Bedford, Pennsylvania
Bedford, Pennsylvania | |
---|---|
814 | |
FIPS code | 42-04944 |
Website | bedboro |
Official name | Bedford Village |
Designated | November 6, 1982[3] |
Bedford is a
History
The vicinity of Bedford was inhabited by Euro-American "Indian" traders in the late 1740s and early 1750s. Actual settlers did not appear in the region until after Forbes Road was cut to enable the Forbes Expedition to reach Fort Duquesne in 1758.
In 1758, the British Army under General John Forbes came to the vicinity of John Ray's trading post to set up Fort Bedford as a supply depot on "the Communication:, the line of fortifications and supply depots between Carlisle and the Forks of the Allegheny River. The fort was named for John Russell, the politically powerful 4th Duke of Bedford in England. Some believe this is how the town later got its name. Fort Bedford was built as one of the many British Army stepping stones through the state from Carlisle leading west to the Forks of the Ohio River. The Forks of the Ohio were claimed by the French who constructed Fort Duquesne on the site of an earlier British fort. The French wanted to control fur trading in the Ohio Valley and along the Mississippi River and its tributary, the Ohio River (formed by the merging of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers). Fort Bedford provided a refuge for settlers escaping Indian raids throughout the American Revolutionary War.
A myth about Fort Bedford claims that it was liberated ten years before the
in 1766, the village of Bedford was laid out by John Lukens; it would be incorporated on March 13, 1795. But because the citizens failed to fill the required posts at the time, the town had to be re-incorporated in 1816.[7]
The fort later fell into ruin and collapsed. In 1958, a building would be constructed in the manner of one of the fort's five blockhouses; it currently houses the Fort Bedford Museum. The fort itself, which stood to the east of the museum structure was never reconstructed.
In 1794, some 13,000 Federal Army troops were mustered by President
Bedford County, at one time, was famous for its medicinal springs. Three resorts were developed in the county: Bedford Springs (in Bedford Township to the south of Bedford Borough), Chalybeate Springs (in Bedford Township to the east of Bedford Borough) and the White Sulphur Springs (In Harrison Township to the southwest of Bedford Borough). At the Bedford Springs Resort there is a
The discovery of the curative springs at what would become known as the Bedford Springs Resort led Dr. John Anderson to purchase the nearby land and build a spa in 1804. Due to the lack of medicines in that time, people from great distances flocked to the hotel in search of a cure for their illness. They would come to Bedford Springs to "take the waters". The
U.S. Route 30, also known as the Lincoln Highway, passes through Bedford. Up until the opening of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in 1940, U.S. Route 30 was the key east-west route connecting Philadelphia to the west. In 1927, David Koontz built a coffee pot-shaped building, which was originally a diner. This building, a landmark in Bedford, was moved in 2003 to the Bedford County Fairgrounds.[9]
The Bedford Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[10]
Geography
Bedford is located in the center of Bedford County at 40°0′59″N 78°30′15″W / 40.01639°N 78.50417°W (40.016361, −78.504071).[11] It is completely surrounded by Bedford Township.
The borough is accessible from Exit 146 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike at the midpoint between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. U.S. Route 220 is a four-lane north-south highway that bypasses Bedford to the west and becomes Interstate 99 just north of town where it crosses the Pennsylvania Turnpike. US-220 Business passes through the center of Bedford as Richard Street. The Raystown Branch of the Juniata River, a tributary of the Susquehanna River, flows west to east through the center of Bedford.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.11 square miles (2.88 km2), of which 0.03 square miles (0.07 km2), or 2.51%, is water.[12]
Events
A Fall Foliage Festival is held in the beginning of October on the first two weekends of the month. The celebration stretches from Penn Street, down Juliana Street, to the park by the Fort Bedford Museum. The event includes many vendors, touring of the fort, the Children's Theater, pony rides, and an antique car show.[13]
The Bedford County Fair takes place annually in July or August.[14] Alongside a classic midway of rides, games, and food vendors are a multitude of 4-H-sponsored events (including animal shows and livestock auctions), automobile racing, demolition derbies, and a petting zoo.[15] The automobile racing and demolition derbies take place at the Bedford Fairgrounds Speedway, adjacent to the remainder of the Fair.[16]
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1800 | 257 | — | |
1810 | 547 | 112.8% | |
1820 | 789 | 44.2% | |
1830 | 869 | 10.1% | |
1840 | 1,022 | 17.6% | |
1850 | 1,203 | 17.7% | |
1860 | 1,328 | 10.4% | |
1870 | 1,247 | −6.1% | |
1880 | 2,011 | 61.3% | |
1890 | 2,242 | 11.5% | |
1900 | 2,167 | −3.3% | |
1910 | 2,235 | 3.1% | |
1920 | 2,330 | 4.3% | |
1930 | 2,953 | 26.7% | |
1940 | 3,268 | 10.7% | |
1950 | 3,521 | 7.7% | |
1960 | 3,696 | 5.0% | |
1970 | 3,302 | −10.7% | |
1980 | 3,326 | 0.7% | |
1990 | 3,137 | −5.7% | |
2000 | 3,141 | 0.1% | |
2010 | 2,841 | −9.6% | |
2020 | 2,865 | 0.8% | |
2021 (est.) | 2,846 | [6] | −0.7% |
Sources:[17][18][19][20][2] |
Census data shows that as of 2021,
Of the 1,265 households, 62% were married couples living together, 8% had a female householder, 7% male householder, and 23% were non-families. The average household size was 2.3. Of the 1,492 housing units, 85% were occupied and 58% owner-occupied. 56% of the housing units were single unit and 44% multi-unit. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $148,600 - about 75% of the state median.
The median age of borough residents was 49.5, about 20% higher than the state median. 18% of residents were under the age of 18, 54% from 18 to 64, and 29% were 65 years of age or older.
The median household income in the borough was $57,182, while per capita income was $30,401, both below the state medians. 6.6% of the population were below the
Economy
Bedford has both
Transportation
Bedford County Airport is a public use airport in Bedford County. It is owned by the Bedford County Airport Authority and is located four nautical miles (7.4 km) north of the central business district of the borough of Bedford.
Media
Magazines
- Hometown Magazine
Newspapers
Television
Bedford receives television programming from the Johnstown-Altoona-State College, Pennsylvania media market.
Radio
Six radio stations are licensed to serve Bedford:
- WBFD - 1310 AM
- WRAX - 1600 AM
- W254DF - 98.7 FM (rebroadcasts WBFD)
- WAYC - 100.9 FM
- W293DF - 106.5 FM (rebroadcasts WRAX)
- WBVE - 107.5 FM
Notable people
- William Mann Irvine, founding headmaster of Mercersburg Academy
- Lawrence Taliaferro, U.S. diplomat to the Dakota and Ojibwe nations from 1819 to 1839
- John Tod, U.S. Congressman for Pennsylvania from 1821 to 1824
- George Washington Williams, historian, clergyman, politician, lawyer, lecturer, and soldier
- Henry Woods, U.S. Congressman for Pennsylvania from 1799 to 1803
See also
- Cannondale Bicycle Corporationhad a factory in Bedford from 1983 until 2015
References
- ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- ^ a b "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- ^ "PHMC Historical Markers Search". Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on March 21, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on July 4, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ https://data.census.gov/table?q=Bedford+borough,+Pennsylvania [bare URL]
- ^ a b "City and Town Population Totals: 2020—2021". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ^ Bedford County Pennsylvania Genealogy Project. "Bedford County History". Archived from the original on October 26, 2006.
- ^ Bedford County Pennsylvania Genealogy Project. "Bedford County summer capital of the U.S." Archived from the original on October 26, 2006.
- ^ Foster, Margaret (December 1, 2003). "Giant Coffee Pot Will Be Moved to Safety". Preservation Online. National Preservation Trust. Archived from the original on February 9, 2006.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Bedford borough, Bedford County, Pennsylvania". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
- ^ "Bedford Fall Foliage Festival". Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ "Bedford County Fair". Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- ^ "Bedford County Fair". Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- ^ "Bedford Speedway". bedfordspeedway.com. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "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 June 11, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- ^ Census Reporter. "Bedford, PA - Profile Data". Retrieved May 22, 2023.
- Ned Frear, The Bedford Story: Fort Bedford (Pennsylvania: Gazette Publishing Company, 1998)
- Ned Frear, The Bedford Story: The Whiskey Rebellion (Pennsylvania: Gazette Publishing Company, 1998)
- Ned Frear, The Bedford Story: The Bedford Springs (Pennsylvania: Gazette Publishing Company, 1998)
- Carol Eddleman and Nathan Zipfel. "Bedford County Genealogy Project". Archived from the original on October 18, 2006. Retrieved October 11, 2006.
- History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, (Chicago, 1884)
- History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, (New York, 1906)