The county's row officers are nominated by the county executive and approved by county council.
Politics
[edit]Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow |} Template:U.S. SenHead Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenFoot As of January 8, 2024, there were 219,719 registered voters in Northampton County
- Democratic: 95,780 (43.59%)
- Republican: 80,828 (36.79%)
- No affiliation: 32,480 (14.78%)
- Other parties: 10,631 (4.84%)
Northampton County is considered one of Pennsylvania's "swing counties," with statewide winners carrying it in most cases.<ref name="BellwetherNorthampton">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref> As of 2024, the last presidential election where Northampton County did not back the statewide winner was in 1948.
In the 2024 U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania, Republican Dave McCormick won the election and Northampton County, while losing Erie County, Pennsylvania. The county also closely mirrored the 2024 U.S. presidential election in Pennsylvania, which was won by Republican Donald Trump (50.2% to 48.5%), compared to Trump winning Northampton County 50.4% to 48.62%.
Voting machine problems
[edit]2019 election
[edit]In November 2019, municipal elections were in Pennsylvania in November 2019, and the county's result tabulations were plagued with problems caused by newly purchased voting machines, known as ExpressVoteXL, which were manufactured and sold to the county by Election Systems & Software (ES&S), an Omaha, Nebraska-based company, as representing a luxury one-stop voting system.
According to The New York Times and other media, a few minutes after polls closed in the county in 2019, panic began to spread through the county's election offices as it became evident that vote totals in one judge's race showed one candidate, Abe Kassis, a Democrat, had received just 164 votes out of 55,000 ballots across more than the 100 precincts in the county; Some precinct machines reported zero votes for him.<ref>"A Pennsylvania County’s Election Day Nightmare Underscores Voting Machine Concerns," The New York Times, November 30, 2019.</ref>
The ES&S voting system, which is used in other Pennsylvania jurisdictions, features a touch screen with a paper ballot backup. County officials ultimately calculated results by counting paper ballots, which showed Kassis actually won the election by 1,054 votes, according to unofficial results that were announced on November 6. The election results were later certified following a canvass and audit, and no challenges to the results were filed.<ref>"Pennsylvania says election went well but Republicans disagree; both following Northampton County problems," The Morning Call, November 6, 2019</ref>
2023 election
[edit]On November 7, 2023, ExpressVoteXL machines again malfunctioned in calculating votes for Superior Court of Pennsylvania judges with the machines switching "yes" and "no" votes on the summary display of votes on whether the judges should be retained. The county's director of administration, Charles Dertinger, attributed the problem to the summary display and not the actual ballots.<ref>"Pennsylvania county promises accurate tally after clerical error appears to flip votes for judges" The Associated Press, November 7, 2023</ref>
County executives
[edit]| Name | Party | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glenn F. Reibman | Democratic | 1998 | 2006 |
| John Stoffa | Democratic | 2006 | 2014 |
| John Brown | Republican | 2014 | 2018 |
| Lamont McClure | Democratic | 2018 | Incumbent |
State representatives
[edit]Source:<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Milou Mackenzie, Republican, 131st district
- Steve Samuelson, Democrat, 135th district
- Robert L. Freeman, Democrat, 136th district
- Joe Emrick, Republican, 137th district
- Ann Flood, Republican, 138th district
- Zach Mako, Republican, 183rd district
State senators
[edit]Source:<ref name=":0" />
- Nick Miller, Democrat, 14th district
- Lisa Boscola, Democrat, 18th district
United States House of Representatives
[edit]- Ryan Mackenzie, Republican, 7th district
United States Senate
[edit]Education
[edit]
Colleges and universities
[edit]- Lafayette College, Easton
- Lehigh University, Bethlehem
- Moravian University, Bethlehem
- Northampton County Area Community College, Bethlehem Township
- Respect Graduate School, Bethlehem
Public school districts
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School districts include:<ref>Template:Cite map - Text list - 2010 map and text list</ref> Template:Div col
- Bangor Area School District
- Bethlehem Area School District
- Catasauqua Area School District
- Easton Area School District
- Nazareth Area School District
- Northampton Area School District
- Northern Lehigh School District
- Pen Argyl Area School District
- Saucon Valley School District
- Wilson Area School District
- Wilson Area High School, Easton
Public charter schools
[edit]Private high schools
[edit]- Bethlehem Catholic High School, Bethlehem
- Moravian Academy, Bethlehem
- Notre Dame High School, Easton
Transportation
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Air transportation
[edit]Template:Main Air transport to and from Northampton County is available through Lehigh Valley International Airport Template:Airport codes in Hanover Township, which is located approximately Template:Convert northwest of Bethlehem and Template:Convert west-southwest of Easton.
Bus transportation
[edit]Template:Main Public bus service in Northampton County is available through LANta. A shuttle bus service called the Bethlehem Loop provides public transportation services in Bethlehem. NJ Transit provides service from Easton's Centre Square to the Phillipsburg area.
Major highways
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Telecommunications
[edit]Template:Main 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 except for the Portland exchange which uses 570. An overlay area code, 484, was added to the 610 service area in 1999.<ref>Template:Cite web Template:Small</ref> A plan to introduce area code 835 as an additional overlay was rescinded in 2001.<ref>Template:Cite web Template:Small</ref>
Recreation
[edit]There are two 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
Communities
[edit]
The following cities, boroughs, and townships are located in Northampton County:
Cities
[edit]- Bethlehem (partly in Lehigh County)
- Easton (county seat)
Boroughs
[edit]- 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
[edit]- Allen
- Bethlehem
- Bushkill
- East Allen
- Forks
- Hanover
- Lehigh
- Lower Mount Bethel
- Lower Nazareth
- Lower Saucon
- Moore
- Palmer
- Plainfield
- Upper Mount Bethel
- Upper Nazareth
- Washington
- Williams
Census-designated places
[edit]Census-designated places are unincorporated communities designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law.
- Ackermanville
- Belfast
- Cherryville
- Chestnut Hill
- Eastlawn Gardens
- Martins Creek
- Middletown
- Morgan Hill
- Old Orchard
- Palmer Heights
- Raubsville
Other unincorporated places
[edit]- Beersville
- Berlinsville
- Butztown
- Chickentown
- Christian Springs
- Colesville
- Danielsville
- Emanuelsville
- Flicksville
- Franks Corner
- Hanoverville
- Hollo
- Katellen
- Klecknersville
- Moorestown
- Mount Bethel
- Newburg
- Schoenersville
- Seidersville
- Slateford
- Treichlers
- Wassergass
- Zucksville
Population ranking
[edit]The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Northampton County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
† county seat
| Rank | City/borough/township/etc. | Municipal type | Population (2010 Census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bethlehem (partially in Lehigh County) | City | 74,982 |
| 2 | † Easton | City | 26,800 |
| 3 | Bethlehem Township | Township | 23,730 |
| 4 | Palmer Township | Township | 20,691 |
| 5 | Forks Township | Township | 14,721 |
| 6 | Hanover Township | Township | 10,866 |
| 7 | Lower Saucon Township | Township | 10,772 |
| 8 | Lehigh Township | Township | 10,527 |
| 9 | Northampton | Borough | 9,926 |
| 10 | Moore Township | Township | 9,198 |
| 11 | Bushkill Township | Township | 8,178 |
| 12 | Wilson | Borough | 7,896 |
| 13 | Middletown | CDP | 7,441 |
| 14 | Upper Mount Bethel Township | Township | 6,706 |
| 15 | Upper Nazareth Township | Township | 6,231 |
| 16 | Plainfield Township | Township | 6,138 |
| 17 | Hellertown | Borough | 5,898 |
| 18 | Williams Township | Township | 5,884 |
| 19 | Nazareth | Borough | 5,746 |
| 20 | Lower Nazareth Township | Township | 5,674 |
| 21 | Bangor | Borough | 5,273 |
| 22 | Washington Township | Township | 5,122 |
| 23 | East Allen Township | Township | 4,930 |
| 24 | Allen Township | Township | 4,269 |
| 25 | Palmer Heights | CDP | 3,762 |
| 26 | Pen Argyl | Borough | 3,595 |
| 27 | Eastlawn Gardens | CDP | 3,307 |
| 28 | Lower Mount Bethel Township | Township | 3,101 |
| 29 | North Catasauqua | Borough | 2,849 |
| 30 | Wind Gap | Borough | 2,720 |
| 31 | Bath | Borough | 2,693 |
| 32 | Freemansburg | Borough | 2,636 |
| 33 | Old Orchard | CDP | 2,434 |
| 34 | Walnutport | Borough | 2,070 |
| 35 | Cherryville | CDP | 1,580 |
| 36 | Roseto | Borough | 1,567 |
| 37 | Belfast | CDP | 1,257 |
| 38 | West Easton | Borough | 1,257 |
| 39 | Tatamy | Borough | 1,203 |
| 40 | East Bangor | Borough | 1,172 |
| 41 | Raubsville | CDP | 1,088 |
| 42 | Stockertown | Borough | 927 |
| 43 | Martins Creek | CDP | 631 |
| 44 | Ackermanville | CDP | 610 |
| 45 | Portland | Borough | 519 |
| 46 | Glendon | Borough | 440 |
| 47 | Chapman | Borough | 199 |
Notable people
[edit]References
[edit]Template:NotelistTemplate:Reflist
Further reading
[edit]- Frances S. Fox, Sweet Land of Liberty: The Ordeal of the American Revolution in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000
- William J. Heller, History of Northampton County (Pennsylvania) and the Grand Valley of the Lehigh. In Three Volumes. New York: American Historical Society, 1920 Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3
External links
[edit]Template:Commons category Template:Wikivoyage
- Official website
- Northampton County news at Lehigh Valley Live
- "Famous People from the Lehigh Valley," The Morning Call, August 18, 2006