Leetsdale is a borough in Allegheny County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, along the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

. It is part of the

Pittsburgh Metro Area Greater Pittsburgh is a populous region centered around its largest city and economic hub, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The region encompasses Pittsburgh's urban core county, Allegheny, and six adjacent Pennsylvania counties: Armstrong, Beaver, B ...

. The population was 1,218 at the 2010 census.

History

Leetsdale was incorporated on March 28, 1904. Leetsdale at one time had a formidable industrial manufacturing base, with a

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For most of the 20th century, it was one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its succe ...

mill that closed in the late 1970s. The site of the mill on the shore of the Ohio River is now the Leetsdale Industrial Park, or the Port of Leetsdale, and is home to facilities leased, by The Buncher Company, to a number of companies of varying sizes. The Leetsdale Industrial Park was largely a

brownfield In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but this is not required for the area to be considered brownfield. The term is also used to describe land prev ...

until the 1990s. Today, only a few of the original buildings still stand. The river shore where the park was built is littered with abandoned and run-down machinery from the Bethlehem Steel days. In 2022,

CGI Steel CGI may refer to: Technology * Computer-generated imagery, computer-graphic effects in films, television programs, and other visual media * Computer Graphics Interface, the low-level interface between the Graphical Kernel System and hardware * Co ...

and Nextracker renovated an abandoned steel factory to produce solar tracker equipments Leetsdale is also home to Elmridge, or the James Gardiner Coffin/John Walker house, which is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Geography

Leetsdale is located at (40.566667, -80.211274). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the borough has a total area of , of which is land and , or 13.91%, is water.

Surrounding communities

Leetsdale is bordered by Ambridge in Beaver County to the north, Leet Township to the northeast, and

Edgeworth Edgeworth may refer to: People * Edgeworth (surname) Places * Edgeworth, Gloucestershire, England * Edgeworth, New South Wales, Australia * Edgeworth, Pennsylvania, USA * Edgeworth Island, Nunavut, Canada * Edgeworthstown, County Longford, Repu ...

to the southeast. The borough includes the former town of Shields. The

forms the southwest border of the borough; across the river is Crescent Township.

Government and politics

On November 18, 2021, Democratic mayor Peter Poninsky, who had been mayor of the town for 19 years, lost his reelection bid to fellow Democrat Sandra Ford.

Demographics

As of the

2000 United States census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

, there were 1,232 people, 586 households, and 370 families residing in the borough. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 653 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 89.20%

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 on ...

, 7.31%

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 ...

, 0.65% 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 2.84% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.62% of the population. There were 586 households, out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 38.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.80. In the borough the population was spread out, with 21.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 22.7% 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 80.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.6 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $28,672, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had a median income of $31,932 versus $25,750 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 $19,172. About 9.6% of families and 12.8% 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 22.1% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Borough of Leetsdale official website
{{authority control Pennsylvania populated places on the Ohio River Populated places established in 1827 Boroughs in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania 1827 establishments in Pennsylvania