Borough of Fountain Hill | |
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 Lehigh Valley Silk Mills in Fountain Hill in June 2013 | |
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 Location of Fountain Hill inLehigh County, Pennsylvania (left) and of Lehigh County inPennsylvania (right) | |
  Fountain Hill Fountain Hill (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:40°36′03″N75°23′47″W / 40.60083°N 75.39639°W /40.60083; -75.39639 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Pennsylvania |
| County | Lehigh |
| Settled | 1739 |
| Plotted | 1866 |
| Incorporated | November 13, 1893 |
| Named after | Fontainebleau Estate |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Michael Johnson |
| • Council President | Stewart McCandless |
| Area | |
• Borough | 0.75 sq mi (1.95 km2) |
| • Land | 0.73 sq mi (1.90 km2) |
| • Water | 0.019 sq mi (0.05 km2) |
| Elevation | 364 ft (111 m) |
| Population | |
• Borough | 4,832 |
| • Density | 6,570.8/sq mi (2,536.99/km2) |
| • Metro | 865,310 (US:68th) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 18015 |
| Area codes | 610 and 484 |
| FIPS code | 42-27008 |
| Primary airport | Lehigh Valley International Airport |
| Major hospital | Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest |
| School district | Bethlehem Area |
| Website | www |
Fountain Hill is aborough inLehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population of Fountain Hill was 4,832 at the 2020 census, an increase over the figure of 4,597 tabulated in 2010. It is part of theLehigh Valley metropolitan area, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populousmetropolitan area in the U.S. as of the 2020 census.
The region which would become Fountain Hill was home toLenape Indians prior to its acquisition byWilliam Penn for his sons,Thomas,John andRichard in 1681. The Penns hired apioneer, Nicholas Doll, to settle the land, building the first structure there in 1739. The deed for the land was passed to several farming families before being sold to theMoravians in newly-establishedBethlehem in 1743.[3] Moravians owned present-day Fountain Hill for 32 years. Over a century after the purchase the area consisted of non-Moraviantenant farmer, the largest of which was a 147-acre farm owned by the Hoffert family. The farm house was built in 1755 by Cornelius Weygandt and remains the oldest standing structure in the borough.[3]
In 1846, the Moravians sold two acres of the property to Dr. Francis Henry Oppelt, who opened a hotel andmineral spa on the site. Oppelt was a staunch believer inbalneotherapy and believed the mineral waters could cure diseases and other ailments. Oppelt's facility existed for 25 years from 1846 until 1871.[3]
Oppelt eventually went bankrupt, and the resort was sold in a sheriff sale to Tinsley Jeter, who in turn sold it toAsa Packer, founder ofLehigh University in nearby Bethlehem, in 1876. Packer promptly gifted the land toSt. Luke's Hospital who moved their hospital from South Bethlehem to the now vacant resort.[3]
In 1848, the Hoffert farm was sold to real estate developers, who turned it into a massive mansion named the "Fontainebleau estate," which traded ownership several times before 1866 when the estate would also be purchased by Tinsley Jeter who laid a town plot on the property. Jeter purchased most of the farms in the region and the mansions built forLehigh Valley Railroad executives, many of which are preserved in theFountain Hill Historic District.[3]
In 1866, Jeter was choosing a name for the property and settled on "Fountain Hill", due to the earlier Fontainebleau estate, which stood on a small hill. In 1886, the growing town became the home to severalSilk Mills with the birth of theIndustrial Revolution.[3]
With the advent of local industry, the regions population surged, however, there was still no incorporated government, with the region operating as avillage withinSalisbury Township. After a successful petition to the Lehigh County government, Fountain Hill became an incorporated municipality on November 13, 1893.[3]
In 1905, residents of Fountain Hill rejected a proposal to join the municipality of South Bethlehem (annexed by Bethlehem in 1917) to form an independent city.[4] In 1919, Fountain Hill annexed some portions of neighboringSalisbury Township. A decade later, in 1929, Fountain Hill's most famous resident,Stephen Vincent Benét, began his literary career, publishingJohn Brown's Body.[3] Through the 1940s, Fountain Hill remained a cultural retreat for Bethlehem residents, hosting many operas, playhouses, and theaters.
In 1949, Fountain Hill annexed another parcel from Salisbury Township, bringing the borough to its present borders.[5]
Fountain Hill is located at40°36′6″N75°23′47″W / 40.60167°N 75.39639°W /40.60167; -75.39639 (40.601698, -75.396357).[6] According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2), of which 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) is land and 1.41% is water. Fountain Hill is approximately 450 acres (1.8 km2), predominantly residential in character, with approximately 1,754 dwelling units. It uses theBethlehemZIP code of 18015.[7]
As of 2010, there were 13.60 miles (21.89 km) of public roads in Fountain Hill, of which 0.88 miles (1.42 km) were maintained by thePennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 12.72 miles (20.47 km) were maintained by the borough.[8]
No numbered highways pass through Fountain Hill. The main thoroughfare through the borough is Broadway, which follows a northeast–southwest alignment through the middle of town.Pennsylvania Route 378 andPennsylvania Route 412 are the closest numbered highways, both of which pass just to the east of Fountain Hill.
Fountain Hill is served by theBethlehem Area School District. Fountain Hill Elementary School for kindergarten through grade five is located in Fountain Hill.
As of the 2010 census,[9] there were 4,597 people living in the borough. The racial makeup of the borough was 81.4%White, 6.6%African American, 0.1%Native American, 0.8%Asian, 0.0%Pacific Islander, 7.7% fromother races, and 3.4% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 22.5% of the population.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 825 | 36.75% | 1,392 | 62.00% | 28 | 1.25% |
| 2020 | 720 | 31.97% | 1,492 | 66.25% | 40 | 1.78% |
| 2016 | 647 | 32.61% | 1,227 | 61.84% | 110 | 5.54% |
| 2012 | 557 | 31.10% | 1,200 | 67.00% | 34 | 1.90% |
| 2008 | 571 | 29.09% | 1,359 | 69.23% | 33 | 1.68% |
| 2004 | 650 | 33.73% | 1,268 | 65.80% | 9 | 0.47% |
Places adjacent to Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania | |
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Municipalities and communities ofLehigh County, Pennsylvania,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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