The community was founded as a resort community serving coal barons and other members of the wealthy elite of nearby Pottsville, Pennsylvania. A small summer stock theatre operated during the 1920s, in which actors such as John Kenley performed. In 1972 Muhammad Ali set his training camp in Deer Lake, and it still stands today complete with an indoor boxing ring.
Geography
Deer Lake is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of, of which, of it is land and of it is water. Pennsylvania Route 61 is the principal highway passing through Deer Lake.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 528 people, 203 households, and 160 families living in the borough. The population density was 1,261.8 people per square mile. There were 216 housing units at an average density of 516.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the borough was 98.30% White, 0.19% Native American, 1.33% Asian, and 0.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.19% of the population. There were 203 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.5% were married couplesliving together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.7% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 2.94. In the borough the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $52,386, and the median income for a family was $61,042. Males had a median income of $36,000 versus $28,611 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $25,577. About 1.3% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.
