Roseto, Pennsylvania

Roseto is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. Roseto is located in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. It is part of Pennsylvania's Slate Belt. The population of Roseto was 1,567 at the 2010 census.

Borough of Roseto
Roseto Presbyterian Church
Location of Roseto in Northampton County, Pennsylvania.
Roseto Location of Roseto in Pennsylvania Roseto Roseto (the United States)
Coordinates: 40°52′50″N 75°13′02″W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Northampton
Area [1]
• Total	0.64 sq mi (1.64 km^2)
• Land	0.63 sq mi (1.63 km^2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km^2)
Elevation	794 ft (242 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	1,567
• Estimate  (2019)[2]	1,540
• Density	2,448.33/sq mi (945.83/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	18013
Area code(s)	610 and 484
FIPS code	42-66168

Roseto is known in the fields of sociology and cardiology for the Roseto effect, wherein the close-knit Italian American community exhibited half the national average rate of heart disease in the mid-20th century. This finding helped to establish that stress can contribute to heart disease.[3]

History

Roseto, meaning "Rose garden" in italian, is named for the village of Roseto Valfortore. Neighboring communities were settled primarily by those of German, English, and Welsh descent. The first Italian immigrants from Roseto Valfortore, Italy arrived in 1882 to work in the local slate quarries. The Wind Gap and Delaware Railroad opened a line through the town in 1883. It was operated by the Central Railroad of New Jersey until 1905, after which it was merged into the Lehigh and New England Railroad, which abandoned the line in 1955. Roseto was incorporated as a borough in 1912.[4]

Geography

Roseto is located at 40°52′50″N 75°13′2″W (40.880576, -75.217345).[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), 0% of it being water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1920	1,634		—
1930	1,746		6.9%
1940	1,778		1.8%
1950	1,676		−5.7%
1960	1,630		−2.7%
1970	1,538		−5.6%
1980	1,484		−3.5%
1990	1,555		4.8%
2000	1,653		6.3%
2010	1,567		−5.2%
2019 (est.)	1,540	[2]	−1.7%
Sources:[6][7][8]

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 1,653 people, 640 households, and 476 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,634.5 people per square mile (1,013.1/km²). There were 670 housing units at an average density of 1,067.8 per square mile (410.6/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.85% White, 0.36% Asian, 0.18% African American, 0.18% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.94% of the population.

There were 640 households, out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $39,813, and the median income for a family was $45,833. Males had a median income of $36,563 versus $21,750 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $17,419. About 5.7% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Site of academic studies

Roseto and its inhabitants were the scene of a study by folklorist Carla Bianco in the early 1970s. She compared Roseto, Pennsylvania, with the mountain town where its name and most of its original settlers had come from, Roseto Valfortore in the province of Foggia, located in the Apulia region of Italy.[9] When she studied Roseto, she calculated that "95 percent of its present 1,600 inhabitants are still descendants of Roseto Valfortore".[10]

Also, a local doctor noticed positive health rates in Roseto, leading to a study that identified the Roseto effect in public health.[11]

Public education

The borough is served by the Faith Christian School.

Gallery

• 
  Garibaldi Avenue in Roseto
• 
  Roseto Municipal Building.
• 
  General Sewing Machine Co.

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
3. Gladwell, Malcolm (2008). Outliers: The Story of Success. Little, Brown and Co. ISBN 978-0-316-01792-3.
4. Bianco, Carla (1974). The Two Rosetos. Bloomington, Indiana: University of Indiana Press. ISBN 0-253-18992-6.
5. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
6. "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
7. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
8. "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
9. Bianco, Carla. 1974. The Two Rosetos. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
10. Bianco, Carla. 1978. "Migration and urbanization of a traditional culture: An Italian experience". In Richard Dorson, ed., Folklore in the Modern World, 55–63. The Hague: Mouton.
11. Grossman, Ron; Leroux, Charles (October 11, 1996). "A New 'Roseto Effect': 'People Are Nourished By Other People'". Chicago Tribune. Roseto, Pa. Retrieved January 18, 2014.