Bath, Pennsylvania


Bath is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is named for Bath, Somerset, England. It is located in the Lehigh Valley region of the state with a population of 2,693 according to the 2010 census.

History

The Bath borough is located at the head of the Monocacy Creek in an area of the Lehigh Valley that was once rich in agriculture. The greater area of the town, however, lies east of the Monocacy Valley.
Bath was established in 1728 as a Scotch-Irish settlement before the American Revolution as the first settlement by white people in the Forks of the Delaware. It is named for Bath, Somerset, England by Margaret DeLancey, who sold land under her father, lieutenant colonel of the Continental Army, William Allen, in the 1700s.
On March 3, 1737, the 247 acres of land that is currently inside the boundaries of Bath was purchased and surveyed for Daniel Craig. According to borough historians, this land spans from Chestnut Street to the north of Northampton Street. William Allen conveyed the greater part of Bath's land to his son, Andrew, in 1776, the same year American declared its freedom from the British. That same year, Andrew Allen sold 150 acres of the land to John Lattimore. Andrew Allen also owned land west of the Monocacy, which was eventually confiscated and sold to local families in the area. Today, Bath's current acreage is 576 acres and is less than 1 sq. mi. in area.
On August 18, 2012, Bath celebrated its 275th anniversary. In 1999, the Bath Business and Community Partnership was established for managing urban revitalization initiatives, including creating a greener town, organizing volunteers, and developing economic restructuring/asset enhancement.

Geography

Bath is located at .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of, all land.
Bath is located north of Bethlehem and west of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, at the intersection of Pennsylvania Routes 248 and 512. Bath is also 100 miles southwest of New York City and 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia. It is also located near Wind Gap as well as the Delaware and Lehigh water gaps.
Bath's elevation is above sea level as of 2011.

Government

Bath's government involves a mayor, 7 council members, and a tax collector. The current mayor is Fiorella ‘Fi’ Reginelli-Mirabito with Mark Saginario as the Council President and Michele Ehrgott as Council VP. The town's general budget is $1.6 million with an assessed valuation of over $53.1 million. Bath represents the 138th House of Representatives District, the 16th Senate District, and the 7th Congressional District

Demographics

As of the census estimates of 2011, there were 2,699 people living in Bath, an increase of +0.7 from 2000. There are 1,298 males and 1,398 females. The population density was 2,890 people per square mile. There were 1,126 housing units at an average density of 1,244.8 per square mile. Racially, the borough consists of 88.9% White, 2.2% African American, 0.01% Native American, 1.0% Asian, and 1.3% from two or more races.
The most common ancestries in Bath are German, Irish, Italian, English, and Polish.
The percentage of married families in Bath is 52.5%, while those who have never been married are 24.4%. Divorced residents account for 11.8%, followed by widowed and separated residents.
As far as education, the number of people over the age of 25 with at least a high school diploma is 76.9%. Those with a bachelor's degree or higher is 14.8% and residents with at least a graduate or professional degree is 5.9%.
The unemployment percentage in August 2012 was 8.7%.
In 2009, the median income for a household in the borough was $43,983 and the per capita income for the borough was $21,999. The average house or condo value was $194,522 and the average cost for rent was $791. For houses with mortgages, the average property tax was $3,051.
About 6.4% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.

Community Organizations

Bath is home to several organizations that include the American Legion Eckley E. Patch Post 470, the BBCP, the Bath-East Allen Youth Club, Bath Improvements Committee, Bath Museum Committee, Bath Lions Club, Bath Lioness Club, Bath Lions Midget Football Committee, Governor Wolf Historical Society, Historical Architectural Review Board, Mid-County Senior Center, and the Park, Recreation, & Shade Tree Commission. There is also a Crime Watch in place.
The four recreational areas in Bath include the Volunteer Firefighter's Park, Keystone Park, Ciff Cowling Field, and Carl L. Rehrig Park.

Locations of Interest

The borough is served by the Northampton Area School District.
The borough is also home to George Wolf elementary that's been serving Bath since 1968. It provided twenty-three classrooms, a library, music room and a multipurpose room. In 1974, additions were added that included a gymnasium and twelve more classrooms. They also have three Intermediate Unit #20 classrooms.
George Wolf Elementary School is named after George Wolf, a local resident and Governor of Pennsylvania from 1829-1835. He is known as the father of the free public school system in Pennsylvania because of his effort in passing of the Free School Act of 1834. His original Wolf Academy is located approximately one mile from the school.

Media

The Home News is a weekly newspaper focusing on Bath and surrounding communities. It was first published in 1942.

Notable people