Editing Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania

{{Short description|Borough in Pennsylvania, United States}}
{{Redirect|Mauch Chunk|the waterbody named Mauch Chunk|Mauch Chunk Creek}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
| official_name            = 
| native_name              = Mauch Chunk
| native_name_lang         = 
| other_name               = ''"The Switzerland of America"''<ref>{{Cite web |title=This Pennsylvania Town Is Known As the 'Switzerland of America' — Here's Why |url=https://www.travelandleisure.com/jim-thorpe-pennsylvania-town-switzerland-of-america-6747174 |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=Travel + Leisure |language=en}}</ref><br>''"The Gateway to the Poconos"''<ref>{{Cite web |title='GATEWAY TO THE POCONOS' |url=https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1997-02-25-3131342-story.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=The Morning Call|date=25 February 1997 }}</ref>
| settlement_type          = 
| image_skyline            = Jim Thorpe PA A Packer House to St Marks.jpg
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| image_caption            = View of Jim Thorpe from the [[Asa Packer Mansion]] grounds in November 2016
| image_flag               = 
| image_seal               = Jim Thorpe Seal.png
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| motto                    = 
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| image_map                = File:Carbon County Pennsylvania Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Jim Thorpe Highlighted.svg
| mapsize                  = 
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| map_caption              = Location of Jim Thorpe in [[Carbon County, Pennsylvania]] (left) and of Carbon County in [[Pennsylvania]] (right)
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| pushpin_map              = Pennsylvania#USA
| pushpin_label            = Jim Thorpe
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| pushpin_map_caption      = Location of Jim Thorpe in [[Pennsylvania]]
| coordinates              = {{coord|40|52|23|N|75|44|11|W|display=inline,title}}
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| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = {{flagicon|USA}} [[United States]]
| subdivision_type1        = State
| subdivision_name1        = {{flagicon|Pennsylvania}} [[Pennsylvania]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Pennsylvania|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Carbon County, Pennsylvania|Carbon]]
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| established_title        = Founded
| established_date         = 1818
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| leader_party             = 
| leader_title             = Mayor
| leader_name              = Mike Sofranko
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| total_type               = 
| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE='42'&outFields=NAME,STATE,PLACE,AREALAND,AREAWATER,LSADC,CENTLAT,CENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 12, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_km2           = 38.64
| area_total_sq_mi         = 14.92
| area_land_km2            = 37.81
| area_land_sq_mi          = 14.60
| area_water_km2           = 0.83
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.32
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| elevation_m              = 
| elevation_ft             = 730
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| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes     = <ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly"/>
| population_total         = 4507
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| population_density_km2   = 119.20
| population_density_sq_mi = 308.74
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| timezone1                = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset1              = -5
| timezone1_DST            = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST          = -4
| timezone2                = 
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| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code              = 18229
| postal2_code_type        = 
| postal2_code             = 
| area_code_type           = 
| area_code                = [[Area code 570|570]]
| geocode                  = 
| iso_code                 = 
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 42-025-38200
| blank1_name              = 
| blank1_info              = 
| blank2_name              = 
| blank2_info              = 
| blank_name_sec2          = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS]] code<ref name="FIPS55">
  {{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov/fips55/PAfips55_delim.txt |title=FIPS55 Data: Pennsylvania|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |date=February 23, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060618160323/http://geonames.usgs.gov/fips55/PAfips55_delim.txt |archive-date=June 18, 2006 }}</ref>
| blank_info_sec2          = {{FIPS|42|38200}}
| blank1_name_sec2         = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] ID<ref name="FIPS55"/><ref name="GNIS1"/><ref name="GNIS2"/>
| blank1_info_sec2         = {{GNIS4|1178082}}, {{GNIS4|1215045}}
| blank2_name_sec2         = Wikimedia Commons
| blank2_info_sec2         = 
| website                  = {{URL|www.jimthorpe.org}}<br>{{URL|www.jtborough.org}}
| footnotes                = 
}}
'''Jim Thorpe''' (known as East and West '''Mauch Chunk''' until 1954) is a [[borough (Pennsylvania)|borough]] in and the [[county seat]] of [[Carbon County, Pennsylvania]], United States. It is part of [[Northeastern Pennsylvania]] and is historically known as the burial site of Native American sports legend [[Jim Thorpe]].

Jim Thorpe is located in the [[Pocono Mountains]] of northeastern Pennsylvania approximately {{convert|29|mi|km}} northwest of [[Allentown, Pennsylvania|Allentown]], {{convert|83|mi|km}} northwest of [[Philadelphia]], and {{convert|117|mi|km}} west of [[New York City]].

==History==
===Founding===
[[File:Central Railroad of New Jersey Station, Jim Thorpe, PA 01.JPG|thumb|[[Mauch Chunk station (Central Railroad of New Jersey)|Central Railroad of New Jersey Station]] in Jim Thorpe, now a visitors center]]
Jim Thorpe was founded in 1818 as Mauch Chunk ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|m|ɔː|k|_|ˈ|tʃ|ʌ|ŋ|k}}), a name derived from the term ''Mawsch Unk'', meaning Bear Place in [[Unami language|Unami]], the language of the native  [[Lenape]], possibly a reference to Bear Mountain, an extension of Mauch Chunk Ridge that resembled a sleeping bear, or perhaps the original profile of the ridge, which has since been changed heavily by 220 years of mining. The [[company town]] was founded by [[Josiah White]] and his two partners, founders of the [[Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company]] (LC&N). The town would be the lower terminus of a [[gravity railroad]], the [[Summit Hill & Mauch Chunk Railroad]], which would bring coal to the head of the LC&N [[Lehigh Canal]] for transshipment to the confluence of the [[Delaware River]], {{convert|43|km|1}} downstream at Easton. It would thereby ship LC&N's coal to [[Philadelphia]], [[Trenton, New Jersey|Trenton]], [[New York City]], and other large cities in [[New Jersey]] and [[Delaware]], and by ocean to the whole [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]]. Canal shipping was eventually replaced by railroad shipping.

===Coal mining and the LC&N canal===
{{Main|Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad}}
The town grew slowly in its first decade, then rapidly around 1818 grew larger as it became an anthracite [[coal]]-shipping center.  (The other large city with growing coal mining in the region was [[Scranton, Pennsylvania|Scranton]], with a population of over 140,000.) Mauch Chunk is on a [[Lehigh River]] west side (right bank) flat where Mahoning Creek enters and is a tributary of the [[Lehigh River]]. The river's left bank community of [[East Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania|East Mauch Chunk]], which has more of the houses of modern Jim Thorpe, was settled later to support the short-lived Beaver Creek Railroad, the mines which spawned it, and the logging industry. It came into greater growth when the [[Lehigh Valley Railroad]] in 1885 pushed up the valley on the river's east bank to oppose LC&N's effective transportation monopoly over the region, which extended across to northwest Wilkes-Barre at [[Pittston, Pennsylvania|Pittston]] on the [[Susquehanna River]]/[[Pennsylvania Canal]].

===Railroad growth and coal shipping===
After the Pennsylvania Canal Commission smoothed the way, Lehigh Coal & Navigation built the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad (L&S) from [[Pittston, Pennsylvania|Pittston]] to [[Ashley, Pennsylvania|Ashley]], building the [[Ashley Planes]] [[inclined railway]] and linked that by rail from [[Mountain Top, Pennsylvania|Mountain Top]] to [[White Haven, Pennsylvania|White Haven]] at the head of the canal's upper works, referred to as the Grand Lehigh Canal, whose navigations shortened the Lehigh Gorge, now located in the [[Lehigh Gorge State Park]] route, cutting the distance from [[Philadelphia]] to [[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|Wilkes-Barre]] and the [[Wyoming Valley]] coal deposits by over {{convert|100|mi|-1}}. This placed Mauch Chunk in the center of a nexus of transportation in country tough to travel through. When floods wiped out many of the upper Lehigh Canal works in 1861, the L&S Railroad was extended through the gap to supplant the canal, and the so-called switchback-twisted backtrack through [[Avoca, Pennsylvania|Avoca]], with the improved engines of the day, enabled two-way steam locomotive traction and traffic despite the steep grades. Owner LC&N Company's headquarters was built across the street in Mauch Chunk from the L&S Railroad's stylish brick passenger station that was soon boarding passengers onto trains from New York and Philadelphia to [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]. The Central Railroad of New Jersey eventually took over the L&S and the station. The Lehigh Valley Railroad arrived on the river's east bank at East Mauch Chunk in 1855.,<ref>Jom Thorpe/Lehigh Valley Station wikipedia</ref>

===Major historical events===
Mauch Chunk was the location of one of the trials of the [[Molly Maguires]] in 1876, which resulted in the [[hanging]] of four men found guilty of murder.<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E07E0D61E3FE73BBC4F51DFB566838D669FDE The Molly Maguires; Approaching Trial of the Murderers of John P. Jones – Strong Array of Counsel for the Defense] New York Times, 27 March 1876.  Retrieved 2008-12-26</ref> The population of the borough in 1900 was 4,020; in 1910, it was 3,952.<ref>[[New International Encyclopedia]]</ref>

[[File:Tomb of Jim Thorpe b.jpg|thumb|[[Jim Thorpe]]'s gravesite]]
{{anchor|Jim_Thorpe's_body}}Following the 1953 death of [[sportsperson|athlete]] and [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] medal winner [[Jim Thorpe]], Thorpe's widow and third wife, Patricia, was impatient when, after five months, the planned memorial in [[Shawnee, Oklahoma]] had yet to raise the $100,000 to honor him. The town's citizens had paid for her, a Thorpe son and Jim's body to be shipped from California, paid and arranged for the funeral service at St. Benedict's Catholic church, and paid for the mausoleum costs at Fairview Cemetery. Then Gov. Johnston Murray vetoed a bill which would contribute funds to the erection of the memorial at Athletic Park. On Sept. 1st Mrs. Thorpe, saying she feared Jim would be buried in a potter's field, shipped the body to Tulsa where she said the Chamber of Commerce was going to build a proper memorial, which was not true.<ref>{{cite news| last=Hagerty| first=James R.| title=Is There Life After Jim Thorpe for Jim Thorpe, Pa.?| newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]| date=July 21, 2010| page=A14}}</ref> When she heard that the boroughs of Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk were desperately seeking to attract business, she made a deal with civic officials. According to Jim Thorpe's son, Jack, Patricia was motivated by money in seeking the deal.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXogaDT5Zm0| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/iXogaDT5Zm0| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live| title= Frank Deford of ''Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel'' interviews Jack Thorpe| publisher=HBO (official channel on YouTube)| access-date=2012-07-09}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
===Renaming to Jim Thorpe===
The two cross-river boroughs merged in 1954<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Jim-Thorpe-Pennsylvania-United-States| title= Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, United States| newspaper= Encyclopedia Britannica| publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica| access-date=2019-09-01}}</ref> and renamed the new municipality Jim Thorpe in his honor, despite Thorpe never setting foot in the Borough while alive. The municipality then obtained the athlete's remains from his widow and erected a monument to the Oklahoma native, who began his sports career {{convert|100|miles|abbr=off|sigfig=3}} southwest, as a student at the [[Carlisle Indian Industrial School]] in [[Carlisle, Pennsylvania]]. The monument site contains his tomb, two statues of him in athletic poses, and historical markers describing his life story. The grave rests on mounds of soil from Thorpe's native Oklahoma and from the [[Stockholm Olympic Stadium]] in which he won his Olympic medals.<ref>[http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/3583 Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania – Jim Thorpe's Tourist Attraction Grave at] [[Roadside America]].</ref>
[[File:View of Mauch Chunk, Carbon County, PA.jpg|thumb|View of Mauch Chunk in 1869]]

On June 24, 2010, one of Jim Thorpe's sons, Jack Thorpe, sued the town for his father's remains, citing the [[Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act]], which is designed to return Native American artifacts to their tribal homelands.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/news/story?id=5323950|title=Thorpe's son sues town, seeks remains' return|date=June 24, 2010|website=ESPN.com}}</ref> On February 11, 2011, Judge Richard Caputo ruled that Jack Thorpe could not gain any monetary award, nor any amount for attorney's fees in the lawsuit and that for the lawsuit to continue other members of the Thorpe family and the [[Sac and Fox Nation]] would have to join him as plaintiffs. Before Jack Thorpe could respond to the ruling he died at the age of 73 on February 22, 2011. Because of his death his representatives were given more time to respond to the ruling. On May 2, 2011, William and Richard Thorpe, Jim Thorpe's remaining sons and the Sac & Fox Nation of Oklahoma joined the lawsuit, allowing it to continue.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.tnonline.com/2011/oct/08/jim-thorpe-lawsuit | title=Court decision on the athlete's remains may be forthcoming | newspaper=Times News | date=October 8, 2011 | access-date=July 28, 2013 | author=Zagofsky, Al}}</ref> On April 19, 2013, Caputo ruled in favor of William and Richard Thorpe, ruling that the borough amounts to a museum under the law.<ref name="lawsuit">{{cite web | url=http://www.newson6.com/story/22028957/judge-orders-legendary-athlete-jim-thorpes-remains | title=Judge Sides With Sons About Legendary Athlete Jim Thorpe's Remains | publisher=Associated Press | date=April 19, 2013 | access-date=July 28, 2013}}</ref> This ruling was reversed by the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit]] on October 23, 2014.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pennsylvania-town-named-for-jim-thorpe-can-keep-athletes-body/| title=Pennsylvania town named for Jim Thorpe can keep athlete's body| publisher=[[CBS News]]| date=October 23, 2014| access-date=October 24, 2014}}</ref> The [[Supreme Court of the United States|US Supreme Court]]  refused to hear their appeal on October 5, 2015, assuring that Jim Thorpe's remains will stay in [[Carbon County, Pennsylvania|Carbon County]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = U.S. Supreme Court: Jim Thorpe's body to remain in town that bears his name|url = http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-jim-thorpe-burial-supreme-court-20151005-story.html|website = themorningcall.com| date=6 October 2015 |access-date = 2015-11-16}}</ref>

[[File:PostcardMauchChunkPABirdsEyeView1915.jpg|thumb|1915 postcard showing a bird's eye view of the community]]
The decision to rename the borough saw a mixed reaction by the borough's residents, many of whom still refer to the borough as Mauch Chunk. Detractors to the new name claim that the renaming was a "Tourist Lure" and protested that Jim Thorpe had never even set eyes on the borough while he was alive.<ref name="1964 NYT">{{cite web |title=Jim Thorpe, Pa., No Tourist Lure, May Change Name |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/07/22/archives/jim-thorpe-pa-no-tourist-lure-may-change-name.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=30 November 2023}}</ref> There were several movements to rename the borough back to Mauch Chunk, first in 1964 after the expected boost in tourism never came and another in 1992 as Jim Thorpe's popularity waned and locals referred to renaming the borough after a dead Native American to boost tourism revenues as "crass commercialism" while Thorpe's family called for his remains to be returned to Oklahoma.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Steadman |first1=John |title=Thorpe sold down river, even by town that bears his name |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1992-07-22-1992204230-story.html |website=[[Baltimore Sun]] |access-date=30 November 2023}}</ref><ref name="1964 NYT" />

===Architecture===
The history of the 1880s Mauch Chunk is reflected in the architecture that makes up its many 19th century styles. A former resident and architectural historian, Hans Egli, noted the vast range of styles: [[Federal architecture|Federalist]], [[Greek Revival architecture|Greek Revival]], [[Second Empire (architecture)|Second Empire]], [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Romanesque Revival]], [[Queen Anne style architecture in the United States|Queen Anne]], and [[Richardsonian Romanesque]]. Most of these architectural examples remained protected and intact beneath [[aluminum siding|aluminum]] or [[vinyl siding]] that has since been removed. [[Denise Scott Brown]] and [[Robert Venturi]], renowned [[Philadelphia]] architects, conducted a little-known planning study in the 1970s that attempted to understand the dynamics of historicism and tourism, notions that have come into their own in contemporary times. While Venturi's planning study was unique at the time, it has since become a critical factor in Jim Thorpe's rebound as a functioning and economically stable community.<ref>''Out of the Ordinary: Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown and Associates'', Brownlee, David B. and Kathryn B. Hiesinger, published 2001, page 76</ref> Jim Thorpe tourism is based on its vintage architecture, and recreation such as hiking, [[paintball]] and [[white water rafting]].

===Historic site preservation and modern day use===
The [[Lehigh Canal|Carbon County Section of the Lehigh Canal]], [[Old Mauch Chunk Historic District]], [[Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway]], [[Asa Packer Mansion]], [[Harry Packer Mansion]], [[Carbon County Jail]], [[Central Railroad of New Jersey Station (Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania)|Central Railroad of New Jersey Station]], and [[St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania)|St. Mark's Episcopal Church]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref> The former Central Railroad of New Jersey railroad line through the Lehigh gorge and through Jim Thorpe is now operated as a summer tourist railroad by Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad. The former New York City to Buffalo Lehigh Valley Railroad across the river is a present-day very active freight hauling railroad operated by Norfolk Southern.

==Mauch Chunk Switchback Gravity Railroad==
{{main|Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway}}

In 1827, the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, a coal mining and shipping company with operations in [[Summit Hill, Pennsylvania|Summit Hill]], constructed an {{convert|8.7|mi|km|adj=on}} downhill track, known as a [[gravity railroad]], to deliver coal (and a miner to operate the mine train's brake) to the [[Lehigh Canal]] in Mauch Chunk. This helped open up the area to commerce, and helped to fuel the [[Industrial Revolution]] in the United States. By the 1850s, the "Gravity Road" (as it became known) was providing rides to thrill seekers for 50 cents a ride (equal to ${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|0.50|1855|r=2}}}} today). It is often cited as the first [[roller coaster]] in the United States. The Switchback Gravity Railroad Foundation was formed to study the feasibility of preserving and interpreting the remains of the Switchback Gravity Railroad on top of Mount Pisgah.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.switchbackgravityrr.org|title=The switchback Gravity Railroad|website=switchbackgravityrr.org}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:ThesisJimThorpeWiki.png|thumb|Jim Thorpe lies in the shadow of Mount Pisgah at the end of [[Pisgah Mountain]] (Pisgah Ridge), upriver of the [[Lehigh Gap]] between [[Bear Mountain (Pennsylvania)|Bear Mountain]] on the east/left bank and the valley of Mauch Chunk Creek on the right bank]]
Jim Thorpe is located near the center of [[Carbon County, Pennsylvania|Carbon County]] at {{Coord|40|52|23|N|75|44|11|W|type:city}}.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

In the deeps of the [[geologic timescale]] the two shorelines of the [[Lehigh River]] occupied by the 19th-century towns of Mauch Chunk and [[East Mauch Chunk]] were situated on the bottom of an ancient river-fed [[Tarn (lake)|tarn]], a mountain lake which filled the valley on the west bank and covered the relative flatlands on the east bank. The muddy bottom of that high tarn (the range then rivaling the Himalayas in size), where the waters pooled at a lower elevation amongst the twisted folds of four near-parallel ridgelines, created a level region whose settlements became the relatively flat lands on either bank of the Lehigh. The ridgelines, which run east-northeast to west-southwest, are (from north to south) Broad, Nesquehoning, Pisgah, and Mauch Chunk ridges (or Mountains)—each of which runs over {{convert|15|mi|km|1}} west to the gaps cut by the [[Schuylkill River]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the borough of Jim Thorpe has a total area of {{convert|38.6|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|37.8|km2|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.8|km2|order=flip|1}}, or 2.15%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US4238200| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Jim Thorpe borough, Pennsylvania| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=April 2, 2015| archive-url=https://archive.today/20150409122752/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US4238200| archive-date=April 9, 2015| url-status=dead}}</ref> Jim Thorpe is {{convert|3|mi|0}} north and upstream of [[Lehighton, Pennsylvania|Lehighton]], below the Lehigh Gap which sunders Bear Mountain on the east bank from the extended ridge of [[Mauch Chunk Mountain]].

The town is {{convert|4|mi|0}} east of [[Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania|Nesquehoning]], which is up a steep grade and around the bend along [[U.S. Route 209|U.S. 209]] South, and also butting up against the slopes of [[Mount Pisgah, Carbon County, Pennsylvania|Mount Pisgah]]. This was a key element in the LC&N's planning, for the grade from the mountain ridge down to the river enabled them to fill barges quickly, using chutes and an elevated entry from a road down the ridge face. Jim Thorpe's developed elevations range between the river slack water at {{convert|540|ft}} above sea level—{{convert|720|ft|m|1}} to the town's upper streets, all below the western peak of Mount Pisgah, which tops out at {{convert|1519|ft|m|1}} above sea level.<ref name="GNIS1">{{Cite web |url= {{GNIS3|1178082}} |title= Jim Thorpe (populated place) |work= [[Geographic Names Information System]] |publisher= [[United States Geological Survey]] |access-date= May 9, 2014}}</ref><ref name="GNIS2">{{Cite web |url= {{GNIS3|1215045}} |title= Borough of Jim Thorpe (civil) |work= Geographic Names Information System |publisher= United States Geological Survey |access-date= August 19, 2007}}</ref>

The elevation of the Borough of Jim Thorpe ranges from {{convert|540|ft}} at Broadway and Hazard Square downtown to {{convert|1700|ft}} above sea level {{convert|3|mi|0}} northeast of the borough center near the [[Penn Forest Township, Pennsylvania|Penn Forest Township]] line. It has a warm-summer [[humid continental climate]] (''Dfb'') and average downtown monthly temperatures range from 26.5&nbsp;°F in January to 71.2&nbsp;°F in July. [https://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/ PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State U] The local [[hardiness zone]] is 6a.

==Transportation==
[[File:2022-08-08 10 47 24 View south along U.S. Route 209 (Lehigh Avenue) just south of Pennsylvania State Route 903 (North Street) in Jim Thorpe, Carbon County, Pennsylvania.jpg|right|thumb|US 209 southbound in Jim Thorpe]]
As of 2019, there were {{convert|30.08|mi}} of public roads in Jim Thorpe, of which {{convert|10.95|mi}} were maintained by the [[Pennsylvania Department of Transportation]] (PennDOT) and {{convert|19.13|mi}} were maintained by the borough.<ref name=PennDOTmap>{{cite web|url=https://gis.penndot.gov/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/Type5/13404.pdf|title=Jim Thorpe Borough map|publisher=PennDOT|access-date=March 17, 2023}}</ref>

[[U.S. Route 209 (Pennsylvania)|U.S. Route 209]], although signed as a north–south route, tends to follow an east–west route in Pennsylvania. In Jim Thorpe and Lehighton, U.S. 209 runs in directions opposite its signage—i.e., northbound U.S. 209 runs southwards and vice versa. It intersects the [[Pennsylvania Turnpike|Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension]] ([[Interstate 476]]) east of Lehighton, about {{convert|6|mi|0}} southeast of Jim Thorpe.

[[Pennsylvania Route 903]] has its southern terminus at U.S. 209 in Jim Thorpe. It is a north–south route that runs northeast of town, connecting to [[Pennsylvania Route 115|PA 115]] near the [[Pocono Raceway]], [[Interstate 476 (Pennsylvania)|Interstate 476]], and [[Pennsylvania Route 534|PA 534]] in [[Penn Forest Township, Pennsylvania|Penn Forest Township]].

[[Carbon Transit]] provides bus service to Jim Thorpe along Route 701, which runs between [[Coaldale, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania|Coaldale]] and [[Palmerton, Pennsylvania|Palmerton]] on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and Route 702, which runs between [[Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania|Nesquehoning]] and Palmerton Monday-Friday.<ref name=ctbus>{{cite web|title=CT Bus|publisher=Carbon Transit|url=https://carbontransit.com/ct-bus/|accessdate=May 15, 2022}}</ref> Carbon Transit also operates CT Flex service in Jim Thorpe, Penn Forest Township, and [[Kidder Township, Pennsylvania|Kidder Township]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Jim Thorpe-Penn-Kidder Flex|publisher=Carbon Transit|url=https://carbontransit.com/jim-thorpe-penn-kidder-flex/|accessdate=May 15, 2022|archive-date=May 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516013430/https://carbontransit.com/jim-thorpe-penn-kidder-flex/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The town is served by the [[Reading, Blue Mountain, and Northern Railroad]] with year-round freight service.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad |url=https://www.rbmnrr.com/history |website=Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad |access-date=October 28, 2024}}</ref> Seasonal passenger excursions to and from the town is provided by its subsidiary, the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway {{!}} Train Rides in Jim Thorpe, PA |url=https://www.lgsry.com/ |website=Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway |publisher=Reading & Northern Railroad |access-date=October 28, 2024}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1960= 5945
|1970= 5456
|1980= 5263
|1990= 5048
|2000= 4804
|2010= 4781
|2020= 4507
|footnote=Sources:<ref name="USDecennialCensus">{{cite web|title=Census of Population and Housing|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=11 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref><ref name=CensusPopEst>{{cite web|title=Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|work=Population Estimates|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=11 December 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611010502/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|archive-date=11 June 2013}}</ref><ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:42&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=Oct 12, 2022}}</ref>
}}

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2010, there were 4,781 people, 2,290 households, and 1,468 families residing in the borough. The population density was {{convert|332.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 2,193 housing units at an average density of {{convert|151.6|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the borough was 98.4% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.6% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 1.0% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.3% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 1.0% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.0% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.6% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.8% of the population.

There were 1,967 households, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18, 50.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the borough, the population was spread out, with 21.0% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $35,976, and the median income for a family was $43,710. Males had a median income of $31,141 versus $23,490 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the borough was $17,119. About 7.8% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
The school district is [[Jim Thorpe Area School District]]<!--UNI 12540-->.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st42_pa/schooldistrict_maps/c42025_carbon/DC20SD_C42025.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Carbon County, PA|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-10-14}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st42_pa/schooldistrict_maps/c42025_carbon/DC20SD_C42025_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

==Recreation==
[[File:Jim Thorpe PA St Marks Episcopal.jpg|thumb|St. Mark's Episcopal Church]]
In a poll conducted in 2009 by ''Budget Travel'' magazine, Jim Thorpe was awarded a top 10 spot on America's Coolest Small Towns. The town registered 3,920 votes to land the number 7 spot on the list. In 2012, Jim Thorpe was voted the fourth most beautiful small town in America in the Rand McNally/''USA Today'' Road Rally series. Jim Thorpe is becoming a tourist destination, with many businesses catering to [[Rafting|white water rafting]], [[mountain biking]], [[paintball]] and [[hiking]]. Trails in [[Lehigh Gorge State Park]] attract hikers from all over, with Glen Onoko Falls a top trail destination just north of downtown. Along with these sports, Jim Thorpe is popular among [[railfan|railroading fans]] for its passenger rail service, and is known for its extraordinary architecture.

The town is home to the [[Asa Packer Mansion|Asa Packer]] and [[Harry Packer Mansion|Harry Packer]] mansions. Asa Packer founded [[Lehigh Valley Railroad]] and [[Lehigh University]]; Harry was his son. The mansions sit side by side on a hill overlooking downtown. The Asa Packer Mansion is a museum and has been conducting tours since Memorial Day of 1956. The Harry Packer Mansion is a [[bed and breakfast]]; it served as the model for the [[The Haunted Mansion|Haunted Mansion]] ride at [[Walt Disney World]] in  Florida.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://poconosecrets.com/harry-packer-museum-inspires-walt-disneys-haunted-mansion/|title=Harry Packer Museum Inspires Walt Disney's Haunted Mansion|website=poconosecrets.com|date=7 July 2012 |language=en-US|access-date=2018-11-26}}</ref>

Jim Thorpe is home to the Anthracite Triathlon, an [[Olympic Games|Olympic]]-distance [[triathlon]] open to amateur and professional triathletes. The [[Swimming (sport)|swimming]] portion occurs in [[Mauch Chunk Lake]], Which has kayaking and boating rentals for the public to use as well as a beach. The [[Bicycle|bike]] course takes riders through the mining towns of Summit Hill, [[Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania|Nesquehoning]], [[Lansford, Pennsylvania|Lansford]] and Jim Thorpe. The [[running]] portion of the course is generally along the former alignment of a historic [[Zig zag (railway)|switchback]] [[Rail transport|railroad]].<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.geocities.com/anthracitetriathlon/ |title = Anthracite Triathlon|access-date = 2007-11-27 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080530190437/http://www.geocities.com/anthracitetriathlon/ |archive-date = 2008-05-30}}</ref>

The [[Anita Shapolsky Art Foundation]] was established at 20 West Broadway, in a {{convert|10000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} 1859 former [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]] church, in Jim Thorpe in 1998.<ref name="google.com1">{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m4WP-3ppltgC&q=%22shapolsky+gallery%22+spring&pg=PA131| title=Artists' Estates: Reputations in Trust| author=Magda Salvesen, Diane Cousineau| publisher=Rutgers University Press| year= 2005| isbn=0813536049}}</ref><ref name="artslant.com">{{cite web| url=http://www.artslant.com/ny/venues/show/43578-anita-shapolsky-gallery-and-as-art-foundation| title=Anita Shapolsky Gallery and AS Art Foundation| work=ArtSlant| access-date=2015-03-15| archive-date=2015-09-23| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923190651/http://www.artslant.com/ny/venues/show/43578-anita-shapolsky-gallery-and-as-art-foundation| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://articles.philly.com/1990-08-19/news/25934755_1_maria-feliz-gallery-joseph-m-dunn-art-galleries| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402151213/http://articles.philly.com/1990-08-19/news/25934755_1_maria-feliz-gallery-joseph-m-dunn-art-galleries| url-status=dead| archive-date=April 2, 2015| title=Resourceful – Not 'Resort' – Art Found In Jim Thorpe, Pa.| work=Philadelphia Inquirer |author=Victoria Donohoe |date=August 19, 1990}}</ref> There, through the organization, Anita Shapolsky exhibits [[abstract artist]]s and contemporary artworks during the summer, and provides educational programs for children.<ref name="google.com1"/><ref name="artslant.com"/>

In 2022, an upstart pro lacrosse league, the [[Professional Box Lacrosse Association]] announced a franchise called the Jim Thorpe All Americans would be based there. However, no arena has yet been announced.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pbla.com/news/pbla-announces-jim-thorpe-9th-team/|title=PBLA Announces Jim Thorpe, PA as 9th Team • PBLA|date=October 21, 2022}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160px">
File:Karl Bodmer Travels in America (5).jpg|Painting by [[Karl Bodmer]] (1839)
Image:Jim Thorpe Broadway Buildings 3008px.jpg|Historic buildings on Broadway
Image:Jim Thorpe Lehigh Broadway 2898px.jpg|Lehigh Coal & Navigation Building, designed by architect [[Addison Hutton]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=hhdatapage&fileName=pa/pa1800/pa1884/data/hhdatapage.db&recNum=1&itemLink=D?hh:7:./temp/~ammem_hXHP::|title=HAER|website=loc.gov}}</ref> Intersection of Broadway and Lehigh Avenue
Image:Jim Thorpe Clock Tower 1924px.jpg|[[Clock tower]] at the same intersection
Image:Carbon County Prison Sides 2724px.jpg|Former [[Carbon County Jail]], on Broadway
Image:Lehigh Valley, 1880.jpg|Mauch Chunk depicted in an 1880 engraving
</gallery>

==Notable people==
* [[Edward Fister]], pioneer of radar
* [[Hob Hiller]], Major League Baseball player<ref>{{cite web |title=Hob Hiller Stats |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hilleho02.shtml |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |publisher=[[Sports Reference]] |access-date=23 December 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Denny Mack]], Major League Baseball player & manager<ref>{{cite web |title=Denny Mack Stats |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mackde01.shtml |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |publisher=[[Sports Reference]] |access-date=23 December 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[A. J. Petrucci]], professional wrestler

==See also==
{{Portal|Pennsylvania}}
Other American cities with a personal name and surname as the municipal name:
{{colbegin|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Albert Lea, Minnesota]]
* [[Carol Stream, Illinois]]
* [[Gene Autry, Oklahoma]]
* [[George West, Texas]]
* [[Jean Lafitte, Louisiana]]
* [[Phil Campbell, Alabama]]
* [[Robert Lee, Texas]]
* [[Susan Moore, Alabama]]
* [[Morgan Hill, California]]
* [[Tomball, Texas]]
{{colend}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage|Jim Thorpe}}
* [https://www.jtborough.org/ Borough of Jim Thorpe official website]
* [http://www.jimthorpe.org/ Tourist and Business Information]
* [https://casacayuga.co/visit-jim-thorpe-mini-guide/ Visitor's Guide]
* [http://www.mauchchunkhistory.com/ Mauch Chunk Historical Society]
* [http://www.asapackermansion.com/ Asa Packer Mansion Museum]

{{Carbon County, Pennsylvania}}
{{County Seats of Pennsylvania}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:1818 establishments in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Boroughs in Carbon County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:County seats in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Native American history of Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Pocono Mountains]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1818]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Lehigh River]]