Stockertown, Pennsylvania

Geobox Borough
name = Borough of Stockertown
native_name =
other_name =
other_name1 =
category =


image_size =
image_caption =


flag_size =
symbol =
symbol_size =
country = United States
state = Pennsylvania
region = Northampton
region_type = County
district =
area_imperial = 1.0
area_land_imperial = 1.0
area_water_imperial = 0.0
area_water_percentage = auto
area_percentage_round = 2
area_round = 1
location =
lat_d = 40
lat_m = 45
lat_s = 15
lat_NS = N
long_d = 75
long_m = 15
long_s = 53
long_EW = W
elevation_imperial = 374
elevation_round = 1
population_as_of = 2000
population = 687
population_density_imperial = 689.5
population_density_round = 1
established_type = Incorporated
established = 1901
mayor = Sherman Metzgar
timezone = EST
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
postal_code = 18083
postal_code_type = ZIP code
area_code = 610
area_code_type =
code2_type =
code2 =
free_type =
free =
free1_type =
free1 =


map_caption = Location of Stockertown in Northampton County
map1 = Pennsylvania Locator Map.png map1_caption = Location of Stockertown in Pennsylvania
map1_locator = Pennsylvania
map2 = Map of USA PA.svg
map2_caption = Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
website =

Stockertown is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. Stockertown is located in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.

The Borough contains large industries, such as, Hercules Cement, Polymer Products, Praxair and 84 Lumber Company. Two large industrial parks surround the Borough with Main Street being the only access for all the truck traffic. The Borough is located within a 2 1/2-mile radius and provides services for a population of 687 residents. Stockertown is at the hub of five surrounding second-class townships with large housing developments on the horizon every year. Forks Township provides fire services to the boro, and the boro has its own local police department. Emergency services have been successful in acquiring grants to improve the equipment that they operate.

Geography

Stockertown is located at coor dms|40|45|15|N|75|15|53|W|city (40.754064, -75.264775)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.6 km²), of which, 1.0 square miles (2.6 km²) of it is land and 0.99% is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 687 people, 279 households, and 195 families residing in the borough. The population density was 689.5 people per square mile (265.3/km²). There were 293 housing units at an average density of 294.1/sq mi (113.1/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.56% White, 0.15% African American, 0.15% Asian, 0.15% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.29% of the population.

There were 279 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the borough the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $48,542, and the median income for a family was $59,375. Males had a median income of $39,926 versus $26,500 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $20,984. About 5.1% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.

Public education

The Borough is served by the Nazareth Area School District.

History

The Borough of Stockertown was named after Andreas and Jonas Stocker, who settled on these lands in the late 1700s. In late 1900, a group of Stockertown citizens petitioned Northampton County Court to grant the community the status of a Borough. That petition was granted and, early in 1901, the Borough government was organized. The Borough is situated along the Bushkill and Little Bushkill Creeks.

Sinkhole Dilemma

In 2000, the Bushkill Street bridge was closed due to sinkhole damage. Sinkholes are common to the general area due to karst topography. Most locals, however, will claim that the Hercules Cement quarry on the edge of town has greatly exacerbated the problem due to its strain on the water table.

In 2003, a sinkhole opened under Route 33, a local freeway. A police officer driving past saw what turned out to be a crack in the northbound bridge, and immediately closed the road. Less than a month later a sinkhole opened under the southbound bridge. Both Route 33 bridges have since been replaced. The Bushkill Street bridge, however, was never reopened. It was demolished in May 2007 due to it being a safety hazard for the pedestrians and bicyclists who were still using it. Neither Stockertown nor Palmer Township have shown any interest in re-building the bridge due to the instability of the ground, and the extreme depth of the bedrock underneath.

References

External links

* [http://www.leo.lehigh.edu/envirosci/enviroissue/sinkholes/ Stockertown Sinkhole Dilemma]