The site of Baden was the location of Logstown, a Native American village. Settlers conversed and negotiated with Native Americans there; George Washington visited the area to speak with the Natives himself under Queen Alliquippa. The oldest recorded house in Baden was built in the early 1800s, and it became a stopping place for farmers on their way to Pittsburgh to sell their livestock. Baden was founded as a village in 1838 and was named after the German resort town of Baden-Baden at the border of the Black Forest. Early on, Baden was home to boat building yards, quarries, a lath mill and a gristmill. After Baden was established as a borough in 1858, it grew with the appearance of steel mills and oil wells in the area as well as the growth of the railroads, including the nearby Conway Yard, now operated byNorfolk Southern.
As of the census of 2010, there were 4,135 people, 1,897 households, and 1,081 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,913.8 people per square mile. There were 1,995 housing units at an average density of 868.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the borough was 96.9% White, 1.5% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population. There were 1,897 households, out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couplesliving together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.0% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.72. In the borough the population was spread out, with 17.2% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the borough was $32,924, and the median income for a family was $40,924. Males had a median income of $31,025 versus $23,813 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $17,112. About 5.1% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.
