South Bethlehem 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 Armstrong 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 481 at the 2010 census.

Geography

South Bethlehem is located in northern Armstrong County in western Pennsylvania on the south side of Redbank Creek at (40.999516, -79.339219). It is bordered to the northeast by the borough of New Bethlehem, which is across Redbank Creek in

Clarion County Clarion County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,241. Its county seat is Clarion. The county was formed on March 11, 1839, from parts of Venango and Armstrong counties. Clarion Cou ...

. Neither South Bethlehem nor New Bethlehem are adjacent to the city of

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

, which is in eastern Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Routes 28 and 66 pass through South Bethlehem, leading southwest to Kittanning. Route 28 leads northeast to Brookville, and Route 66 leads north to

Clarion Clarion may refer to: Music * Clarion (instrument), a type of trumpet used in the Middle Ages * The register of a clarinet that ranges from B4 to C6 * A trumpet organ stop that usually plays an octave above unison pitch * "Clarion" (song), a 2 ...

, both of which towns are near

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

. According to the

U.S. 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 ...

, South Bethlehem has a total area of , all land.

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 444 people, 194 households, and 130 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 2,746.6 people per square mile (1,071.4/km²). There were 208 housing units at an average density of 1,286.7 per square mile (501.9/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.32%

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 ...

and 0.68%

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 ...

. There were 194 households, out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% 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, 4.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.84. The borough median age of 41 years was slightly more than the county median age of 40 years. The distribution by age group was 23.6% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $29,688, and the median income for a family was $43,125. Males had a median income of $28,269 versus $26,000 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 $16,266. About 9.1% of families and 11.1% 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 16.3% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The public school district for South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is Redbank Valley School District.

History

South Bethlehem appears on the 1876 Atlas of Armstrong County Pennsylvania. It was founded by William R. Hamilton on land he purchased from Lewis Daubenspecht. The land was part of a tract of 280,990 acres, conveyed to

Willem Willink Wilhelm Willink (sometimes Willem, Wilheim or Wilhem) (1750 – 1841) was a wealthy Amsterdam merchant, and one of the investors in the Holland Land Company,Evans, Paul D (1924). ''The Holland Land Company.'' Buffalo Historical Society Public ...

, who was an investor in the

Holland Land Company The Holland Land Company was an unincorporated syndicate of thirteen Dutch investors from Amsterdam who in 1792 and 1793 purchased the western two-thirds of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase, an area that afterward was known as the Holland Purchase ...

, on warrant 2896 on September 6, 1802.

References

External links

South Bethlehem
at Lehigh Valley History {{NIE Poster, year=1905, South Bethlehem Populated places established in 1854 Boroughs in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania 1854 establishments in Pennsylvania