West Pittston, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
West Pittston is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River opposite Pittston. The town once produced mine screens, cut glass, crackers, and knit and silk goods.
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[edit] Geography
West Pittston is located at (41.329480, -75.799671)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.5 km² (0.9 mi²). 2.1 km² (0.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (13.68%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 5,072 people, 2,243 households, and 1,397 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,388.2/km² (6,199.1/mi²). There were 2,381 housing units at an average density of 1,121.1/km² (2,910.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.37% White, 0.10% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.04% Asian, 0.10% from other races, and 0.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.24% of the population.
There were 2,243 households out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the borough the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.5 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $33,030, and the median income for a family was $41,729. Males had a median income of $35,386 versus $20,656 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $20,370. About 9.6% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History/Landmarks
West Pittston lies at the northern end of the Wyoming Valley, an area along the Susquehanna River. The cities of Wilkes-Barre, and Pittston are also part of this valley.
Unlike the hardscrabble coal towns around it, West Pittston was generally a quiet town and home to the white collar workers of the anthracite coal industry. As such, it faired better than its neighbors when the coal industry collapsed in the 1950s. Billed as the 'Garden Village', it is home to several businesses of note: Keystone Automotive, Pride Mobility, and the online gourmet food company Igourmet.
West Pittston is the home of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 103rd Armor Regiment, part of the 28th Infantry Division.
West Pittston was the site of the alleged Smurl haunting, as recounted in the book and movie The Haunted.
West Pittston is home to one of the first bridges illuminated by fiber optic cable. The bridge is outlined with a fiber optic cable which is coupled to a lighting control box. The colors of the lights can be changed manually to reflect holidays and local sporting rivalries or set to a mode which cycles colors over set intervals.
West Pittston has an annual Cherry Blossom Festival. The event usually begins on a Friday night with bands and food, but the official start is the parade on Saturday morning in which local school bands, Little League teams, Boy Scout Troops and various local emergency service crews walk across town, ending at the festival. The festival continues all weekend with a Miss Cherry Blossom contest, musical concerts, and skit shows.
West Pittston appears prominently in the 1992 movie, "School Ties. The opening scenes are filmed in West Pittston; it shows David Green, the hero of the movie (played by Brendan Fraser), hanging out with friends in the streets of West Pittston. Ironically, the words "West Pittston" are never uttered in the movie, but the word "Scranton" is; Green is supposed to be from Scranton, the larger city which dwarfs West Pittston ten miles to the north.
[edit] External links
- 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
