Forks Township is a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

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 population of Forks Township was 16,077 as of the 2020 census. It is part of 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 ...

metropolitan area, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

in the U.S. as of the 2020 census. The township is home to the global headquarters of

Crayola Crayola LLC, formerly the Binney & Smith Company, is an American manufacturing and retail company specializing in list of art media, art supplies. It is known for its brand ''Crayola'' and best known for its crayons. The company is headquartered ...

, founded in 1885, a global arts supply company and the world's leading manufacturer of

crayon A crayon (or wax pastel) is a stick of pigmented wax used for writing or drawing. Wax crayons differ from pastels, in which the pigment is mixed with a dry binder (material), binder such as gum arabic, and from oil pastels, where the binder is a ...

s. Forks Township is located northeast of

Allentown Allentown may refer to: Places * Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California * Allentown, Georgia, a city in four counties in Georgia * Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Tazewell County * Allentown, New Jersey, a boroug ...

, 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 ...

History

Prior to the

Walking Purchase The Walking Purchase, also known as the Walking Treaty, was a 1737 agreement between the family of William Penn, the original proprietor of the Province of Pennsylvania, and the Lenape native Indians. In the purchase, the Penn family and proprieto ...

in 1737, 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 ...

, a Native American tribe, inhabited the area and many Lenape artifacts were found in the area. Forks Township was founded in 1754 north of

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in and the county seat of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River and the Delawa ...

. It was founded as a farming based community in-between the

Bushkill Creek Bushkill Creek (Dutch for "bushy" or "forest creek") is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in the Lehigh Valley region of ea ...

and

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 ...

. Permanent settlement by the colonists happened in the early 18th century due to its proximity to an Irish-Scottish settlement named "Hunter's Settlement" in Lower Mount Bethel Township. After decades of new settlers settling in the

, Northampton County was formed from

Bucks County, Pennsylvania Bucks County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the List of counties in Pennsylvania, four ...

to its south. Many taverns and inns were developed due to meet the demand of passengers through the area, such as

Pennsylvania Route 611 Pennsylvania Route 611 (PA 611) is a state highway in eastern Pennsylvania running from Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania, Interstate 95 (I-95) in the southern part of Philadelphia north to Interstate 380 (Pennsylvania), I-380 in Coolbaugh Townshi ...

in the 19th century. During the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

, many dairy industries and blacksmiths emerged in the region.

was founded in 1903 as a small crayon industry in Easton, and moved its headquarters to Forks Township. In the mid-20th century, the decrease of agriculture led to major suburban development in the area. Since the 1990s, the area has converted to mostly a residential suburb of Easton.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and (1.39%) is water. It is drained by the

, which separates it from

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 ...

. Its six villages are Chestnut Hill, Churchville, Keplers Mill, Sandts Eddy, Uhlers Station, and Zucksville. The township was named Forks since it lies at the "fork" of two rivers in the region, the

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

and Lehigh.

Neighboring municipalities

* Easton (south) * Wilson (tangent to the south) * Palmer Township (west) * Tatamy (north northwest ) * Stockertown (northwest) * Plainfield Township (north) * Lower Mount Bethel Township (northeast) *

Harmony Township, New Jersey Harmony Township is a Township (New Jersey), township located in Warren County, New Jersey, Warren County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 2,503, a decrease of 164 (−6.1%) fro ...

(east) *

Lopatcong Township, New Jersey Lopatcong Township () is a township in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 8,776, an increase of 762 (+9.5%) from the 2010 census count of 8,014, which in turn reflecte ...

(east)

Transportation

As of 2015, there were of public roads in Forks Township, of which were maintained by the

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, Michael B. Carroll. PennDOT ...

(PennDOT) and were maintained by the township.

transverses Forks Township, running north-to-south through the township along the

. Other local roads of note include Bushkill Drive, Frost Hollow Road, Kesslersville Road, Knox Avenue/Sullivan Trail, Newlins Road, Richmond Road, Uhler Road, and Zucksville Road.

Demographics

Municipal Building in Forks Township Northampton County PA

At the 2000 census there were 8,419 people, 3,035 households, and 2,415 families living in the township. The population density was . There were 3,159 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 94.92% White, 2.24% African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.39% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.05%. There were 3,035 households, 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.7% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.4% were non-families. 17.0% of households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.13. The age distribution was 27.6% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males. The median household income was $66,055 and the median family income was $70,587. Males had a median income of $51,965 versus $30,661 for females. The per capita income for the township was $26,180. About 2.7% of families and 3.0% 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 2.7% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The township is served by the

Easton Area School District Easton Area School District is an urban, suburban, and rural public school district located in Northampton County in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It serves the city of Easton and Forks, Palmer, and portions of Lower Mount ...

, and is home to three of the school district's schools: Shawnee Elementary, Forks Elementary, and Easton Area Middle School for grades five through eight. Students in grades nine through 12 attend

Easton Area High School Easton Area High School is a large four-year public high school located in Easton, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley area of eastern Pennsylvania. It is one of nine public schools and the only high school in the Easton Area School District. As ...

in Easton.

References

External links

Official township websiteForks Township news
at Lehigh Valley Live
Forks Township news
at ''

The Morning Call ''The Morning Call'' is a daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1883, it is the second-longest continuously published newspaper in the Lehigh Valley, after '' The Express-Times''. The newspaper is owned by Alden Global Capital ...

'' {{authority control Pennsylvania populated places on the Delaware River Townships in Northampton County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania