Northampton County, Pennsylvania

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Northampton County, Pennsylvania
Seal of Northampton County, Pennsylvania
Seal
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Northampton County
Location in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Map of the United States highlighting Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location in the U.S.
Founded March 11, 1752
Named for Northamptonshire
Seat Easton
Largest city Bethlehem
Area
 • Total 377 sq mi (976 km2)
 • Land 370 sq mi (958 km2)
 • Water 7.7 sq mi (20 km2), 2.0%
Population (est.)
 • (2014) 300,654
 • Density 813/sq mi (314/km²)
Congressional districts 15th, 17th
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.northamptoncounty.org

Northampton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 297,735.[1] Its county seat is Easton.[2] The county was formed in 1752 from parts of Bucks County. Its namesake was Northamptonshire and the county seat of Easton is named for the country house Easton Neston.

Northampton County is included in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area. Its northern edge borders The Poconos, and its eastern section borders the Delaware River, which divides Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

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 (980 km2), of which 370 square miles (960 km2) is land and 7.7 square miles (20 km2) (2.0%) is water.[3]

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics

Historical population
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%
Est. 2014 300,654 [4] 1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]
1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7]
1990-2000[8] 2010-2013[1]

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.

As of the census[9] 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.

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. The Row Officers are nominated by the county executive and approved by county council.

Elected Officials

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  • County Executive:
    • John Brown, Republican
  • County Council:
    • Seth Vaughn, Republican
    • Hayden Phillips, Republican
    • Margaret (Peg) Ferraro, Republican
    • Mat Benol, Republican
    • Ken Kraft, Democrat
    • Lamont G. McClure Jr., Democrat
    • Scott Parsons, Democrat
    • Glenn Geissinger, Republican
    • Robert Werner, Democrat
  • 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 (resigned 2014)

Politics

As of January 2010, there are 196,862 registered voters in Northampton County:[10]

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 District Attorney 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 Executives

Northampton County Executives
Name Party Term start Term end
Glenn F. Reibman Democratic 1998 2006
John Stoffa Democratic 2006 2014
John Brown Republican 2014 Incumbent

County Council members

  • Margaret (Peg) Ferraro, President, Republican, (At-Large)
  • Glenn Geissinger, Vice President, Republican, (At-Large)
  • Seth Vaughn, Republican, (At-Large)
  • Hayden Phillips, Republican, (At-Large)
  • Ken Kraft, Democrat, District 1
  • Lamont G. McClure Jr., Democrat, District 3
  • Mat Benol, Republican, (At-Large)
  • Scott Parsons, Democrat, District 4
  • Robert Werner, Democrat, District 2

State Representatives

State Senators

U.S. Representatives

Education

Colleges and universities

Map of Northampton County, Pennsylvania School Districts

Public school districts

Public charter schools

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

Private high schools

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Transportation

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

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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.

Major highways

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.[11] A plan to introduce area code 835 as an additional overlay was rescinded in 2001.[12]

Recreation

There are 2 Pennsylvania state parks in Northampton County.

Communities

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

Boroughs

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Townships

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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.

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Notable people

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Main article: List of people from the Lehigh Valley

See also

Footnotes

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  11. ↑ NANP-Overlay of 610 (Pennsylvania) Numbering Plan Area (NPA) with 484 NPA PDF (359 KB)
  12. ↑ PA 835 Implementation for 484/610 NPA Rescinded – 835 NPA Code Reclaimed PDF (20.8 KB)

Further reading

  • 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

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