North Catasauqua, Pennsylvania

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North Catasauqua is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. North Catasauqua is located in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. The borough celebrates the centennial of it's incorporation in 2007 with a year long celebration.

The population of North Catasauqua was 2,814 at the 2000 census.

Contents 1 Centennial Celebration 2 Geography 3 History 4 Demographics 5 Public Education 6 Official North Catasauqua Borough Merchandise 7 External links

[edit] Centennial Celebration

North Catasauqua borough celebrates centennial of the borough's incorporation all year long in 2007. The borough was incorporated on June 11, 1907. A Centennial Celebration has been organized by a eight member Centennial Celebration Committee that has many activities planned throughout the year; such activities include an opening ceremony, golf tournament, four day carnival, Best of North Catasauqua event, and special Christmas events in December.

The first event is the Opening Ceremony and Borough Open House on Sunday, May 20th, 12pm-5pm at North Catasauqua Park and various borough buildings. Activities on this day include- Food, Music, Old Fashioned Games, Fire department demonstration, Health screenings, MedEvac helicopter landing and takeoff, Arts and Crafts for kids, Cake walk, a chance to have your picture taken in jail at the police station, and a History museum at borough hall.

North Catasauqua Centennial Celebration Golf Tournament- Saturday, June 2nd at Willowbrook Golf Course in North Catasauqua. Open to the public. Fee- $80.00 includes: Continental Breakfast, Golf, Cart, Beverages, Dinner Buffet, and Prizes. All proceeds go towards the North Catasauqua Centennial Celebration. Contact borough hall to sign up.

For more information contact NCataCentennial@aol.com or visit the borough website at NorthCatasauqua.com

[edit] Geography

North Catasauqua is located at 40°39′43″N, 75°28′34″W (40.661896, -75.476015)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.9 km² (0.8 mi²). 1.9 km² (0.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (2.67%) is water.

[edit] History

The Borough of North Catasauqua was incorporated on June 11, 1907. The citizens, of what today is North Catasauqua, wanted a local government and voice that was responsive to their needs. The borough was established out of what was part of Allen Township in Northampton County. The people of this western part of Allen Township met at the public house of Daniel Harris, which was the Northampton Hotel at the time, and signed a petition to secede from the township to form their own borough. The petition was submitted to the Northampton County Courthouse in early June, 1907. The final decree of incorporation was made on June 11th, but was not officially entered into the records until June 17, 1907.

Once the incorporation of North Catasauqua was approved by the county, the residents of the newly formed borough wasted no time in organizing and establishing it. The Northampton County Court quickly set a first election for the borough officers with William H. Thomas becoming the first burgess, which is the equivalent of a present day mayor. Borough council members and a solicitor were also elected and the newly formed borough now had a form of government in place. Located between the larger boroughs of Catasauqua, in Lehigh County, and Northampton, in Northampton County, North Catasauqua quickly grew as businesses and residents came into the new borough. Eventually a police department was formed along with the Charotin Fire Department in 1909. A new combined fire house and municipal building was built in 1911 at Sixth and Arch Streets; prior to this, fire apparatus was housed at the Hoffman and Follweiler stables on Sixth Street, between Liberty and Cherry Streets. Church services were held around the borough at various places of worship including- St. Lawrence Church (built in 1857), St. Andrew’s Church (built in 1903), and Holy Trinity Church (built in 1903).

In 1944, North Catasauqua Borough purchased four acres of land from Northampton County of what was to become North Catasauqua Park and Playground. In July, 1945, a war memorial, complete with flagpole and monument, was dedicated. On June 14, 1947, the playground and park were dedicated, complete with playground equipment, a baseball diamond, and 95 Sycamore trees. The war memorial was also rededicated on June 14th and a parade and other festivities were held. The park and playground quickly became a popular spot for play and recreation, as well as band concerts, picnics, borough Christmas tree lighting, and even carnivals in the 1950’s. Willowbrook Golf Course has also played an important part in the borough. The golf course was originally a private five-hole course built by Colonel James Fuller on the Willowbrook Farm Estate to entertain personal friends and executives visiting the Fuller Company in Catasauqua. In 1932, the golf course opened as a private nine-hole course leased to Dr. Calvin Mitoller from Mrs. Dorothy Fuller, the Colonel’s widow. The golf course was open to the public in 1934 as a way pay for expenses. Located along Howertown Road, the golf course has grown over the years and has become a popular course for local residents and area golfers. Today the golf course offers 18 holes, a driving range, club house, and pro shop.

In 1913, the North Catasauqua School District razed the former four-room Allen Township school house at Fourth and Arch Streets and built a new school. The new school building housed grade 1-8 and featured state-of-the-art amenities which made it a model school. After a merger of North Catasauqua and Catasauqua school districts in 1953, the school housed elementary grades 1-6 until June, 1972. In 1975, North Catasauqua Borough obtained possession of the building and transferred the municipal offices to the site in 1976. In 1995, extensive renovations took place in the building which gives it the look we see today; a rededication of the municipal building was held in 1996. The municipal building now houses the borough police department, borough offices, council chambers, a meeting room, fire department administrative headquarters, as well as room for future expansion. The Charotin Fire Department was relocated to the municipal building site in 1980 with the building of a new combined fire station and public works garages. The North Catasauqua Public Works Department moved to its present location at the Main Street complex when the old Charotin fire station site and municipal garages were sold to a local business in 1986. Prior to this the Public Works Department used the municipal garages at Sixth and Arch Streets along with the combined fire station/public works garages at Fourth and Arch Streets. A public works building was built in 1983 at the Main Street complex which included garages and an office, and allowed all of the public works’ equipment and storage to be housed finally in one building. In 2004, an additional two level building was built that was greatly bigger and allowed for increased storage, bigger garage bays, offices, break room, and shower facilities for employees; a state-of-the-art salt shed was built to store road salt for wintertime use. A paved pathway leading down to the old Lehigh Canal towpath and Lehigh River was also created, along with a parking lot, for future public recreation at the river.

Many changes have taken place over the past one hundred years in the borough. No longer do trolleys carry passengers through the borough, the canal boats (which were an important part of transportation as well as the area economy) no longer carry goods along the canal and river, and the North Catasauqua School no longer reverberates with the sounds of children. However, North Catasauqua still retains its small town charm, appeal, and quaintness which gives it that “Small Town USA” feeling which residents and visitors of the today and the past have enjoyed. Neighbors still talk and wave to each other as the walk around town, Band concerts can still be heard at the borough park in the summer, the annual Christmas tree lighting brings the community together in spirit for the holidays. Today with a population of over 2800 residents, the borough’s small town charm and appeal make it a desirable place to live; especially with its close proximity to the cities of the Lehigh Valley, as well as Philadelphia and New York City.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 2,814 people, 1,136 households, and 791 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,468.2/km² (3,825.5/mi²). There were 1,186 housing units at an average density of 618.8/km² (1,612.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.73% White, 0.46% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.81% of the population.

There were 1,136 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the borough the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $39,375, and the median income for a family was $47,214. Males had a median income of $35,324 versus $26,250 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $19,424. About 5.2% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Public Education

North Catasauqua borough is part of the Catasauqua Area School District. Students in grades K (kindergarten)-4 attend Sheckler Elementary School located in Catasauqua. Students in grades 5-8 attend the Catasauqua Middle School located in Catasauqua. Students in grades 9-12 attend the newly built Catasauqua High School located in Allen Township, Northampton County.

[edit] Official North Catasauqua Borough Merchandise

Available now at borough hall- North Catasauqua "NC" car magnets - $2.00

Coming soon! - North Catasauqua Centennial Celebration Cookbook

[edit] External links

Official North Catasauqua Borough website- http://www.northcatasauqua.com/

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