Boyertown ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Boyerschteddel'') is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

in Berks County, Pennsylvania. The population was 4,055 at the 2010 census. Boyertown is known for the many painted fiberglass bears that can be found throughout the town and borough.

History

A post office called Boyertown has been in operation since 1828. The community was named for its founders, brothers Henry and Daniel Boyer. In 1908, Boyertown was the site of the Rhoads Opera House fire.

Geography

Boyertown is located along the southeastern border of

Berks County Berks County (Pennsylvania German: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading. The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware River, ...

. It is bordered on the north, west, and south by Colebrookdale Township, and to the southeast by Douglass Township in Montgomery County. Boyertown is included in the Reading

metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

, which is part the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden

combined statistical area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...

. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Boyertown has a total area of , all land. It has a hot-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(''Dfa'') and average monthly temperatures range from 30.0 °F in January to 74.7 °F in July. The hardiness zone is 6b.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, there were 3,940 people, 1,805 households, and 1,025 families residing in the borough. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 4,941.7 people per square mile (1,901.6/km²). There were 1,885 housing units at an average density of 2,364.2 per square mile (909.8/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.83%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.20%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.03% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.13% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.46% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population. There were 1,805 households, out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder, and 43.2% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.87. In the borough, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $39,232, and the median income for a family was $52,943. Males had a median income of $33,783 versus $26,507 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the borough was $21,194. About 3.6% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Pennsylvania Route 73 Pennsylvania Route 73 (PA 73) is a long east–west state highway in southeastern Pennsylvania. It runs from PA 61 near Leesport southeast to the New Jersey state line on the Tacony–Palmyra Bridge over the Delaware River in ...

(Philadelphia Avenue) is the main east–west road through the borough. It leads east-southeast to Schwenksville and eventually

Northeast Philadelphia Northeast Philadelphia, nicknamed Northeast Philly, the Northeast and the Great Northeast, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the 2000 census, Northeast Philadelphia has a population of between 300,000 and 450,000, depending ...

. To the northwest it leads to Blandon north of Reading. Pennsylvania Route 562 (Reading Avenue) leads west to Reading proper.

Pennsylvania Route 100 Pennsylvania Route 100 (PA 100) is a long state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that runs from U.S. Route 202 (US 202) near West Chester north to PA 309 in Pleasant Corners. The route runs between the western suburbs of Philadelph ...

bypasses the borough just outside its eastern border, leading north to Macungie near

Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them: *Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California *Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County *Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Taze ...

and south into Pottstown. A railroad line runs south from Boyertown to Pottstown. This line is used by the

Colebrookdale Railroad The Colebrookdale Railroad, also known as the Secret Valley Line, is a tourist railroad located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The railroad operates between Boyertown in Berks County and Pottstown in Montgomery County. Operations The Cole ...

tourist line and the Eastern Berks Gateway Railroad freight line.

Public education

The borough is served by the Boyertown Area School District.This includes one senior high school, two middle schools, seven elementary schools, and a cyber school program.https://www.boyertownasd.org/

Media

The area is served by '' The Berks-Mont News'', a weekly paper with a circulation of 5,500.

Landmarks

Cabot Corporation Cabot Corporation is an American specialty chemicals and performance materials company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The company operates in over 20 countries with 36 manufacturing plants, eight research and development facilities and ...

* Rhoads Opera House

Notable people

Steve Burns ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...

(born 1973), former '' Blue's Clues'' host, actor, musician * James Develin (born 1988), football player for the New England Patriots * Elaine Irwin Mellencamp (born 1970), former

Victoria's Secret Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing, and beauty retailer known for high visibility marketing and branding, starting with a popular catalog and followed by an annual fashion show with supermodels dubbed Angels. As the largest ...

model, ex-wife of rock musician

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...

* John M. Schealer (1920–2008), author of numerous science fiction books for children *

Mark Soper Mark Soper (born July 19, 1959) is an American actor, best known as Joseph Barringer in the television series '' Knots Landing'' and Michael Milton in ''The World According to Garp''. Soper is from Boyertown, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ...

(born 1959), actor * Carl Spaatz (1891–1974), Army general during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Sister cities

Boyertown has one

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

, as designated by

Sister Cities International Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establishment of "sister cities"� ...

: * -

Bohodukhiv left Bohodukhiv ( uk, Богодухів, russian: Богодухов - ''Bogodukhov'') is a city in Kharkiv Oblast (province) of eastern Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of Bohodukhiv Raion (district). Bohodukhiv hosts the administratio ...

, Kharkivs'ka (Kharkiv),

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

References

External links

Borough of Boyertown official website

History of Boyertown
{{authority control 1835 establishments in Pennsylvania Boroughs in Berks County, Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1835