About Carbon County, Pennsylvania

Our History

On March 13, 1843, Carbon County, Pennsylvania (2024 population 64,749) was created from portions of Northampton and Monroe Counties. Its gets its name from deposits of anthracite coal. Jim Thorpe, the county seat, was originally incorporated on January 26, 1850 as the Borough of Mauch Chunk, an Native American name meaning “bear mountain.” It was renamed in 1954 for Olympian, Jim Thorpe, the famous Native American athlete who is buried there.

Carbon County was the home of the first railroad in America that was built on any large scale. The “Switchback” railroad, as it came to be known in its glory days, was originally designed to carry coal. The Switchback led a long and active life. It was first a coal carrier and then solely a tourist attraction. In the 1930’s, the railroad carried its last passengers.

The County

Located in northeastern Pennsylvania, approximately 90 miles west of New York City and 90 miles northeast of Philadelphia, the County is bordered on the north by Luzerne County, on the east by Monroe County, on the west by Schuylkill County and on the south by Lehigh and Northampton Counties. The northern and eastern portions of the County are part of the Pocono Mountains region of the Commonwealth.

The population of the County grew from the early nineteenth century through the 1920s, fell with the declines in the anthracite coal industry through the early 1960s, and has been growing again since then. At the current time, the County is experiencing growth in population and industry primarily related to the westward movement of the East Coast metropolitan area. In the last several years, the growth has been primarily due to the growth of the Pocono Mountain region with the opening of the last portion of Interstate 78 into Pennsylvania, opening up a second and faster direct route into the New York metropolitan area from eastern and central Pennsylvania.

Carbon County is composed of 23 municipalities, each with its own municipal government. The county has 5 school districts and a county wide technical school. Carbon County, covering over 500 square miles, is known for its scenic mountains and rivers. Over 2/3 of the county is State Game Land & State Park Land. The attractive rural landscape attracts thousands of visitors each year to a county rich in heritage and history. The county boasts of its quality of life and it attracts both families and businesses to our region.