Easton (Pennsylvania)

Easton is one of three cities, along with Allentown and Bethlehem, that are the urban population centers of the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania. In the Lehigh Valley, Easton borders the Delaware River and Phillipsburg, New Jersey to its east and Bethlehem to its southwest. The city lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the Skylands and New Jersey state line, 72 miles (116 km) west of New York City and 77 miles (124 km) north of Philadelphia.

Understand

In 1736, Thomas Penn (William Penn's son) surveyed the area and Easton was founded in 1752. Prior to that, Easton had been known as "Lechawitauk", meaning "The Place at the Forks." On July 8, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was read in Easton's Centre Square, one of three public readings of the document. Every year, Easton celebrates this historic event with its Heritage Day celebration, held in July.

Easton became a primary commercial location during the canals and railroads era of the 1800s. The Delaware, Morris and Lehigh Canals were vital for transportation of goods. The railroads replaced the canals for transportation and five railroads served Easton. The city had a strong German heritage. During Prohibition, it was known for nightlife and had plenty of liquor and a large number of brothels.

The population in Easton continues to diversify. Between the 1990 and 2000 censuses, the Hispanic and Black populations increased significantly. However, the primary ethnicity in the city remains White/non-Hispanic.

Geography

Easton sits at the confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers. Native Americans called Easton Lechawitau, "the place at the Forks".

Climate

Easton has a highly variable four-season temperate climate.

Summertime highs average in the low 80s F, but with occasional short heat waves with temps over 95 °F (35 °C), with considerable humidity and occasionally intense thunderstorms.

Winters are somewhat cold with average highs in the mid to upper 30s F (around 1-3 °C), but with occasional short thaws when temperatures can suddenly rise over 65 F for a few days. Severe cold snaps are common, with highs dropping into the twenties. Heavy snowfalls rarely occur more than once or twice each winter, but a wintry mix of ice, sleet, and light snow is possible from mid-November through early April. The combination of above freezing daytime temps and below freezing nights makes black ice a constant wintertime driving hazard even when there has not been precipitation recently.

Late spring and early summer (from mid-April to late June), and autumn are the most pleasant times of the year, with very mild temperatures and generally low humidity. Autumn leaf season usually arrives in the last two weeks of October.

Tourist Information
  • Lehigh Valley Visitor Center - Easton, 30 Centre Square, ☏ +1 484-546-0594. Hours: Tu-Sa 9AM - 5PM, Su 9:30AM - 2:30PM, closed Monday.
  • Discover Lehigh Valley (formerly Lehigh Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau).

Get in

By plane

By train
  • 30th Street Station, 2955 Market St., Philadelphia, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. This major East Coast United States train station, the third-busiest Amtrak station in the United States, is 76 miles (122 km) south of Bangor. Cars are available for rent inside the station. 

By bus

By car
  • U.S. Route 22 is a main thoroughfare, being a 4-lane limited-access highway with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour through all of Lehigh Valley except in Easton.
  • Drivers coming from points east will want to note that all of the major bridges across the Delaware River (from New Jersey) are free eastbound, but require tolls westbound. Locating the free bridge in Phillipsburg is possible but not recommended to those unfamiliar with the area. It is called Northampton Street for the adventurous and adds only about half a mile to the trip (unless yu easily get lost).
  • From the southeast and northwest, PA Route 309 provides fairly quick access and is a good road to travel.
  • Interstate 78 and Interstate 476 (PA Turnpike; tolled) intersect very close to the city of Easton, going in all directions north, south, east, and west.
  • PA Route 33 is the best approach for travelers from I-80 in the Poconos and points east.

Get around

By bus

Extensive bus services are provided by Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority: [http://lantabus.com LANTA).

By cab

Several cab companies also operate throughout Easton and Lehigh Valley, including:

By limo

See
  • 🌍 Crayola Factory (Crayola Experience), 30 Centre Square, ☏ +1 610-515-8000. M-F 9:30 AM - 4PM; Sa Su 10AM - 6PM. Fun, indoor theme park type place, where kids can enjoy lots of activities and learn how real crayola crayons, markers, and colored pencils are made. It's not the actual Crayola factory, but you can see how they make Crayola crayons and other Crayola products. Very kid friendly. Has its dedicated store. There is a municipal parking garage, behind the facility between Pine St. and Ferry St. for a fee of around $2 per hour. There is also on street meter parking for $1 per hour, with a 2 hour limit. Adults & children $16.99, seniors, military and infants charges less. (updated Jul 2019)
  • 🌍 Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, 2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd, ☏ +1 610-923-3548. Outdoor activities, hiking areas, arts events, historical sites all along the Delaware and Lehigh rivers. 
  • 🌍 Easton High School sports, 2601 William Penn Hghwy, ☏ +1 610-250-2481. Easton is home to one of the oldest rivalries in American high school football history, the border war, also known as the Easton vs. Phillipsburg High School football game, which is held each Thanksgiving Day and routinely draws in excess of 15,000 spectators. Easton High School is also known for their often nationally-ranked wrestling team, which competes in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, a division of the largest 18 high schools from the Lehigh Valley and Poconos that is considered one of the best in the nation and has launched the careers of many professional and Olympic athletes. 
  • 🌍 Moyer Aviation, Braden Airpark, 3800 Sullivan Trail, ☏ +1 610-258-0473. Private plane tours. 
  • 🌍 National Canal Museum, 30 Centre Square, ☏ +1 610-559-6613. The only museum in the country dedicated to telling the story of America’s historic towpath canals. Features four galleries filled with hands-on exhibits that educate and entertain parents and children alike. Mule-drawn canal boat rides available. 
  • 🌍 Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society (Sigal Museum), 101-107 S 4th St (342 Northampton St), ☏ +1 610-253-1222. 
  • 🌍 The State Theatre Center for the Arts, 453 Northampton St., ☏ +1 610-252-3132. Located in the downtown Easton, it is home to many traveling artists, ballet groups, broadway shows, national music and comedy acts, and more. Most famous for the Freddy Awards, an Emmy award-winning awards show put on by local high schools for drama productions during the school year; named for the famous ghost who resides in the State Theater, Freddy, the first owner of the theater. 
  • 🌍 Sigal Museum, 342 Northampton Street, ☏ +1 610-253-1222. W-Sa 10AM-4PM, Su noon-4PM. Museum of local history, including pre-colonial artifacts and colonial furniture. (updated Apr 2017)

For more things to do in the area, check out the Allentown or Bethlehem pages.

Do

Learn

Easton is home to Lafayette College, which was founded in 1826.

Buy
  • 🌍 Easton Farmers' Market, Centre Square, ☏ +1 610-330-9942. May–Nov: Saturday 9AM-1PM. The oldest continuous open-air farmers' market in the country occupies all of Easton's Centre Square, and has over 30 vendors, offering fresh produce, baked goods, meats, cheeses, wine, crafts, sweets, and even pet food. 
  • 🌍 Palmer Park Mall, 123 Palmer Park Mall, ☏ +1 610-258-6017. It is the premier shopping site for the Easton, Glendon, Palmer, Forks Township and Wilson communities. It features over 50 unique stores and weekly events dedicated to arts and crafts, collectibles, and different artists. 
  • Partyology, 230 Northampton St, ☏ +1 610-330-9535. Cool, eclectic gifts and party supplies. 

Eat

There are also many chain restaurants around the area.

Drink
  • Black and Blue, 683 Walnut St., ☏ +1 610 438-3604, . Black and Blue offers a dimly-lit, eccentric atmosphere with a fantastic craft beer selection and a unique menu with vegan and vegetarian choices. (updated Feb 2018)
  • College Hill Tavern, 420 Cattell St, ☏ +1 610-829-5470. 4PM-2AM daily. The preferred hangout of Lafayette students, it can change dramatically depending on the night. When college is not in session, this becomes a chilled out spot, but when it is, it can be loud music and a noisy college atmosphere. Non-smoking. 
  • Fat Jacks', 2722 Freemansburg Ave., ☏ +1 610 250-7849. 
  • Lafayette Bar, 15 N 4th St/, ☏ +1 610 252-0711. Original home of Jazz in Easton. 
  • Leaf Cigar Bar and Restaurant, 90 Mort Drive, ☏ +1 610 559-1336, . 5-star cuisine, prepared from scratch. The finest spirits, wine, and craft beers. Over 2,000 square feet of cigars. Smoke-friendly indoor and outdoor seating. State-of-the-art ventilation. 
  • Milo's Place, 217 Cattell St., ☏ +1 610 258-4390. Average bar, smoking permitted inside. 
  • Mothers Bar & Grill, 3 Lehns Ct (Centre Square), ☏ +1 610 559-1700. Typical bar scene, with quoits in the back. 
  • Pearly Baker's Alehouse, 11 Centre Square, ☏ +1 610 253-9499. 10:30AM-2AM daily. Good selection of beers on tap, with a more sophisticated atmosphere. Excellent food. 
  • Porters Pub, 700 Northampton Street, ☏ +1 610 250-6561. 11AM-2AM daily. Friendly pub atmosphere, with a great beer selection and frequent live music. 

Sleep

Connect

Tourist information

Phones

In Easton, like all Lehigh Valley locations, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the Lehigh Valley are 610 and 484.

Go next

Other Lehigh Valley locations

Regional locations
Routes through Easton
Allentown ← Bethlehem ←  W  E  → Phillipsburg → New York City
Stroudsburg ← Delaware Water Gap ←  N  S  → Doylestown → Philadelphia


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