Bath

Dolls sitting behind the display glass of antique stores and residents stopping for ice cream on warm summer evenings, the sun rising and setting past an endless horizon of farmland and treetops. Such are the scenes in the borough of Bath, found 10 miles north of Allentown. "I was born in Italy and came to Bath when I was 5. And I'm still here – I love this little borough," says Mayor Fiorella Reginelli Mirabito. "It's a beautiful place in small-town America, but what makes it so wonderful are the people. We had 23 local volunteers construct our municipal building – this community is always willing to step up because they genuinely care about Bath."

In Bath, the rural nature makes for a quiet atmosphere, with trucks rumbling down residential streets and neighbors out walking past nearby farms in the evenings. Considering its long-established history, there are plenty of vintage homes in the area, some dating back to the late 19th century. Common styles include the classic and symmetrical Colonial and the vernacular simplicity of Cape Cods and ranch houses. However, as the borough has entered the modern era, so has the housing. Select acreage has been cleared for subdivisions with contemporary properties on rolling green lawns. The median selling price for single-family homes is $325,000, while townhouses spike up to $405,000, slightly above the Pennsylvania average of $270,000. Consider that many properties come with at least a half to full acre; many are brand new or carefully restored.

Public institutions for Bath are served by the Northampton Area School District, and when children are ready to start their educational journey, they'll head to George Wolf Elementary. Graded with a B-minus on Niche, George Wolf retains a small student-teacher ratio of 12-1 and encourages children to be hands-on in learning, whether helping in the school community garden or working on projects for annual festivals. Students move on to Northampton Area Middle, which receives another B-minus from Niche and has integrated Project PRIDE into their curriculum, which uses technology-based methods to approach and heighten learning. The final step of primary education happens at Northampton Area High, which receives a B from Niche and provides several college readiness programs and advanced placement classes. Also notable is the school's vast range of clubs and athletics, with several students later becoming professional athletes.

"We're a central hub for the area since we have five state highways intersecting in Bath," Mirabito says. "It's a blessing and a curse, but it makes getting around so much easier." A major one for the borough is Route 987, which spans 10 miles south to Allentown in around a 25-minute drive. There's walkability in the downtown area, but as the borough is quite rural, Bath is a car-dependent community. The borough is backed by small businesses, from groceries at Ahart's Market and prescriptions at Bath Pharmacy to freshly roasted coffee and locally sourced roast beef at The Daily Grind. "Our historic district around Chestnut Street was recently nominated to be put on the register by the National Park Service," Mirabito informs. "There's Seem Antiques, original churches. We made a whole historical timeline in the borough hall from the 1737 settlement to today. It's our own little museum."

Keystone Park is located near downtown off Race Street, one of several maintained green spaces the borough has. Keystone offers a playground for the kids alongside a volleyball court, basketball court and baseball field. It's also the site of the Bath Farmer's Market, which provides local produce and artisan crafts from May through September.

For only spanning one square mile, Bath keeps itself busy year-round. "The Spuds and Suds Street Festival in June is a big deal," Mirabito says. "This area is huge on potato farming, so you've got any potato dish you can imagine, beer and food trucks, artist vendors. Everyone shows up for that." From annual tree lightings and the Holiday Craft Fair to egg hunts in the spring, the community gathers for anything that goes on.

Written By

Kaitie Lamb

Photography Contributed By

Jesse Roehrer

Video By

Victoria Sharpe