Mountville 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 Ag ...

in Lancaster 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, ...

, United States. The population was 3,022 at the 2020 census, up from 2,802 at the 2010 census. The original Charles Chips

potato chip A potato chip (North American English; often just chip) or crisp (British and Irish English) is a thin slice of potato that has been either deep fried, baked, or air fried until crunchy. They are commonly served as a snack, side dish, or appe ...

factory was located here.

Geography

Mountville is located in western Lancaster County at (40.039797, -76.432433).

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

, a four-lane freeway, passes through the northern part of the borough, with access from College Avenue at the northeast edge of town. US 30 leads east to the northern part of Lancaster, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

, and west to

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

Pennsylvania Route 462 Pennsylvania Route 462 (PA 462) is a east–west state route in York and Lancaster counties in central Pennsylvania. The western terminus is west of York, and the eastern terminus is east of Lancaster. At both ends, PA 462 terminates at U. ...

runs through the center of Mountville as Columbia Avenue; it leads east to the center of Lancaster and west to Columbia. 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 ...

, Mountville has a total area of , of which , or 0.12%, are water. The east side of Mountville is drained by the West Branch of Little Conestoga Creek, a south-flowing tributary of the

Conestoga River The Conestoga River, also referred to as Conestoga Creek, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River flowing through the cente ...

and part of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

watershed. The west side of the borough is drained by Strickler Run, a west-flowing direct tributary of the Susquehanna.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 2,444 people, 1,018 households, and 692 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 2,856.8 people per square mile (1,097.2/km²). There were 1,041 housing units at an average density of 1,216.8 per square mile (467.4/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 95.2%

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 ...

, 1.3%

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 ...

, 0.0% Native American, 1.0%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 1.3% 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 1.1% 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 2.7% of the population. There were 1,018 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% 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, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.76. In the borough the population was spread out, with 20.9% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $10,000, and the median income for a family was $20,928. Males had a median income of $9,021 versus $11,978 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 $22,010. About 4.6% of families and 7.2% 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 12.8% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over. Also, the borough has an unemployment rate of 4.6%.

Services

Mountville is served by the West Hempfield Township Police, has one volunteer fire department, and is in the

Hempfield School District Hempfield School District is a school district of 6800+ students educated in 10 schools by 500+ teachers in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Lengeschder Kaundi), sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of Am ...

History

On January 11, 1814, Isaac Rohrer laid out the town that became known as Mountville, dividing it into 130 building lots, sold by lottery. Located east of Columbia in West Hempfield Township on the Lancaster and Susquehanna Turnpike, Mountville was originally named "Mount Pleasant" because it was situated on an elevation affording a pleasant view of the surrounding countryside in every direction. In 1842, when the first post office was established in the town, the name was changed to "Mountville" because the postal service already had another Mount Pleasant registered in Pennsylvania. Recognizing the need for a municipal water system, the town incorporated as a borough in 1906. After several annexations of land adjoining the borough through the years since, Mountville now consists of just under one square mile of residential, commercial, industrial and public property. Mountville boasts one of the highest ratios of public park space per capita. With slightly more than 2,800 residents, the borough is served by the West Hempfield Township Police Department, protected by the Mountville Volunteer Fire Company, and educated by the Hempfield School District. Mountville PA Borough Hall LanCo 1887.jpg, Borough Hall 1907 Firehouse Mountville PA LanCo.jpg, 1907 firehouse Mountville VFW LanCo PA.jpg, VFW building

References

External links

* {{Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1814 Boroughs in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania 1814 establishments in Pennsylvania