Easton is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Northampton County, Pennsylvania Northampton County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 312,951. Its county seat is Easton. The county was formed in 1752 from parts of Bucks County. Its namesake was the c ...

, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 census. Easton is located at the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

of the Lehigh River and the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

. Easton straddles the Lehigh River on the western side of the Delaware River, which serves as the city's eastern geographic boundary with Phillipsburg, New Jersey. Easton is the easternmost city in the

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley () is a geography, geographic and urban area, metropolitan region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh and Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton counties in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a co ...

, a region of that is

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

's third-largest and the nation's 68th-largest metropolitan region with 861,889 residents as of the U.S. 2020 census. Of the Valley's three major cities, Allentown,

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

, and Easton, Easton is the smallest with approximately one-fourth the population of Allentown, the Valley's largest city. The greater Easton area includes the city of Easton, three townships (

Forks In cutlery or kitchenware, a fork (from 'pitchfork') is a Eating utensil, utensil, now usually made of metal, whose long handle terminates in a head that branches into several narrow and often slightly curved tine (structural), tines with whic ...

, Palmer, and Williams), and three boroughs ( Glendon, West Easton, and Wilson). Centre Square, the city's town square in its downtown neighborhood, is home to the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, a memorial for Easton area veterans killed during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. In the first half of the 20th century, Centre Square was referred to locally as the Circle. The Peace Candle, a candle-like structure, is assembled and disassembled every year atop the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

monument for the Christmas season.

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

's Lehigh Line, formerly the main line of the

Lehigh Valley Railroad The Lehigh Valley Railroad was a railroad in the Northeastern United States built predominantly to haul anthracite, anthracite coal from the Coal Region in Northeastern Pennsylvania to major consumer markets in Philadelphia, New York City, and ...

, runs through Easton on its way to Bethlehem and Allentown heading west across the Delaware River to Phillipsburg, New Jersey. Easton is located northeast of Allentown, north of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and west of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Etymology

On August 22, 1751,

Thomas Penn Thomas Penn ( – 21 March 1775) was an English landowner and mercer who was the List of colonial governors of Pennsylvania, chief proprietor of Pennsylvania from 1746 to 1775. He was one of 17 children of William Penn, the founder of the colo ...

, the son of

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

, the colony's founder and original proprietor married Juliana Fermor. On September 8, 1751, a letter was sent to Colonial Governor James Hamilton by Penn requesting that a new town on the confluence of the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers be named Easton and that it be in a new county called

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

. In 1752, as requested, the city was named in honor of Lady Juliana's family estate, the Easton Neston. The county was named after the estate's location, which was in the south of

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

, England.

History

The

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

Native Americans originally referred to present-day Easton and its surrounding region as Lechauwitank, meaning "the Place at the Forks".

18th century

The land that includes present-day Easton was obtained from the Lenape in the Walking Purchase in 1737. A plaque commemorating the transaction appears in Easton's town square.

set aside a tract of land at the confluence of the Lehigh and

s for the town's establishment, and the city was formally founded in 1752. The same year, Easton was selected as the county seat of Northampton County. During the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

, the Treaty of Easton was signed in Easton by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

colonial government then governing the

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn, who received the land through a grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania was derived from ...

and the Native American tribes, including the

Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...

and Lenape, from what was then called

Ohio Country The Ohio Country (Ohio Territory, Ohio Valley) was a name used for a loosely defined region of colonial North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and south of Lake Erie. Control of the territory and the region's fur trade was disputed i ...

. Easton and the broader

region played an instrumental and supportive role during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, which commenced in 1775. In recognition of the strong pro-revolutionary sentiment in the city and region, Easton was one of only three designated locations, along with Philadelphia and

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

, where the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

was read aloud in public for the first time on July 8, 1776, at noon, four days following its unanimous passage by the

Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress (1775–1781) was the meetings of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolution and American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War, which established American independence ...

in Philadelphia. During the Declaration's reading in Easton, the Easton flag was flown, making it one of the first non-colonial flags to fly in the

Thirteen Colonies The Thirteen Colonies were the British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America which broke away from the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and joined to form the United States of America. The Thirteen C ...

. The same flag was later used by a militia during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

and currently serves as Easton's municipal flag. Easton maintained hospital used in the treatment of injured

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

soldiers during the war. On June 18, 1779, General John Sullivan led 2,500

soldiers from Easton to engage Indian allies of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

on the frontier.

19th century

Located at the confluence of the rapidly flowing Lehigh River and the deeper and wider

, Easton became a major commercial center during the canal and railroad periods of the 19th century and a transportation hub for the region's coal, iron, and steel industries. The Delaware Canal was built soon after the lower Lehigh Canal was opened in 1818 and became effective in delivering much-needed anthracite coal to the region's largest markets,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, and

. Seeing other ways of exploiting the new fuel source, other entrepreneurs quickly moved to connect across the Delaware River reaching into the

area to the east through the

Morris Canal The Morris Canal (1829–1924) was a toll road, common carrier Anthracite, anthracite coal canal across North Jersey, northern New Jersey that connected the two industrial canals in Easton, Pennsylvania across the Delaware River from its weste ...

in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, so the town became a canal hub from which coal from Mauch Chunk reached the world. Early railroads were often built to parallel this transportation corridor. Historians of

angling Angling (from Old English ''angol'', meaning "hook") is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated with a fishing rod, although rodless te ...

believe that, in 1845, Samuel Phillipe, an Easton

gunsmith A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds guns. The occupation differs from an armorer, who usually replaces only worn parts in standard firearms. Gunsmiths do modifications and changes to a firearm that may require a very ...

, invented the six-strip split-cane

bamboo fly rod A bamboo fly rod or a split cane rod is a fly fishing fishing rod, rod that is made from bamboo. The British generally use the term "split cane." In the U.S., most use the term "bamboo." The "heyday" of bamboo fly rod production and use was an app ...

, which is commemorated by a

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, responsible for the collection, conservation, and interpretation of Pennsylvania's heritage. The commission cares for hist ...

plaque near Easton's Center Square. By the late 1860s, the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad (LH&S) and

(LVRR) were built to augment the bulk traffic through the canals and provide lucrative passenger travel services. The LVRR, known as the Black Diamond Line operated twice daily express passenger trains to and from

and

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

via Easton. The

Central Railroad of New Jersey Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

(CNJ), leased and operated the LH&S tracks from the 1870s until the

Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busine ...

consolidations absorbed both the Central Railroad of New Jersey and Lehigh Valley Railroad in 1966. Today, the Lehigh Valley Railroad's main line is the only major rail line that goes through Easton and is now known as the Lehigh Line; the Lehigh Line was bought by the

in 1999. In the mid-19th century, canal transportation was largely replaced by railroads, and Easton became a hub for five railroads, including the Jersey Central,

, and others. Easton lost its prominence in passenger transportation with the rise of the automobile in the mid-20th century.

20th and 21st centuries

Like the

Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch (), also referred to as Pennsylvania Germans, are an ethnic group in Pennsylvania in the United States, Ontario in Canada, and other regions of both nations. They largely originate from the Palatinate (region), Palatina ...

region to the southwest, Easton was settled largely by

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

. The ''Pennsylvania Argus'', a

German language German (, ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western Europe, Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and Official language, official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switze ...

newspaper, was published in Easton until 1917. As part of their heritage, the Germans put up one of the continent's earliest

Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen pinophyta, conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance. The custom was deve ...

s in Easton; Daniel Foley's book states that, "Another diary reference unearthed recently makes mention of a tree set-up at Easton, Pennsylvania, in 1816." A plaque in Scott Park along the

commemorates this event. The Pennsylvania guide, compiled by the Writers' Program of the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

in 1940, described the rich and cosmopolitan fabric of Easton's society in the first half of the 20th century: On December 16, 1925, the nation's largest fraternity,

Alpha Phi Omega Alpha Phi Omega (), commonly known as APO, but also A-Phi-O and A-Phi-Q, is a national Mixed-sex education, coeducational Service fraternities and sororities, service Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It is the largest College fraterniti ...

, was founded at

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...

in Easton.. Baird's Manual is also available onlin
The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage
/ref>

Geography

Easton is located at (40.688248, −75.216458). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (8.39%) of which is water, including Bushkill Creek and the Lehigh and Delaware rivers. It also includes an island, Getter's Island, which was the site of Pennsylvania's last public execution.

Districts

Easton is divided into four districts: Downtown (DD), College Hill (CH), South Side (SS), and West Ward (WW). A number of smaller additional parks and institutional districts also exist. Downtown Easton lies at the confluence of the Lehigh River and

and is a low-lying area surrounded by hills to the north, west, and south. North of downtown is College Hill, home of

. South Easton, divided by the Lehigh River from the rest of the city, was a separate borough until 1898; it was settled initially by Native Americans and later by canal workers, and home to several silk mills. Wilson, West Easton, and Glendon are directly adjacent to the city. Wilson partly aligns to the same north–south grid as Easton.

Downtown Historic District

Easton's Historic Downtown District lies directly at the confluence of the north banks of the Lehigh River and west banks of the

. Downtown adjoins each of the three other districts to the north, west, and south. Downtown continues west to Sixth Street and north to US Route 22.

College Hill

College Hill is located north of downtown, starting north of US Route 22. This neighborhood is home of

, a liberal arts and engineering institution.

South Side

The South Side district lies south of the Lehigh River.

West Ward

The West Ward district is located west of downtown and encompasses much of west side Easton between Sixth and Fifteenth Streets.

Climate

Under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Easton falls within either a

hot-summer humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(''Dfa'') if the isotherm is used or a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(''Cfa'') if the isotherm is used. Summers are usually hot and very muggy, averaging in the mid-80s during the day, though the high humidity makes it feel much warmer. Fall and spring months are typically mild, offering many days in the mid-60s, as well as stronger winds. Winters are usually very cold and produce about 30 inches of snow. The local

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

is 6b.

Government

Easton operates a mayor-on-council city government. Residents elect a city controller, six city councilpersons (three at large and three district), and a mayor who is chairman and a voting member of the city council. All these officials are elected to four-year terms. The incumbent mayor, Democrat Salvatore J. Panto, Jr., was reelected to his fourth consecutive term in 2019; he previously served two terms as Easton mayor from 1984 to 1992. Easton is part of Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district, represented in the U.S. House of Representatives currently by Republican Ryan Mackenzie, who was first elected to the office in 2024.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the city was 67.2% White, 16.8% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian, and 4.9% were two or more races. 19.9% of the population were of Latino ancestry. As of the 2000 census, there were 26,263 people, 9,544 households, and 5,735 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 10,545 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.48%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 12.71%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.24% Native American, 1.66% Asian, 0.11%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 3.67% from other races, and 3.13% from two or more races. Latino or Latino of any race were 9.79% of the population. The increase in Latinos—from less than 10% of the population in the 2000 census, to nearly 20% in the 2010 census, is a significant change in the city's demographics. The growth in Latino residents is similar to increases in Allentown and

, the Valley's two largest cities. There were 9,544 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.10. In the city, the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,162, and the median income for a family was $38,704. Males had a median income of $32,356 versus $23,609 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $15,949. About 12.3% of families and 16.0% 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 ...

, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education

Easton Area School District serves public school students from Easton, Forks Township, Palmer Township, Martins Creek to the north. As of the 2000 census, the combined population of the municipalities in the Easton Area School District was 53,554. The school district has seven elementary schools: Cheston, Forks, March, Palmer, Paxinosa, Shawnee, and Tracy for grades K-5, Easton Area Middle School Campus (in Forks Township) for grades 6–8, and Easton Area High School (in Easton) for grades 9–12. Total student enrollment in the school district is approximately 8,289 students in all grades as of 2020–21. Easton Area High School is known for its long-standing athletic rivalry with Phillipsburg High School in neighboring Phillipsburg, New Jersey. The two teams play an annual football game on

Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

that is considered one of the largest and longest-standing rivalries in American high school football. In 2006, the rivalry marked its 100th anniversary. The game, which was broadcast on ESPN, was won by Easton. In 2009, Easton was the location of the REPLAY the Series, Gatorade REPLAY Game in which the 1993 teams from the Easton vs. Phillipsburg game met again following their 7–7 tie in 1993. The REPLAY Game was won by Phillipsburg, 27–12. Easton Area High School competes in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, which includes the 12 largest high schools in the

and Pocono Mountains, Poconos and is one of the nation's most elite high school athletic conferences. Easton holds the third most conference championships in all sports, behind only Parkland High School (Pennsylvania), Parkland High School and Emmaus High School. Easton is also home to Notre Dame High School (Easton, Pennsylvania), Notre Dame High School, a Catholic Church, Catholic school.

Post-secondary education

Easton is the home of one four-year college,

, which was established in 1826. Lafayette is located in Easton's College Hill section and is home to 2,514 undergraduate students as of the 2022–2023 academic year. In 2017, ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Lafayette as the nation's 36th best liberal arts college. Prior to the

, Easton was also home to Union Law School, which was founded in 1846 but struggled soon after the death of its founder, Judge Washington McCartney, a decade later, in 1856. While at least two students, future United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative Philip Johnson (congressman), Philip Johnson and Wisconsin State Senate, Wisconsin state senator Robert L. D. Potter, attended the school, a historian in 2000 described Union Law School as not being able to sustain itself after McCartney's death, writing that the school was "a one-man operation that died with him."

Industry

Easton is the home of 27 interactive children's attractions, and the National Canal Museum, which focuses on the region's canal history, and the Crayola Experience, which is owned by Crayola LLC, formerly known as Binney & Smith, a major toy manufacturer based in nearby Forks Township. The global headquarters for Victaulic is based in nearby Forks Township. Easton also was once the home of Dixie Cup, Dixie Cup Corporation, manufacturer of Dixie Cups and other consumer products. Majestic Athletic, longtime provider of Major League Baseball uniforms prior to the 2019 season, is headquartered in nearby Palmer Township. The

, which uses the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad, Lehigh and Hudson River Railway, and

are major defunct railroads that operated in Easton.

is now the only railroad in Easton.

Media

Easton's daily newspaper is ''The Express-Times''. ''The Morning Call'', based in Allentown, also is read in the city. Easton is part of the Philadelphia media market but also receives numerous radio and television channels from

and the smaller Scranton, Pennsylvania, Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre media market to the northwest. Two television stations are based in the Easton area: PBS affiliate WLVT-TV, WLVT Channel 39 in

and independent station WFMZ-TV, WFMZ Channel 69 in Allentown. Five radio stations are based in Easton: WEEX, a sports radio station broadcasting at 1230 AM, WODE-FM "The Hawk", a classic rock station broadcasting at 99.9 FM, WCTO "Cat Country 96", a country music station broadcasting on 96.1 FM, WJRH, a

college radio station broadcasting at 104.9 FM, and WEST (AM), WEST "Loud Radio", a rhythmic contemporary radio station broadcasting at 99.5 FM. WDIY-FM, a National Public Radio affiliate located in Bethlehem, maintains a Broadcast relay station, translator in Easton and broadcasts at 93.9 FM. Two national magazines, ''Runner's World'' and ''Bicycling (magazine), Bicycling'', are based in Easton.

Telecommunications

Easton was once served only by the Area codes 215, 267, and 445, 215 area code from 1947 when the North American Numbering Plan of the Bell System went into effect until 1994. In response to southeastern Pennsylvania's growing telecommunication demand, Easton telephone exchanges were switched to Area codes 610, 484, and 835, area code 610 in 1994. An area code overlay, overlay area code, 484, was added to the 610 service area in 1999.

Infrastructure

Transportation

As of 2017, there were of public roads in Easton, of which were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and were maintained by the city. Interstate 78 in Pennsylvania, Interstate 78 is the most prominent highway passing through Easton. It briefly passes through the southeastern corner of the city on an east–west alignment, but the nearest interchange is in adjacent Williams Township. U.S. Route 22 in Pennsylvania, U.S. Route 22 is the main highway through central Easton, following the Lehigh Valley Thruway along an east–west alignment. Pennsylvania Route 33 briefly crosses the far southwestern corner of Easton, but the nearest interchange is in Bethlehem Township. Pennsylvania Route 611 follows a north–south route along the east side of the city adjacent to the

. Finally, Pennsylvania Route 248 begins at the junction of PA 611 and US 22 and heads westward along surface streets. Major east−west roads (from north to south) in Easton include Corriere Road, Zucksville Road, Northwood Avenue, Lafayette Street, Hackett Avenue, Northampton Street, Butler Street (known as William Penn Highway west of Wilson, then as Easton Avenue nearing

), Freemansburg Avenue, and Canal Street. Major north−south roads (from west to east) in Easton include Farmersville Road, Stones Crossing Road, Greenwood Avenue, 25th Street, Bushkill Drive, 13th Street, Centre Street, Sullivan Trail, Richmond Road, 3rd Street (known as Smith Avenue south of the Lehigh River, then as Philadelphia Road farther south), Cattell Street, Riverside Drive, and Delaware Drive (PA Route 611). Air transport to and from Easton is available through Lehigh Valley International Airport, which is located approximately west of the city, in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Hanover Township. Braden Airpark, also known as Easton Airport, is a smaller airport located about three nautical miles north of Easton's central business district. Local bus transportation is provided by LANta, which serves Lehigh and Northampton counties. The Easton Intermodal Transportation Center in downtown Easton serves as a hub for LANTA buses. NJ Transit provides bus service from Center Square in Easton to Phillipsburg, New Jersey, Phillipsburg and Pohatcong, New Jersey, Pohatcong in New Jersey along the Wheels (New Jersey Transit), 890 and Wheels (New Jersey Transit), 891 routes. Greyhound Lines provides intercity bus service to Easton, stopping at the Easton Intermodal Transportation Center. Trans-Bridge Lines provides regular bus service to

. Easton has no passenger rail service. Until 1983, NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line terminated at Phillipsburg, across the

from Easton. The line now terminates at High Bridge, New Jersey, roughly to the east. Under NJT's I-78 Corridor study, this service would be restored. The former

main line, the Lehigh Line, travels through Easton, and is owned by the

Utilities

Electricity in Easton is provided by Akron, Ohio-based FirstEnergy. Natural gas service in Easton is provided by King of Prussia, Pennsylvania-based UGI Corporation. The city's Public Works department provides water, sewer service, and trash and recycling collection to Easton. Easton's water supply comes from the

. The city's water is treated at a filtration plant along the Delaware River and then stored in reservoirs and delivered to customers. Easton Suburban Water Authority serves suburban areas outside of Easton and purchases water from the city's Public Works Department. The city's Public Works department contracts with Raritan Valley Disposal for trash and recycling collection in Easton.

Notable people

*Elbern Alkire, inventor of Eharp, a 10-string steel guitar *Chuck Amato, former head football coach, NC State Wolfpack football, North Carolina State *Lisa Ann, adult film actress *Christian Bauman, novelist *James McKeen Cattell, first U.S. psychology professor *Thomas Coates (musician), Thomas Coates, conductor of Pomp's Cornet Band and the "Father of Band Music in America" *Jack Coleman (actor), Jack Coleman, television actor *Joseph Force Crater, subject of infamous missing person case *George Daniel (lacrosse), George Daniel, commissioner, National Lacrosse League *Keno Davis, head basketball coach, Flint United *Parke H. Davis, former head college football coach *Don Dixon (artist), Don Dixon, astronomical artist *Omar Doom, actor and musician *Michael Flynn (writer), Michael Flynn, science fiction writer *Jane Lewers Gray (1796–1871), poet and hymnwriter *Larry Holmes, former heavyweight boxing champion of the world (fought under nickname "The Easton Assassin") *Frank Reed Horton, founder of

service fraternity *Greg Howe, guitar virtuoso *Chauncey Howell, former newscaster and journalist *Daniel Dae Kim, actor, American Broadcasting Company, ABC's ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'' and CBS's Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series), Hawaii Five-0 *Christopher Lennertz, music composer, ''Alvin and the Chipmunks (film), Alvin and the Chipmunks'' and ''Supernatural (U.S. TV series), Supernatural'' *Samuel D. Gross, academic trauma surgeon *Carolyn Price Horton, bookbinder and conservator *Francis March, academic, founder of comparative linguistics *Peyton C. March, former Chief of Staff of the United States Army, U.S. Army Chief of Staff *Kristen McMenamy, fashion model *Robert B. Meyner, former New Jersey governor *Mulgrew Miller, jazz pianist *Randall Munroe, writer, xkcd comic series *Henry Harrison Oberly, Episcopal priest and writer *Alix Ohlin, novelist *Jordan Oliver (fighter), Jordan Oliver, Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Freestyle wrestling, freestyle wrestler, two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, NCAA national champion at Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling, Oklahoma State *James F. Prendergast, state representative *Chanelle Price, gold medalist, track and field in 800 metres, 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships *Frank Pulli, former Major League Baseball umpire *Sally Jessy Raphael, former television talk show host *Andrew Horatio Reeder, former Kansas governor *Henry Melchior Muhlenberg Richards, American military officer *William Findlay Rogers, former List of mayors of Buffalo, New York, mayor of Buffalo, New York *Dee Roscioli, Broadway actress, Elphaba in ''Wicked (musical), Wicked'' *Alfred A. Schlert, Roman Catholic bishop *Florence B. Seibert, former biochemist, winner of the Garvan–Olin Medal *Charles Sitgreaves, former U.S. Congressman *Samuel Sitgreaves, former U.S. Congressman and U.S. commissioner to Great Britain *Jennie Somogyi, former principal ballet dancer, New York City Ballet *Peter Stevenson, former Gaelic football player *George Taylor (Pennsylvania politician), George Taylor, founding father who signed the

*Jim Trimble, former professional football coach, inventor of standard slingshot goalposts *Dave Van Horne, former professional baseball broadcaster, Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins *Jack Wallaesa, former professional player, Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Athletics *Samuel Wallin, former U.S. Congressman *Bobby Weaver, gold medalist at 1984 Summer Olympics in freestyle wrestling *Bob Weiss, professional National Basketball Association, NBA player and coach *Charles A. Wikoff, most senior-ranking U.S. Army officer killed in Spanish–American War *Roger Ross Williams, film director, producer and writer, first African American director to win an Academy Awards, Oscar

Events

*Baconfest, held first weekend in November *Easton Garlic Festival, held first weekend in October *Heritage Day, held in July *Riverside Festival of the Arts, held in September

References

External links

*
Easton news
at The Express-Times, Lehigh Valley Live
Easton news
at ''The Morning Call''
"Famous People from the Lehigh Valley
, ''The Morning Call'', August 18, 2008 {{authority control Easton, Pennsylvania, 1739 establishments in Pennsylvania Cities in Northampton County, Pennsylvania Cities in Pennsylvania County seats in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania populated places on the Delaware River Populated places established in 1739 Populated places on the Lehigh River