West Easton is a
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle A ...
in
Northampton County,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. The population of West Easton was 1,257 at the 2010 U.S. census. West Easton is part of the greater
Easton area and the
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...
metropolitan area, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous
metropolitan area in the U.S. as of the 2020 census.
History
18th century
West Easton traces its origin to the heirs of
William Penn
William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...
. In 1737, the Penns sold 500 acres of land to a James Hamilton, who in turn sold the land to Garrett Moor. In 1772, Mr. Moor sold 200 acres of the land to John Philip Odenwelder, Sr.
19th century
In 1834, William Penn's son,
John Penn, laid out the Village of Odenweldertown. Adjoining his acreage was land that eventually became the Village of Mutchlertown in 1872. By 1877, Mutchlertown had 35 frame homes.
West Easton was incorporated by the Court of Quarter Sessions of
Northampton County, Pennsylvania on May 30, 1898. However, the Decree of Incorporation was not filed until June 6, 1898, making the June 6 date its official date of incorporation.
Its incorporation was strenuously opposed by a large number of property owners and it was a slim majority who signed in favor of it. Only after a heated debate before Judge Schuyler on June 10, 1898, did he deny the minority's objections to incorporation, and upheld the charter granted. Odenweldertown and Mutchlertown were successfully merged and became, The Borough of West Easton. The first borough officers were elected to office on July 12, 1898.
20th century
By the 1920s and into the 1930s, West Easton was a hub of manufacturing activity and employment opportunities, with mills producing textiles and small businesses providing services. The population increased to its historical peak in the 1930 census. By then, West Easton had its own school, youth sports teams, a trolley connection, railroad freight and coal lines, a police department, a self-supporting volunteer fire company, and numerous community committees staffed by involved citizens.
In the decades following
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, West Easton felt the effects of many prosperous towns dependent upon industry that was succumbing to imported goods and production lines that required fewer human workers. Industry in West Easton steadily declined, and so did the borough's population. The Livingstone School closed in 1974. West Easton's youth sports programs ended and civic committees could not retain enough active members. The West Easton Police Department closed in 1965 and police protection was provided by contract with a neighboring community until contracting was not offered for 2013. West Easton turned to
Pennsylvania State Police for protection after failing to find another community who would offer affordable police services by contract.
21st century
In 2015, all incumbent council members running for reelection were defeated, including Council President Kelly Gross, daughter of then Mayor Gerald Gross. Following installation of new council members from that election, West Easton's new leadership concentrated on improving transparency of local government, took an aggressive approach to obtaining grant awards and donations, promoted community volunteerism, reestablished discarded community activities, and investigated creating its own police department. The 2016 council appointed a new solicitor, a new borough manager, a new treasurer, and hired a new engineering firm.
In 2017, Mayor Gerald Gross, who had served the borough for 52 years, beginning as a Councilman, chose not to run for re-election. Council President Dan DePaul ran unopposed for mayor and was elected. The new council began to concentrate on previously neglected infrastructure, including roads and public sidewalks. A $124,000 storm drain project, paid for with a grant, relieved residents experiencing flooding problems on their property and sidewalks. In November, 2018, West Easton began building its first Public Works Building for the community that would be completed in multiple phases, as grants were awarded for each phase of the project. The Borough hired Mr. Robert Mahady, a retired PA State Trooper, as a consultant to navigate the red tape of creating a new police force. In May 2019, West Easton made improvements to its War Monument Park with the addition of The Gold Star Fountain and landscaping work, in an ongoing project to be funded with grants. It began installing new public sidewalks where needed, among other grant paid projects.
After 54 years without its own police force, West Easton swore in a chief of police in November 2019. There had been opposition against a police department from a few vocal residents who claimed creating a police department would cost $1 million, and bankrupt the borough. The actual cost in finding a building for the police department and making repairs to it, purchasing vehicles and equipment, and other needs in launching a part-time police department was less than $50,000, with most of it being paid for through grants and donations. The roll-out of West Easton's part-time police department was planned for early 2020, but due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, it did not see a full complement of three part-time police officers until mid-2021. The budget to operate the police department annually is approximately $160,000. State Police are on-call when there are gaps in coverage by West Easton's part-time police force.
In 2022, The Safety First Volunteer Fire Company separated from its social club due to lack of financial support from the club, and changed its name. Now renamed West Easton Volunteer Fire Company #1, it relies on significant financial support from the borough.
West Easton governs under a
strong council–weak mayor system. Council introduces and votes on ordinances, resolutions, policies, and other matters. The mayor has a vote only in the event of a tie among council. The mayor may veto an ordinance, which can be subject to an override vote by council. The mayor also has oversight responsibilities for the police department.
The governing body consists of a seven-member borough council who are elected at-large by the citizens of the borough. The council president, council vice president, and president pro tempore are selected by the council members. The borough manager, borough treasurer, and other employees are hired by the council members, and provide for the day-to-day operations of the borough.
Geography
West Easton is located at (40.678298, -75.236144).
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the borough has a total area of , of which is land and (8.82%) is water.
Transportation
As of 2007, there were of public roads in West Easton, of which were maintained by the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, currently Yassmin Gramian. Presently, Pe ...
(PennDOT) and were maintained by the borough.
No numbered highways pass through West Easton. Main thoroughfares in the borough include Lehigh Drive, Glendon Hill Road, Iron Street, Avona Avenue, East Street and Main Street.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2010, there were 1,257 people, 488 households, and 175 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 516 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 85.0%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 3.8%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.3%
Native American, 0.7%
Asian, 0.2% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.7% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 8.4% of the population.
There were 488 households, out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were
married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the borough, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $39,615, and the median income for a family was $48,393. Males had a median income of $35,288 versus $25,781 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the borough was $17,901. About 9.5% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
Public education
The borough is served by the
Wilson Area School District
Wilson Area School District is a public school district located in Northampton County, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It serves the boroughs of Glendon, Pennsylvania, Glendon, West Easton, Pennsylvania, West East ...
. Students in grades nine through 12 attend
Wilson Area High School
Wilson Area High School is a four-year public high school located in Easton, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It is the only high school in the Wilson Area School District. The high school supports the residents ...
in the district.
Churches
*
Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church
Gallery
File:Borough Hall From West Side.jpg, Borough Hall
File:West Easton Borough Hall, PA.JPG, Borough Hall
File:War Monument Park.jpg, Monument Park
File:War Memorial Fountain.jpg, War Memorial Fountain
File:West Easton Fire Co, PA 01.JPG, West Easton Fire Co.
File:Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church, West Easton PA 01.JPG, Ukrainian Catholic Church
File:Spring St 200, West Easton PA.JPG, House on Spring Street
File:West-Easton-Boundaries.jpg, Satellite Image of West Easton
References
External links
Borough of West Easton official website
{{authority control
1898 establishments in Pennsylvania
Boroughs in Northampton County, Pennsylvania
Boroughs in Pennsylvania
Populated places established in 1860