Coudersport, Pennsylvania
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Coudersport 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 and 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 ...
of Potter 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, ...
. It is located approximately east by south of
Erie Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...
on the
Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...
. The population was 2,371 at the 2020 census.


History

The
Coudersport and Port Allegany Railroad Station The Coudersport and Port Allegany Railroad Station (also known as the Coudersport Depot) is a railroad station in Coudersport, Pennsylvania in the United States. It was built by the Coudersport and Port Allegany Railroad in 1899 and opened in Janua ...
,
Coudersport Historic District The Coudersport Historic District is a historic district in Coudersport, the county seat of Potter County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The district encompasses 73 contributing buildings. Coudersport is in a narrow valley on the Alleghe ...
, and Potter County Courthouse are 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

Coudersport is located at (41.773903, -78.018559). 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 ...
, the borough has a total area of , all land. Coudersport lies in a broad valley at the confluence of the
Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...
and Mill Creek. It is surrounded by the great hilltop plateaux of the Allegheny highlands. Highways enter north and south on
Pennsylvania Route 44 Pennsylvania Route 44 (PA 44) is a -long state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The route, which is signed north-south, is designated from Interstate 80 (I-80) and PA 42 in Buckhorn northwest to the New York state line near New York ...
, the very old Jersey Shore (log road) Turnpike, and from west to east on
U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to P ...
, the "Grand Army of the Republic Highway", which had been long a major mid-east-states east-west corridor before the construction of Interstate highways which began in the late 1950s. The most noted hilltops, located here on this plateau, are Dutch Hill, stretching to the southeast, and Vader Hill, stretching to the southwest. The Allegheny River makes a quick turn at this point, going from north to west; for that reason, these features are distinctly individual from afar in the broad turning valley, and rise 2400–2500 feet above sea-level.


Climate


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 2,650 people, 1,101 households, and 700 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 467.2 people per square mile (180.5/km). There were 1,189 housing units at an average density of 209.6 per square mile (81.0/km). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.02%
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 ...
, 0.49%
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 ...
, 0.08% Native American, 1.62%
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 ...
, 0.19% 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 0.60% 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 ...
or
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 0.49% of the population. There were 1,101 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.00. In the borough, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $35,813, and the median income for a family was $44,053. Males had a median income of $32,288 versus $22,439 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 $18,209. About 6.9% of families and 11.0% 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 12.6% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.


Fracking controversy

In early 2018, the Coudersport Area Municipal Authority (CAMA) became involved in a controversial proposal for a fracking wastewater plant near Coudersport. JKLM Energy proposes trucking "produced water" (fracking wastewater) to a centralized plant for treatment to be located adjacent to the CAMA plant in Eulalia Township when and if the plant is approved and licensed by governmental authorities. The treated wastewater would then be transferred to CAMA for disposal into the headwaters of the Allegheny River. The entire proposal is opposed by many residents of the borough and the county, as well as by the Seneca Nation of Indians who reside downriver from the proposed plant location. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection fined JKLM $472,317 in 2016 for groundwater contamination caused by the use of an unapproved surfactant during the drilling of a natural gas well. The contamination impacted six private drinking water wells in Sweden and Eulalia townships (Potter County). The
Cattaraugus County, New York Cattaraugus County (locally known as Catt County) is a county in Western New York, with one side bordering Pennsylvania. As of the United States 2020 census, the population was 77,042. The county seat is Little Valley. The county was created ...
legislature as well as New York State Senator Catharine Young (R-NY) have joined the Seneca Nation in opposition to the proposed fracking wastewater plant. The Coudersport Borough Council voted to oppose siting the plant near Coudersport. The Coudersport Borough Council's resolution of opposition was forwarded to the Coudersport Area Municipal Authority (CAMA), who has not yet considered it in a public forum.


Notable people

* Lafayette Cartee, politician * Mark Corey, former baseball pitcher for the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
,
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...
and
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
*
Riki Lindhome Erika "Riki" Lindhome (born March 5, 1979) is an American actress, comedian, and musician. She is best known as a singer and songwriter for the comedy folk duo Garfunkel and Oates. After making her television debut in 2002 with minor roles in t ...
, actress *
Josh Kinney Joshua Thomas "Josh" Kinney (born March 31, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners. He threw a slider, four-seam fastb ...
, MLB pitcher


Notable facts

Coudersport is home to a
Scottish Rite The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction in the United States often omits the ''and'', while the English Constitution in the United Kingdom omits the ''Scottish''), commonly known as simply the Sco ...
Consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistory ...
. With approximately 3000 members, Coudersport's Consistory has the largest per-capita membership of any Scottish Rite Consistory. The newly re-opened Ice Mine is a popular tourist attraction in Coudersport. The mine freezes with ice in the summer, and the ice melts in the winter. Coudersport was the home of "Untouchable"
Eliot Ness Eliot Ness (April 19, 1903 – May 16, 1957) was an American Prohibition agent known for his efforts to bring down Al Capone and enforce Prohibition in Chicago. He was the leader of a team of law enforcement agents, nicknamed The Untouchables. H ...
at the time of his death. He was a principal in the Guaranty Paper Corporation, which specialized in watermarking legal & official documents to prevent counterfeiting. The company moved from Cleveland to Coudersport around 1955 because operating costs were lower. Ness, with his wife and son, were living in the Brocklebank home from 1956-57. Ness died there from a heart attack in May 1957. Located in the northern portion of Coudersport is the Coudersport Area Recreation Park (CARP). This sports and recreation park was established in the 1960s by a group of town leaders including Dr. William L. Mitchell, a local veterinarian. It currently has a football field with track & field capabilities, baseball and softball fields, basketball courts, picnic areas and hiking trails. According to historical books at the Penn State University Park library, Coudersport derived its name from a Dutchman named Couder who was a primary funder for the surveying of the future town as a "port" on the
Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...
, thus becoming Couder's Port. Coudersport was the former headquarters of Adelphia, which at its peak was the 5th largest cable provider in the United States. The company went bankrupt due to internal corruption in 2002, and the headquarters were moved to Colorado a few years later. The fictional town of Farringdon, depicted in the Judy Bolton detective series by
Margaret Sutton Margaret Sutton (January 22, 1903 - June 21, 2001) was the pen name of Rachel Beebe, an American author and teacher who is famous as being the author of the Judy Bolton Series of mystery books, 38 volumes published between 1932 and 1967. In a ...
, is based on Coudersport, where Sutton grew up and attended school. The school, town hall, and several recognizable residences are described in her books. Judy Bolton Days, an annual festival honoring the books of the late Sutton, is hosted each October by the local Chamber of Commerce. Radio stations WNG591 (a
NOAA Weather Radio NOAA Weather Radio NWR; also known as NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is an automated 24-hour network of VHF FM weather radio stations in the United States (U.S.) that broadcast weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Servi ...
outlet programmed out of State College) and
WFRM WFRM (600 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station, licensed to Coudersport, Pennsylvania, and serving listeners in Potter, Elk, Mckean & Cameron counties in North Central Pennsylvania. It broadcasts a soft oldies - adult standards radio format, ...
(a locally programmed AM radio station, 600 kHz) are licensed to Coudersport. The former WFRM-FM, 96.7 MHz, was licensed to Coudersport for much of its existence but was later reallocated to
Portville, New York Portville is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 3,504 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from the town's early role in shipping lumber and other items down the Allegheny River. It was formed in 1837 f ...
. The local newspaper, the ''Potter Leader-Enterprise'', is published out of Coudersport. Coudersport is located near
Cherry Springs State Park Cherry Springs State Park is an Pennsylvania state park in Potter County, Pennsylvania, United States. The park was created from land within the Susquehannock State Forest, and is on Pennsylvania Route 44 in West Branch Township. Cherry Spring ...
, which features some of the darkest skies near the East Coast. This means the town is a prominent destination for stargazers.


References


External links

*
Borough of Coudersport official website
{{authority control County seats in Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1807 Boroughs in Potter County, Pennsylvania 1807 establishments in Pennsylvania