Emmaus

Emmaus is located 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Allentown, 53.4 miles (85.9 km) north of Philadelphia, and 91.6 miles (147.4 km) west of New York City. In 2007 and again in 2009, Emmaus was listed as one of the top 100 "Best Places to Live" in the United States by Money magazine. Three historic Emmaus residential structures built during the 18th and 19th centuries, each still standing, have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. Iron ore was discovered near Emmaus in the 19th century, and the town's first blast furnace opened in 1869. The population of the borough has nearly doubled to 11,467 as of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 11,652 at the time of the 2010 U.N. Census. The town was named for the Biblical village of Emmaus, where, according to the Bible's Gospel of Luke, Jesus was seen by his disciples Luke and Cleopas in what is known as his Road to Emmaus appearance following his crucifixion and resurrection. It is located in the Lehigh Valley, the third largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania and the 68th largest metro area in the nation. In 1940, public census statistics showed that 6,731 people lived in Emmaus; by the 2010 census, the population had grown to 11.467, as construction of the housing complex has begun.

History

Emmaus was settled in the early 1700s by German Protestants of the Lutheran and Reformed faiths. Three historic Emmaus residential structures built during the 18th and 19th centuries, each still standing, have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. Emmaus and the metropolitan Allentown area contributed considerable numbers of volunteers to the Union Army during the American Civil War. Iron ore production fueled the town's growth through the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century. In 1940, public census statistics showed that 6,731 people lived in Emmaus. The population has doubled to 11,467 as of the 2020 census. Outside the borough line, however, growth in the local population continues to grow, particularly in neighboring Lower Macungie Township, where the ZIP Code continues to expand but not within its borough limits. The town's first blast furnace opened in 1869. In 1859, Reading Company constructed railroad lines through Emmaus, which are still functioning. In 1938, the local Rotary Club circulated petitions in support of changing the spelling of the name to Emmaus to match the English version of the Bible's King James Version. Despite the 1938 spelling change, a major borough thoroughfare, Emaus Avenue, continues to retain the pre-1938 spelling. The borough's name was spelled "Emaus" from 1830 until 1938, with a line above the "m" to indicate a double letter. Beginning in 1850, the Donaldson Iron Company mined and processed iron ore and manufactured cast iron pipes and other iron-related products.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²) Emmaus is located at approximately 40°3213N 75°2945W. It has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) and is in hardiness zone 6b. Average monthly temperatures in the downtown vicinity range from 28.9°F in January to 73.5 °F in July. Emmaus borders South Mountain, a large Appalachian mountain range. The town's elevation is 436 feet above sea level. The borough is located on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which runs from New Jersey to Pennsylvania. It is the only borough in the state that is not part of the Lehigh River watershed, which is a tributary of the Allegheny River. It also borders Salisbury Township, where it shares a border with Little Lehigh Creek, which flows just outside the Emmaus border with Salisbury. The Emmaus area has a population of 1,816. It was founded in 1838. The city's name is derived from the town of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, which was once known as "Emmaus" or "Emmes" and is now known as the "Borough of the Borough of the borough of the same name". The borough's name means "Town of the Mountain" in English. It means "mountain of the mountain" in the local dialect, which means " mountain of the mountains".

Demographics

As of the 2010 U.S. census, there were 11,313 people, 4,985 households, and 3,155 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,918.8 people per square mile (1,511.4/km²) The racial makeup of the borough was 95.89% White, 0.70% African American, 1.06% Native American, and 1.81% Asian. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.51% of the population. The median income for a household in the Borough was $55,139, whereas the estimated median household for the state of Pennsylvania is $52,007. The borough's population was spread out, with 21.2% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.1%. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there are 91.7 males. For each 100 females age 18 and over,there were 88.8 males. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was2.85. About 2.2%. of families and 3.5% of. the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2. of those under 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over as of 2010. In the borough, the median income was $38,659 versus $25,331 for females.

Industry and commerce

Emmaus is home to Shangy's, one of the nation's largest beer distributors with over 4,000 domestic and imported beer brands. Yocco's Hot Dogs, the Lehigh Valley-based fast food establishment known for their regionally-famous hot dogs and cheesesteaks, maintains its corporate headquarters on East Minor Street in Emmaus. The largest major shopping mall in the Emmaus area is South Mall, located on Lehigh Street on Emmaus' border with Salisbury Township and Allentown. Emmaus was the former headquarters of Rodale, Inc., one of world's largest publishers of health-related books and magazines, including Men's Health, Prevention, Runner's World, and Women's Health magazines. In 2018, the company was acquired by Hearst and local offices were moved to Easton. The Emmaus Arts Commission hosts art and film events, including "Art in the Garden," "Emmau Art Walk," the "Student Horror Film Festival," and others. Each October, Emmaus also hosts an annual Halloween parade and a 5K Race, which is held just before the parade's start and is a major fundraiser for the Parade Committee and the Parks and Recreation Commission. The city's annual Halloween Parade and 5K race is held on the same day as the parade, and is held to raise money for the parade committee and the parks and recreation commission. The town has a population of about 3,000. The population of Emmaus is about 2,500.

Public education

Emmaus is served educationally by the East Penn School District, a public school district that accommodates kindergarten through 12th grade. The district operates a high school, Emmaus High School located in Emmaus (for grades nine through 12), two middle schools, Eyer Middle School and Lower Macungie Middle School. Seven public elementary schools (Alburtis Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Macungies Elementary, Shoemaker Elementary, Wescosville Elementary School) and one public elementary charter school (Seven Generations Charter School) are also located in the town. Emmaus is located on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which runs from Philadelphia to New York City. The town has a population of about 2,000 people, with the majority of its residents living in or near the town of Emmaus. The city is home to one of the nation's largest public high schools, the University of Pennsylvania, which is located in New Jersey. The school district also operates a middle school and two elementary schools in the city's neighboring towns of Eyer and Macungia. The Emmaus School District is a member of the Pennsylvania State School Board of Education, which has a board of trustees that meets every two years. It is also home to a number of public charter schools, including a public charter school for elementary school students in the Emmaus area of the district. The East Penn District also operates one public charter elementary school, Seven Generations Elementary School, in the nearby town of Seven Generations.

Transportation

Emmaus is accessible by two Lehigh County highways. Both highways have junctions with I-78, which spans from Lebanon County in the west to the Holland Tunnel and Lower Manhattan in the east. Route 29 runs through the west-side of the borough at Cedar Crest Boulevard and Chestnut Street. LANta provides bus service to and from Emmaus on its Route 104 service through Allentown to andfrom the Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall Township. The borough is located on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which runs from Philadelphia to New York City. It is also on the New Jersey Turnpikes, which run from New Jersey to Philadelphia and Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. and New York, and from Pennsylvania to New Jersey and New Jersey. The turnpike also connects the borough with AllentOWN and Bethlehem. It also connects Emmaus with Bethlehem on Lehigh Street, which is on the borough's east-side and connects to Bethlehem on the other side of the TurnPike.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Emmaus, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania = 16.4. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 40. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Emmaus = 3.8 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 61,047 individuals with a median age of 41 age the population grows by 0.58% in Emmaus, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 4,024.87 residents per square mile of area (1,553.97/km²). There are average 2.23 people per household in the 5,077 households with an average household income of $52,327 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 9.30% of the available work force and has dropped -4.50% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 21.70%. The number of physicians in Emmaus per 100,000 population = 310.9.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Emmaus = 45.5 inches and the annual snowfall = 29 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 108. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 204. 86 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 24.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 48, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Emmaus, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania which are owned by the occupant = 60.83%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 51 years with median home cost = $194,440 and home appreciation of 1.64%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $18.17 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,328 per student. There are 18.1 students for each teacher in the school, 897 students for each Librarian and 425 students for each Counselor. 8.01% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 16.12% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.69% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).