Lehigh

Formed March 6, 1812 (46^th county)

Lehigh County (374,572), Allentown (125,858)

The 1965 Modern concrete and glass skyscraper stands out in the city.  It is located at the intersection of Hamilton and Penn streets.  Pennsylvania State Highway 145 is three blocks west of the location.  Wolfe & Hahn are the architects.  A classic 1814 courthouse preceded the current one in Allentown, the only county seat.  Lehigh County was formed from Northampton County on March 6, 1812 as the 46^th county.  It is named for the river which gets its name from a Native American word meaning “where there are forks.”  The county seat is named for founder William Allen. 

Lehigh County government consists of a sheriff and 8 Commissioners.  Twelve Common Pleas Court Judges and Thirteen Magistrate Court Judges serve Lehigh County.  The county is in the eastern part of the state.  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is southeast and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is southwest of the county.  The county center is in Allentown .9 miles West of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Carbon, Northampton, Bucks, Montgomery, Berks, and Schuylkill counties. 

The area of the county is 349 square miles.  It is 62 out of 67 in the state.  It ranks 10 out of 67 in population in the state.  It has a density of 1073.3 persons per square mile making it 5 out of 67 in the state.  Lehigh County has 49.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 78 crosses east to west through the county from Northampton County to Berks County.  Interstate Highway 476 goes north to south from Carbon County to Bucks County.  United States Highway 22 enters from Northampton County, east, and joins Interstate Highway 78 into Berks County.  United States Highway 222 originates and travels west into Berks County.  The county looks like a handled comb with a number of teeth missing.  Allentown is in the southeast quarter of the county.  Allentown is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 33.6% of the county population.  The county is pronounced LEE-HIE.  This county is in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Bethlehem