Northampton, Pennsylvania

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Borough of Northampton
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
County Northampton
Area 2.7 sq mi (7 km²)
 - land 2.6 sq mi (6.7 km²)
 - water 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²), 3.7%
Center
 - coordinates 40°41′02″N 75°29′29″W / 40.68389, -75.49139Coordinates: 40°41′02″N 75°29′29″W / 40.68389, -75.49139
 - elevation 328 ft (100 m)
Population 9,405 (2000)
Density 3,619.1 /sq mi (1,397.3 /km²)
Mayor Thomas D. Reenock
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 - summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Area code 610
Location of Northampton in Northampton County
Location of Northampton in Northampton County
Location of Northampton in Pennsylvania
Location of Northampton in Pennsylvania
Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
Location of Pennsylvania in the United States

Northampton is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The borough is located in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania.

Northampton is located 8 miles north of Allentown and 15 miles west of Easton. The population of the borough was 9,405 at the 2000 census.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Northampton is located at 40°41′2″N, 75°29′29″W (40.683896, -75.491353)[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²), of which, 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (3.70%) is water. Northampton's elevation is 370 feet above sea level.

The Lehigh River provides the western border of the borough.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 9,405 people, 3,869 households, and 2,634 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,619.1 people per square mile (1,396.7/km²). There were 4,023 housing units at an average density of 1,548.1/sq mi (597.4/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.21% White, 0.35% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.39% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.74% of the population.

There were 3,869 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the borough the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $40,982, and the median income for a family was $49,482. Males had a median income of $37,033 versus $26,422 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $19,516. About 1.3% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

Northampton was once a global center for the manufacturing of cement. The Atlas Portland Cement Company was based there, until it was closed in 1982, due largely to foreign competition.

Tru Blu brewery, a microbrewery, is based in Northampton.

Northampton was created from the villages of Siegfried, Newport and Stemton, which together were formed into an alliance in 1902. In 1909, Atlas petitioned county courts to change the alliance into a borough, reportedly because the change would make it easier for the company to send and receive mail.

The Atlas Portland Cement Company plant closed in 1982, but borough residents — many of them former Atlas employees or their descendants — still identify strongly with the company and its history.

The Atlas Portland Cement Company supplied most of the cement used in the building of the Panama Canal. The residents of Northampton are very proud of their town's help in building one of the most famous canals in the history of the world.

[edit] Public education

The Borough is served by the Northampton Area School District.

[edit] Sister City

Flag of Austria Stegersbach, Austria

[edit] Museums

  • The Atlas Cement Memorial Museum, based in Northampton.

[edit] References

  1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links