Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania

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Mifflinburg is a borough in Union County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,594 at the 2000 census.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Education 5 Economy and tourism 6 External links

[edit] History

In 1792, Elias and Catharina Jungman (Youngman) and their two children, came from Reading, Pennsylvania to the Buffalo Valley to settle on land given to them by Catharina’s father. They divided the land into 60’ by 120’ plots that were sold to other adventurous settlers, many of them German, and the village of Youngmanstown was formed. A few years later George Rote (Rhoade) laid out a village just east of Youngmanstown, know as Greenville or Rotestown, after George’s death. Eventually, the two settlements merged at Third Street. In 1827 the two villages combined and were incorporated. The combined village was named Mifflinburg, in honor of Thomas Mifflin, the first Governor of Pennsylvania.

In 1845, George Swentzel set up Mifflinburg's first buggy business. Soon other buggy manufacturers set up their own shops in Mifflinburg, and by 1855, with a population of 800, Mifflinburg hosted thirteen coachmakers. By the 1880s, with more than fifty buggy and sleigh factories, Mifflinburg became know as “Buggytown” because its buggy makers produced more horse-drawn vehicles per capita than any other town in the state.

[edit] Geography

Mifflinburg is located at 40°55′8″N, 77°2′48″W (40.918939, -77.046800)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 4.7 km² (1.8 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 3,594 people, 1,506 households, and 1,028 families residing in the borough. The population density was 762.4/km² (1,976.0/mi²). There were 1,605 housing units at an average density of 340.5/km² (882.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.16% White, 0.45% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.

There were 1,506 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the borough the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $34,906, and the median income for a family was $43,520. Males had a median income of $30,568 versus $21,315 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $17,161. About 7.6% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

There are no colleges or universities in Mifflinburg. The borough itself has a high school (Mifflinburg Area High School), an elementary school (Mifflinburg Area Elementary School), and a middle school (Mifflinburg Area Middle School). An intermediate school has been built for the 2006 school year. Outside the borough are three elementary schools that make up the rest of the Mifflinburg Area School District. These are: New Berlin Elementary, Laurelton Elementary, and Buffalo Crossroads Elementary.

Mifflinburg's official colors are blue and white, and the mascot is the Wildcat. Mifflinburg's athletics are very popular in the area. The school competes in Baseball, Basketball, Field Hockey, Football, Golf, Softball, Tennis, and Wrestling. Also, Mifflinburg School District is known for its music program, which hosts a concert and chamber choir, marching and concert bands, as well as a jazz band and pep band. The school's drama department is a local favorite for their fall production (usually a play) and their spring production (usually a musical).

There is also a private school in Mifflinburg, called Hillside Christian Academy.

[edit] Economy and tourism

Major employers include Weis Markets (a supermarket), Mifflinburg Area School District, Ritz-Craft (a manufacturer of modular homes)[1], and Yorktowne (a cabinetry manufacturer). In 2005 Yorktowne management made the decision to move most of the Mifflinburg operations to Danville, Virginia, rather than comply with expensive new air pollution regulations in Pennsylvania [2].

Major tourist attractions include

• the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum[3], which celebrates the era (circa 1880 - 1915) when Mifflinburg was known as "Buggytown, USA" due to its reputation as a major manufacturer of quality horse-drawn carriages and sleighs
• the annual "Christkindl Market" (a traditional German Christmas festival) [4]

[edit] External links

• Borough of Mifflinburg
• www.mifflinburgpa.com
• Mifflinburg Area School District
• Profile of Union County, PA
• History of the Mifflinburg Body Company

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 40.918939° -77.0468°
  • 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