From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Northampton is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The borough is located in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania.

Northampton is located 8 miles north of Allentown and 15 miles west of Easton. The population of the borough was 9,405 at the 2000 census.

Contents 1 Geography 2 Demographics 3 History 4 Public education 5 Resource 6 External links

Northampton is located at 40°41′2″N, 75°29′29″W (40.683896, -75.491353)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 7.0 km² (2.7 mi²). 6.7 km² (2.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (3.70%) is water. Northampton's elevation is 370 feet above sea level.

The Lehigh River provides the western border of the borough.

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 9,405 people, 3,869 households, and 2,634 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,396.7/km² (3,619.1/mi²). There were 4,023 housing units at an average density of 597.4/km² (1,548.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.21% White, 0.35% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.39% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.74% of the population.

There were 3,869 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the borough the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $40,982, and the median income for a family was $49,482. Males had a median income of $37,033 versus $26,422 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $19,516. About 1.3% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Northampton was once a global center for the manufacturing of cement. The Atlas Portland Cement Company was based there, until it was closed in 1982, due largely to foreign competition.

Tru Blu brewery, a microbrewery, is based in Northampton.

Northampton was created from the villages of Siegfried, Newport and Stemton, which together were formed into an alliance in 1902. In 1909, Atlas petitioned county courts to change the alliance into a borough, reportedly because the change would make it easier for the company to send and receive mail.

The Atlas Portland Cement Company plant closed in 1982, but borough residents — many of them former Atlas employees or their descendants — still identify strongly with the company and its history.

The Atlas Portland Cement Company supplied most of the cement used in the building of the Panama Canal. The residents of Northampton are very proud of their town's help in building one of the most famous canals in the history of the world.

Northampton is part of the Northampton Area School District, which also serves the Bourghs of Bath and Chapman, and the Townships of Allen, East Allen, Moore, and Lehigh.

Its high school, also based in Northampton, is Northampton Area High School and serves grades nine through 12. The Northampton High School is currently under renovations and is expected to be complete in the 2010-2011 school year. One middle school, Northampton Area Middle School, serves grades seventh and eighth. Four elementary schools (Northampton Borough Elementary Schools, Lehigh Elementary, Moore Township Elementary, and George Wolf Elementary) serve students from kindergarten through sixth grade.

Northampton Borough Elementary School consists of three buildings. Franklin Elementary, Washington Elementary, and Wolf Elementary.

The Northampton Area High School mascots are the Konkrete Kids, named for the sports teams who used to carry their gear in discarded concrete sacks. Their school colors are orange and black.

• The Atlas Cement Memorial Museum, based in Northampton.

• Northampton Borough Official Web Site.
• Northampton County Official Web Site.
• Northampton Area School District Official Web Site.
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 40.683896° -75.491353°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA