Avalon, Pennsylvania

Avalon
Borough
Greenstone United Methodist Church located at 939 California Avenue
Official name: Borough of Avalon
Named for: Mythical island in legend of King Arthur
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Allegheny
Elevation	932 ft (284 m)
Coordinates	40°30′4″N 80°4′7″W / 40.50111°N 80.06861°WCoordinates: 40°30′4″N 80°4′7″W / 40.50111°N 80.06861°W
Area	0.7 sq mi (1.8 km^2)
- land	0.6 sq mi (1.6 km^2)
- water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km^2)
Population	4,705 (2010)
Density	6,721.4/sq mi (2,595.1/km^2)
Settled	c. 1800
- Incorporated	December 9, 1874
Mayor	David Haslett (D)
Timezone	EST (UTC-5)
- summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	15202
Area code	412
School District	Northgate
Location in Allegheny County and the state of Pennsylvania
Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
Website: http://www.boroughofavalon.org/

Avalon is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River, 6 miles (10 km) downstream from Pittsburgh. It is a largely residential borough with a few small stores. The population was 4,705 at the 2010 census.^[1]

The borough is located in the Northgate School District.

Geography

Avalon is located at 40°30′4″N 80°4′7″W / 40.50111°N 80.06861°W.^[2]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), of which 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) is water. Its average elevation is 932 feet (284 m) above sea level.^[3]

Surrounding communities

• Bellevue
• Ben Avon
• Ben Avon Heights

History

Avalon was incorporated as a borough on December 9, 1874, from Kilbuck Township.^[4] It was named after the legendary island of Avalon ("land of apples") on account of there being several orchards in the area.^[5] The streetcar reached Avalon around 1900, and in later years the borough was served by Pittsburgh Railways route 14 Avalon and then route 6/14 Brighton Avalon. The service ended on Apr 30, 1966^[6] when many of the West End lines were abandoned by the Port Authority of Allegheny County, in preparation for bridge replacements over the Allegheny River.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	326		—
1890	804		146.6%
1900	2,130		164.9%
1910	4,317		102.7%
1920	5,277		22.2%
1930	5,940		12.6%
1940	6,155		3.6%
1950	6,463		5.0%
1960	6,859		6.1%
1970	7,010		2.2%
1980	6,240		−11.0%
1990	5,784		−7.3%
2000	5,294		−8.5%
2010	4,705		−11.1%
Est. 2015	4,642	[7]	−1.3%
Sources:[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 5,294 people, 2,629 households, and 1,282 families residing in the borough. The population density was 8,409.1 people per square mile (3,244.5/km²). There were 2,845 housing units at an average density of 4,519.1 per square mile (1,743.6/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 73.03% White, 24.85% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population.

There were 2,629 households, out of which 19.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.6% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.2% were non-families. 45.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.99 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 18.2% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.4 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $29,236, and the median income for a family was $41,327. Males had a median income of $31,568 versus $24,149 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,594. About 8.4% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.6% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

804 people lived in Avalon in 1890, 2,130 people lived in Avalon in 1900; 4,317 people lived in Avalon in 1910, and 6,155 people lived in Avalon in 1940.

Notable people

• Robert J. Corbett, U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania^[15]

See also

• List of cities and towns along the Ohio River

References

1. "Race, Hispanic or Latino, Age, and Housing Occupancy: 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File (QT-PL), Avalon borough, Pennsylvania". U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder 2. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
2. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
3. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
4. "Allegheny County – 2nd Class" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on August 10, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
5. "What's in a name? For some, a bit of history". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 10, 1984. p. 2. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
6. "Pittsburgh Railways Online – A Trolley Car Tragedy". February 18, 2002. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
7. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
8. "Population of Civil Divisions Less than Counties" (PDF). 1880 United States Census. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
9. "Population-Pennsylvania" (PDF). U.S. Census 1910. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
10. "Number and Distribution of Inhabitants:Pennsylvania-Tennessee" (PDF). Fifteenth Census. U.S. Census Bureau.
11. "Number of Inhabitants: Pennsylvania" (PDF). 18th Census of the United States. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
12. "Pennsylvania: Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
13. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
14. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
15. "CORBETT, Robert James, (1905 - 1971)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.

External links

• Borough of Avalon official site
• Historic Pittsburgh Map Collections: 1906 – Northern Vicinity of Pittsburgh: Plate 3