White Haven, Pennsylvania
White Haven, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
Borough | |
    From top, left to right: APresbyterianchurch, a house in the borough, White Haven historical marker, a church in the borough | |
 Location of White Haven inLuzerne County, Pennsylvania(left) and of Luzerne County inPennsylvania(right) | |
  White Haven  White Haven | |
| Coordinates:41°03′34″N75°46′34″W/ 41.05944°N 75.77611°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Luzerne |
| Settled | 1865 |
| Incorporated | 1842 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Borough Council |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.23 sq mi (3.19 km2) |
| • Land | 1.20 sq mi (3.11 km2) |
| • Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,221 ft (372 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 1,166 |
| • Density | 971.67/sq mi (375.20/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5(Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4(EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 18661 |
| Area code | 570 |
| FIPS code | 42-84552 |
| Website | www |
White Havenis aboroughinLuzerne County, Pennsylvania,United States. It is located along theLehigh River.The population was 1,163 at the 2020 census.[3]
History
[edit]Establishment
[edit]
White Haven was created in 1824 by industrialistJosiah White.It was incorporated as a borough in 1842.
Coal mining and railroads
[edit]Early European explorers to theWyoming Valleyencountered a new form ofcoal,known asanthracite,that was abundant throughout theCoal Region.Anthracite was a valuable commodity without a good use. On February 11, 1808,Wilkes-BarreJudgeJesse Fellcreated the first iron grate in the valley to successfully burn anthracite. This invention increased the popularity of anthracite as a fuel source. This led to the expansion of the coal industry inNortheastern Pennsylvania.
Throughout the 1800s, canals and railroads were constructed to aid in the mining and transportation of coal.Luzerne Countywitnessed a population boom with the expansion of the coal mining industry.
TheLehigh Coal and Navigation Companychartered theLehigh and Susquehanna Railroadon March 31, 1837, in order to link Wilkes-Barre to White Haven.[4]Construction of the railroad began in 1839 and was completed in the 1840s.[5]The arduous 19.58-mile (31.51 km) route required the construction of a tunnel and threeinclined planes,includingAshley Planes.[6]
With the completion of the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad, the canal industry, which had existed for no more than one generation, faced a rapid extinction. The Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad moved Wyoming Valley anthracite from its various coal fields to White Haven over theAppalachian Mountainsthat had posed such a challenge to settlers for 150 years prior to the development of these rail lines.
Once the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad reached White Haven, an extensive transportation network expeditiously and economically delivered the Wyoming Valley's anthracite to a waiting market. By 1867, theLehigh Valley Railroad,which was first established in theHazletonarea's coal fields, was linked to Wilkes-Barre, and then in 1869, the Lehigh Valley Railroad was connected to other rail systems inNew York state.
Geography
[edit]White Haven is located at41°3′34″N75°46′34″W/ 41.05944°N 75.77611°W(41.059532, -75.776123).[7]The borough is 17 miles (27 km) south ofWilkes-Barre,and 4 miles (6 km) west of theI-476andI-80interchange. According to theU.S. Census Bureau,the borough has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.2 km2), of which 1.2 square miles (3.2 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2), or 2.12%, is water.[8]White Haven's elevation is 1,221 feet (372 m) above sea level.
Recreation
[edit]Lehigh Gorge State Park,which encompasses theLehigh River,provides White Haven and the surrounding communities with a plethora of recreational activities. Water released from theFrancis E. Walter Dammakes the river deep enough forboating.White water raftingis a very popular recreational activity in the park. Other activities includefishing,hiking,bicycling,sight-seeing,snowmobiling,and much more.[9]
Demographics
[edit]| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 943 | — | |
| 1870 | 1,321 | 40.1% | |
| 1880 | 1,408 | 6.6% | |
| 1890 | 1,634 | 16.1% | |
| 1900 | 1,517 | −7.2% | |
| 1910 | 1,438 | −5.2% | |
| 1920 | 1,402 | −2.5% | |
| 1930 | 1,537 | 9.6% | |
| 1940 | 1,528 | −0.6% | |
| 1950 | 1,461 | −4.4% | |
| 1960 | 1,778 | 21.7% | |
| 1970 | 1,203 | −32.3% | |
| 1980 | 1,218 | 1.2% | |
| 1990 | 1,132 | −7.1% | |
| 2000 | 1,182 | 4.4% | |
| 2010 | 1,097 | −7.2% | |
| 2020 | 1,163 | 6.0% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 1,164 | [3] | 0.1% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] | |||
As of thecensus[11]of 2000, there were 1,182 people, 468 households, and 329 families residing in the borough. The population density was 982.1 inhabitants per square mile (379.2/km2). There were 515 housing units at an average density of 427.9 per square mile (165.2/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.39%White,0.08%Native American,1.27%Asian,and 0.25% from two or more races.HispanicorLatinoof any race were 0.76% of the population.
The main ancestries reported by White Haven residents on the 2000 Census were Polish, with 17% of the population, Italian with 13%, Irish with 10%, Slovak with 8%, and German with 6%. However, Czechoslovakian, Carpatho Rusyn, Eastern European and Slavic were all reported by about one percent of the population, so the Slovak population might have come in second to Polish if the census had allowed reporting of more than two ancestries.
There were 468 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% weremarried couplesliving together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $37,438, and the median income for a family was $43,846. Males had a median income of $32,159 versus $27,386 for females. Theper capita incomefor the borough was $18,768. About 4.5% of families and 6.4% of the population were below thepoverty line,including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
[edit]- Evelyn Colon,a formerly unidentified murder victim found in White Haven in 1976 and identified in 2021
- John J. Dempsey,governor ofNew Mexico
- Warren Newton Dusenberry,educator
- Liz Lemon,fictional character played byTina Feyon theNBCcomedy30 Rock
- Edith King,actress
- Brad Kocher,Major League baseball catcher
- Ron Mrozinski,Major League baseball pitcher
- A. Mitchell Palmer,Attorney General in the cabinet ofWoodrow Wilson
- Darin Young,professional darts player
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^"ArcGIS REST Services Directory".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedOctober 16,2022.
- ^"Census Population API".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedOctober 12,2022.
- ^abBureau, US Census."City and Town Population Totals: 2020—2021".Census.gov.US Census Bureau.RetrievedAugust 5,2022.
{{cite web}}:|last1=has generic name (help) - ^Saylor 1964,p. 37
- ^Munsell 1880,p. 92
- ^Tanner 1840,p. 143
- ^"US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990".United States Census Bureau.February 12, 2011.RetrievedApril 23,2011.
- ^"Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): White Haven borough, Pennsylvania".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedApril 13,2012.
- ^"PA DCNR - Lehigh Gorge State Park".dcnr.state.pa.us.Archived fromthe originalon October 7, 2011.RetrievedNovember 16,2015.
- ^"Census of Population and Housing".Census.gov.RetrievedJune 4,2016.
- ^"U.S. Census website".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedJanuary 31,2008.
Sources
[edit]- History of Luzerne, Lackawanna and Wyoming Counties, Pa.New York: W.W. Munsell. 1880.OCLC318371384.
- Saylor, Roger B. (1964).The Railroads of Pennsylvania.State College, Pennsylvania: Bureau of Business Research, College of Business Administration, Pennsylvania State University.OCLC1032849.
- Tanner, Henry Schenck (1840).A Description of the Canals and Rail Roads of the United States.New York: T.R. Tanner & J. Disturnell.OCLC7361038.
External links
[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
