A Queen Anne style home at the corner of Diamond and Main Streets in Slatington, June 2013
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.
According to the U.S. 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.[2] 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, a disc golf course, and the Angelo J. Scarselletti Amphitheater.
As of the census[8] 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 inhabitants per square mile (1,295.2/km2). There were 1,867 housing units at an average density of 1,412.5 units per square mile (545.4 units/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.
Politics
Slatington Municipal Building
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.[1]
United States presidential election results for Slatington, Pennsylvania[10][11]
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.
As of 2019, there were 16.06 miles (25.85 km) of public roads in Slatington, of which 2.23 miles (3.59 km) were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 13.83 miles (22.26 km) were maintained by the borough.[12]
Pennsylvania Route 873 traverses Slatington, following a north–south alignment through the borough via Main Street and Walnut Street.
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.[13]
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.[17]
On October 13, 2013, a Cessna monoplane flipped on the Slatington runway, with the pilot receiving minor injuries.[18]
On July 31, 2022, Slatington was hit by an EF0tornado, with the airport bearing the brunt of the damage.[19] The airport's owner, Roger Sell reported that an airplane was tossed suffering significant damage, as well as damage to the airport's hangers.[19]
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