Easton, Pennsylvania
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Easton is a city located in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 26,263. It is the county seat of Northampton CountyTemplate:GR. Together with Allentown and Bethlehem, Easton comprises the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania's third most populous metropolitan area. Easton is located 60 miles (100 km) north of Philadelphia, 97 miles (156 km) northeast of Harrisburg, and 70 miles (110 km) west of New York City.
Easton is the headquarters of Binney & Smith, the world-famous manufacturer of Crayola crayons, and of Lafayette College.
Easton also is known for its high school's athletic rivalries with neighboring Phillipsburg, New Jersey, which is one of the largest such rivalries in the nation.
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Geography
Easton is located at 40°41'18" North, 75°12'59" West (40.688248, -75.216458)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.0 km² (4.7 mi²). 11.0 km² (4.3 mi²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 8.39% water.
Demographics
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As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 26,263 people, 9,544 households, and 5,735 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,380.3/km² (6,168.4/mi²). There are 10,545 housing units at an average density of 955.7/km² (2,476.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 78.48% White, 12.71% African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.66% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 3.67% from other races, and 3.13% from two or more races. 9.79% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 9,544 households out of which 30.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% are married couples living together, 16.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% are non-families. 31.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.46 and the average family size is 3.10.
In the city the population is spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 16.3% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $33,162, and the median income for a family is $38,704. Males have a median income of $32,356 versus $23,609 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,949. 16.0% of the population and 12.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21.3% of those under the age of 18 and 11.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
Easton is situated at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh rivers, a popular area long before it was settled by Europeans. The Native Americans knew this place as "Lechauwitank", or "The Place at the Forks". Thomas Penn was so inspired by the beauty of the place that he set aside a 1000 acre (4km²) tract of land here for a town. Easton, founded in 1752, was so named at the request of Penn: he had recently married Juliana Fermor, the daughter of Lord Pomfret whose estate was called Easton-Neston, in Northamptonshire, England. As the new county of Northampton was being formed at this time, Easton was selected as its county seat, at least partially because it was as far as possible from the Moravians who were settled further up the Lehigh River at Bethlehem.
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Several Indian treaties were signed in Easton during the French and Indian War, contributing to the English conquest of the Ohio River Valley. Easton was also an important military center during the Revolutionary War. In 1776 Easton was one of the first three places the Declaration of Independence was publicly read (along with Philadelphia and Trenton). It is claimed that the flag shown here was flown during that reading, making it one of the first "Stars and Stripes" to fly over the colonies. This flag, which is known to date to the War of 1812, currently serves as Easton's municipal flag.
Easton was a major commercial center during the canal and railroad periods of the 1800's, when it was a transportation hub for the steel industry. Three canals (the Delaware, the Lehigh, and the Morris canals) served to connect the coal regions of the north, the iron works to the west, and the commercial port of Philadelphia to the south. Later, Easton was served by five railroads, and only lost its prominence in transportation with the rise of the automobile.
Like the Pennsylvania_Dutch region to the southwest, Easton has a strong German heritage. The Pennsylvania Argus, a German-language newspaper, was published in Easton until 1917. As part of their heritage, the Germans erected one of the continent's earliest Christmas trees in Easton; a plaque off of Route 611 claims to mark the exact location of that tree.
Famous Easton residents
- Larry Holmes, boxing's former world heavyweight champion, who fought under the nickname "The Easton Assassin."
External links
- City of Easton (http://www.easton-pa.com/)
- National Canal Museum- Easton (http://www.canals.org/ehist.htm/)