South Whitehall is bounded on the northwest by North Whitehall Township, southeast by Salisbury township, in southwest by Upper and Lower Macungie townships, The population in 1900 was 2,472. The surface is generally level with the exception of Huckleberry ridge, which runs west for about two miles, the soil is very fertile. It was organized as a separate township in 1810, and was formally included in Whitehall Township, (which included the three Whitehalls.) The two principal streams are the Jordan creek which flows through the northern part and Cedar creek which flows through the southern part. The first settlement was made in 1735, by Nicholas Kern. The Catasauqua & Fogelsville R.R. passes through the township and is an outlet for the numerous ore mines along its route. It crosses Jordan creek by the famous Iron Bridge which spans it, the length of which is 1165 feet, consisting of 11 spans of 100 feet each, supported by a series of suspension trusses.

South Whitehall Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is a suburb of Allentown, in the Lehigh Valley area of the state. The population of South Whitehall Township was 19,180 at the 2010 census.[2] It is home to the Lehigh Valley interchange of the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Dorney Park.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 17.3 square miles (44.7 km2), of which 17.1 square miles (44.2 km2) are land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km2), or 0.98%, are water.[1] The township is located immediately west of Allentown and approximately 55 miles (89 km) northwest of Philadelphia. It is drained by Jordan Creek and Little Lehigh Creek into the Lehigh River.

South Whitehall has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) and is in hardiness zone 6b. Average monthly temperatures at Springhouse Middle School range from 28.6 °F (−1.9 °C) in January to 73.5 °F (23.1 °C) in July. [1]

South Whitehall's villages include Cetronia, Crackersport, Dorneyville (also in Salisbury Township), Greenawalds, Guthsville, Mechanicsville (also in North Whitehall), Meyersville (also in North Whitehall), Orefield (also in North Whitehall), Parkway Manor, Scherersville (also in Whitehall Township), Sterlingworth, Walbert, Wennersville, Westwood Heights, and Woodlawn.

Adjacent municipalities
Upper Macungie Township (southwest)
Lower Macungie Township (south)
Salisbury Township (south)
Allentown (southeast)
Whitehall Township (northeast)
North Whitehall Township (north)
Lowhill Township (tangent to the west)

Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 19,180 people, 7,814 households, and 5,339 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,115.1 inhabitants per square mile (430.5/km2). There were 8,180 housing units at an average density of 475.6 per square mile (183.6/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 89.8% White, 2.8% African American, 0.1% Native American, 4.7% Asian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.7% of the population.

There were 7,814 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 24.827% of all households were made up of individuals, and 35.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the township the population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 20, 3.9% from 20 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 31.7% from 45 to 64, and 22% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $64,854, and the median income for a family was $78,629. Males had a median income of $55,047 versus $41,610 for females. The per capita income for the township was $36,274. About 2.6% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.73% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The township is served by the Parkland School District. Students in grades 9 through 12 attend Parkland High School, located on Cedar Crest Boulevard in the township. Both of the Middle Schools (Orefield and Springhouse) are in South Whitehall, as are Cetronia, Kratzer, and Parkway Manor Elementary Schools. Some of the township's students attend Kernsville Elementary just over the North Whitehall line, while others attend Ironton Elementary located in North Whitehall Township. Kratzer is located in Greenawalds.