Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Pottstown | |
---|---|
Borough of Pottstown | |
610 and 484 | |
FIPS code | 42-62416 |
Website | http://www.pottstown.org |
Pottstown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Pottstown was laid out in 1752–53 and named Pottsgrove in honor of its founder, John Potts. The old name was abandoned at the time of the incorporation as a borough in 1815. In 1888, the limits of the borough were considerably extended. Pottstown is the center of a productive farming and dairying region.
Pottstown is located on the Schuylkill River. It is 29.1 miles (46.8 km) south of Allentown and 40.4 miles (65.0 km) northwest of Philadelphia. It is generally considered part of the Delaware Valley or Philadelphia metropolitan area.
History
Modern-day Pottstown is on land originally deeded to William Penn.[3] Germans, Swedes and English were among the area's first European settlers. After establishment of the first iron forge in 1714, Pottstown's fortunes became tied to the iron industry, and blast furnaces for production of iron and later steel eventually opened in the area.
Iron and steel production attracted the Potts family, iron masters by trade. They established a forge and built a large home just west of the Manatawny Creek. John Potts founded a town in 1761 on part of the 995 acres (4.03 km2) that he owned. It is the home of the nation's oldest mill, Pottstown Roller Mill.[citation needed]
Pottsgrove grew, and in 1815 it was incorporated under the name Pottstown, becoming the second borough in Pennsylvania, after Norristown.
The Philadelphia & Reading Railroad mainline reached Pottstown in 1838. The extension of the railroad to Mount Carbon in 1842 facilitated the movement of raw materials and finished goods that helped Pottstown's economy grow. In a few years after the extension of the railroad, the population grew from 600 to 1,850. Pottstown's metal production grew; steel from the borough was used in the Panama Canal and Golden Gate Bridge.[4]
In 1944, the borough adopted a city manager form of government. By 1964, the borough saw the need to reorganize the municipal government. At the time, it had one of the largest borough councils in the state, with 20 members. This was reduced to seven members in redrawn wards.
The
Politics and government
Pottstown has a city manager form of government with a mayor and a seven-member borough council. The mayor is Stephanie A. Henrick and the borough manager is Justin Keller.
The borough is part of the Fourth Congressional District (represented by Democrat Rep. Madeleine Dean), the 146th State House District (represented by Democrat Rep. Joe Ciresi), and the 24th State Senate District (represented by Republican Sen. Tracy Pennycuick).
Geography
Pottstown is located at 40°14′59″N 75°38′25″W / 40.24972°N 75.64028°W (40.249690, -75.640262).[6] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 4.9 square miles (13 km2), of which 4.8 square miles (12 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) or 1.83% is water.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Pottstown lacks an official weather station as administered from the regional National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey. Temperatures average a little higher than the closest official weather station in Reading due to the difference in latitude and elevation.
Climate data for Pottstown, Pennsylvania (Heritage Field Airport) 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1999–present | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 71 (22) |
78 (26) |
82 (28) |
92 (33) |
94 (34) |
98 (37) |
105 (41) |
101 (38) |
98 (37) |
91 (33) |
80 (27) |
73 (23) |
105 (41) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 37.4 (3.0) |
40.4 (4.7) |
49.1 (9.5) |
61.3 (16.3) |
71.0 (21.7) |
79.3 (26.3) |
83.8 (28.8) |
81.5 (27.5) |
74.6 (23.7) |
63.3 (17.4) |
52.4 (11.3) |
42.1 (5.6) |
61.4 (16.3) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 29.7 (−1.3) |
31.9 (−0.1) |
39.8 (4.3) |
50.7 (10.4) |
60.4 (15.8) |
69.1 (20.6) |
74.0 (23.3) |
71.9 (22.2) |
64.7 (18.2) |
53.3 (11.8) |
43.0 (6.1) |
34.4 (1.3) |
51.9 (11.1) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 22.0 (−5.6) |
23.4 (−4.8) |
30.4 (−0.9) |
40.0 (4.4) |
49.9 (9.9) |
58.9 (14.9) |
64.2 (17.9) |
62.2 (16.8) |
54.8 (12.7) |
43.3 (6.3) |
33.7 (0.9) |
26.7 (−2.9) |
42.5 (5.8) |
Record low °F (°C) | −7 (−22) |
−2 (−19) |
0 (−18) |
21 (−6) |
30 (−1) |
40 (4) |
48 (9) |
47 (8) |
34 (1) |
25 (−4) |
11 (−12) |
0 (−18) |
−7 (−22) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.02 (77) |
2.56 (65) |
4.07 (103) |
3.64 (92) |
3.69 (94) |
3.84 (98) |
4.72 (120) |
4.38 (111) |
4.83 (123) |
3.81 (97) |
3.02 (77) |
3.76 (96) |
45.34 (1,152) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 10.4 | 10.4 | 11.1 | 12.5 | 12.7 | 12.6 | 11.6 | 12.3 | 11.8 | 11.6 | 9.2 | 11.2 | 137.4 |
Source: NOAA[8][9] |
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1830 | 676 | — | |
1840 | 721 | 6.7% | |
1850 | 1,664 | 130.8% | |
1860 | 2,380 | 43.0% | |
1870 | 4,125 | 73.3% | |
1880 | 5,305 | 28.6% | |
1890 | 13,285 | 150.4% | |
1900 | 13,696 | 3.1% | |
1910 | 15,599 | 13.9% | |
1920 | 17,431 | 11.7% | |
1930 | 19,430 | 11.5% | |
1940 | 20,194 | 3.9% | |
1950 | 22,589 | 11.9% | |
1960 | 26,144 | 15.7% | |
1970 | 25,355 | −3.0% | |
1980 | 22,729 | −10.4% | |
1990 | 21,831 | −4.0% | |
2000 | 21,859 | 0.1% | |
2010 | 22,377 | 2.4% | |
2020 | 23,433 | 4.7% | |
Sources:[10][11][12][13] |
Year | Republican | Democratic |
---|---|---|
2020
|
35.1% 3,573 | 63.2% 6,429 |
2016
|
36.6% 3,245 | 58.3% 5,160 |
2012
|
33.3% 2,825 | 65.1% 5,527 |
2008
|
29.2% 2,737 | 69.5% 6,506 |
2004
|
38.0% 3,069 | 61.3% 4,950 |
2000
|
40.0% 2,459 | 56.1% 3,448 |
As of the 2010 census, the borough was 72.1% White, 19.5% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian, and 4.4% were two or more races. 8.0% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.[15]
As of 2006–2008 Census Bureau Estimates,
As of the
There were 9,146 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the borough, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $35,785, and the median income for a family was $45,734. Males had a median income of $34,923 versus $26,229 for females. The
Transportation
As of 2018 there were 74.33 miles (119.62 km) of public roads in Pottstown, of which 12.85 miles (20.68 km) were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 61.48 miles (98.94 km) were maintained by the borough.[17]
The main east–west street in Pottstown is High Street, which continues east of the borough as Ridge Pike. The main north–south street in the borough is Hanover Street. The U.S. Route 422 freeway passes to the south of Pottstown and heads east to King of Prussia and Philadelphia and west to Reading. Pennsylvania Route 100 runs north–south through the Pottstown area, heading south to West Chester and north to Allentown. Pennsylvania Route 663 begins at PA 100 in Pottstown and follows King Street east and Charlotte Street northeast before leaving the borough and continuing to Pennsburg and Quakertown. Pennsylvania Route 724 runs along the south bank of the Schuylkill River in Chester County.[18]
Local bus service in the Pottstown area is owned, funded, and administered by the Borough of Pottstown and operated by
Pottstown is serviced by
Passenger train service between Reading/Pottstown and Philadelphia was operated by
Education
Public library
- Pottstown Regional Public Library
Colleges
- Montgomery County Community College – West Campus
Public school districts
- The Pottstown School District serves the borough.
- The Pottsgrove School District serves the surrounding townships in Montgomery County.
- The Owen J. Roberts School District serves the suburban/rural area to the south of the borough in Chester County, such as Warwick Township, East Nantmeal Township, South Coventry Township, North Coventry Township, East Vincent Township, East Coventry Township and West Vincent Township. It consists of five elementary schools, a middle school, and the Owen J. Roberts High School.
Private schools
- The Hill School
- Wyndcroft School
- Saint Aloysius School
- Stowe Lighthouse Christian Academy
- West-Mont Christian Academy
Media
Newspapers
The Mercury
The Mercury is the smallest-circulation newspaper in the U.S. to have won two Pulitzer Prizes. The first came in 1979 in the Spot News Photography category by staff photographer Tom Kelly. The second came in 1990 for Editorial Writing by Tom Hylton.
Television
PCTV
PCTV (Pottstown Community TV) is owned and operated by the Borough of Pottstown and provides local
PCTV also covers local high school sports such as football, basketball, swimming or baseball.
Radio
WPAZ operates at 1370AM and serves the Greater Philadelphia Area. Originally WPAZ, the station changed its call letters to WBZH on October 28, 2011, and back to WPAZ on January 25, 2013. On November 1, 2013, the station began a traditional Christian music format of religious hymns and songs.
Notable people
- Jacob Albright, a founder of United Methodist Church
- Milwaukee Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies, coach and front-office executive for various organizations
- John R. Brooke, Union general of American Civil War and Spanish–American War
- Naomi Childers, silent-film actress
- NFL running back
- Brett Eppehimer, professional basketball player
- Nick Eppehimer, professional basketball player
- Loren Gray, singer-songwriter and social media personality
- Al Grey, jazz trombonist, known for plunger technique, featured with Count Basie as soloist
- Calvin Grove, professional boxer; former IBF featherweight champion
- Grammy Award-nominated band Hall & Oates, inducted in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- NBAbasketball coach
- Geof Manthorne, cake artist, co-star of Food Network's reality TV series Ace of Cakes
- Bobby Marshman, racing driver
- Keith "Bang Bang" McCurdy, celebrity tattoo artist
- Jim Mickle, film director
- Hildegard Peplau, nursing theorist; created middle-range nursing theory of interpersonal relations
- John Potts, Ironmaster, founder of Pottstown.
- Matthias Richards, U.S. Congressman
- St. Louis Hawks with first pick of 1955 NBA draft
- NFL fullback for Milwaukee Badgers
- Amanda Smith, founder of Mrs. Smith's Pies
- MLB catcher and manager for the Philadelphia Athletics and the New York Yankees
- NBA referee, member of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- Frank D. Wagner, Vice admiral in the U.S. Navy
- Irving Price Wanger, Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
- Harry Joe Yorgey, professional boxer
References
- ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ^ "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- ^ "Pottsgrove Manor History". MontcoPA.org. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
- ^ Pottstown History from Official City Website Archived 2008-08-08 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "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.
- ^ Climate Summary for Pottstown, Pennsylvania
- ^ "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
- ^ a b "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 2020".
- ^ "Montgomery County Election Results". Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
- ^ https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/profile/PA [bare URL]
- ^ "2006–2008 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates". Archived from the original on February 16, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
- ^ "Pottstown Borough map" (PDF). PennDOT. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- ^ Google (November 21, 2013). "overview of Pottstown, Pennsylvania" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
- ^ "Ride Guide" (PDF). Pottstown Area Rapid Transit. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ SEPTA Official Transit & Street Map Suburban (PDF) (Map). SEPTA. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ "Amtrak launches bus service from Philadelphia to Reading, Pottstown". Allentown, PA: WFMZ-TV. June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
- ^ "Who and What We are". Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved July 5, 2007.
External links
- Borough of Pottstown
- Chamber of Commerce
- . . 1914.