Columbia, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Columbia is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles (45 km) southeast of Harrisburg on the Susquehanna River across from Wrightsville. Originally, the place was called "Wright's Ferry." It was founded in 1726 by English Quakers from Chester County. Population counts were these: in 1890, 10.199; in 1900, 12,316; in 1910, 11,454; in 1920, 10,836; and in 1940, 11,547. The population was 10,311 at the 2000 census. It is commonly called the "dump" of Lancaster county.
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[edit] General Information
- ZIP code: 17512
- Area code: 717
[edit] Geography
Columbia is located at (40.033197, -76.496802)GR1.
Columbia is located immediately east of the Susquehanna River. It is just south of U.S. Route 30.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 6.9 km² (2.7 mi²). 6.3 km² (2.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (8.61%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 10,311 people, 4,287 households, and 2,589 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,631.6/km² (4,227.8/mi²). There were 4,595 housing units at an average density of 727.1/km² (1,884.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 91.34% White, 4.42% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.70% from other races, and 1.90% from two or more races. 4.49% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,287 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 19.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the borough the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $32,385, and the median income for a family was $26,309. Males had a median income of $27,528 versus $22,748 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $14,626. About 11.5% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
- In 1789 it was proposed to locate the Capital of the United States here.
- During the first part of the 19th Century, Columbia was an important stopping place along the Underground Railroad, as escaped slaves would be transported across the Susquehanna River and often fed and given supplies in Columbia before heading north towards Canada.
- In the 1840s and 1850s, the town became an important regional center of commerce, with manufactured and agricultural goods being shipped via railroad, canal and the turnpike to markets in Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Baltimore and other locales. Important industries included warehousing, tobacco processing, iron foundries, clock making and boat building.
- The world's longest covered bridge (5,960 feet) once spanned the Susquehanna from Columbia to neighboring Wrightsville in York County. Built in 1814, it was destroyed by high water and ice in 1832. A replacement bridge was burned in June of 1863 by state militia during the Gettysburg Campaign in the American Civil War, preventing Confederate soldiers from entering Lancaster County and attacking Harrisburg from the rear. Yet another replacement covered bridge was destroyed by a windstorm a few years later. The final bridge, the Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge, was a steel open-air bridge, which was razed in the early 1960s.
- During the Civil War, a number of local black citizens enlisted in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, a regiment composed of black soldiers serving under white officers. The unit gained fame in an assault on Fort Wagner in South Carolina. Some of these veterans are buried in Columbia's black cemetery, located just off of Fifth Street.
- Columbia has been for over half a century home to the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, whose campus on Poplar Street includes a Clocktower, the National Watch and Clock Museum, the National Watch and Clock Library, the "School of Horology", training professional clock and watch repairers, and the association's headquarters.
[edit] Museums and Historic Sites
- The National Watch and Clock Museum
- The National Watch and Clock Library and Research Center
- Wright's Ferry Mansion
- First National Bank Museum
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
