Why the Greater Easton Area Is Worth a Closer Look
Two Northampton County suburbs that give you the Easton market without the city density — and one of the shortest commutes to New Jersey in the Lehigh Valley.
Forks Township and Palmer Township are the suburban counterparts to Easton city, sitting in Northampton County with straightforward access to I-78, Route 22 and Route 33. Both are served by the Easton Area School District. Forks Township runs toward the higher end of the Easton market, with primarily newer construction from builders like D.R. Horton and median prices in the $560,000 to $620,000 range. Palmer Township covers a wider spread, from resale colonials in the $315,000s to newer custom builds above $700,000, with an average value around $429,000. Together they give buyers who want the Easton market without city density a range of options at different price points, and a commute to New Jersey that is genuinely one of the shortest in the Lehigh Valley.
Forks Township
$560K – $620K
Median price — mostly newer D.R. Horton construction
Palmer Township
~$429K Avg
$315K resale colonials up to $700K+ custom builds
When buyers say they are looking in Easton, they usually mean one of two things. Some of them mean they want the city itself: College Hill, the farmers market, downtown Centre Square, the walkable urban texture that makes Easton feel different from anywhere else in the Lehigh Valley. Others mean they want to be near Easton, close enough to benefit from the city's location and energy, but in a quieter residential setting with more space and newer construction.
Forks Township and Palmer Township are for the second group. They sit just to the west and northwest of the city, they share the highway grid that makes Easton such a practical location for commuters, and they offer the kind of suburban residential environment that families with school-age children and buyers who need a garage and a yard tend to want. They do not get talked about much in real estate content, which is a gap worth closing.
Forks Township is one of the faster-growing communities in Northampton County, and the reason is simple: D.R. Horton has been building new construction here steadily, and buyers who want a modern home without the New Jersey price tag have been paying attention.
The dominant product in Forks Township right now is four-bedroom, three-bath new construction colonials and townhomes running from roughly $499,000 on the lower end to $640,000 for the larger floorplans. Recent sales on Winding Road, where D.R. Horton's Lafayette Hills community sits, have been consistently in the $560,000 to $610,000 range for completed homes. Homes have been spending around 48 days on market in 2026, which is longer than most Lehigh Valley communities and suggests buyers have some room to be deliberate rather than rushed.
$499K – $640K
New construction list price range
$560K – $610K
Recent completed sales on Winding Road
~48 Days
Average days on market in 2026
The appeal here is not the neighborhood character so much as the product itself. These homes are modern and well-configured: open-concept main levels, two-car garages, owner's suites with walk-in closets, finished rec rooms in the basement. They come with builder warranties. They do not need updating. For buyers who have been spending weekends at open houses in older Easton neighborhoods and pricing out inspection repairs, a new construction home in Forks Township often starts to look quite rational.
D.R. Horton's sales representatives work for the builder, not for you. Having your own buyer's agent review the contract and negotiate on your behalf does not cost you anything extra, and it can make a meaningful difference on closing cost incentives, lot selection and contract terms. The builder's incentives tend to shift frequently, so timing matters.
Palmer Township is older than Forks and has more layers to it. The housing stock ranges from modest mid-century ranches and colonials in established neighborhoods to newer custom builds on the township's quieter roads. Average home values run around $429,000, but that figure covers a genuine range: you can find a three-bedroom colonial in decent condition in Palmer for $315,000 to $360,000, and you can also find a four-bedroom custom on a generous lot for $679,000 or more.
| Price Point | What You Find in Palmer |
|---|---|
| $315K – $360K | Three-bedroom colonial or ranch in decent condition |
| $463K – $534K | D.R. Horton new townhomes at Timber Trail (Shawnee & Derby plans) |
| $679K + | Four-bedroom custom home on a generous lot |
That range makes Palmer a more flexible choice for a wider range of buyers. First-time buyers who want to be near Easton without paying city prices find options here. Move-up buyers who want more space than the city offers but do not need brand-new construction find options here too. The township also has D.R. Horton building new townhome communities at Timber Trail, with the Shawnee and Derby plans ranging from $463,000 to $534,000. So if new construction appeals but Forks Township's prices feel like a stretch, Palmer has alternatives.
Community infrastructure that has been there long enough to feel settled:
None of this sounds glamorous, but it adds up to a community that functions, and that is worth something.
Both townships are served by the Easton Area School District, which covers Easton city and the surrounding municipalities. The district earns average to above-average ratings on state performance metrics, which makes it a reasonable but not exceptional choice by Lehigh Valley standards. If you are comparing it to Parkland, Southern Lehigh or East Penn, it ranks below them. If you are comparing it to what you can access at these price points, it is a perfectly solid district.
Covers Forks & Palmer
Average to above-average ratings. Reasonable by Lehigh Valley standards, below the top-tier districts. Solid at these price points.
#4 in the Lehigh Valley
Serves Wilson Borough, West Easton and Williams Township. An A overall from Niche. Smaller and more consistent — with a premium attached.
Families who specifically want the strongest possible school district and are looking in the broader Easton market sometimes target the Wilson Area School District instead. The Wilson district does not cover Forks or Palmer Township. If school district quality is your top priority, it is worth mapping the Wilson boundaries against the neighborhoods you are considering before you commit to the Easton Area side of the market.
This is arguably the strongest selling point of both townships, and it is the thing that buyers from New Jersey notice first.
Sits at the intersection of Route 33 and Sullivan Trail, with I-78 accessible a short drive south.
Wraps around the eastern edge of Easton with direct access to Route 22 and I-78 via Route 248 and connecting roads.
| Destination | Drive Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey / Phillipsburg | 10–15 min | Free toll bridge; connects to I-78 east toward Newark & NY |
| Bethlehem / Allentown | 20–30 min | Depends on destination and time of day; manageable for hybrids |
| New York City | Trans-Bridge bus | Departs Easton Intermodal Center; practical without a car |
| Philadelphia | 75–90 min | Via I-78 west to the PA Turnpike or Schuylkill Expressway |
Philadelphia is on the longer side for a daily commute but entirely manageable for a once or twice a week office schedule. For buyers whose employer is somewhere in the New York to Philadelphia corridor, the Easton townships sit in a genuinely practical geographic position.
Living in Forks or Palmer means you have Easton city close but not underfoot. That is a distinction that matters differently depending on what you want from a neighborhood.
Wegmans, Target, Home Depot, restaurants, urgent care and medical facilities all accessible along the Route 22 corridor — no need to go into the city. Palmer Park Mall and Northampton Commons cover the chains.
Centre Square's long-running weekly farmers market, the Crayola Experience, the State Theatre, and Lafayette College's Williams Center for the Arts — all easy to reach from either township.
The Delaware River is close. The D&L Trail runs along the river and connects to the broader Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor trail network. The Karl Stirner Arts Trail is accessible from downtown Easton, and the drive to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is under thirty minutes. Buyers who enjoy kayaking, hiking or cycling on weekends will find the location genuinely well-positioned.
The decision usually comes down to three factors: budget, lifestyle preference and how much the school district matters to your situation.
You want new construction, a modern layout and a two-car garage, and your budget is $500,000 to $640,000. This is the natural landing spot.
You want a wider range of price points, some older housing stock with more character, or a township that feels more established. Palmer gives you more flexibility.
You want walkability to a real downtown, the farmers market, the arts scene and genuine urban texture. Particularly College Hill.
Easton Area School District covers all three options. Wilson Area School District, which ranks higher, is available in specific parts of the greater Easton market but not in Forks or Palmer townships. If Wilson Area is a requirement for your family, map the boundaries first and search within them.
For NJ commuters, all three options are equally strong on location. The bridge into Phillipsburg is the same short drive from any of them, and I-78 east is equally accessible. In that case, the decision really does come down to what you want your daily home environment to feel like.
Forks and Palmer townships rarely show up on the radar of buyers who come to us having only researched Easton city, and they probably should. If you are open to suburbs rather than committed to urban density, it is worth spending an afternoon driving through both before you decide. The Chris Troxell Team covers the full greater Easton market and can show you what is currently active at your budget across the city and both townships.