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Common name: Lehigh Valley |
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| Largest city | Allentown |
| Other cities | - Bethlehem - Easton - Phillipsburg |
| Population | Ranked 64th in the U.S. |
| - Total | 821,623 (2010 Census)[1] |
| - Density | 1,105/sq. mi. 1,778/km² |
| Area | 42 radius miles sq. mi. 1,176 km² |
| State(s) | - Pennsylvania - New Jersey |
| Elevation | |
| - Highest point | 2180+[2] feet (664+[2] m) |
| - Lowest point | 211 feet (64 m) |
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and Warren county on the western edge of New Jersey, in the United States.[3]
The Lehigh Valley is the fastest growing and third most populous region in the state of Pennsylvania with a population of 821,623 residents as of the 2010 U.S. Census.[4] It is eclipsed in total population only by the metropolitan areas of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.[5] It is the 64th most populated metropolitan area in the entire United States. The region is named for the Lehigh River, which runs through it, and it is part of the Great Appalachian Valley.
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The Lehigh Valley's principal cities are Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, comprising the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metropolitan area. The traditional bounds of the region are The Poconos to the north, the Delaware River to the east, the boundaries of Berks County and Montgomery County to the southwest, and the boundary with Bucks County to the south. More recently, however, the area around Phillipsburg, New Jersey west of Pohatcong Mountain, parts of upper Bucks County around Quakertown, and portions of northeastern Berks County and southwestern Carbon County in Pennsylvania are considered outer parts of the Valley.
The Lehigh Valley is located approximately 50 miles (96 km) north of Philadelphia, the country's fifth largest city, 80 miles (129 km) east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's capital, and 70 miles (144 km) west of New York City, the country's largest city. The area is home to more than 820,000 people as of the 2010 U.S. Census. Recent census studies show it to be the fastest growing region in Pennsylvania, due in part to its growing popularity as a bedroom community for the highly-populated neighboring regions of Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York City as well as its favorable business climate and much lower cost of living in comparison to surrounding areas.[6]
The Lehigh Valley is geologically and geographically part of the Great Appalachian Valley, a region largely made up of limestone that stretches along the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains. The Lehigh Valley is so named because it is composed of an actual valley that lies between two mountain ranges, Blue Mountain to the north and South Mountain to the south. Lehigh Valley also is considered part of the historic Pennsylvania Dutch Country.
The Lehigh Valley has four distinct seasons, which typically include humid summers, cold winters, and very short and mild springs and falls.
| Climate data for Lehigh Valley | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 72 (22) |
76 (24) |
87 (31) |
94 (34) |
97 (36) |
100 (38) |
105 (41) |
105 (41) |
99 (37) |
93 (34) |
81 (27) |
72 (22) |
105 (41) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 35 (2) |
39 (4) |
49 (9) |
60 (16) |
71 (22) |
79 (26) |
84 (29) |
82 (28) |
74 (23) |
63 (17) |
51 (11) |
40 (4) |
60.6 (15.9) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 19 (−7) |
21 (−6) |
29 (−2) |
38 (3) |
48 (9) |
58 (14) |
63 (17) |
61 (16) |
53 (12) |
41 (5) |
33 (1) |
24 (−4) |
40.7 (4.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −16 (−27) |
−12 (−24) |
−5 (−21) |
12 (−11) |
29 (−2) |
39 (4) |
38 (3) |
41 (5) |
31 (−1) |
19 (−7) |
3 (−16) |
−9 (−23) |
−16 (−27) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 3.50 (88.9) |
2.75 (69.9) |
3.56 (90.4) |
3.49 (88.6) |
4.47 (113.5) |
3.99 (101.3) |
4.27 (108.5) |
4.35 (110.5) |
4.37 (111) |
3.33 (84.6) |
3.70 (94) |
3.39 (86.1) |
45.17 (1,147.3) |
| Source: The Weather Channel[7] | |||||||||||||
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1980 | 551,022 |
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| 1990 | 595,081 | 8.0% | |
| 2000 | 740,395 | 24.4% | |
| 2010 | 821,623 | 11.0% | |
As of the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, the Lehigh Valley had a population of 808,210.[8] 87.1% of the population were White American, 4.6% were Black or African American, 0.1% were American Indian, 2.3% were Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Americans made up 0.1%, 4.3% were of some other race, and 1.5% belonged to two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race made up 11.3% of the population.
The most common industries for residents in are area include educational services, construction and health care as of 2009.[9]
The Lehigh Valley is known historically for its production of steel, Portland cement and apparel. It had served as a major U.S. center of industrial manufacturing since the 1800s but this role has diminished significantly in the 21st century as companies have moved to off-shore locations for these activities.
Once a formidable industrial and manufacturing powerhouse serving the entire United States, the nationwide decline of this industry has led the Lehigh Valley to shift its economic focus more towards financial services, health care, life sciences and technology as well as becoming a distribution hub for some of the largest U.S. markets due to its comparatively low cost of living and proximity to some of the nation's largest metropolitan areas.[10]
The Lehigh Valley was much less impacted by the post-2006 housing bubble crash compared to surrounding areas and the U.S. as a whole in that, while sales have been sluggish at times, real estate values have not been significantly eroded and have even seen gradual increases since 2009.[11]
After the demise of Bethlehem Steel, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network (in Allentown), one of Pennsylvania's largest hospital systems, replaced it as the Lehigh Valley's largest employer. As of 2008, the Lehigh Valley's top ten employers are: 1.) Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network, 2.) St. Luke's Hospital and Health Network, 3.) Air Products & Chemicals, 4.) PPL Corporation, 5.) Giant-Carlisle, 6.) Sodexo, 7.) B. Braun Medical, 8.) Wegmans Food Markets, 9.) Lehigh University and 10.) Mack Trucks.[12]
The Lehigh Valley is centrally located in the Northeast Megalopolis with ease of access and close proximity to several of the largest markets, population centers, airports, terminals, railways and seaports in the United States including both the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. The Lehigh Valley is also situated within a one day drive to more than one third of the total population of both the United States and Canada.[13]
The Lehigh Valley has a much lower cost of living, more affordable real estate, lower taxes and a more affordable labor pool than most other Northeastern US regions.[14] These attributes and others, such as sizable investments in business development and a friendlier regulatory environment, provide the area with an attractive business climate in comparison to surrounding states and areas.[15][16][17]
Due in large part to the aforementioned comparably favorable business climate, the Lehigh Valley has experienced some success in luring large, established businesses as well as new startup companies from nearby states such as New York and New Jersey, bringing with them upwards of thousands of new jobs to the area.[18][19] Large companies such as Amazon.com have praised the region for its commitment to business investments and incentives, citing them as a major reason for continuing expansions and increased hiring in the Lehigh Valley.[20][21]
Large national and international companies based in the Lehigh Valley include LSI Corporation (in Allentown), Avantor Performance Materials (Center Valley), Air Products & Chemicals (in Trexlertown), Bethlehem Steel (which ceased operations in 2003, in Bethlehem), Crayola LLC (in Easton), Buckeye Partners (in Emmaus), Heidelberg Cement (in Fogelsville), Just Born (in Bethlehem), Lutron Electronics (in Coopersburg), Mack Trucks (in Allentown), Olympus Corporation USA (in Center Valley), PPL Corporation (in Allentown), Rodale Press (in Emmaus), Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, Synchronoss Technologies (Bethlehem) and many others.
The Lehigh Valley is also one of the largest areas on the east coast for the location of warehouses and distribution centers. Companies that own and operate warehouses and distribution centers in the Lehigh Valley include Amazon.com, B. Braun, Boston Beer Company (brewer of Samuel Adams brand beer), BMW, FedEx SmartPost, Firestone, Home Depot, J. C. Penney, Nestle Purina, ShopRite, The Coca-Cola Company, True Value, Uline and many others. Most of these distribution centers are located along the U.S. Route 22, Interstate 78 and Interstate 476 corridors.
Due to Pennsylvania's lack of an excise tax on cigars, the Lehigh Valley is also home to some of the United States' largest cigar distributors and retailers.[22]
The Lehigh Valley boasts one of the largest solar panel installations in Pennsylvania and is a leading producer of solar and other renewable energy in the region. Pennsylvania is ranked fourth in the nation in the production of renewable, notably solar, energy.[23] As an example, Air Products & Chemicals, in Trexlertown, installed and maintains a 15-acre solar farm which generates more than half the required electricity for their corporate headquarters, saving an estimated $250,000 per year in utility costs. The comparatively large solar industry in the Lehigh Valley is due mostly to a combination of federal, state and local incentive programs which make using renewable energy sources more lucrative and cost effective than in years past.[24]
The Lehigh Valley is home to many retail establishments. The largest retail area of the Lehigh Valley is the Pennsylvania Route 145/MacArthur Road Corridor, just north of Allentown. It is anchored by the Lehigh Valley Mall and the Whitehall Mall.
Other malls in the region include Palmer Park Mall (in Easton), Phillipsburg Mall (in Phillipsburg, New Jersey), South Mall (in Salisbury Township), and the Westgate Mall (in Bethlehem). In October 2006, a new Valley-based shopping mall, The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley, was opened. Located off Route 309 in Upper Saucon Township, The Promenade is roughly half the size of the Lehigh Valley Mall, but features more upscale stores. In 2011, The Shoppes at Sands opened at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, becoming the first outlet mall in the Lehigh Valley.[25]
Yocco's Hot Dogs, the regionally-famous fast food establishment known for their hot dogs and cheesesteaks, maintains six locations, all of which are based in the Lehigh Valley. Its original restaurant, founded in 1922, is still located at its original center city Allentown location, on West Liberty Street. Five additional Yocco's locations can be found in the Lehigh Valley (in west-side Allentown, east-side Allentown, Emmaus, Fogelsville, and Wescosville).
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The Lehigh Valley receives television service from Philadelphia, New York City and Scranton/Wilkes Barre. Lehigh Valley-based stations include WBPH-TV, an affiliate of FamilyNet, a Christian network licensed to Bethlehem but based in Allentown; WFMZ-TV, an independent commercial television station based in Allentown; and WLVT-TV, a PBS station licensed to Allentown but based in Bethlehem.
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The Lehigh Valley is home to over fifteen radio stations, spanning multiple formats, including news, talk, and sports, CHR/pop music, country music, National Public Radio, sports radio, oldies, polka, hot adult contemporary, soft rock, classic rock, hard rock, and a variety of college radio stations.
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Lehigh Valley-based daily newspapers include the Allentown The Morning Call and the Easton The Express-Times, both with rich traditions dating back to the mid-1800s. The Lehigh Valley also features Pulse Weekly (a weekly regional arts and entertainment publication), Lehigh Valley Magazine (the region's oldest lifestyle publication), Lehigh Valley Exposed (an alternative news and entertainment weekly), and four Spanish language newspapers, Al Dia, El Hispano, El Torero, and La Cronica. Lehigh Valley community publications include The Blue Mountain Town & Country Gazette in the northern part of the Valley.
The Lehigh Valley is a center of post-secondary education, with seven four-year colleges and universities. These include:
The Lehigh Valley is also home to three two-year colleges:
As the third most populous metropolitan region in Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Valley is served by numerous school districts, public and private high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools.
Lehigh Valley-based high schools include:
The largest Lehigh Valley high schools (12 in all) compete athletically in the Lehigh Valley Conference. Smaller Lehigh Valley high schools compete in the Colonial League. In addition to its exceptional high school athletic teams, the Lehigh Valley is known nationally for their excellent math team, the Lehigh Valley Fire. The team has won the ARML competition in 2005 and every year since 2009. They also placed highly in previous years.[26]
| Club | League | Sport | Venue | Established | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lehigh Valley Storm | BNEFF | Football | J. Birney Crum Stadium | 2010 | 0 |
| Lehigh Valley IronPigs | IL | Baseball | Coca-Cola Park | 2008 | 0 |
| Lehigh Valley Steelhawks | IFL | Indoor football | Stabler Arena | 2011 | 0 |
| FC Sonic Lehigh Valley | NPSL | Soccer | Lehigh University's Ulrich Sports Complex | 2009 | 0 |
| Northampton Laurels FC | WPSL | Soccer | J. Birney Crum Stadium | 2005 | 0 |
| Pennsylvania Stoners | NPSL | Soccer | J. Birney Crum Stadium | 1979 | 1 (1980) |
| Lehigh Valley Cricket Club | PCL | Cricket | Lehigh Valley Velodrome | 1995 | 0 |
The Lehigh Valley is the home of pre-season training camp for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, which is held each summer on the practice fields of Lehigh University in Bethlehem. The camp, which attracted in excess of 20,000 fans daily in July 2007, draws some of the largest crowds of any NFL team's pre-season camp.
The Lehigh Valley Storm, a semi-professional football team, is also based in Bethlehem. The Lehigh Valley will also soon be home to the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks, an Indoor Football League team, who will begin playing their home games at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem in 2011.
In early 2008, Coca-Cola Park, an 8,100-seat Minor League baseball stadium, opened in east-side Allentown.[27] The stadium hosts the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Philadelphia Phillies' AAA-level International League franchise. The team previously played as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons (1989–2006) and Ottawa Lynx (2007).[28] The club's move to the Lehigh Valley brought the franchise closer to Philadelphia and the Phillies' large eastern Pennsylvania fan base. The team’s name is a reference to pig iron, a key ingredient in the steel-making process for which the Lehigh Valley area is known worldwide.
Groundbreaking ceremonies for Coca-Cola Park were held September 6, 2006, and construction was completed in December 2007. The stadium hosted its first game on March 30, 2008, when the Phillies major league team faced the IronPigs.
Lehigh University's Stabler Arena, an indoor arena, is in Bethlehem, in the Lehigh Valley. Stabler hosts regular sporting and concert events. The arena is also home to Lehigh University men's and women's college basketball teams.
The Lehigh Valley is also home to a strong collegiate football rivalry, between two local colleges: Easton's Lafayette College and Bethlehem's Lehigh University. The two teams have played each other 147 times since 1884, making it the longest uninterrupted rivalry in college football.[29]
The 12 largest high schools in the Lehigh Valley compete athletically in the Lehigh Valley Conference. The conference has produced numerous professional and Olympic-level athletes, and its football, basketball and wrestling teams are often ranked among the best in the nation. In USA Today's annual ranking of the nation's top high school sports teams, Liberty High School was ranked second in the Eastern United States in football in 2008 and 20th among all high schools nationally. Parkland High School was ranked fifth in the East in football in 2002 and 11th among all high schools nationally. And Allentown Central Catholic High School was ranked seventh in girls' basketball in the East in both 2001–02 and 2002–03.[30]
Currently, seven former athletes from Lehigh Valley Conference schools are on active professional athletic rosters, including four in the National Football League (Dan Koppen, New England Patriots center from Whitehall High School; Tim Massaquoi, Buffalo Bills tight end from Parkland High School; Jim Molinaro, Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle from Bethlehem Catholic High School; and Tony Stewart, Oakland Raiders tight end from Allentown Central Catholic High School); one in the National Basketball Association (Aaron Gray, Chicago Bulls center from Emmaus High School); and one in Major League Baseball (Brian Schneider, Philadelphia Phillies catcher from Northampton Area High School).
An additional 14 Lehigh Valley high schools too small to compete in the Lehigh Valley Conference compete in the Colonial League.
Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center, which has been the training ground for numerous Olympians and U.S. national gymnastics champions, is based in Allentown. In 2003, CNN aired a documentary on Parkettes, Achieving the Perfect 10, which depicted it as a hugely demanding and competitive training program.
The Lehigh Valley hosts the Lehigh Valley 15K Road Race annually each September. It is one of the premiere eastern Pennsylvania running events. Via of the Lehigh Valley, Inc., sponsors the Lehigh Valley Hospital Marathon, also held in September. The event features a certified marathon, five-person team relay, 20-mile (32 km) training run and 5K walk. The 42.195-kilometre (26.219 mi) course follows the Lehigh River Canal Towpath from Allentown to Easton.
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The Allentown Art Museum, based in center city Allentown, is the Lehigh Valley's largest museum. The museum's collection includes more than 11,000 works of art. Lehigh University's Zoellner Arts Center and Lafayette College's smaller Williams Center for the Arts host a wide variety of plays, concerts and performances throughout the year.
The Lehigh Valley is the subject of four rock music songs, one folk music song and one ska reggae album:
Several music videos have been filmed in the Lehigh Valley, including:
In addition, the heavy metal group Nazareth is named for Nazareth, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley.
In recurring Sarah Strohmeyer novels, the fictional character Bubbles Yablonsky, resides in the Lehigh Valley.
The Lehigh Valley is home to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, a popular amusement and water park. Located in South Whitehall Township, Dorney Park is known nationally for its elaborate roller coasters and water rides.
The region's ski resorts are Bear Creek Ski and Recreation Area and Blue Mountain Ski Area. Bear Creek is a 21 slope resort located outside of Macungie, Pennsylvania. Blue Mountain is located near Danielsville, Pennsylvania. The Poconos, which feature some of the East Coast's best-known ski resorts, is approximately 30 miles (48 km) north of the Lehigh Valley. Several large lakes used for boating and fishing also are located there. The Pocono 500, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, is run each June at Pocono Raceway in the Poconos.
New Jersey shore beaches are approximately 70 miles (110 km) to 140 miles (230 km) to the east and southeast of the Lehigh Valley.
Dutch Springs, the nation's largest SCUBA amusement park, is in Bethlehem and Lower Nazareth Township. Over 40,000 divers annually utilize the facilities, which have sunken "treasures" to enhance the underwater experience. In addition to scuba diving, kayaking and paddle boats are available. The facility has a water park, camping grounds, and picnic areas.
In 2009, Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, an $879 million casino, hotel and apartment complex owned by the Las Vegas Sands opened in Bethlehem, bringing legalized gambling to the Lehigh Valley for the first time. It is one of only 13 authorized gaming sites in Pennsylvania.
Four large festivals are held each year in the Lehigh Valley. Musikfest, a large, 10-day music festival, is held in Bethlehem each August. Mayfair, an arts and crafts festival, is held in Allentown's Cedar Beach Park each May. In September, one of the largest celtic heritage festivals in America, The Celtic Classic, is held in Bethlehem. The Great Allentown Fair has been held on the grounds of the Allentown Fairgrounds in Allentown annually in late August through early September for more than 150 years.
Ice skating (including ice hockey, figure skating and speed skating) is popular in the Lehigh Valley and the region has three facilities. The Steel Ice Center is the premier ice skating facility, in Bethlehem on East 1st Street, not far from the Sands Casino. The Rink, formerly Lehigh Valley Ice Arena, is in Whitehall (north of Allentown) just off MacArthur Road (Route 145) on 7th Street. Each facility has two ice surfaces and public skate times are available at both facilities. The City of Bethlehem also opens a covered outdoor rink (one ice surface) annually from November through March.
The Lehigh Valley is served by air transportation through Lehigh Valley International Airport (IATA: ABE, ICAO: KABE), in the Lehigh Valley's Hanover Township, three miles (5 km) northeast of Allentown.
The Valley is also served by Allentown Queen City Municipal Airport, a two-runway general aviation facility located off Allentown's Lehigh Street. Queen City is used predominantly by private aviation. The airport was awarded General Aviation Airport of the year by the Eastern Region of the Federal Aviation Administration in 2006.[32]
Public bus service in Lehigh Valley is available through the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority, known as LANTA. In New Jersey, bus service is provided by New Jersey Transit.
Several private bus lines, including Bieber Tourways, Susquehanna Trailways and Trans-Bridge Lines, provide bus service from various Valley locations to New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal, Philadelphia's Greyhound Terminal, Atlantic City's Bus Terminal, and other regional locations.
Passenger service to the region ceased in 1981, when several rail operators opted to curtail long-distance services. From the south, SEPTA Regional Rail limited their services to their electrified-only territory, with trains going only as far north as Lansdale and Doylestown, Pennsylvania. (In the early and mid twentieth century golden age of passenger rail, the Reading Railroad provided rail service south and west of the area.[33][34]) To the east, the Central Railroad of New Jersey ceased passenger operations into the area, from Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1967 in conjunction with the Aldene Connection. In 1974, passenger service was restored to Phillipsburg under state (New Jersey) subsidy. That service was terminated in 1984. Current operator New Jersey Transit has looked at restoring rail service to Phillipsburg, New Jersey; there are no official plans to extend service over the border into Pennsylvania at present. Currently, freight operator Norfolk Southern Railway heavily serves the region, with a major classification yard in Allentown.
In November 2008, the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC), along with both Lehigh and Northampton Counties, commissioned a study to explore the merits of expanding the New Jersey Transit line to the Lehigh Valley, which would potentially include stops in Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton.[35] The Lehigh Valley is currently the largest metro area by population on the East Coast of the United States without passenger rail service of any kind.[36][37]
The Lehigh Valley has four major highways: Interstate 78, a major east-west highway, runs through the southern part of the Valley, duplexed with Pennsylvania Route 309. I-78 runs from Harrisburg in the west to the Holland Tunnel and New York City in the east.
U.S. Route 22 is a major freeway that runs through the Valley from Kuhnsville in the western part of the Valley to Easton in the eastern part of the Valley. U.S. Route 22 starts in Cincinnati, Ohio in the west, running through the Valley to Newark, New Jersey in the east. A third highway, Pennsylvania Route 33, runs north-south through the Lehigh Valley, from the Poconos in the north to Northampton County in the south.
The fourth major highway in the Valley is Interstate 476, the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It stretches 131 miles (211 km) from Chester in the south to the Scranton-Wilkes Barre area in the north.
Other major roads in the Valley include MacArthur Road (PA 145), a divided local road that leads to the Lehigh Valley Mall and its surrounding commercial district. Cedar Crest Boulevard, a north-south highway, runs from North Whitehall Township in the north through west-side Allentown to Emmaus in the south. Lehigh Street runs from northeast to southwest, originating in downtown Allentown and ending in Emmaus. Tilghman Street runs from Fogelsville in the west to continue as Union Boulevard into Bethlehem in the east. Tilghman Street runs through most of Allentown and also intersects with Cedar Crest Boulevard, Pennsylvania Route 100, Pennsylvania Route 309 and several other major Lehigh Valley highways.
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The Lehigh Valley area 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 region's growing population, however, Lehigh Valley areas were afforded area code 610 in 1994. Today, the Lehigh Valley is covered by 610. An overlay area code, 484, was added to the 610 service area in 1999.[38] A plan to introduce area code 835 as an additional overlay was rescinded in 2001.[39]
The Lehigh Valley AVA was designated an official American Viticultural Area in March, 2008. The wine region includes 230 acres (93 ha) of vineyards, planted to several Vitis vinifera and French-American hybrid grape varieties. Fifteen to twenty percent of the wine produced commercially in Pennsylvania is made from grapes grown in the Lehigh Valley AVA.[40]
The Lehigh Valley is the birthplace or home to a number of famous Americans, including:
| Geographic Area | July 1, 2005 | Census 2000 | 1990 Census | 1980 Census | 1970 Census |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ MSA | 790,535 | 740,395 | 686,688 | 635,481 | 594,382 |
| Carbon County, Pennsylvania | 61,959 | 58,802 | 56,846 | 53,285 | 50,573 |
| Lehigh County, Pennsylvania | 330,433 | 312,090 | 291,130 | 272,349 | 255,304 |
| Northampton County, Pennsylvania | 287,767 | 267,066 | 247,105 | 225,418 | 214,368 |
| Warren County, New Jersey | 110,376 | 102,437 | 91,607 | 84,429 | 73,960 |
| Allentown, Pennsylvania | 105,231 | 106,632 | 105,301 | 103,758 | 109,871 |
| Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | 68,114 | 71,329 | 71,428 | ||
| Easton, Pennsylvania | 26,263 | 26,276 | 26,234 |
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