West Reading, Pennsylvania
| Borough of West Reading | |
| Borough | |
 Penn Avenue in West Reading | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Berks |
| Elevation | 285 ft (86.9 m) |
| Coordinates | 40°20′03″N 75°56′48″W / 40.33417°N 75.94667°W |
| Area | 1.5 sq mi (3.9 km2) |
| - land | 1.5 sq mi (4 km2) |
| - water | 0.0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Population | 4,212 (2010) |
| Density | 2,808 / sq mi (1,084.2 / km2) |
| Incorporated | March 18, 1907 |
| Timezone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Area code | 610 |
  Location of West Reading in Pennsylvania
| |
 Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
| |
| Website: http://www.westreadingborough.com | |
West Reading is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,212 at the 2010 census. It contains a vibrant main street (Penn Avenue) of locally-owned boutiques, restaurants and shops, in addition to, the main campus of the Reading Health System (formerly The Reading Hospital and Medical Center). An award-winning Keystone Communities Elm Street program consisting of two neighborhoods (Ten Points and Center Point) is administered by the West Reading Community Revitalization Foundation, who also hosts the community's web portal at lovewestreading.org. It is also the site of the VF Outlet Village, one of the largest outlet centers in the United States. The VF Outlet Village is located in the buildings of the former Berkshire Knitting Mills, which was in operation from 1908-1975.[1]
Geography
West Reading is located at 40°20′3″N 75°56′48″W / 40.33417°N 75.94667°W (40.334083, -75.946597).[2]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2), all of it land.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 2,064 | ||
| 1920 | 2,921 | 41.5% | |
| 1930 | 4,908 | 68.0% | |
| 1940 | 4,907 | 0.0% | |
| 1950 | 5,072 | 3.4% | |
| 1960 | 4,938 | −2.6% | |
| 1970 | 4,578 | −7.3% | |
| 1980 | 4,507 | −1.6% | |
| 1990 | 4,142 | −8.1% | |
| 2000 | 4,049 | −2.2% | |
| 2010 | 4,212 | 4.0% | |
| Est. 2012 | 4,204 | −0.2% | |
| Sources:[3][4][5] | |||
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 4,049 people, 1,666 households, and 862 families residing in the borough. The population density was 7,079.6 people per square mile (2,742.7/km²). There were 1,783 housing units at an average density of 3,117.5 per square mile (1,207.8/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 89.33% White, 4.03% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.53% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.41% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.78% of the population.
There were 1,666 households out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.2% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the borough the population was spread out with 18.7% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 26.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $38,340, and the median income for a family was $43,472. Males had a median income of $31,592 versus $25,411 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $21,414. About 5.8% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.
History
The borough was settled in 1873 and incorporated on March 18, 1907. It celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2007.
Elected officials
The borough is governed by a mayor and a seven member council. The mayor is Valentin Rodriguez (I). The council currently has two Republicans (James Gallen, Jr. and Carl Garman), four Democrats (Grace Craze, Nathalie Kulesa, Elizabeth Heckler and Deborah Hutcheson), and one Independent (Philip Wert).
References
- ↑ http://www.vfovillage.com/aboutus.htm vfovillage.com
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
External links
- Love West Reading
- Borough of West Reading
- West Reading Community Revitalization Foundation
- Penn Avenue, West Reading
- West Reading's Art on the Avenue
- West Reading Revitalization Project
