Bangor Map
Bangor is a borough located in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, 75 miles (121 km) west of New York City, in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Pennsylvania's Slate Belt. It had a population of 5,273 at the 2010 census.
The borough was settled about 1760 and first incorporated in 1875. The founder and first Chief Burgess of Bangor was Robert M. Jones, an emigre from Bangor, Wales. He was the prime mover in the establishment of the slate industry in Northampton County. Slate quarries pepper the area, but only a few are still functioning. A life-sized statue of him, dedicated on September 24, 1914, remains in the town center. In the official program for the unveiling it states "... Mr. Jones in his prime had many charming qualities, chief among which was his constant optimistic disposition."
Indeed, if one visits Bangor, Wales it is clearly visible that the Welsh heritage made its way to Bangor, Pennsylvania. The stone walls, rectangular gardens, and lovely flowers and greenery of Wales mirror that of Bangor, Pennsylvania. Around Bangor one can also see the piles of slate residue and shale that is reminiscent of the area around Bethesda, Wales.
Nearby cities include Roseto, Nazareth, Brodheadsville, Phillipsburg, Oxford.