Lehighton, Pennsylvania | |
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 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Lehighton inCarbon County, Pennsylvania | |
  Lehighton Location of Lehighton in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Lehighton Lehighton (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:40°49′55″N75°42′53″W / 40.83194°N 75.71472°W /40.83194; -75.71472 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Carbon |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ryan Saunders |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.65 sq mi (4.28 km2) |
| • Land | 1.62 sq mi (4.20 km2) |
| • Water | 0.027 sq mi (0.07 km2) |
| Elevation | 570 ft (170 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 5,248 |
| • Density | 3,233.4/sq mi (1,248.41/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 18235 |
| Area codes | 610 |
| FIPS code | 42-42472 |
| Website | www |
Lehighton (/liˈhaɪtən/) is aborough inCarbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part ofNortheastern Pennsylvania.
Due in part to water power from theLehigh River, Lehighton was an early center forU.S. industrialization. TheLehigh Valley Railroad was for years a major employer up until the post-World War II era when railroad and industry restructuring led to job and population losses.
As of the 2020 U.S. census, Lehighton's population was 5,248, down from a peak population of 7,000 in 1940.[4] Lehighton is the most populous borough in Carbon County and still the county's business hub. TheLehigh River, a 109-mile-long (175 km) tributary of theDelaware River, flows through Lehighton.
At the time of the first European's encounters with historic American tribes, this area was part of the shared hunting territory of theIroquoianSusquehannock and theAlgonquianLenape, also called the Delaware, after their language and territory along theDelaware River, peoples, who were often at odds.[5]
Close relatives of the peoples ofNew England and along the St. Lawrence Valley of Canada occupied much of the coastal mid-Atlantic area inDelaware,New Jersey,Eastern Pennsylvania, and lower easternNew York, includingLong Island.[5] The Susquehannock confederacy's homelands were mainly along the Susquehanna River, from the Mohawk Valley in lowerNew York southerly to theChesapeake andVirginia'sShenandoah Valley, but may have ranged into the empty lands[6] ofWest Virginia,Eastern Ohio, andWestern Pennsylvania.[5]
The Dutch and Swedes first settled theDelaware Valley, and found the area north of the Lehigh Gap to be lightly occupied, probably by transients, but traveled regularly by the Susquehannock. This tribe traveled quite a bit according to theAmerican Heritage Book of Indians,[5] including being described in lofty terms byJohn Smith when a band visited the newJamestown, Virginia colony.[5] In the decades of theBeaver Wars in the mid-1600s, the Susquehannocks conquered and made the Lenape a tributary tribe — and also nearly inflicted an overwhelming defeat on the powerfulIroquois Confederacy,.[5] Shortly thereafter, the Susquehannocks suffered a reversal, falling first to epidemic disease that raged for three years which killed off perhaps 90% of their population,[5] and a series of battles on most of their frontiers as various enemies took advantage.[5] This vacated the southeastern and central Pennsylvania regions for the Delaware peoples. However, all tribes were thereafter displaced westwards by continued colonial growth. Delaware dominance at the time of European colonization is why William Penn's settlers adopted Lenape Lenki (Delaware) names for landscape features, and less than a handful of Susquehannock names.
Lehighton was built on the site of the GermanMoravian Brethren's mission station "Gnadenhütten" (cabins of grace) founded in 1746. It was established as a mission to the Lenape by Moravians fromBethlehem, Pennsylvania, lower on the Lehigh River.[7] The German name was transcribed as "Canatanheat" by missionary John Brainerd.[8]
During theFrench and Indian Wars (Seven Years' War), Native allies of the French killed 11 missionaries during theGnadenhütten massacre on 24 November 1755. They destroyed the mission village,[9] and only four of the sixteen residents escaped.[10] (During theAmerican Revolutionary War in 1782, Pennsylvania militia raided another Moravian mission village, also called Gnadenhutten, in present-dayOhio. Suspecting the Lenape of being allied with theBritish, the militia killed 96 unarmed men, women, and children in what became better known as theGnadenhutten Massacre.)
The Lehigh River was a source of water power for developing industries in the 19th century. Lehighton had silk andlace mills, ameat-packing house, shirt factory, automatic-press works, car shops, stoneworks, andfoundries. In 1900, the population was 4,629 people. By 1940, it had reached 6,615.
The coming of therailroad made it easier for residents to get their products to major markets. For many years, theLehigh Valley Railroad had a major repair facility in Lehighton. The coming of the railroad was a major economic boost for the town. It was the area's largest company, employing several thousand workers at the repair facilities or operating and maintaining the railroad. Restructuring in the railroad industry led to the repair facilities being moved to another location. Lost jobs meant that some people had to relocate for work.
The Lehighton downtown declined after theCarbon Plaza Mall was built in nearbyMahoning Township. Suburban housing developed, pulling more businesses from downtown. After struggling for three decades, the downtown is experiencing a rebirth as people appreciate the qualities of a compact central location, royalty and historic architecture.[citation needed]
Lehighton is located in southern Carbon County at40°49′55″N75°42′53″W / 40.83194°N 75.71472°W /40.83194; -75.71472 (40.831932, -75.714701).[11] It is in northeast Pennsylvania 117 miles (188 km) west ofNew York City and 37 miles (60 km) south ofWilkes-Barre. The borough is situated on the west bank of theLehigh River at an elevation ranging from 470 feet (140 m) above sea level at the river up to 725 feet (221 m) near the northwest part of town by Mahoning Township border.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.65 square miles (4.28 km2), of which 1.62 square miles (4.20 km2) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.07 km2), or 1.69%, is water.[4] Lehighton is located 3 miles (5 km) south ofJim Thorpe, the Carbon County seat, and 7 miles (11 km) northwest ofPalmerton. Lehighton is bordered on the north, west, and south byMahoning Township and across the Lehigh River on the east byWeissport andFranklin Township.
Lehighton is primarily very green and hilly. The town and its outlying communities are in theRidge-and-Valley region of theAppalachian Mountains. TheAppalachian Trail, a long-distance hiking trail extending fromMaine toGeorgia, is located south of town near Palmerton.
The region has large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. TheKöppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Dfb" (Warm Summer Continental Climate).[12]
Snowfall is variable, with some winters bringing moderate snow and others bringing numerous significant snowstorms. Average snowfall is 50.4 inches (128 cm) per year,[13] with the months of January and February receiving the highest at just over 15 and 13 inches (38 and 33 cm) respectively. Rainfall is generally spread throughout the year, with eight to twelve wet days per month,[14] at an average annual rate of 43.52 inches (110.54 cm).[15]
Typically, summer lasts from late May until mid September. The humidity is high only for one to two days at a time. Winter lasts from November through March and varies greatly in length and severity. Snowfall can occur anytime from mid-October to as late as April. Spring and autumn are both short and highly variable. The autumn foliage season is only two to three weeks long and is at its peak anytime from early to mid-October.
Winter daytime highs average 27.8 °F (−2.3 °C) in January and the lows are 13.9 °F (−10.1 °C)Summer daytime highs average 81.2 °F (27.3 °C) in July and the lows are 55.6 °F (13.1 °C)
| Climate data for Lehighton, Pennsylvania | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 66 (19) | 72 (22) | 80 (27) | 94 (34) | 93 (34) | 93 (34) | 100 (38) | 101 (38) | 95 (35) | 83 (28) | 76 (24) | 71 (22) | 101 (38) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 34.8 (1.6) | 38.2 (3.4) | 47.9 (8.8) | 61.3 (16.3) | 70.5 (21.4) | 77.7 (25.4) | 82.5 (28.1) | 80.7 (27.1) | 73.6 (23.1) | 62.2 (16.8) | 50.6 (10.3) | 40.3 (4.6) | 60.0 (15.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 19.5 (−6.9) | 20.3 (−6.5) | 27.8 (−2.3) | 37.9 (3.3) | 48.2 (9.0) | 57.5 (14.2) | 62.5 (16.9) | 60.6 (15.9) | 53.5 (11.9) | 42.1 (5.6) | 32.1 (0.1) | 24.7 (−4.1) | 40.4 (4.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −21 (−29) | −17 (−27) | −10 (−23) | 7 (−14) | 23 (−5) | 34 (1) | 36 (2) | 41 (5) | 29 (−2) | 17 (−8) | 0 (−18) | −12 (−24) | −21 (−29) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.52 (89) | 2.97 (75) | 3.84 (98) | 3.83 (97) | 4.42 (112) | 4.49 (114) | 4.69 (119) | 4.66 (118) | 4.51 (115) | 3.90 (99) | 3.98 (101) | 4.08 (104) | 48.89 (1,241) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 9.8 (25) | 10.1 (26) | 6.1 (15) | 0.5 (1.3) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.2 (0.51) | 1.0 (2.5) | 5.2 (13) | 32.9 (83.31) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 11.2 | 10.2 | 11.1 | 11.3 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.5 | 9.4 | 9.9 | 8.7 | 10.0 | 11.0 | 126.9 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 8.7 | 7.9 | 4.8 | 1.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 3.8 | 5.3 | 32.0 |
| Source: National Weather Service[16] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 267 | — | |
| 1870 | 1,485 | — | |
| 1880 | 1,937 | 30.4% | |
| 1890 | 2,959 | 52.8% | |
| 1900 | 4,629 | 56.4% | |
| 1910 | 5,316 | 14.8% | |
| 1920 | 6,102 | 14.8% | |
| 1930 | 6,490 | 6.4% | |
| 1940 | 6,615 | 1.9% | |
| 1950 | 6,565 | −0.8% | |
| 1960 | 6,318 | −3.8% | |
| 1970 | 6,095 | −3.5% | |
| 1980 | 5,826 | −4.4% | |
| 1990 | 5,914 | 1.5% | |
| 2000 | 5,537 | −6.4% | |
| 2010 | 5,500 | −0.7% | |
| 2020 | 5,248 | −4.6% | |
| Sources:[17][18][19][3] | |||
As of thecensus[18] of 2000, there were 5,537 people, 2,362 households, and 1,506 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,230.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,247.4/km2). There were 2,546 housing units at an average density of 1,485.6 per square mile (573.6/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.32%White, 1.34%African American, 1.05%Native American, 1.45%Asian, 1.09%Pacific Islander, 1.04% fromother races, and 1.70% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.67% of the population. The plurality of Lehighton residents are ofIrish descent. There are also substantial populations ofItalian,Polish,German andSlovak heritage.
There were 2,362 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% weremarried couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $28,566, and the median income for a family was $35,673. Males had a median income of $30,590 versus $22,466 for females. Theper capita income for the borough was $14,861. About 10.8% of families and 14.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 24.9% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
Lehighton is home to theTimes News, published six-days-a-week serving five counties.[citation needed]
In 1949, theMahoning Drive-In Theater opened in Lehighton.[20] Though its popularity waned with the advent ofmultiplex theaters in the 1970s and 1980s, it has seen a resurgence in popularity since 2014, due to the management's decision to screen primarily oldercult films andB movies as opposed to newer releases.[20]
In 1962, 1160 AM signed on as WYNS. In 2005, call letters were changed under new ownership to WBYN. Beginning September 2019, the station simulcast WEEU in Reading. As of May 2021, the station is silent.[citation needed]
_just_south_of_North_First_Street_in_Lehighton%2c_Carbon_County%2c_Pennsylvania.jpg)
As of 2007, there were 21.24 miles (34.18 km) of public roads in Lehighton, of which 4.01 miles (6.45 km) were maintained by thePennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 17.23 miles (27.73 km) were maintained by the borough.[21]
U.S. Route 209 is the most prominent highway serving Lehighton. It follows First Street, Sergeant Stanley Hoffman Boulevard, Bankway and Bridge Street through the eastern portion of borough.Pennsylvania Route 443 begins at US 209 in the southeastern portion of the borough and heads southwest along Blakeslee Boulevard.Pennsylvania Route 902 begins at PA 443 in the southwestern part of the borough. It follows Ninth Street north and then Mahoning Street west.Interstate 476, thePennsylvania Turnpike's Northeast Extension, passes to the east of the borough and is accessible via US 209.
Carbon Transit provides bus service to Lehighton along Route 701, which runs betweenCoaldale andPalmerton on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and Route 702, which runs betweenNesquehoning and Palmerton Monday-Friday.[22]Fullington Trailways provides daily bus service to destinations inNew York andPennsylvania.[23]Passenger rail service ended in 1961 when theLehigh Valley Railroad, once a major employer in the area, discontinued all passenger service over its route.[24]
Jake Arner Memorial Airport (22N) is located 3 miles (5 km) west-southwest of town, with a 3,000-foot (910 m) asphalt runway and two RNAV instrument approaches.
It is depicted in the muralLehighton byFranz Kline who grew up in the borough.[25]
Places adjacent to Lehighton, Pennsylvania | |
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Municipalities and communities ofCarbon County, Pennsylvania,United States | ||
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| Other communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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