Lehigh County, Pennsylvania

Lehigh County
County
Old Lehigh County Courthouse in Allentown, built between 1814 and 1819
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°37′N 75°35′W / 40.61°N 75.59°W / 40.61; -75.59
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	March 6, 1812
Named for	Lehigh River
Seat	Allentown
Largest city	Allentown
Area
• Total	348 sq mi (900 km2)
• Land	345 sq mi (890 km2)
• Water	3.1 sq mi (8 km2)  0.9%
Population  (2020)
• Total	374,557
• Density	1,046/sq mi (404/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	7th
Website	www.lehighcounty.org

Lehigh County (Pennsylvania Dutch: Lechaa Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 374,557.^[1] Its county seat is Allentown, the state's third-largest city after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.^[2]

Along with Northampton County to its east, the two counties combine to form the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, the third-largest metropolitan area of Pennsylvania with a population of 861,889 as of 2020. Lehigh County is one of the fastest-growing counties in Pennsylvania and the more highly populated of the two counties.^[3][4] Both counties are part of the Philadelphia television market, the fourth-largest television market in the nation.

The county is named for the Lehigh River, a 109-mile-long (175 km) tributary of the Delaware River, which flows through Lehigh County. During the Industrial Revolution, the Lehigh River served a vital role in the nation's development by offering one of the first transportation and trading routes for mining products, including anthracite, iron, manganese, limestone, and ultimately manufactured steel products.

Lehigh County falls geographically between two Pennsylvania Appalachian mountain ridges, Blue Mountain to the county's north and South Mountain to its south. Lehigh County borders Montgomery County to its south, Bucks County to its southeast, Northampton County to its east, Carbon County to its north, Schuylkill County to its northwest, and Berks County to its southwest.

The county is located 64 miles (103 km) northwest of Philadelphia and 93 miles (150 km) west of New York City.

Lehigh County was first settled around 1730 and was formed in 1812 when Northampton County was divided into two counties. The county is named after the Lehigh River, a 109-mile-long (175 km) river that runs through the county and whose name is derived from the Lenape Indian term Lechauweki or Lechauwekink, meaning "where there are forks."^[7] Shelter House, constructed in Emmaus in 1734 by Pennsylvania German settlers, is the oldest continuously occupied structure in both Lehigh County and Lehigh Valley and among the oldest still-standing building structures in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.^[5][6]

Some of the first resistance to British colonialism, which led ultimately to the American Revolutionary War, began in present-day Lehigh County. On December 21, 1774, patriots in the area formed one of the colonies' first Committee of Observations. Following the Declaration of Independence, patriot militas pressured Tories out of Allentown and the surrounding area, and the colonial government in the area began to break down.

After Washington and the Continental Army were defeated at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777, the revolutionary capital of Philadelphia was left defenseless and Pennsylvania's Supreme Executive Council ordered that eleven Philadelphia bells, including the Liberty Bell (then known as the State House Bell), be taken down and moved to present day Allentown (then called Northampton Towne) and hidden in the basement of Zion Reformed Church on present day West Hamilton Street to protect them from being melted down by the British Army for use as munitions.

The opening of the Lehigh Canal beginning in 1827 transformed Allentown and Lehigh County from a rural agricultural area dominated by German-speaking people into an urbanized industrialized area and expanded the city's commercial and industrial capacity greatly. With this, Lehigh County underwent significant industrialization, ultimately becoming a major 20th century center for heavy industry and manufacturing and one of several hubs for the Industrial Revolution.

Following the Union Army's defeat at the Battle of Fort Sumter and Lincoln's April 15, 1861, proclamation calling for state militia to provide 75,000 volunteer troops to defend the nation's capital of Washington, D.C., Allentown deployed the Allen Infantry, also known as the Allen Guards and composed of volunteers from Allentown and its surrounding suburbs. The unit mustered in for duty on April 18, 1861. As the Civil War progressed, multiple Union Army units were drawn from Lehigh County, including roughly seventy percent of the 47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment.

On October 19, 1899, a monument in honor of the Lehigh County men killed in their volunteer service to preservation of the Union, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, was erected at Seventh and Hamilton streets in Center City Allentown, where it still stands.^[8]

Lehigh County has a total area of 348 square miles (900 km²), 345 square miles (890 km²) of which is land and 3.1 square miles (8.0 km²) (0.9%) of which is water.^[9]

Lehigh County borders two Appalachian mountain ridges. To the north, the county borders Blue Mountain, which has an altitude of 1,300 to 1,604 feet (396 to 489 m). To the south, it is bordered by South Mountain, which has an altitude of 700 to 1,100 feet (210 to 340 m) and cuts through the southern portions of both Lehigh and Northampton counties. The Lehigh County's highest point is near Germansville at Bake Oven Knob, a mass of Tuscarora conglomeratic rocks that rise about 100 feet (30 m) above the main Blue Mountain ridge in northwestern Heidelberg Township.^[10]

Lehigh County is part of the Delaware River watershed. Most of the county is drained by the Lehigh River and its tributaries, though the Schuylkill River also drains regions in the county's south through Perkiomen Creek and (in the county's northwest) through Maiden Creek.

• Berks County (west)
• Bucks County (southeast)
• Carbon County (north)
• Montgomery County (south)
• Northampton County (northeast)
• Schuylkill County (northwest)

Lehigh County's climate falls in the humid continental climate zone. The variety is hot-summer (Dfa) except in the county's higher elevation areas, where it is warm-summer (Dfb). Summers are typically hot and muggy, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is cold. Precipitation is almost uniformly distributed throughout the year.

In Allentown, January lows average −6 °C (21 °F) and highs average 1.3 °C (34.3 °F). The lowest officially recorded temperature was −26.7 °C (−16.1 °F) in 1912. July lows average 17.6 °C (63.7 °F) and highs average 29.2 °C (84.6 °F) with an average relative humidity of 82%. The highest temperature on record was 40.6 °C (105.1 °F) in 1966. Early fall and mid-winter are generally driest with October being the driest month with only 74.7 mm of average precipitation.^[11]

Snowfall is variable with some winters bringing light snow and others bringing numerous significant snowstorms. Average snowfall is 82.3 centimetres (32.4 in) per year,^[12] with the months of January and February receiving the most now with just over 22.86 centimetres (9.00 in) in each of these months. Rainfall is generally spread throughout the year with eight to twelve wet days per month,^[13] at an average annual rate of 110.54 centimetres (43.52 in).^[14]

The hardiness zone in the majority of the county has increased from 6b to 7a. 6b still exists in some northern and higher areas. [1]

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	18,895		—
1830	22,256		17.8%
1840	25,787		15.9%
1850	32,479		26.0%
1860	43,753		34.7%
1870	56,796		29.8%
1880	65,969		16.2%
1890	76,631		16.2%
1900	93,893		22.5%
1910	118,832		26.6%
1920	148,101		24.6%
1930	172,893		16.7%
1940	177,533		2.7%
1950	198,207		11.6%
1960	227,536		14.8%
1970	255,304		12.2%
1980	272,349		6.7%
1990	291,130		6.9%
2000	312,090		7.2%
2010	349,497		12.0%
2020	374,557		7.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[16] 1790-1960[17] 1900-1990[18] 1990-2000[19] 2010-2019[20]

Lehigh County, Pennsylvania – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000[21]	Pop 2010[22]	Pop 2020[23]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	259,811	250,245	227,994	83.25%	71.60%	60.87%
Black or African American alone (NH)	9,798	17,230	22,950	3.14%	4.93%	6.13%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	317	442	337	0.10%	0.13%	0.09%
Asian alone (NH)	6,488	10,090	13,725	2.08%	2.89%	3.66%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	82	65	91	0.03%	0.02%	0.02%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	331	555	1,779	0.11%	0.16%	0.47%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	3,382	5,255	10,700	1.08%	1.50%	2.86%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	31,881	65,615	96,981	10.22%	18.77%	25.89%
Total	312,090	349,497	374,557	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 374,557.^[1] The county's population growth of 7.2% since 2010 is among the fastest in the state.^[24] The racial makeup of the county, as of the 2020 census, was 60.8% White, 26% Hispanic or Latino, 6.12% Black or African American, 3.66% Asian, 3.33% from other or mixed races, 0.02% Pacific Islander, and 0.1% Native American.^[25]

As of March 4, 2024, there were 243,427 registered voters in Lehigh County:^[26]

• Democratic: 111,646 (45.86%)
• Republican: 84,937 (34.89%)
• No affiliation: 38,901 (15.98)
• Other parties: 7,943 (3.27%)

Lehigh County leans Democratic, but is still politically competitive. Lehigh County and neighboring Northampton County are part of Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional district. The 7th Congressional district is a contentious swing district with neither Republicans nor Democrats winning the district consistently. Voters elected Republican Charlie Dent in 2004, 2006, and 2008 and, previously, Republican Pat Toomey in 1998, 2000, and 2002. In 2004, the county narrowly voted for John Kerry over George W. Bush for President. In 2008, all statewide Democratic candidates won the county with significant leads and, in the presidential election, Barack Obama won the county, 57.1% to 41.5%, over John McCain. In the 2012 presidential election, Obama again carried the county but by a narrower margin, 53.17% to 45.52%.^[27]

United States presidential election results for Lehigh County, Pennsylvania^[28]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	84,418	45.47%	98,498	53.05%	2,739	1.48%
2016	73,690	45.28%	81,324	49.97%	7,719	4.74%
2012	66,874	45.42%	78,283	53.17%	2,067	1.40%
2008	63,382	41.57%	87,089	57.12%	2,002	1.31%
2004	70,160	48.36%	73,940	50.96%	991	0.68%
2000	55,492	47.71%	56,667	48.72%	4,148	3.57%
1996	45,103	42.51%	48,568	45.77%	12,439	11.72%
1992	42,631	37.12%	46,711	40.68%	25,494	22.20%
1988	56,363	56.30%	42,801	42.76%	943	0.94%
1984	61,799	59.69%	41,089	39.69%	649	0.63%
1980	50,782	52.91%	34,827	36.28%	10,376	10.81%
1976	46,895	49.20%	46,620	48.92%	1,793	1.88%
1972	58,023	62.39%	33,325	35.83%	1,654	1.78%
1968	47,255	49.53%	44,033	46.15%	4,120	4.32%
1964	32,245	34.64%	60,377	64.86%	471	0.51%
1960	54,278	57.64%	39,640	42.10%	249	0.26%
1956	50,564	63.30%	29,067	36.39%	251	0.31%
1952	45,143	57.52%	33,033	42.09%	303	0.39%
1948	32,202	53.65%	26,826	44.69%	994	1.66%
1944	31,584	51.75%	29,134	47.73%	315	0.52%
1940	29,584	47.00%	33,007	52.43%	359	0.57%
1936	25,841	41.27%	35,325	56.41%	1,455	2.32%
1932	21,169	46.95%	21,939	48.65%	1,985	4.40%
1928	40,291	74.35%	13,463	24.84%	434	0.80%
1924	20,826	59.02%	10,415	29.52%	4,043	11.46%
1920	18,032	59.49%	10,863	35.84%	1,415	4.67%
1916	10,588	44.67%	11,920	50.29%	1,194	5.04%
1912	2,722	12.20%	10,834	48.56%	8,755	39.24%
1908	11,593	48.80%	11,285	47.50%	879	3.70%
1904	11,826	52.89%	10,138	45.34%	394	1.76%
1900	9,775	47.64%	10,438	50.87%	304	1.48%
1896	9,507	48.90%	9,369	48.19%	567	2.92%
1892	7,089	41.65%	9,699	56.99%	231	1.36%
1888	6,977	43.35%	8,927	55.47%	190	1.18%
1884	6,357	43.72%	8,095	55.67%	88	0.61%
1880	6,144	42.49%	8,292	57.35%	23	0.16%

District	Representative	Party
22	Joshua Siegel	Democratic
131	Milou Mackenzie	Republican
132	Michael H. Schlossberg	Democratic
133	Jeanne McNeill	Democratic
134	Peter Schweyer	Democratic
183	Zach Mako	Republican
187	Ryan Mackenzie	Republican

District	Representative	Party
14	Nick Miller	Democratic
16	Jarrett Coleman	Republican
18	Lisa Boscola	Democratic

• Susan Wild, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district

• Cedar Crest College, Allentown
• DeSales University, Center Valley
• Muhlenberg College, Allentown
• Penn State Lehigh Valley, Center Valley

• Baum School of Art, Allentown
• Lehigh Carbon Community College, Schnecksville (main campus), and Donley Center, Allentown (satellite campus)
• Lincoln Tech, Allentown

School districts include:^[30]

• Allentown School District
  • William Allen High School, Allentown
  • Louis E. Dieruff High School, Allentown
  • Francis D. Raub Middle School, Allentown
  • Harrison-Morton Middle School, Allentown
  • South Mountain Middle School, Allentown
  • Trexler Middle School, Allentown
• Bethlehem Area School District
• Catasauqua Area School District
  • Catasauqua High School, Northampton
  • Catasauqua Middle School, Catasauqua
• East Penn School District
  • Emmaus High School, Emmaus
  • Eyer Middle School, Macungie
  • Lower Macungie Middle School, Macungie
• Northern Lehigh School District
  • Northern Lehigh High School, Slatington
  • Northern Lehigh Middle School, Slatington
• Northwestern Lehigh School District
  • Northwestern Lehigh High School, New Tripoli
  • Northwestern Lehigh Middle School, New Tripoli
• Parkland School District
  • Parkland High School, South Whitehall Township
  • Orefield Middle School, Orefield
  • Springhouse Middle School, Allentown
• Salisbury Township School District
  • Salisbury High School, Salisbury Township
  • Salisbury Middle School, Allentown
• Southern Lehigh School District
  • Southern Lehigh High School, Center Valley
  • Southern Lehigh Middle School, Center Valley
• Whitehall-Coplay School District
  • Whitehall High School, Whitehall Township
  • Whitehall-Coplay Middle School, Whitehall Township

• Lincoln Leadership Academy Charter School, Allentown
• Roberto Clemente Charter School, Allentown
• Seven Generations Charter School, Emmaus

• Allentown Central Catholic High School, Allentown
• Salem Christian School, Macungie

• Lehigh Career and Technical Institute, Schnecksville

Lehigh County's primary commercial airport is Lehigh Valley International Airport (IATA: ABE, ICAO: KABE), located in Hanover Township in the county. The county is also served by Allentown Queen City Municipal Airport, a two-runway general aviation facility located off Lehigh Street in Allentown used predominantly by private aviation.^[31]

Public bus service in Lehigh County is available through LANta. Several private bus lines, including Trans-Bridge Lines, provide bus service from Allentown to New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal, Philadelphia's Greyhound Terminal and 30th Street Station, Atlantic City's Bus Terminal, and other regional locations.

The Morning Call (in Allentown), The Express-Times (in Easton), and The Times News (in Lehighton) each cover Lehigh County.

Lehigh County-area radio stations include WAEB-AM in Allentown (talk and news), B104 in Allentown (contemporary hits), WZZO in Bethlehem (classic rock), WHOL in Allentown (rhythmic contemporary), and others. Some major New York City stations and every major Philadelphia station are received in the county.

Lehigh County is part of the Philadelphia broadcast media market, the nation's fourth-largest media market. Numerous New York City radio and television stations are also carried in the county. Three television stations are based in the county, WBPH-TV Channel 60, WLVT Channel 39 (the Lehigh Valley's PBS affiliate), and WFMZ Channel 69 (an independent television station).

The four major Philadelphia-based network stations serving Lehigh County are KYW-TV (the CBS affiliate), WCAU (the NBC affiliate), WPVI (the ABC affiliate), and WTXF (the Fox affiliate). The four major New York City-based network stations serving Lehigh County are WABC (the ABC affiliate), WCBS-TV (the CBS affiliate), WNBC (the NBC affiliate), and WNYW (the Fox affiliate). The four major Scranton-Wilkes-Barre-based network stations serving Lehigh County are WNEP-TV (the ABC affiliate), WBRE-TV (the NBC affiliate), WYOU (the CBS affiliate), and WOLF-TV (the Fox affiliate).

From 1947 until 1994, Lehigh County was served exclusively by the 215 area code. With the county's growing population, area code 610 was also allocated to the county in 1994. Today, Lehigh County is covered largely by the 610 area code. An overlay area code, 484, was added to the 610 service area in 1999.^[32] A plan to introduce area code 835 as an additional overlay was rescinded in 2001. It has since been reintroduced and will begin use once 610 and 484 extensions are exhausted, possibly as early as September 2022.^[33]

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, one of the largest amusement and water parks on the U.S. East Coast, is located in South Whitehall Township in the county. It is open May through the end of October.

The Great Allentown Fair, one of the nation's largest and longest ongoing city fairs, is held annually at Allentown Fairgrounds on North 17th Street in Allentown the end of August and beginning of September. Mayfair Festival of the Arts, an arts and festival fair, is held annually in May on the campus of Cedar Crest College in Allentown.

Lehigh County is home to multiple golf courses, including Brookside Country Club in Macungie, Lehigh Country Club on Cedar Crest Boulevard in Allentown, Olde Homestead Golf Club in New Tripoli, Saucon Valley Country Club in Upper Saucon Township, Shepherd Hills Golf Club in Wescosville, and Wedgewood Golf Course in Coopersburg.

The county has several museums, including Allentown Art Museum, America on Wheels, Da Vinci Science Center, George Taylor House, Lehigh County Historical Society at Trout Hall, Museum of Indian Culture, The 1803 House, and others.

Lehigh County also has 25 acres (100,000 m²) of public parks, including:

• Lehigh Parkway in Allentown, is a 999 acres (4.04 km²) city-owned park along Little Lehigh Creek.
• Lock Ridge Park in Alburtis, is a 59.2 acres (0.240 km²) county-owned park along Swabia Creek that includes the Lock Ridge Furnace Museum.
• Trexler Nature Preserve in North Whitehall Township, is a 1,108 acres (4.48 km²) county-owned park along Jordan Creek, which includes the Lehigh Valley Zoo.
• Whitehall Parkway in Whitehall Township, is a 110 acres (0.45 km²) township-owned park connected to the 9 miles (14 km) Ironton Rail Trail.

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in only one case, towns. The following cities, boroughs, and townships are located in Lehigh County:

• Allentown (county seat)
• Bethlehem (mostly in Northampton County)

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.

Lehigh County's largest cities, townships, boroughs, and other communities, based on the 2020 census, include:^[35]

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Allentown	City	125,845
2	Bethlehem (mostly in Northampton County)	City	74,982
4	Emmaus	Borough	11,652
5	Ancient Oaks	CDP	6,995
6	Catasauqua	Borough	6,518
7	Wescosville	CDP	6,039
8	Fountain Hill	Borough	4,878
9	Dorneyville	CDP	4,406
10	Slatington	Borough	4,232
11	Breinigsville	CDP	4,138
13	Coplay	Borough	3,192
14	Macungie	Borough	3,074
15	Schnecksville	CDP	2,935
17	Coopersburg	Borough	2,386
18	Alburtis	Borough	2,361
19	Cetronia	CDP	2,115
20	Trexlertown	CDP	1,988
22	Laurys Station	CDP	1,243
24	DeSales University	CDP	953
25	New Tripoli	CDP	898
26	Slatedale	CDP	455

Since its founding in 1812, Lehigh County has been the birthplace or home to several notable Americans, including:

• Chuck Bednarik, former professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles, and 1967 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
• Stephen Vincent Benét, former novelist
• Michaela Conlin, stage and television actress, Bones
• Todd Howard, video game designer, director, and executive producer of Bethesda Softworks
• Lee Iacocca, former president and chief executive officer of Chrysler
• Keith Jarrett, jazz musician
• Michael Johns, healthcare executive and former White House presidential speechwriter
• Billy Kidman, former professional wrestler
• Carson Kressley, Emmy-winning fashion designer, Bravo's Queer Eye
• Rose Lambert, former American missionary who witnessed the 1909 Adana massacre of Armenians
• Varvara Lepchenko, professional tennis player
• Lil Peep, former American emo rapper, singer, and songwriter
• Matt Millen, former professional football player, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington Redskins, and former president and general manager, Detroit Lions
• Andre Reed, former professional football player, Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins, and 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
• John O. Sheatz, former Pennsylvania state representative, state senator, and state treasurer from 1908 to 1911
• Amanda Seyfried, actress, Veronica Mars, Big Love, Mamma Mia!, and Les Misérables
• Curt Simmons, former professional baseball player, California Angels, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals
• Eric Steckel, blues singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer
• Dana Snyder, film and television actor, Aqua Teen Hunger Force
• Christine Taylor, actress and wife of actor Ben Stiller
• Lauren Weisberger, author, The Devil Wears Prada

• Lehigh County website
• Lehigh County news at Lehigh Valley Live
• "Famous People from the Lehigh Valley," The Morning Call, August 18, 2006

40°37′N 75°35′W / 40.61°N 75.59°W / 40.61; -75.59