Slatington is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 4,232. Slatington is located northwest of Allentown and Bethlehem. Slatington is part of the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous metropolitan area 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 Native Americans were already living along "Warriors Path," which would become Route 873. Kern established a sawmill shortly after arriving. In 1756, Benjamin Franklin 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, discovered slate. 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.

Geography

Slatington is located in northern Lehigh County at 40.7525°N, -75.60917°W (40.752561, −75.609229), on the west side of the Lehigh River. It is bordered to the east, across the river, by the borough of Walnutport in Northampton County. It is 14 mi northwest of Allentown, 18 mi northwest of Bethlehem, 62 mi south of Scranton, and 70 mi north of Philadelphia. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.4 sqmi, of which 1.3 sqmi are land and 0.1 sqmi, or 4.35%, are water. Slatington's elevation is 380 ft above sea level at the center of town. The elevation varies from 345 ft at the Lehigh River on the east side of town to 742 ft 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 of 2010, there were 4,232 people, 1,743 households, and 1,190 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,354.6 PD/sqmi. There were 1,867 housing units at an average density of 1,412.5 /mi2. The racial makeup of the borough was 96.23% White, 1.42% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 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 for the borough was $16,189. About 10.6% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, 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 16.06 mi of public roads in Slatington, of which 2.23 mi were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 13.83 mi 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 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 based air taxi company runs chartered monoplane flights out of Slatington Airport. The airport is also home to Chapter 855 of the Experimental Aircraft Association. Since 2020 the airport has been home to an annual halloween hot air balloon show.

Accidents

At 2:25pm on August 21, 1988, James Raby Shea crashed his Stolp Starduster 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 monoplane flipped on the Slatington runway, with the pilot receiving minor injuries. On July 31, 2022, Slatington was hit by an EF0 tornado, 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