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18-581: Alburtis is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania , United States. The borough's population was 2,596 as of the 2020 census. It is a suburb of Allentown , the third largest city in Pennsylvania. It is part of the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. as of the 2020 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau ,

36-466: A borough (sometimes spelled boro ) is a self-governing municipal entity, equivalent to a town in most jurisdictions, usually smaller than a city , but with a similar population density in its residential areas. Sometimes thought of as "junior cities", boroughs generally have fewer powers and responsibilities than full-fledged cities. All municipalities in Pennsylvania are classified as either cities , boroughs, or townships . The only exception

54-562: A decayed condition. The slag dumps on the property were crushed, screened, and used for roofing and fill by the Lehigh Slag Company until 1958. Little-used since the closing of the furnaces, the Catasauqua and Fogelsville's rail lines through the site was torn up in the 1940s. With industrial operations on the property long complete, it was donated by the Butz family to Lehigh County for use as

72-593: A park. In August 1976, Lock Ridge Park was opened as a 59.2 acres (24.0 ha) public park. It is operated as a partnership between Lehigh County , which owns and maintains the site, and the Lehigh County Historical Society, which provides public tours of the furnace complex. The park is made up of the remains of the old furnace complex, now the Lock Ridge Furnace Museum , and the land surrounding it. Swabia Creek , which flows through

90-406: A related or even the same name. There are 956 boroughs and 56 cities in Pennsylvania. Many home rule municipalities remain classified as boroughs or townships for certain purposes, even if the state's borough and township codes no longer apply to them. Lock Ridge Park The park preserves portions of the former Lock Ridge Iron Works. The first furnace at the site was built in 1868 by

108-417: Is the town of Bloomsburg , recognized by the state government as the only incorporated town in Pennsylvania. Boroughs tend to have more developed business districts and concentrations of public and commercial office buildings, including courthouses. Boroughs are larger, less spacious, and more developed than the relatively rural townships, which often have the greater territory and even surround boroughs of

126-718: The Lock Ridge Iron Company , on the line of the Catasauqua and Fogelsville Railroad near its junction with the East Pennsylvania Railroad . The company was taken over the next year by the Thomas Iron Company, and a second furnace put in blast shortly thereafter. The iron industry in the Lehigh Valley was then flourishing, and the Lock Ridge furnaces, designated No. 7 and No. 8 by Thomas Iron, were typical of

144-606: The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 6.22 miles (10.01 km) were maintained by the borough. No numbered highways served Alburtis directly. Main thoroughfares through the borough include Franklin Street, Main Street, Penn Avenue and Front Street. The nearest numbered highway is Pennsylvania Route 100 . Borough (Pennsylvania) In the United States Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ,

162-411: The average family size was 3.13. In the borough, the population was spread out, with 29.7% of the population under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 38.6% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males. The median income for a household in

180-522: The borough has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km), all land. The Alburtis ZIP Code (18011) comprises two separate areas stretching from south of Trexlertown into the district township in neighboring Berks County . Alburtis has a hot-summer humid continental climate ( Dfa ) and is in hardiness zone 6b. Average monthly temperatures range from 29.1 °F in January to 73.6 °F in July. Alburtis

198-680: The borough was $ 52,361, and the median income for a family was $ 57,863. Males had a median income of $ 36,915 compared with $ 27,094 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $ 20,611. About 2.8% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line , including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over. Alburtis is served by East Penn School District . Emmaus High School in Emmaus serves grades nine through twelve. Eyer Middle School and Lower Macungie Middle School, both in Macungie , serve grades six through eight. One of

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216-752: The district's seven elementary schools, Alburtis Elementary School, is located in Alburtis. Lock Ridge Park is the predominant public park in Alburtis. Swabia Creek flows through the park and borough. The borough also includes a community center, pool, and several baseball fields. Alburtis is the current home of the Frankford Radio Club, a long-running amateur radio club founded at Frankford High School in Philadelphia around 1927. As of 2011, there were 8.49 miles (13.66 km) of public roads in Alburtis, of which 2.27 miles (3.65 km) were maintained by

234-539: The nation. As of the 2000 census, there were 2,117 people, 774 households and 593 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,993.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,155.7/km). There were 799 housing units at an average density of 1,129.7 per square mile (436.2/km). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.21% White , 0.33% African American , 0.05% Native American , 1.42% Asian , 0.24% Pacific Islander , 0.24% from other races , and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.85% of

252-449: The opposite course. No. 8 furnace stack was rebuilt in 1914, and No. 7 the following year. Concurrently, anthracite was replaced by coke as a fuel for the furnaces. However, modernization was not enough to save the Lock Ridge furnaces, and iron was last made there in 1921. The furnaces were sold to William Butz, who dismantled most of the buildings for scrap iron and lumber. The masonry structures, however, were allowed to remain, but in

270-401: The population. There were 774 households, of which 42.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.5% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.3% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and

288-603: The time. Rather than common charcoal , they used a hot blast to burn anthracite fuel, a technology brought to the United States by the company's founder, David Thomas , in 1839 By the early 20th century, however, the furnaces were, despite sporadic improvements, technologically out-of-date, and were reputedly the last anthracite iron furnaces operating in the United States. B. F. Fackenthal, president of Thomas Iron, recommended they be decommissioned upon his resignation in 1913. Fackenthal's successor, Ralph Sweetser, pursued

306-552: The town in his honor. A tract adjacent to Alburtis was purchased by the Lockridge Iron Company for the construction of blast furnaces in the late 1860s. This area, which grew into a separate village, is known as Lock Ridge Park . The Thomas Iron Company and George F. Schlicher Hotel , both in Alburtis, have been named to the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of their historical significance to

324-522: Was incorporated on May 9, 1913 by the merger of two villages, Alburtis and Lock Ridge, both of which were settled in the mid-1800s. Alburtis was named for Edward K. Alburtis, a civil engineer involved in the construction of the East Pennsylvania Branch of the Philadelphia and Reading Railway . When a railroad station was established in the village in 1859, the railroad's board of directors named

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