Its villages include Brodhead, Butztown, Farmersville, Middletown, Prospect Park (also in Palmer Township), and Wagnerville.

Bethlehem Township has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) and the hardiness zone is 6b.

[3] Prior to the arrival of European settlers, Lenape Native American tribe lived in present-day Bethlehem Township and elsewhere in Lehigh Valley.

The Lehigh River and its Monocacy Creek and Nancy Run tributaries, provided fertile soil and ample fishing opportunities for the Lenape's inhabitants before the arrival of William Penn, newly named "Proprietor" of the Province of Pennsylvania in 1681.

From this agreement, settlement began by Europeans newly arrived in pre-Revolutionary War Pennsylvania.

[4] The name of Bethlehem itself originated from the German Moravian Brethren on Christmas Eve in 1741.

[6] The 1874 edition of Atlas of Northampton County shows Upper and Lower Nazareth Townships had been created, but Bethlehem had not yet annexed the areas of Altona and parcels along Center Street (Bath Pike), Linden Street (Nazareth Pike), and Easton Avenue.

The southern terminus of Pennsylvania Route 191 is at US 22 in the northwestern portion of the township, from which it heads north along Nazareth Pike.

Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Company Station 17, houses two Engines, one Heavy Rescue, two Utility Vehicles, two ATVs, two Brush Units, Rescue Boat and two command vehicles.

This station also provides Emergency Medical Services and offers BLS and ALS capabilities to the township, its fleet consists of six ALS ambulances, rehab trailer and supervisors QRS vehicle.

Complementing the active and passive park facilities in the township is the Palmer/Bethlehem Rail Trail, a 7.3 square miles (19 km2) bicycle and walking trail near the north bank of the Lehigh River linking the county seat of Easton to the east with the city of Bethlehem, the largest municipality in the county.