Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lower Burrell is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located approximately 18 miles outside of Downtown Pittsburgh, Lower Burrell is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 12,608 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] Geography
Lower Burrell is located at (40.583966, -79.721948)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 30.6 km² (11.8 mi²). 29.9 km² (11.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.7 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (2.28%) is water.
Informally, the City is divided into different neighborhoods and areas including Bon Air, Braeburn, Braeburn Heights, Central City, Edgecliff, Gladeview, Indian Fields I & II and Kinloch. Lower Burrell's central Business District overlaps Bon Air-Central City-Gladeview neighborhoods.
Lower Burrell is located in the Appalachian Plateau, the western portion of the Appalachian Mountain range. The City's landscape varies greatly, with large swaths of flat land (typically in Bon Air, Central City and Gladeview) to areas with gentle slopes, and even steep cliffs and hillsides in certain areas. The City is bounded on the north and southwestern corner by the Allegheny River. Jacks Island, a river island approximately 0.96 km (0.6 mile) in length, is located within the City, off the shores of the Braeburn neighborhood.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 12,608 people, 5,133 households, and 3,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 421.5/km² (1,091.8/mi²). There were 5,324 housing units at an average density of 178.0/km² (461.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.95% White, 0.93% African American, 0.03% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.44% of the population.
There were 5,133 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,000, and the median income for a family was $50,036. Males had a median income of $38,900 versus $25,706 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,143. About 4.3% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
In 1852, Burrell Township was carved out of Allegheny Township in Westmoreland County due to an increase in population in the area, by Judge Jeremiah Murry Burrell. In 1879 Burrell Township was divided into two separate townships, Lower Burrell and Upper Burrell. It is to be noted that the present-day cities of New Kensington and Arnold once resided within Lower Burrell Township. In the years that followed, Lower Burrell transformed from a quiet, rural farm community to a large residential and commercial area while Upper Burrell stayed primarily rural. In 1959, in the midst of the growth of their community, township residents voted to make Lower Burrell a third class city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Lower Burrell continued to grow substantially until the 1980's when new construction in the City was rare. Since the early 1990's and into the new millennium, however, Lower Burrell is once again growing, with different residential and commercial projects having been constructed or being planned.
[edit] Government
Lower Burrell is a third class city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It has a commission form of government where the mayor of the city only has one vote and no veto power. The Mayor heads the City's Department of Public Affairs, which oversees the Lower Burrell Police Department, City Clerk, Solicitor, Health Department, Ordinance Officer, Animal Control Officer, Emergency Management Department, Auxiliary Police, Fire Code Enforcement Officer and School Crossing Guards. In addition to the Mayor, Lower Burrell has four councilmen. Each councilman heads a different department including the Department of Accounts and Finance, Department of Parks and Public Property, Department of Public Safety and the Department of Streets and Improvements.
The Lower Burrell Police Department is staffed by 17 full-time Police Officers, including Chief, Detective Lieutenant, Detective Sergeant, 4 shift sergeants and 10 patrolmen. The Police Department also has a K-9 unit.
Lower Burrell is served by 3 volunteer fire companies. Lower Burrell Fire Company 1 is located in the Kinloch section of the City. Lower Burrell Fire Company 3 serves the Bon Air, Central City and Gladeview neighborhoods and Business District of the City. Fire Company 4 serves the Braeburn and Braeburn Heights areas in the city. Fire Company 2, was formerly located in Braeburn and merged into Company 4 in 2005. Lower Burrell's EMS coverage is provided by Company 3. The City has over 100 volunteer firefighters.
[edit] Education
The City of Lower Burrell and Upper Burrell Township are jointly served by the Burrell School District. Currently, the school district consists of two elementary schools, Bon Air E.S. and Stewart E.S.; 1 middle school, Charles A. Huston M.S. and 1 high school, Burrell H.S. On a post-secondary level, Lower Burrell is home to Newport Business Institute and Oakbridge Academy of Arts, both located in the City's Kinloch neighborhood. Pennsylvania State University New Kensington Campus is located less than a half-mile outside the City-limits in Upper Burrell Township. There is a local campus of Westmoreland County Community College located in neighboring New Kensington. In addition to these schools, the majority of the colleges and universities in Pittsburgh are within a half-hour's drive of Lower Burrell.
[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
