Lehigh Valley: why not more Democratic?

[Keystone Phil]

It used to be. It used to be dominated by the old Allentown manufacturing scene. Those days are over now.

Now the area is full of professionals. My Aunt and Uncle are the perfect example. They live in Center Valley (right outside of Coopersburg). They're both nurses so you can imagine the money they make/what type of area they live in.

And, yes, the professionals mostly commute to NYC or Philly.

By the way, you know who used to represent this swing area? Pat Toomey   

[Keystone Phil]

By the way, if you like a more rural/exurban scene, this area is perfect. The scenery is so beautiful. It hasn't been totally overtaken by sprawl. I just couldn't live in that type of area.

[Keystone Phil]

Very few blacks.

Aside from Allentown, yes.

[Keystone Phil]

The area Phil's referring to is south of the Lehigh Valley over South Mountain which I remember as the Saucon Valley and one of the towns is Center Valley which would probably be BRTD's hell on earth.

Haha, yep. That's where Aunt, Uncle and cousins live - Center Valley. He'd hate it there. It's still really "the Lehigh Valley" though. 

[Keystone Phil]

Very few blacks.

Aside from Allentown, yes.

Allentown is a whopping 7.8% black. All of Lehigh County is 5.5%.

Really? Wow. I thought it was more. I must have been confusing the black population with the Hispanic population in the city.

[Keystone Phil]

Thanks for all the responses - I suspected that there might be some exurbia going on, but I wasn't sure.

I'd be careful categorizing it as solely the result of exurbia. Monroe and Pike Counties are growing rapidly as NYC exurbs (off I-80 just as Northampton and Lehigh are off I-78), but they're also (especially Monroe) rocketing leftward as that growth takes place.

Yes, this is definitely true.