Why Easton
Easton is a city and the county seat of Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania, United States. Situated at the confluence of the Lehigh River and the Delaware River, it serves as the easternmost city in the Lehigh Valley metropolitan region. Positioned along the state border across from Phillipsburg, New Jersey, Easton lies approximately 14 miles northeast of Allentown, 51 miles north of Philadelphia, and 64 miles west of New York City. The municipality covers a total area of 4.7 square miles, encompassing land, waterway sections of Bushkill Creek, and Getter's Island.
The region was originally known to the local Lenape Native Americans as Lechauwitank, meaning "the Place at the Forks." The land was acquired through the Walking Purchase in 1737, and the town was formally established in 1752 by Thomas Penn, who requested it be named after his wife's family estate in England. During the French and Indian War, the Treaty of Easton was signed in the city. Easton later played a key supportive role during the American Revolution, serving as one of three designated sites where the Declaration of Independence was first publicly read on July 8, 1776, alongside the display of the historic Easton flag.
Throughout the 19th century, Easton's position at the intersection of two major rivers transformed it into a prominent commercial center. The development of the lower Lehigh Canal, the Delaware Canal, and the Morris Canal turned the municipality into a primary shipping hub for anthracite coal bound for major markets including Philadelphia and New York. As industrial needs evolved, canal transport was largely succeeded by five rail lines, making Easton a key junction for the regional coal, iron, and steel trades. Today, Norfolk Southern Railway's Lehigh Line continues to traverse the city.
Easton is organized into four primary districts: Downtown, College Hill, South Side, and West Ward. Downtown centers around Centre Square, which features the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument honoring Civil War veterans. Every year for the Christmas season, a large structure known as the Peace Candle is assembled atop this memorial. Rising above the downtown area to the north, College Hill is home to Lafayette College, a liberal arts and engineering institution. Nearby Scott Park along the Delaware River features a plaque commemorating an 1816 Christmas tree, one of the earliest recorded in North America.
Settled heavily by German immigrants, Easton maintained strong Pennsylvania Dutch cultural connections and published a local German-language newspaper into the early 20th century. The city is also recognized in angling history as the location where local gunsmith Samuel Phillipe crafted a six-strip split-cane bamboo fly rod in 1845. Geographically, Easton experiences hot, humid summers and very cold winters that bring an average of 30 inches of snowfall, while autumn and spring feature mild weather and stronger winds.
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