I grew up in Northwestern Lehigh and would recommend that area over anything north of the mountain including where I live now on the Carbon-Monroe line.

Tamaqua and Lehighton school districts are both characterized by very marginal quality, high taxes, and school board infighting, football hazing scandals, excessive administrator turnover, etc.

In Northwestern you could get a decent-sized lor, good school district and not be as far away from the core of the Lehigh Valley as north of the mountain. Plus not pay those Southern Lehigh-East Penn-Parkland prices.