Orefield, Pennsylvania

Orefield is a small unincorporated community in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States, split between North Whitehall and South Whitehall township. Located along Pennsylvania Route 309, Orefield has the zip code of 18069. Its name is derived from the extensive deposits of limonite (iron ore) once mined here. It was once the terminus of the Siegersville Branch of the Ironton Railroad, which was extended here to haul the ore.

Orefield, Pennsylvania
Unincorporated community
Homes in Orefield
Orefield
Coordinates: 40°38′05″N 75°35′04″W
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountyLehigh
TownshipNorth Whitehall and South Whitehall
Elevation
453 ft (138 m)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
18069
Area code(s)610 and 484
GNIS feature ID1183034[1]

Orefield is the former home to Parkland High School. It is a part of the Lehigh Valley and is only a few miles outside of Allentown. It is surrounded by many suburban housing developments, many of which were former farms operated by the Pennsylvania Dutch whose influence in the community is waning. There are many covered bridges nearby which cross the Jordan Creek.

Located near Orefield is a large factory for Alpo Dog Food, which has been owned by the Ralston Purina Company since the 1990s. Also located nearby are the Jaindl turkey farms; Orefield's turkey farms provide the already-slaughtered turkeys that are presented to the president each Thanksgiving (the live turkeys that are pardoned at the same presentation come from rotating locations).[2][3] Located in Orefield is Shankweiler's Drive-In Theatre, the second drive-in ever built (1934) and America's oldest operating drive-in theater.

Orefield is served by the Parkland School District, which has Orefield Middle School in the village. The district's high school was located in Orefield until 1999, when it moved to Cedar Crest Boulevard to the east. Kernsville Elementary School is located just west of the village.

Notable residents

References
  1. "Orefield". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. "Trump will pardon his first turkey next week". CBS News. November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  3. "President Trump Welcomes NTF & National Thanksgiving Turkey to the White House". PR Newswire. November 25, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.



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