Slatington, settled by Nicholas Kern in 1741 and incorporated as a borough in 1864, has a 165-acre historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. The original settlement, known as Lower Slatington, includes the former George Kern Home (1824) and the former Jonas Kern Tavern (1845).

Most of the historic buildings in the hilly section above Trout Creek, called Upper Slatington, date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and include Queen Anne mansions, modest rowhouses, ornate storefronts and substantial churches. The Fireman’s Drinking Fountain on Main Street, dedicated in 1910, is considered the borough’s best-known landmark.

Slatington is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 4,232. It is in the Lehigh Valley region of the state, northwest of Allentown and Bethlehem.

Slatington is included in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the New York City-Newark, New Jersey, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

Slatington is located in northern Lehigh County at 40°45′9″N 75°36′33″W (40.752561, −75.609229),[4] 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 miles (23 km) northwest of Allentown, 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Bethlehem, 62 miles (100 km) south of Scranton, and 70 miles (110 km) north of Philadelphia.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2), of which 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2) are land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2), or 4.35%, are water.[1]

Slatington's elevation is 380 feet (120 m) above sea level at the center of town. The elevation varies from 345 feet (105 m) at the Lehigh River on the east side of town to 742 feet (226 m) atop a hill south of South Street, west of Pennsylvania Route 873.

Slatington is home to Victory Park, the location of the community pool and a disc golf course.

Demographics

As of the census[5] 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 people per square mile (1,297.0/km²). There were 1,867 housing units at an average density of 1,412.5 per square mile (546.1/km²). 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.

Education

The borough is served by the Northern Lehigh School District.