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Regional Setting
Upper Saucon Township is situated in the southeastern corner of Lehigh County approximately 60 miles north of Philadelphia and 80 miles east of Harrisburg. The Township is bordered on the north by Salisbury Township, on the east by Lower Saucon Township (Northampton County), on the south by the Borough of Coopersburg and Springfield Township (Bucks County), and on the west by Lower and Upper Milford Townships.

Upper Saucon Township is linked to the regional transportation network by three major highways - Interstate 78, PA Route 309 and PA Route 378. Interstate 78 traverses the northeastern section of the Township until it merges with Route 309 in the north-central area. The Interstate then swings north and shares six lanes with Route 309 until it meets US Route 22 northwest of the Township in Upper Macungie Township. Route 309 runs through the center of the Township and provides a direct link to Quakertown, Philadelphia and other Bucks County and Montgomery County communities to the South. Route 378 runs north from Route 309 in the south-central area of the Township and eventually meets US Route 22 in the City of Bethlehem.

Upper Saucon has been a bedroom community for the Lehigh Valley region including the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton. The rolling hills and farmland that characterize the Township and its convenient location with easy access to PA Route 309, Interstate 78 and US Route 22 have made Upper Saucon a very attractive place to live for those wanting both a somewhat rural atmosphere but also access to metropolitan amenities.

Township History
Indians were the first inhabitants of the area known today as Upper Saucon Township. The word "Saucon" is derived from the Indian word "Suakunk" which was the name applied to an Indian village at the mouth of Saucon Creek, and afterwards a large tract of land lying on both sides the creek from its source to its mouth. Suakunk comes from the Indian word Sa-ku-wit, meaning the mouth of a creek.

The earliest European settlers arrived in the region over a 20-year period beginning in 1732 and were primarily of German, English and Welsh descent. In 1743 these immigrants formally organized the Township. Agriculture formed the basis of the Township's economy for most of its history. Wheat, rye, oats, corn, potatoes, clover, timothy, fruits and garden vegetables were some of the Township's early agricultural products. Access to trading and selling these products was provided by the precursor to Route 309, which rested in the same general location as the present highway and extended from Allentown to Philadelphia.

The Village of Center Valley formed the principle gathering spot for the Township and evolved as a linear community initially focused around the intersection of present day Routes 309 and 378. By 1848, the village consisted of only a general store, hotel and a 60-acre farm. Construction of the North Pennsylvania Railroad through the Township in 1856 brought improved transportation and expanded access to urban markets. The rail line established its Center Valley Station on the east side of the Saucon Creek about a quarter of a mile east of the village nucleus. Center Valley continued to grow and by 1862 boasted not only a store and hotel, but also a post office, blacksmith shop, and shoemaker, along with several dwellings.

By 1873, as many as seven homes had been established near the railroad station, and in 1875 local commissioners authorized $1,200.00 for construction of the Centennial Bridge. This bridge provided an important link between the original village nucleus and the settlement forming around the railroad station to the east. By the time the bridge was completed in 1876, the area around the station had extended toward the original village nucleus by adding 18 homes, two coal yards, one store and a hotel.

The Center Valley Station became an important shipping point for agricultural products from surrounding farms. The community around the station was at one point locally known as "Milk Town" because of the large quantity of milk that was shipped out of the area. According to the Bucks County Historical Society, two and one half million gallons of milk were shipped annually to the Philadelphia area via the railroad.

In addition to the agricultural trade, the Township's other key industry was mining. The Friendensville Zinc Mine is the only registered historical site in the Township and dates back to 1845. The mining of zinc ore first occurred on the farm of Jacob Ueberroth, which was eventually purchased by the Lehigh Zinc Company and was the largest of the many mines in the local area. Between 1869 and 1872, the Lehigh Zinc Company installed the world famous Cornish pump known as "The President". This pump was used to remove between 12,000 to 16,000 gallons of water a minute from the mines. The Lehigh Zinc Company was eventually acquired by the New Jersey Zinc Company and the property is currently owned by the Stabler Land Company.

Upper Saucon Township Municipal Profile

County: Lehigh

Type of Municipality: Township, Second Class

School District: Southern Lehigh

Municipal Address:
5500 Camp Meeting Road
Center Valley, Pennsylvania 18034
Telephone: (610) 282-1171
FAX: (610) 282-3557

Land Use 1999 (in acres)
Residential 5,216.3 (32.3%)
Commercial 53.7 (0.3%)
Industrial 681.3 (4.2%)
Wholesale & Warehousing 90.6 (0.6%)
Transp., Comm. & Utilities 846.4 (5.3%)
Public & Quasi-Public 567.2 (3.5%)
Parks & Recreation 1,501.4 (9.3%)
Agriculture & Vacant 7,177.1 (44.5%)
Total Acres 16,134.0 (100.0%)

Area: 25.21 sq. mi.

Population Density 2000: 474 / sq. mi.

Assessed Value of Taxable Real Estate
1991 $266,480,850
2001 $398,016,100
Change $131,535,250 (49.4%)

Real Estate Tax Millage Rates 2005
Municipal 4.20
School District 36.60
County 10.75
Total 51.55

Population
1960 census 5,926
1970 census 7,954
1980 census 9,635
1990 census 9,775
2000 census 11,939

Housing Characteristics 2000
Total households 3,970
Persons per household 2.79
Total housing units 4,117
Occupied housing units 3,970 (100.0%)
Owner occupied 3,652 (92.0%)
Renter occupied 318 (8.0%)
Vacant housing units 147
Median value-owner occupied (1990) $142,400
Median monthly contract rent (1990) $432

New Housing Construction (No. of units)
1990 - 19 1995 - 70
1991 - 12 1996 - 68
1992 - 45 1997 - 68
1993 - 65 1998 - 110
1994 - 70 1999 - 114

Sex Data 2000
Male 5,962 (49.9%)
Female 5,977 (50.1%)

Age Data 2000
Median age 38.7
Under 18 years 2,866 (24.0%)
65 years and over 1,393 (11.7%)

Income & Poverty Status 1989
Median household income $44,846
Median family income $44,869
Per capita income $18,068
Persons below poverty level 166 (1.7%)

Selected Race & Hispanic Origin Characteristics 2000
White 11,594 (97.1%)
Black or African American 83 (0.7%)
American Indian, Alaska Native 7 (0.1%)
Asian 135 (1.1%)
All Others 120 (1.0%)
Hispanic or Latino (origin any race) 128 (1.1%)

Educational Attainment 1990 (persons 25 years and over)
No high school degree 1,245 (19.7%)
High school graduate only 2,218 (35.1%)
Some college/associate degree 1,279 (20.3%)
Bachelor's or graduate degree 1,572 (24.9%)
High school degree or higher 80.3%

Ancestry 1990 (top 5 listed)
Total reported 13,188 (100.0%)
German 4,978 (37.7%)
Irish 1,788 (13.6%)
English 1,118 (8.5%)
Italian 853 (6.5%)
Polish 512 (3.9%)

Place of Work 1990 (workers 16 years & over)
Worked in Upper Saucon (14.8%)
Worked outside Upper Saucon (85.2%)

Occupation 1990 (employed persons 16 years & over)
Managerial and professional 1,501 (28.9%)
Tech., Sales & admin. support 1,736 (33.5%)
Service occupations 504 (9.7%)
Farming, forestry 53 (1.0%)
Precision production, repair 667 (12.9%)
Operators, fabricators & laborers 726 (14.0%)
Total employed 5,187 (100.0%)