HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Slatington is a
borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...
in
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Lehigh County (; Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Lechaa Kaundi'') is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the coun ...
, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 4,232. Slatington is located northwest of
Allentown Allentown may refer to: Places * Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California * Allentown, Georgia, a city in four counties in Georgia * Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Tazewell County * Allentown, New Jersey, a boroug ...
and
Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...
. Slatington is part of the
Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley () is a geography, geographic and urban area, metropolitan region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh and Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton counties in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a co ...
metropolitan area, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous
metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
in the U.S. as of the 2020 census.


History

In 1737, Nicholas Kern was the first white settler in what would become Slatington. The
Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...
Native Americans were already living along "Warriors Path," which would become Route 873. Kern established a sawmill shortly after arriving. In 1756,
Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...
reported to Governor Morris that he had procured boards and timber from Kern's sawmill. In the 19th century two Welshmen, who recognized its properties and importance from being used in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, discovered
slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
. A quarry was set up in 1845, and, in 1847, a factory was erected. In 1864, Slatington was incorporated into a Borough of Pennsylvania; its first mayor was Robert McDowell. Historically, structural iron, knit goods, and silk were manufactured in Slatington, and there were abundant slate quarries in the area. In 1900, 3,773 people lived in Slatington, and, by 1910, that number had grown to 4,454. Between 1910 and the 2010 census, the population reduced slightly, to 4,232. The U.S. postal code ( ZIP code) for Slatington, PA is 18080. Slatington was settled in 1738 and incorporated in 1864. In 2010, the Fireman's Drinking Fountain and Slatington Historic District were named to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.


Geography

Slatington is located in northern Lehigh County at (40.752561, −75.609229), on the west side of the
Lehigh River The Lehigh River () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in eastern Pennsylvania. The river flows in a generally southward ...
. It is bordered to the east, across the river, by the borough of Walnutport in Northampton County. It is northwest of Allentown, northwest of Bethlehem, south of
Scranton Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...
, and north of
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. According to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the borough has a total area of , of which are land and , or 4.35%, are water. Slatington's elevation is above sea level at the center of town. The elevation varies from at the Lehigh River on the east side of town to atop a hill south of South Street, west of Pennsylvania Route 873. Slatington is home to Victory Park, the location of the community pool, a disc golf course, and the Angelo J. Scarselletti Amphitheater.


Demographics

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 4,232 people, 1,743 households, and 1,190 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 1,867 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 96.23%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.42%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.20% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.77% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 2.03% of the population. There were 1,743 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.01. In the borough, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $36,531, and the median income for a family was $43,542. Males had a median income of $32,101 versus $23,796 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the borough was $16,189. About 10.6% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.


Politics

Slatington is governed by a borough council consisting of 7 council members. The most recent council's term began on January 1, 2024, and will expire on December 31, 2025. These current council composition are as follows: President David Schnaars, VP Zachari Halkias, Council Members; Ronald Kratz, Kevin Steckel, Jeffrey Hausman, and Ryan Mayberry, Mayor Jeralyn Schoch, Manager, Treasurer, and Secretary Daniel Stevens, Assistant Secretary/Treasurer Colleen Bresnak, Utility Clerk / Payroll Linda Christman, P/T Clerk Elizabeth Miller, and Solicitor Edmund J. Healy.


Education

The borough is served by the Northern Lehigh School District. Northern Lehigh School District has two elementary schools. Peters Elementary school educates students grades Kindergarten through second grade while Slatington Elementary educates grades 3–6. The district has only one middle school (grades 7–8) and Northern Lehigh High School in Slatington for grades nine through 12.


Transportation

As of 2019, there were of public roads in Slatington, of which were maintained by the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, Michael B. Carroll. PennDOT ...
(PennDOT) and were maintained by the borough. Pennsylvania Route 873 traverses Slatington, following a north–south alignment through the borough via Main Street and Walnut Street.


Airport

Slatington is home to the small Slatington Airport. The single runway airport is used by local monoplane enthusiasts as well as hot-air ballooners. The airport is listed as a "critical facility" for the regional
Local Mitigation Strategy A Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) or Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) is a local government plan (in the United States, typically implemented at a county level), that is designed to reduce or eliminate risks to people and property from natural a ...
and would be used to fly supplies in and be used as an evacuation point in the event of a major natural disaster in the region. Linear Air, a
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
based
air taxi An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand. History The concept of air taxis existed as early as the 1910s. This concept goes back as early as 1917 with Glenn Curtiss’ prototype, the auto-plane. Furthermor ...
company runs chartered monoplane flights out of Slatington Airport. The airport is also home to Chapter 855 of the
Experimental Aircraft Association The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Since its inception, it has grown internationally with over 300,000 members and nearly 1,000 chapters worldwide. ...
. Since 2020 the airport has been home to an annual
halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carri ...
show.


Accidents

At 2:25pm on August 21, 1988, James Raby Shea crashed his
Stolp Starduster The Stolp-Adams SA-100 Starduster is an American single-seat sport biplane designed to be built from plans supplied by Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. Though the first flight was in 1957, Stardusters continue to be built and flown. Design and ...
in a grove of trees about a quarter mile north of the runway after his engine failed shortly after takeoff but was uninjured. On October 13, 2013, a
Cessna Cessna () is an American brand of general aviation aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of the Cessna Aircraft Company, an American general aviation aircraft manufactu ...
monoplane flipped on the Slatington runway, with the pilot receiving minor injuries. On July 29, 2021, Slatington was hit by an EF1
tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
, with the airport bearing the brunt of the damage. The airport's owner, Roger Sell reported that an airplane was tossed suffering significant damage, as well as damage to the airport's hangers.


Notable people

* Anne Burlak, former organized labor leader * George Hennessey, former professional baseball player,
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
and
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
* Charlie Johnson, former professional baseball player,
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
* William A. Steckel, American politician,
Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...


References


External links

* {{authority control 1864 establishments in Pennsylvania Boroughs in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Boroughs in Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1737