Northampton_County,_Pennsylvania

Northampton County, Pennsylvania

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.

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.

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.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (part)
Middle Delaware National Scenic River (part)

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

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

Demographics

As of the census 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.

Politics

As of November 2007, there are 190,429 registered voters in Northampton County

Democratic: 88,630 (46.54%)
Republican: 69,652 (36.58%)
Other Parties: 32,147 (16.88%)

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.
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.
Samuel Henry Kress, founder of S. H. Kress & Co. and noted art collector.
Kristen Maloney, gymnast and former Olympian.
Aldo Ray, actor.
Daniel Roebuck, actor.
Brian Schneider, professional baseball player, New York Mets.
Tighe Scott, NASCAR and modified driver.

Municipalities

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, Unincorporated communities in Pennsylvania, and two towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Northampton County:

Cities

Boroughs

Townships

Hanover Township

Lehigh Township

Lower Mount Bethel Township

Lower Nazareth Township

Lower Saucon Township

Moore Township

Palmer Township

Plainfield Township

Upper Mount Bethel Township

Upper Nazareth Township

Washington Township

Williams Township

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.