It was incorporated as a borough in 1963 (effective in 1964),[5] having previously been a part of Mauch Chunk Township west of the Lehigh River.

It has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) and its monthly average temperatures range from 26.5 °F (−3.1 °C) in January to 71.1 °F (21.7 °C) in July.

Old Hauto - This neighborhood is in the southwestern section of the borough, at the base of Nesquehoning Mountain to the south.

One is the historical Old Hauto Village area, which is located in the west along PA State Route 54.

The other housing cluster is a subdivision development located in the easterly part of the neighborhood between PA Route 54 and Park Avenue.

Although often thought of as being in Nesquehoning, the majority of the Lake Hauto community is actually located in neighboring Rush Township, Schuylkill County.

[12] The ancestry was 38.0% German, 20.8% Irish, 17.4% Italian, 5.2% English, 5.0% Dutch, 4.2% Polish, 4.1% Slovak, 2.6% Ukrainian, 2.2% Hungarian, and 1.5% Russian.

Nesquehoning is the former home of KME Corp, which was the largest employer in the borough for many decades until operations ceased in early 2022.

[14] At its peak, the company employed approximately 1,000 people in Nesquehoning, providing many jobs for the area.

REV Group announced in late 2021[15] that they will be closing the factory in town, leaving approximately 400 out of work.

Green Energy Capital Partners, Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, developed the initial phase of the project before turning it over to ConEdison.

[17] The solar energy plant was doubled in size several years later, with the second phase commencing operation in January 2020.

[18] Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad bought the part of the KME campus on the north side of Pennsylvania Route 54 in 2022 and is in the process of building a passenger rail station that is expected to open in the spring of 2024 as well as shop facilities for locomotives and rail cars.

Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad is building a passenger rail station that is slated to open August 19, 2024 to host the Iron Horse Ramble.