West Middlesex 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 ...

along the

Shenango River The Shenango River is a principal tributary of the Beaver River, approximately 100 mi (160 km) long,Mercer 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 815 at the 2020 Census. It is part of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area.

Geography

West Middlesex is located at (41.173630, -80.456874). 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 t ...

, the borough has a total area of . The

Shenango River The Shenango River is a principal tributary of the Beaver River, approximately 100 mi (160 km) long,Mercer County. Samuel Byers, Andrew Wylie, William Bell, Richard Vanfleet and several others arrived in the vicinity in the late 18th century. In 1787, James Gibson received a plot of land west of the

Shenango River The Shenango River is a principal tributary of the Beaver River, approximately 100 mi (160 km) long, In 1830, Edeburn built a sawmill, and McConnell built a flour mill. James Gilkey, cultivator of the "Neshannock potatoes," surveyed the site and platted the town in 1836 on McConnell's land. A store and a tavern were opened about the time the town was platted, and in 1840 the post office was established, with Robert Young as the first postmaster. In 1864 West Middlesex was incorporated as a borough. The first burgess was D. Edeburn, and the first members of the council were C.W. Watson, Hiram Veach and G.R. Tuttle. West Middlesex was one of the first places in the Shenango Valley to become a center of the iron business. The old Middlesex furnace, erected in 1845, was a charcoal-burning plant. Additional coke and ore furnaces followed, including the Fannie (1873, remodeled in 1885) and the Ella (1882).

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 in ...

of 2010, there were 863 people, 368 households, and 244 families residing in the borough. The racial makeup of the borough was 96.9%

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 ...

, 1.2%

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 ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.6% 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 1.0% 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 ...

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 0.3% of the population. There were 391 housing units and 368 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 people, and the average family size was 2.88 people. The age distribution was 20.2% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 30.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.3 years old. According to the 2015 American Community Survey, the median income for a household in the borough was $46,103, and the median income for a family was $53,750. Among full-time, year-round workers, males had a median income of $45,526 versus $33,675 for females. About 13.6% of families and 16.6% of the population had annual incomes below the poverty line.

Education

The West Middlesex Area School District serves the borough of West Middlesex and its two neighboring townships, Shenango Township and Lackawannock Township. The school district serves students in grades K-12, and it also offers Head Start preschool. Historically, West Middlesex has served students since shortly after the town was platted. A small frame house was built in 1837 for school sessions and church services, and in 1855, it was replaced by a two-story building: the first story for education, and the second story for worship. A three-story brick union schoolhouse was built in 1868.

Notable people

* Alfred M. Landon, former Governor of Kansas and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

presidential candidate. * R. J. Bowers, former professional football player.

References

External links