Bedford, Pennsylvania

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bedford is a borough in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, 85 miles (137 km) west by south of the State Capital, Harrisburg. It is the county seat of Bedford County^GR6. Bedford was established in the mid-18th century. Population counts follow: 1890, 2,242; 1900, 2,167; 1910, 2,385. The population was 3,141 at the 2000 census.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 See also 5 References 5.1 Publications 6 External links 6.1 Nearby Attractions 6.2 Maps

[edit] History

Originally called Raystown, Bedford was settled about 1751 and laid out in 1766. Bedford was incorporated on March 13, 1795.^[1] For many years it was an important frontier military post. The Espy House in Bedford is notable for having been the headquarters of George Washington and his force of 13,000 while putting down the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794.

Chalybeate Springs Hotel, along with the nearby Bedford Springs Hotel, were popular resorts during the 19th century among the wealthy. President James Buchanan used Bedford Springs as his summer White House. Other notable visitors to Bedford Springs included William Henry Harrison, James Polk, Zachary Taylor, and Thaddeus Stevens. Rutherford B. Hayes, and Benjamin Harrison visited Chalybeate Springs Hotel, as did many other notable people.^[2]

U.S. Route 30, also known as the Lincoln Highway, passes through Bedford. Up until the opening of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in 1940, U.S. Route 30 was key east-west route connecting Philadelphia to the west. In 1927, David Koontz built a coffee pot-shaped building, which was originally a diner. This building, a landmark in Bedford, was moved in 2003 to the Bedford County Fairgrounds.^[3]

[edit] Geography

Bedford is located at 40°0′59″N, 78°30′15″W (40.016361, -78.504071)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.9 km² (1.1 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 3,141 people, 1,536 households, and 832 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,092.6/km² (2,830.8/mi²). There were 1,640 housing units at an average density of 570.5/km² (1,478.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.71% White, 0.51% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population.

There were 1,536 households out of which 21.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.8% were non-families. 40.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.76.

In the borough the population was spread out with 18.8% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 80.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.5 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $28,549, and the median income for a family was $39,122. Males had a median income of $29,148 versus $21,375 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,028. About 8.5% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.6% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] See also

• Crosley Car Owners Club

[edit] References

1. ^ Bedford County Pennsylvania Genealogy Project. Bedford County History.
2. ^ Bedford County Pennsylvania Genealogy Project. Bedford County summer capital of the U.S..
3. ^ Foster, Margaret. "Giant Coffee Pot Will Be Moved to Safety", Preservation Online, National Preservation Trust, 2003, December 1.

[edit] Publications

• History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, (Chicago, 1884)
• History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, (New York, 1906)

[edit] External links

[edit] Nearby Attractions

• Blue Knob Ski Resort

[edit] Maps

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 40.016361° -78.504071°
  • 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

	v • d • e  Municipalities and Communities of Bedford County, Pennsylvania County Seat: Bedford
Boroughs	Bedford | Coaldale | Everett | Hopewell | Hyndman | Manns Choice | New Paris | Pleasantville | Rainsburg | St. Clairsville | Saxton | Schellsburg | Woodbury
Townships	Bedford | Bloomfield | Broad Top | Colerain | Cumberland Valley | East Providence | East St. Clair | Harrison | Hopewell | Juniata | Kimmel | King | Liberty | Lincoln | Londonderry | Mann | Monroe | Napier | Pavia | Snake Spring | South Woodbury | Southampton | West Providence | West St. Clair | Woodbury