Lehighton, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Borough of Lehighton | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Carbon |
| Area | 1.8 sq mi (4.7 km²) |
| - land | 1.7 sq mi (4.4 km²) |
| - water | 0.04 sq mi (0.1 km²), 2.22% |
| Center | |
| - coordinates | Coordinates: |
| - elevation | 650 ft (198.1 m) [1] |
| Population | 7,537 (2000) |
| Density | 3,230.8 /sq mi (1,247.4 /km²) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Area code | 610 |
 Location of Lehighton in Carbon County
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  Location of Lehighton in Pennsylvania
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 Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
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| Website : http://lehighton.cpals.com | |
Lehighton is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, 86 miles (138 km) north by west of Philadelphia. In the past, it was the site of silk and lace mills, a meat-packing house, shirt factory, automatic-press works, car shops, stoneworks, foundries, etc. In 1900, 4,629 people lived here; in 1910, 5,316 lived here; and in 1940, 6,615 lived here. The population was 5,537 at the 2000 census. Lehighton is the most populous borough in Carbon County and is the business hub of the county as well.
Lehighton is located in northeast Pennsylvania, on the Lehigh River, 26 miles north/northwest of Allentown and 35 miles south of Wilkes-Barre. Lehighton was built on the site of the Moravian Brethren's mission station Gnadenhutten Tents of Grace. This was the site of the first Gnadenhutten Massacre on 24 November 1755, during the French and Indian Wars when missionaries and native converts were slain by native allies of the French.. The town was the boyhood home of artist Franz Kline. For many years the Lehigh Valley Railroad was the town's largest employer, with several thousand residents working in the railroad's repair facilities or operating the railroad. The downtown declined after the Carbon Plaza Mall was built in nearby Mahoning Township, but is experiencing a rebirth after three decades.
One of the largest events every August in Lehighton is the "Bike Night" featuring 28,000 plus motorcycles.
In late September through October the Country Junction store hosts The Great Pocono Pumpkin Festival which features hayrides, haunted woods, and mazes.
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[edit] Geography
Lehighton is located at (40.831932, -75.714701).[2]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.5 km²), of which, 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.71%) is water. Lehighton is located 3 miles south of Jim Thorpe and 8 miles northwest of Palmerton. Lehighton's elevation is 568 feet
Lehighton is primarily very green and hilly, but surrounding the town itself and enveloping its outlying communities is the Appalachian Mountains.
The Appalachian Trail also runs nearby.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 7,537 people, 2,362 households, and 1,506 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,230.8 people per square mile (1,250.2/km²). There were 2,546 housing units at an average density of 1,485.6/sq mi (574.9/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.32% White, 0.34% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.04% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population. The plurality of Lehighton residents are of German descent. There are also substantial populations of Irish, Italian, and Polish heritage. Of the German inhabitants, most can trace their ancestry to Bavaria, Baden-Wurttemberg and the Rhineland-Palatinate.
There were 2,362 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the borough the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $28,566, and the median income for a family was $35,673. Males had a median income of $30,590 versus $22,466 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $14,861. About 10.8% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.9% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Climate
Typically, summer lasts from late May until mid September, and the humidity is only high at the very most 1-2 days at a time. Winter lasts from November through March and varies greatly in length and severity. Average snowfall is 63 inches per year and can occur anytime from mid October to as late as April. Spring and autumn are both short and highly variable and the fall foliage season is only 1-2 weeks long and is at its peak anytime from early to mid October. Winter daytime highs average 27.8 degrees in January and the lows are 13.9 Summer daytime highs average 81.2 degrees in July and the lows are 55.6
[edit] External links
- ^ "Borough of Lehighton". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey (August 2, 1979). Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
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