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Women's Business Council > STAFF > Ambassador Committee > Membership Kit > REGIONAL INFO
 

Regional Highlights 


Introduction to the Lehigh Valley

The area enjoys a moderate climate with an annual average temperature of 51 degrees Fahrenheit.
The region was first settled in the 1730’s. The county of Northampton was established in 1752; in 1812 the county of Lehigh was established. The county of Warren in New Jersey was founded in 1825 and was first settled in the early 18th Century.

There are 81 properties or districts in the two – county area that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Nearly all local governments in the Lehigh Valley have a comprehensive plan, zoning ordinance and subdivision regulations.


Demographic Growth

From 1990 to 2000, the Lehigh Valley region gained 40,921 persons -- for a 7.6% rate of growth over the 1990 population of 538,235.

By the year 2010, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission forecasts that the two – county population will be about 620,471. The official Lehigh Valley Commission Population Forecast indicates that regional growth in the 2000 to 2010 decade will be about 7.1%.

6,609 births were recorded in 2000 -- the highest since 1994. Total public school enrollment for the 2001 – 2002 school year was 88,693 -- an increase of 4.2% since 1997 – 1998.

Warren County has a population of more than 103,000 and is growing rapidly with a large influx of families moving into the region from New Jersey and New York.


Regional Setting

The counties of Lehigh and Northampton, together comprised of 731 square miles, are located in the central eastern portion of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Region, referred to as the Lehigh Valley, is bounded on the north by the Blue Mountain, on the east by the Delaware River and on the south by the Lehigh Mountain Range -- known as South Mountain.To the west, the plain breaks into low, rolling hills which rise to form a divide between lands drained by the Lehigh and Schuylkill Rivers.

Warren County is comprised of 365 square miles with a population density of 281 per square mile. The county boasts 110,000 acres of woodland.

The region is located within 300 miles of all the large, metropolitan areas of the eastern United States and is particularly accessible to Philadelphia and New York City.


Main Routes:

 - RT 22 East/West
 - RT 33 North/South
 - I 78 East/West
 - RT 309 North/South

 
 

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