Northampton County, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Northampton County, Pennsylvania | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of Pennsylvania |
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 Pennsylvania's location in the USA |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | March 11, 1752 |
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| Seat | Easton |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
977 km² (377 mi²) 2,164 km² (836 mi²) 9 km² (4 mi²), 0.94% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
267,066 276/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. As of 2000, the population was 267,066. Its county seat is Easton6.
Northampton County is located in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, while the northern edge borders on the Poconos. The eastern section of the county directly borders Warren County, New Jersey.
The county is one of the most industrially-oriented regions in the nation, 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 2003 closing.
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[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 977 km² (377 mi²). 968 km² (374 mi²) of it is land and 9 km² (4 mi²) of it (0.94%) is water.
[edit] Adjacent Counties
- Monroe County (north)
- Warren County, New Jersey (east)
- Bucks County (south)
- Lehigh County (west)
- Carbon County (northwest)
[edit] 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
- County Council:
- J. Michael Dowd
- Michael F. Corriere
- Ron Angle
- Mary Ensslin
- John Cusick
- Wayne Grube
- Ann McHale
- Charles Dertinger
- Diane Neiper
- County Controller:
- John Schimmel
- District Attorney
- John Morganelli
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 267,066 people, 101,541 households, and 71,078 families residing in the county. The population density was 276/km² (714/mi²). There were 106,710 housing units at an average density of 110/km² (286/mi²). 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.
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.
[edit] Politics
As of November 2006, there are 187,441 registered voters in Northampton County [2].
- Major Parties
- Democratic: 87,079 (46.46%)
- Republican: 69,351 (37.00%)
- Third Parties
- Constitution: 191 (0.10%)
- Green: 495 (0.26%)
- Libertarian: 1,087 (0.58%)
- Other: 29,238 (15.60%)
[edit] Famous people from Northampton County
- Mario Andretti, former professional race car driver.
- Marco Andretti, professional race car driver.
- Michael Andretti, professional racing team owner, former professional race car driver.
- Devon, adult film actress.
- Jonathan Frakes, director and actor, Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- Larry Holmes, boxing's former heavyweight champion of the world.
- Dwayne Johnson ("The Rock"), professional wrestler and actor.
- Steve Kimock, rock musician.
- Christine Taylor, actress, "Hey Dude", "A Very Brady Movie", "Zoolander" , "Dodgeball"
[edit] Municipalities
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:
[edit] Cities
[edit] Boroughs
[edit] Townships
[edit] 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.
[edit] Education
[edit] Colleges & Universities
- Lafayette College, Easton.
- Lehigh University, Bethlehem.
- Moravian College, Bethlehem.
- Northampton County Community College (NCCC)
[edit] Public school districts & schools
- Bangor Area School District
- Bangor High School, Bangor
- Bethlehem Area School District
- Freedom High School, Bethlehem
- Liberty High School, Bethlehem
- Catasaqua Area School District
- Catasauqua High School, Northampton
- Easton Area School District
- Easton High School, Easton
- Nazareth Area School District
- Nazareth Area High School, Nazareth
- Northampton Area School District
- Northampton Area High School, Northampton
- Northern Lehigh School District
- Pen Argyl Area School District
- Pen Argyl High School, Pen Argyl
- Saucon Valley School District
- Saucon Valley Senior High School, Hellertown
- Wilson Area School District
- Wilson Area High School, Easton
[edit] Non-public high schools
- Bethlehem Catholic High School, Bethlehem
- Moravian Academy, Bethlehem
- Notre Dame High School, Easton
- Pius X Junior/Senior High School, Roseto
- Holy Family School, Nazareth
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Air transportation
Air transport to and from Northampton County is available through Lehigh Valley International Airport (IATA: ABE, ICAO: KABE).
[edit] Bus transportation
Public bus service in Northampton County is available through the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority, known as LANTA.
[edit] 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
[edit] External links
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Northampton County, Pennsylvania County Seat: Easton |
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| Cities | |
| 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 | Bethlehem | Bushkill | East Allen | Forks | Hanover | Lehigh | Lower Mount Bethel | Lower Nazareth | Lower Saucon | Moore | Palmer | Plainfield | Upper Mount Bethel | Upper Nazareth | Washington | Williams |
| Communities and CDPs |
Belfast | Eastlawn Gardens | Middletown | Old Orchard | Palmer Heights |
