| Whitehall Township | |
| Township | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Lehigh |
| Elevation | 384 ft (117 m) |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 12.8 sq mi (33.2 km2) |
| - land | 12.6 sq mi (33 km2) |
| - water | 0.2 sq mi (1 km2), 1.56% |
| Population | 24,896 (2000) |
| Density | 1,981.1 / sq mi (764.9 / km2) |
| Timezone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Postal code | 18052 |
| Area code | 610 |
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Location of Whitehall Township in Lehigh County
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Location of Whitehall Township in Pennsylvania
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Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
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| Website: http://www.whitehalltownship.com | |
Whitehall Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.
The population of Whitehall Township was 24,896 at the 2000 census.
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 12.8 square miles (33.1 km²), of which, 12.6 square miles (32.6 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (1.80%) is water.
The township was originally created on March 20, 1753 and included what is now North Whitehall and South Whitehall Townships. In 1810, a petition was made to the Northampton County Court to split the township into two portions (at the time, the area now encompassed by Lehigh County was part of Northampton County).The name Whitehall refers to a white hall that was built along the Jordan in the early 1700s as a hunting lodge. The area had a large ruffed grouse population along with numerous white-tail deer, eastern elk, eastern wolves, and black bear. Mountain lions or cougars may have also existed within Whitehall Township at some point in time. Because of the rich biodiversity of the area it became known as the wilderness of Whitehall. Old growth forest consisting of oak, tulip poplar, hickory, black walnut, sugar maple, basswood, american chestnut, american beech, and sycamore covered the entire township.
In 1867 eastern portions of both North and South Whitehall were reapportioned into the current Whitehall Township. The new Whitehall Township is generally rectangular in shape, running from NNW to SSE and is situated along the western bank of the Lehigh River. Two years after the new township's formation, the Borough of Coplay was incorporated, removing from the township a square section of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2). Whitehall is drained by the Lehigh River, which separates it from Northampton County and Catasauqua.
Its villages include Cementon, Egypt, Fullerton, Hokendauqua, Mickleys, North Coplay, Scherersville (also in South Whitehall,) Stiles, and West Catasauqua. The township's main north-to-south road is MacArthur Road (Route 145,) which has an interchange with Highway 22 in the south and crosses Route 329 in the north.
As of the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, there were 26,537 people living in the township. 83.6% were White, 3.0% were African American, 0.4% were Native American, 4.1% were Asian, 0.0% were Pacific Islander, 5.8% were from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.7% of the population.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 24,896 people, 10,376 households, and 6,817 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,981.1 people per square mile (764.7/km²). There were 10,744 housing units at an average density of 855.0 per square mile (330.0/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 90.56% White, 2.74% African American, 0.13% Native American, 3.62% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.71% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.37% of the population.
There were 10,376 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 52% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the township the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $43,070, and the median income for a family was $51,597. Males had a median income of $39,175 versus $26,933 for females. The per capita income for the township was $21,383. About 4.4% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.
Whitehall-Coplay School District serves the township, as well as the borough of Coplay. Students in grades 9–12 from both municipalities attend Whitehall High School.
There also are several parochial and private schools within the Township:
The Lehigh Valley Mall, the largest Lehigh Valley-based shopping mall, is located in Whitehall Township, as is the Whitehall Mall.
Several radio stations have broadcast facilities within the township (all owned by Clear Channel Communications):
Whitehall Township operates as a First Class Township. On November 5, 1974, the township adopted a Home Rule Charter (here) form of government that became effective January 5, 1976.
As part of this governmental arrangement, the Township has separate executive and legislative branches. The legislative branch consists of a Township Board of Commissioners of seven (7) members, each serving 4-year terms. Four of the seats have terms that overlap the remaining three seat terms (e.g. four of the current terms end in 2007, while the remaining 3 terms end in 2009). The seated members then elect a President and Vice President who conduct Board meetings.
The executive branch consists of a Mayor, who also serves a 4-year term. The Mayor may appoint a Deputy Mayor at his/her discretion, with approval from the Board of Commissioners. The Deputy Mayor does not automatically become Mayor should the standing Mayor leave office for any reason—a replacement is to be appointed by the Board of Commissioners.
Whitehall Township also maintains an elected Treasurer who serves a 4-year term.
The township is broken into twelve (12) voting districts, each with one polling place. Below is a list of each district, a link to a district map, area covered and the current polling location for the district.
| District | Area Served | Polling Place (map link) |
|---|---|---|
| District 1 | Olympic Gardens/Spring Ridge/Mickley Run | Church of Christ, 1419 Overlook Rd. |
| District 2 | Fullerton/South of US-22 | Ironworkers Local # 36, 521 Fifth St. |
| District 3 | Fullerton/Jordan Park Area | Ironworkers Local # 36, 521 Fifth St. |
| District 4 | Fullerton/North-East of US-22 | St. John’s Lutheran Church, 835 Third St. |
| District 5 | Fullerton/North-West of US-22 | Fullerton Memorial Comm. Center, 901 Jefferson St. |
| District 6 | West Catasauqua | West Catasauqua Playground Assoc., Pine St. |
| District 7 | Mickley’s and North of Schadt Avenue | Whitehall Recreation Building, 1975 Schadt Avenue |
| District 8 | Hokendauqua | 1st Presbyterian Church of Hokendauqua, 3005 S. Front St. |
| District 9 | Stiles | St. John the Baptist Catholic Church—Ruffena, 3120 Chestnut St. |
| District 10 | Egypt | Egypt Fire Company, 4099 Kuhn Lane |
| District 11 | Cementon | St. Paul’s Parish Hall, 2nd & Leisenring Sts. |
| District 12 | Presidential Drive/Helfrich Springs | Islamic Center of the Lehigh Valley, 1988 Schadt Avenue |
Map source: Lehigh County, PA web site
Don Cunningham (D; $75,000); 2013
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