Palmerton, PA: Geography and Demographics

Palmerton is a borough located in the southern part of Carbon County. It also lies in the north of the junction of the Lehigh River and the Aquashicola Creek, which by the way is also north of the Lehigh Gap going through Blue Mountain. Going to the north of Palmerton PA will take you to Stony Ridge. Furthermore, the borough is also located about three miles east of Bowmanstown and roughly five miles north of the twin towns of Slatington and Walnutport. Also, it lies about seven miles southeast of Lehighton and roughly twenty miles north of the major city of Allentown in the Lehigh Valley Region. The borough’s official elevation is listed at 407 feet or 124 meters above sea level.

Based on data from the United States Census Bureau, the borough of Palmerton, PA has a total area of 2.54 square miles. Of this area, 2.48 square miles is land while the rest, or 0.05 square miles is water.

Streets and Neighborhood

Palmerton is made up of regular alleys and streets. The layout is nothing out of the ordinary since majority of the town was planned and eventually built by the New Jersey Zinc Company. For instances, avenues run from east to west and they contain a large portion of the addresses. They’re named for colleges and universities. Streets on the other hand run perpendicular and they are numbered from First Street (in the west) to Eight Street (located in the east).

Majority of the houses in the southern and central portions of town are referred to as “doubles.” This means that one building is actually divided at the center and into two different residences.

Demographic Profile

Based on data from the 2000 Census, there were a little over five thousand residents in Palmerton. Of the exact 5,248 individuals, there are 2,220 households and exactly 1,429 families. Based on this number, the population density is determined at 2,109.1 residents per square mile. As for housing units, there were 2,365 with an average density of 950.5 per square mile.

Racial Makeup

98.29% of the borough is White, while 0.15% is African American. 0.17% is Native Americans while another 0.17% is Asians. Also, 2.36% of the population belongs to a Hispanic or Latino race.

The Appalachian Trail

Perhaps the most important and popular local attraction in Palmerton, Pennsylvania is the Appalachian Trail. It crosses the Lehigh River less than two miles or 3 kilometres south of the borough. Also, the former town jail which is below the City Hall has been converted into a hostel that served the thru-hikers in the Appalachian Trail for exactly forty years. It was only in April of this year that the hostel’s service ended.