Vera Cruz is a small village in Upper Milford Township, Pennsylvania located south of Emmaus. It is part of the Lehigh Valley, which has a population of 861,899 and is the 68th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. as of the 2020 census.
Vera Cruz uses the Emmaus Zip Code of 18049.
Prior to its settlement, the area that is present-day Vera Cruz was inhabited by the Lenape Indian tribes. Vera Cruz was the location of the earliest jasper mines on the North American continent, dating back to 8000 BC. [1] At the height of Lenape Indian jasper mining activities, more than 100 small jasper pits were operated in the area of Vera Cruz, primarily in what is now Jasper Park. The quarries were eventually abandoned in the 1680s. [2]
The jasper mines of Vera Cruz supported tool production for the Lenape in the area, including arrowheads and other small tools used in both hunting and battle. The jasper from Jasper Park has since been found as far away as New England, supporting claims that the Vera Cruz area played a key role in supporting early jasper production and trade. The Jasper Park jasper pits are part of a key 35-mile long stretch of nine pits in the Vera Cruz area, stretching from the Delaware River to Fleetwood, Pennsylvania.
These jasper pits in Vera Cruz represent some of the oldest known mining operations in the United States. Today, the jasper pits in Jasper Park are a local attraction, which support small hiking and biking trails. Removal of jasper from Jasper park is a crime. [3] [4]
Prior to 1851, Vera Cruz was an unnamed village at a prominent crossroad, located in what was then Milford Township, Pennsylvania. While a group of regular loungers were sitting at what was previously Alexander Weaver's store, their eyes turned to a newspaper with the title of "Revolt in Vera Cruz (Mexico): 12 Killed, 20 Injured," which led to their conversation turning to the topic of Mexico. After a sound of angry voices outside, the loungers rushed outside to see the commotion and saw two citizens engaged in a fight. Alexander Weaver jokingly remarked, "Now we have a name for our village. Why not call it Vera Cruz?" Ever since that incident, the name Vera Cruz has remained. [5] [6]
Vera Cruz is located on the Leibert Creek, a tributary of Little Lehigh Creek, which is located to its north. The ridge to the south separates it from the Schuylkill River watershed. Geographically, Vera Cruz is part of the Reading Prong province of the Appalachian Mountains.
Interstate 476, also known as the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike or the Blue Route, passes through Vera Cruz about midway between the Northeast Extension's Lehigh Valley and Quakertown exits.
The Perkiomen Branch commercial train line routes through Vera Cruz. Dillinger Tunnel in Emmaus carries the rail line under the divide between Vera Cruz and the Dillinger Tunnel.
Vera Cruz is part of the East Penn School District. Students in grades nine through 12 attend Emmaus High School in Emmaus. Students in grades six through eight attend either Eyer Middle School or Lower Macungie Middle School, both located in Macungie.
Vera Cruz Station, Upper Milford Township; named for Vera Cruz, Mexico in 1851 by Alexander Weaver, a storekeeper here.
Lehigh County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 374,557. Its county seat is Allentown, the state's third-largest city after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Emmaus is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 11,652. Emmaus is located in the Lehigh Valley, the third-largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania and 68th-largest metropolitan area in the nation.
Lower Macungie Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The township's population was 31,964 as of the 2020 census, making it the second-largest population center in Lehigh County after Allentown and the third-largest population center in the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area after Allentown and Bethlehem.
Macungie is the second oldest borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, Macungie had a population of 3,257.
Salisbury Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The township's population was 13,505 at the 2010 census. The township borders Allentown, Pennsylvania's third-largest city, Bethlehem, and Emmaus, in the Lehigh Valley, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. as of the 2020 census.
South Whitehall Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The township's population was 19,180 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of Allentown and is part of the Lehigh Valley, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. as of the 2020 census.
Upper Macungie Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The population of Upper Macungie Township was 26,377 as of the 2020 U.S. census, making it the fourth-fastest growing municipality of any category in Pennsylvania in terms of total population growth between 2010 and 2020.
Upper Milford Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The township's population was 7,292 at the 2010 census. Upper Milford Township is a suburb of Allentown in the Lehigh Valley, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. as of the 2020 census.
Upper Saucon Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. as of the 2020 census. The township had a population of 16,973 as of the 2020 census.
Shimerville is an unincorporated community, located on Pennsylvania Route 100 and Pennsylvania Route 29 South in Upper Milford Township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The community is located outside and to the south of Macungie and to the west of Vera Cruz. It is part of the Lehigh Valley, which has a population of 861,899 and is the 68th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. as of the 2020 census.
East Penn School District is a large public school district in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. Established in 1952, it was initially known as the East Penn Union School District.
Cedar Crest Boulevard, colloquially known as Cedar Crest and The Boulevard, is a major north-south highway in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. South of Interstate 78 (I-78), the road is part of Pennsylvania Route 29. North of it, the road becomes State Route 1019.
Wescosville is a census-designated place located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. It is located between Allentown and Trexlertown in Lower Macungie Township. It is part of the Lehigh Valley, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. as of the 2020 census.
Old Zionsville is an unincorporated community in Upper Milford Township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Lehigh Valley, which has a population of 861,899 and is the 68th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. as of the 2020 census.
Zionsville is a village mostly in Upper Milford Township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania with parts of the village located in Lower Milford Township. The West Branch Hosensack Creek forms its natural southeastern boundary and drains it via the Hosensack Creek to the Perkiomen Creek.
Powder Valley is a village in southern Upper Milford Township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Powder Valley is part of the Lehigh Valley, which has a population of 861,899 and is the 68th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. as of the 2020 census.
Hensingersville, also known as New Hensingersville, is an unincorporated community located mostly in southwestern Lower Macungie Township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. It also extends into Longswamp Township in Berks Township near the intersections of Pennsylvania Route 201, Pennsylvania Route 3001, Chestnut Road, and Reservoir Hill Road.
Swabia Creek is a tributary of Little Lehigh Creek in Berks and Lehigh Counties in the eastern Pennsylvania region of the Lehigh Valley.
Sigmund is an unincorporated community in Upper Milford Township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Sigmund is located near Perkiomen Creek, a tributary of the Schuylkill River. It is a suburb of Allentown in the Lehigh Valley, which has a population of 861,899 and is the 68th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. as of the 2020 census.
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