Elizabeth, Pennsylvania

Elizabeth is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania on the east bank of the Monongahela river, where PA Rte. 51 crosses, 15 miles upstream [south] of Pittsburgh and close to the county line. The population was 1,609 at the 2000 census. The borough of Elizabeth is entirely contained within the 15037 USPS ZIP code.

Geography

Elizabeth is located at coor dms|40|16|16|N|79|53|11|W|city (40.271189, -79.886347)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²), of which, 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (14.63%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 1,609 people, 681 households, and 422 families residing in the borough. The population density was 4,544.8 people per square mile (1,775.0/km²). There were 758 housing units at an average density of 2,141.1/sq mi (836.2/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 94.84% White, 3.60% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.19% Asian, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.25% of the population.

Households: There were 681 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.98.

Age Distribution: The population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40. For every 100 females, there were 82.2 males; for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.1 males.

Income: The median income for a household in the borough was $30,556, and the median income for a family was $36,607. Males had a median income of $28,088 versus $22,350 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $17,618. About 7.3% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

History

* 1787 - Elizabeth (formerly Elizabeth Town) was founded by Samuel Mackay, Colonel Stephen Bayard and his wife Elizabeth Mackay Bayard (for whom the town was named).
* 1803 - The keelboat used for the first stages of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was built in Elizabeth. (This claim is disputed by the city of Pittsburgh, which makes a similar claim.) (See references below.)
* 1834 - On April 2, 1834, a charter was issued to incorporate the Town of Elizabeth as a borough.

Early industry

Among the earliest industries of Elizabeth were glass making, safe making, steamboat building, and ship building.

References

External links

* [http://www.nps.gov/jeff/LewisClark2/Timelines/1803/1803Timeline.htm Lewis and Clark timeline] from the United States National Park Service
* The [http://www.elizabethboro.com/ Elizabeth Boro] web site