The Lehigh Valley consists of Lehigh and Northampton
Counties and includes three major cities: Allentown, Bethlehem, and
Easton. The remainder of the Valley is made up of suburban and rural
areas with some boroughs that are scattered throughout the region.
The Lehigh Valley is attractively located in the middle
of the Mid-Atlantic metropolitan area. It has easy access to New York
City, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. The population of the Lehigh
Valley region, with the exception of the three major cities, grew by
92% between 1950 and 1990. The population of the three major cities
decreased by 3%. The rapid growth of the Lehigh Valley is higher than
the U.S. population growth (64%) and Pennsylvania's population growth
(13%) during the same time period. It is estimated that by 2020, Allentown,
Bethlehem, and Easton will make up only 30% of the regions population.
During the past several decades, the Lehigh Valley
has experienced a strong migration of people into the area. In the 1990's,
Lehigh County added about 11,900 people and Northampton County added
13,300 people. As indicated in the table below, it is estimated that
by the year 2030 the population of the Lehigh Valley will be approximately
703,978 people.
|
Population for Lehigh and Northampton Counties
and the Lehigh Valley
1950-2030
|
| Year |
Lehigh County
|
Northampton County
|
Total for the Lehigh Valley
|
|
1950
|
198,207
|
185,243
|
383,450
|
| 1960 |
227,536
|
201,412
|
428,948
|
| 1970 |
255,304
|
214,545
|
469,849
|
| 1980 |
272,349
|
225,418
|
497,767
|
| 1990 |
291,131
|
247,105
|
538,236
|
| 2000 |
312,090
|
267,066
|
579,156
|
| 2010 |
329,552
|
290,919
|
620,471
|
| 2020 |
347,286
|
316,052
|
663,338
|
| 2030 |
362,460
|
341,518
|
703,978
|
|
Lehigh Valley Planning
Commission
|
Notice on the table above that from 1990 to 2000,
the population of the Lehigh Valley increased by approximately 41,000
people. Let's find out where all these people are moving.
|
