Along withNorthampton County to its east, the two counties combine to form theLehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, thethird-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.[4][5] Both counties are part of the Philadelphia television market, thefifth-largest television market in the nation.
The county is named for theLehigh River, a 109-mile-long (175 km) tributary of theDelaware River, which flows through Lehigh County. During theIndustrial Revolution, the Lehigh River served a vital role in the nation's development by offering one of the first transportation and trading routes formining products, includinganthracite,iron,manganese,limestone, and ultimately manufacturedsteel products.
Lehigh County was first settled around 1730 and was formed in 1812 whenNorthampton County was divided into two counties. The county is named after theLehigh River, a 109-mile-long (175 km) river that runs through the county and whose name is derived from theLenape Indian term Lechauweki or Lechauwekink, meaning "where there are forks."[8]Shelter House, constructed inEmmaus in 1734 byPennsylvania German settlers, is the oldest continuously occupied structure in both Lehigh County andLehigh Valley and among the oldest still-standing building structures in the U.S. state ofPennsylvania.[6][7]
The opening of theLehigh Canal beginning in 1827 transformedAllentown and Lehigh County from a rural agricultural area dominated byGerman-speaking people into an urbanized industrialized area and expanded the city's commercial and industrial capacity greatly. With this, Lehigh County underwent significantindustrialization, ultimately becoming a major 20th century center for heavy industry and manufacturing and one of several hubs for theIndustrial Revolution.
Following theUnion army's defeat at theBattle of Fort Sumter andLincoln's April 15, 1861, proclamation calling for state militia to provide 75,000 volunteer troops to defend the nation's capital ofWashington, 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 theCivil War progressed, multiple Union army units were drawn from Lehigh County, including roughly seventy percent of the47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment.
On October 19, 1899, a monument in honor of the Lehigh County men killed in their volunteer service to preservation of theUnion, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, was erected at Seventh andHamilton streets inCenter City Allentown, where it still stands.[9]
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.[10]
Lehigh County borders twoAppalachian mountain ridges. To the north, the county bordersBlue Mountain, which has an altitude of 1,300 to 1,604 feet (396 to 489 m). To the south, it is bordered bySouth 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 nearGermansville atBake Oven Knob, a mass ofTuscaroraconglomeratic rocks that rise about 100 feet (30 m) above the main Blue Mountain ridge in northwesternHeidelberg Township.[11]
Lehigh County's climate falls in thehumid 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.
InAllentown, 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.[12]
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,[13] 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,[14] at an average annual rate of 110.54 centimetres (43.52 in).[15] Thehardiness zone in the majority of the county has increased from 6b to 7a. 6b still exists in some northern and higher areas.[16]
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 374,557, a median age of 40.1 years, 22.1% of residents under the age of 18, 17.8% of residents 65 years of age or older, 93.9 males for every 100 females, and 91.1 males for every 100 females age 18 and over.[23] The county's population growth of 7.2% since 2010 is among the fastest in the state.[24]
As of the 2020 census, 90.1% of residents lived in urban areas and 9.9% lived in rural areas.[26]
There were 142,970 households in the county, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them; 47.0% were married-couple households, 17.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, 27.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present, 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[23]
There were 149,830 housing units, of which 4.6% were vacant, and among occupied housing units 64.2% were owner-occupied and 35.8% were renter-occupied; the homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.9%.[23]
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.
Lehigh County leans Democratic, but is still politically competitive. Lehigh County and neighboringNorthampton County are part ofPennsylvania's 7th Congressional district. The 7th Congressional district is a contentious swing district with neither Republicans nor Democrats winning the district consistently. Voters elected RepublicanCharlie Dent in 2004, 2006, and 2008 and, previously, RepublicanPat Toomey in 1998, 2000, and 2002. In 2004, the county narrowly voted forJohn Kerry overGeorge W. Bush forPresident. 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%, overJohn McCain. In the2012 presidential election, Obama again carried the county but by a narrower margin, 53.17% to 45.52%.[31]
United States presidential election results for Lehigh County, Pennsylvania[32]
The four major Philadelphia-based network stations serving Lehigh County areKYW-TV (theCBS affiliate),WCAU (theNBC affiliate),WPVI (theABC affiliate), andWTXF (theFox affiliate). The four majorNew York City-based network stations serving Lehigh County areWABC (the ABC affiliate),WCBS-TV (the CBS affiliate),WNBC (the NBC affiliate), andWNYW (the Fox affiliate). The four majorScranton-Wilkes-Barre-based network stations serving Lehigh County areWNEP-TV (the ABC affiliate),WBRE-TV (the NBC affiliate),WYOU (the CBS affiliate), andWOLF-TV (the Fox affiliate).
From 1947 until 1994, Lehigh County was served exclusively by the215area 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. Anoverlay area code, 484, was added to the 610 service area in 1999.[37] 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.[38]
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:
Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by theU.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.
^Roberts, Charles R. (1936). "Place Names of Lehigh County and Their Origin".Proceedings: Lehigh County Historical Society. Lehigh County Historical Society.
^Miller, Benjamin LeRoy (1941).Lehigh County Pennsylvania: Geology and Geography. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Department of Internal Affairs, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
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