Beaver, Pennsylvania

Beaver is a borough in and the county seat of Beaver County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.[5] It is located at the confluence of the Beaver and Ohio Rivers, approximately 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Pittsburgh. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 4,531. The borough is a Tree City USA community.[6]

Beaver, Pennsylvania
Borough
Borough of Beaver
Along Third Street in downtown Beaver
Location in Beaver County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Coordinates: 40°41′41″N 80°18′27″W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Beaver
Settled	1792
Incorporated	1802
Area [1]
• Total	1.12 sq mi (2.91 km^2)
• Land	0.92 sq mi (2.37 km^2)
• Water	0.21 sq mi (0.54 km^2)
Elevation	791 ft (241 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	4,531
• Estimate  (2019)[2]	4,266
• Density	4,657.21/sq mi (1,798.44/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Zip code	15009
Area code(s)	724 Exchange: 775
FIPS code	42-04688
Website	http://www.beaverpa.us
Beaver Historic District U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. Historic district Pennsylvania state historical marker First Christian Church, a part of the district Map of the Beaver Historic District Location Roughly bounded by the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad tracks, Fair Ave., 5th St., 3rd St., and Sassafras Ln. Area 317 acres (128 ha) Built 1792 Architect multiple Architectural style Italianate, Queen Anne, American Foursquare NRHP reference No. 96001201[3] Significant dates Added to NRHP October 24, 1996 Designated PHMC September 25, 1946[4]

Robert Linn was the mayor of Beaver for 58 years, from 1946 to 2004, making him one of the longest serving mayors in the United States.

History

This area around Beaver was once home to Shawnee Indians, who were later displaced by groups such as the Mingoes and the Delawares. It was part of the Ohio Country that was in dispute during the French and Indian War.

Beaver became the site of Fort McIntosh, a Revolutionary War era Patriot frontier fort. After the war, the fort was the home of the First American Regiment, the oldest active unit in the US Army. The fort was abandoned in 1788 and razed a short time later. By then, the frontier had moved westward and there was no further need for a permanent garrison to protect the area.

The community was laid out in 1792. In 1800, it became the county seat of the newly formed Beaver County. The first county court was established in Beaver in 1804. Growth was steady until 1879 when the arrival of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad caused a major growth spurt. In February 1884 a massive flood caused extensive damage. In 1974, an archeological excavation was conducted at the site of Fort McIntosh.

In late 2007, local officials proposed the consolidation of Beaver with Brighton Township. According to a report by the Governor's Center for Local Government Services, the two municipalities would possibly derive a significant financial benefit from uniting. Also being considered was the type of combination: either merger, in which one of the municipalities would be annexed by the other, or consolidation, in which the two would become a single new municipality under a new name. Any union would have required voter approval.[7]

Geography

Beaver is located at 40°41′38″N 80°18′29″W (40.693865, -80.307944).[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), of which 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) (13.89%) is water.

Beaver Historic District

In 1996, almost the entire community was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district.[3] Centered on Beaver's commercial Third Street, the buildings in the district date primarily to the nineteenth century, although some twentieth-century structures are present. Some of the district's most prominent buildings are five churches and the county courthouse, although most of the district consists of residential neighborhoods. Included in the boundaries of the district is the Matthew S. Quay House, the National Historic Landmark home of Beaver native Senator Matthew Quay, and the site of Fort McIntosh, a fort constructed in the 1780s.[9]

Surrounding and adjacent neighborhoods

Beaver has three land borders with Brighton Township to the north, Bridgewater to the east, and Vanport Township to the west. Across the Ohio River to the south, Beaver runs adjacent with Monaca to the southeast, Center Township to the south, and Potter Township to the southwest.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	361		—
1830	914		153.2%
1840	551		−39.7%
1850	2,054		272.8%
1860	817		−60.2%
1870	1,120		37.1%
1880	1,178		5.2%
1890	1,552		31.7%
1900	2,348		51.3%
1910	3,456		47.2%
1920	4,135		19.6%
1930	5,665		37.0%
1940	5,641		−0.4%
1950	6,360		12.7%
1960	6,160		−3.1%
1970	6,100		−1.0%
1980	5,441		−10.8%
1990	5,028		−7.6%
2000	4,775		−5.0%
2010	4,531		−5.1%
2019 (est.)	4,266	[2]	−5.8%
Sources:[10][11][12]

As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 4,775 people, 2,112 households, and 1,260 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5,119.3 people per square mile (1,982.4/km²). There were 2,297 housing units at an average density of 2,462.6 per square mile (953.6/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.44% White, 2.64% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population.

There were 2,112 households, out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 19.2% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $42,113, and the median income for a family was $57,208. Males had a median income of $43,198 versus $26,709 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $24,003. About 3.7% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Daniel Agnew – Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
• John Allison – lawyer and United States Congressman[13]
• Rudyerd Boulton – ornithologist
• Amber Brkich-Mariano – winner of Survivor: All Stars
• Nate Martin – co-founder & CEO of Puzzle Break, first American Escape Room company
• Tom McCreery – Major League Baseball player[14]
• Harrison Holt Richardson - youngest member of the United States Antarctic Service Expedition
• Matthew Quay – United States Senator
• Ralph Francis Scalera – United States District Court judge
• Jeff Shaver – former Major League Baseball player
• John Skorupan – former NFL Linebacker for the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants
• W. E. Clyde Todd – ornithologist
• Ida Geer Weller — concert singer and clubwoman
• Florence Wickham – contralto

See also

• Beaver Area Memorial Library
• List of cities and towns along the Ohio River

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. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
4. "PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
5. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2012-07-12. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
6. "2011 Tree Cities USA Communities in Pennsylvania". Arbor Day Foundation. May 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
7. Bruni, Jessica. "Analysis may back Beaver, Brighton merger," Beaver County Times, 2007-10-25, pp. A1, A3.
8. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
9. Taylor, David S. National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Beaver Historic District, National Park Service, 1996-07-06, Inventory of Beaver Historic District properties, and Accompanying map
10. "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
11. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
12. "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.
13. Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Marquis Who's Who. 1967.
14. Reichler, Joseph L., ed. (1979) [1969]. The Baseball Encyclopedia (4th ed.). New York: Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 0-02-578970-8.

External links

• Beaver Borough Police Department