Northampton County, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Northampton County, Pennsylvania | |
Map | |
Location in the state of Pennsylvania |
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Pennsylvania's location in the U.S. |
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Statistics | |
Founded | March 11, 1752 |
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Seat | Easton |
Largest city | Bethlehem (partial) |
Area - Total - Land - Water |
377 sq mi (976 km²) 836 sq mi (2,165 km²) 4 sq mi (10 km²), 0.94% |
Population - (2000) - Density |
267,066 715/sq mi (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 Easton[1].
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 the Delaware River.
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.
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 377 square miles (977 km²), of which, 374 square miles (968 km²) of it is land and 4 square miles (9 km²) 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] National protected areas
[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
- John Cusick
- Wayne Grube
- Ann McHale
- Charles Dertinger
- Diane Neiper
- County Controller:
- John Schimmel
- District Attorney
- John Morganelli
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[2] 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.
[edit] Politics
As of November 2007, there are 190,429 registered voters in Northampton County [2].
- Democratic: 88,630 (46.54%)
- Republican: 69,652 (36.58%)
- Other Parties: 32,147 (16.88%)
[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.
- Larry Holmes, boxing's former heavyweight champion of the world.
- Dwayne Johnson ("The Rock"), professional wrestler, actor.
- Daniel Dae Kim, actor.
- Steve Kimock, rock musician.
- Brian Schneider, professional baseball player, New York Mets.
- Christine Taylor, actress, wife of actor Ben Stiller.
- Daniel Roebuck, actor.
[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
- Bethlehem Area School District
- Catasauqua Area School District
- Catasauqua High School, Northampton
- Easton Area School District
- Nazareth Area School District
- Northampton Area School District
- Northern Lehigh School District
- Pen Argyl Area School District
- Saucon Valley School District
- Wilson Area School District
[edit] Public Charter High Schools
The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts, Bethlehem
[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] Expressways
U.S. Route 22 (Lehigh Valley Thruway)
[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] References
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Northampton County Official Web Site.
- "Living in the Greater Lehigh Valley," by The Allentown Morning Call.
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