Lehigh County, PA

Lehigh County is located in southeastern Pennsylvania in the area known as the Lehigh Valley, with the city of Allentown as its county seat. Lehigh County positioned in the corridor between Philadelphia and New York City, with quick and easy access to both of these major metropolitan areas. The area is accessible via I-78, Rt.22, Rt.309, Rt.33 or Rt.476 (Pennsylvania Turnpike). The county is comprised of 347 square miles of rolling hills including over 18,000 acres of preserved farmland and a network of more than 17,000 acres of outdoor recreational parks that offer extensive leisure opportunities. The county, which was first settled around 1730, was formed in 1812 with the division of Northampton County into two counties. It is named after the Lehigh River, whose name is derived from the Delaware Indian term Lechauweki or Lechauwekink, meaning "where there are forks". It is currently the fastest growing county in the entire state of Pennsylvania, and among the fastest growing nationwide from 2010 to 2012, ranking in the 79th percentile overall for that time period.