Fountain Hill

• Name — Borough of Fountain Hill • Settlement Type — Borough • Motto — Equality under the law • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — United States • Subdivision Type1 — State • Subdivision Name1 — Pennsylvania • Subdivision Type2 — County • Subdivision Name2 — Lehigh • Established Title — Settled • Established Date — 1739 • Established Title1 — Plotted • Established Date1 — 1866 • Established Title2 — Incorporated • Established Date2 — November 13, 1893 • Named For — Fontainebleau Estate • Leader Title — Mayor • Leader Name — Michael Johnson • Leader Title1 — Council President • Leader Name1 — Stewart McCandless • Unit Pref — Imperial • Area Total Km2 — 1.95 • Area Total Sq Mi — 0.75 • Area Land Km2 — 1.90 • Area Land Sq Mi — 0.73 • Area Water Km2 — 0.05 • Area Water Sq Mi — 0.02 • Elevation Ft — 364 • Population As Of — 2020 • Population Total — 4832 • Population Density Km2 — 2536.99 • Population Density Sq Mi — 6574.15 • Population Metro — 865,310 (US: 68th) • Timezone1 — EST • Utc Offset1 — -5 • Timezone1 Dst — EDT • Utc Offset1 Dst — -4 • Postal Code Type — ZIP Code • Postal Code — 18015 • Area Codes — 610 and 484 • Blank Name — FIPS code • Blank Info — 42-27008 • Blank1 Name — Primary airport • Blank1 Info — Lehigh Valley International Airport • Blank2 Name — Major hospital • Blank2 Info — Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest • Blank3 Name — School district • Blank3 Info — Bethlehem Area • Blank2 Name Sec2 — Wikimedia Commons • Website — http: www.fountainhill.org

The region which would become Fountain Hill was home to Lenape Indians prior to its acquisition by William Penn for his sons, Thomas, John and Richard in 1681. The Penns hired a pioneer, 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 the Moravians in newly-established Bethlehem in 1743. Moravians owned present-day Fountain Hill for 32 years. Over a century after the purchase the area consisted of non-Moravian tenant 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.

In 1846, the Moravians sold two acres of the property to Dr. Francis Henry Oppelt, who opened a hotel and mineral spa on the site. Oppelt was a staunch believer in balneotherapy and believed the mineral waters could cure diseases and other ailments. Oppelt's facility existed for 25 years from 1846 until 1871. Oppelt eventually went bankrupt, and the resort was sold in a sheriff sale to Tinsley Jeter, who in turn sold it to Asa Packer, founder of Lehigh University in nearby Bethlehem, in 1876. Packer promptly gifted the land to St. Luke's Hospital who moved their hospital from South Bethlehem to the now vacant resort. 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 for Lehigh Valley Railroad executives, many of which are preserved in the Fountain Hill Historic District. 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 several Silk Mills with the birth of the Industrial Revolution. With the advent of local industry, the regions population surged, however, there was still no incorporated government, with the region operating as a village within Salisbury Township. After a successful petition to the Lehigh County government, Fountain Hill became an incorporated municipality on November 13, 1893.

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. In 1919, Fountain Hill annexed some portions of neighboring Salisbury Township. A decade later, in 1929, Fountain Hill's most famous resident, Stephen Vincent Benét, began his literary career, publishing John Brown's Body. 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.

Fountain Hill is located at (40.601698, -75.396357). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.7 sqmi, of which 0.7 sqmi is land and 1.41% is water. Fountain Hill is approximately 450 acre, predominantly residential in character, with approximately 1,754 dwelling units. It uses the Bethlehem ZIP code of 18015.

As of 2010, there were 13.60 mi of public roads in Fountain Hill, of which 0.88 mi were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 12.72 mi were maintained by the borough. 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 and Pennsylvania Route 412 are the closest numbered highways, both of which pass just to the east of Fountain Hill.

Fountain Hill is served by the Bethlehem Area School District. Fountain Hill Elementary School for kindergarten through grade five is located in Fountain Hill.

As of the 2020 census, Fountain Hill had a population of 4,832. The median age was 40.1 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 86.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 82.3 males age 18 and over. 100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas. There were 1,940 households in Fountain Hill, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.2% were married-couple households, 21.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 2,018 housing units, of which 3.9% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 3.5%. Racial composition as of the 2020 census • Race — Number — Percent • White — 2,985 — 61.8% • Black or African American — 453 — 9.4% • American Indian and Alaska Native — 13 — 0.3% • Asian — 44 — 0.9% • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander — 0 — 0.0% • Some other race — 659 — 13.6% • Two or more races — 678 — 14.0% • Hispanic or Latino (of any race) — 1,582 — 32.7%

As of the 2010 census, 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% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.5% of the population.

• Stephen Vincent Benét, former author • Joseph F. Brennan, former Pennsylvania State Representative • Edwin Drake, "Father of the Oil industry", first American to drill for crude oil • Justin D. Jirolanio, former Pennsylvania State Representative and State Senator • T. J. Rooney, former Pennsylvania State Representative • Alejandra Feliz, singer, member of the Carlos & Alejandra