Akron is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, 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 ...

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County (; ), sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 4,169,

History

Akron was incorporated as a borough in 1895. Before this point, a small village called New Berlin sat at the center of the borough. A railroad used to run through Akron and served a railroad station in the town. A trolley also used to run in parts of the borough. The railroad has since been abandoned and is now the Warwick to Ephrata Rail Trail.

Geography

Akron is located in northern Lancaster County at (40.156472, -76.204000). It is bordered to the north by the borough of Ephrata. Two main roads pass through the borough: Main Street and 7th Street (

Pennsylvania Route 272 Pennsylvania Route 272 (PA 272) is a highway in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Lancaster area. The southern terminus of the route is at the Mason–Dixon line southeast of Nottingham, Pennsylvania, Nottingham, where ...

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

, is to the southwest, and

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

is to the northeast. The borough is located on a hill. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the borough has a total area of , all land.

Cocalico Creek Cocalico Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Conestoga River in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, Lebanon and Lancaster County, Pennsy ...

forms part of the northern border of the borough and loops past the west side of the borough, leading to 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 t ...

, a tributary of the Susquehanna.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 4,046 people, 1,622 households, and 1,138 families residing in the borough. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 1,687 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 96.42%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.54%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.22% Native American, 1.38% Asian, 0.79% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. 2.22% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 1,622 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.86. In the borough the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $45,407, and the median income for a family was $53,365. Males had a median income of $37,061 versus $24,545 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the borough was $19,983. About 3.4% of families and 4.6% 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 ...

, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Elementary

* Akron Elementary in Ephrata Area School District

Police, government, and fire protection

Akron borough is an independent local government unit located in Lancaster County. It is run by an elected borough council and an elected mayor. The current mayor is John McBeth. The borough council is currently run by President Nathan Imhoff. Established in 1893, the Akron Volunteer Fire Company Lancaster County Station 12 has approximately 50 active members and three pieces of current operating fire apparatus: one engine, one rescue engine, and one squad.

Economy

The economy is mostly made up of small businesses. There are very few large businesses because the town is small and mostly residential. The American headquarters of the

Mennonite Central Committee The Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is a relief service, and peace agency representing fifteen Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and Amish bodies in North America. The U.S. headquarters are located in Akron, Pennsylvania; the Canadian headquarte ...

, which started the Fair Trade retailer

Ten Thousand Villages Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit, fair trade organization that markets handcrafted products made by artisans from more than 120 artisan groups in more than 35 countries.https://suiteengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/CSM-TTV-Client-Suce ...

, are located in the town.

Recreation

Loyd H. Roland Memorial Park (also known as Akron Park), is a 70-plus acre park located on Main Street on the east side of Akron. The park has baseball fields, tennis courts, a beach volleyball court, a basketball court, a playground, hiking trails, a pond, picnic pavilions, a gazebo, and an 18-hole disc golf course.

Culture

Akron is one of the many Pennsylvania towns to drop or raise a unique item at midnight on

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

. The "Shoe-In" begins several hours before midnight with children's activities, carriage rides, music, and a bonfire. People donate children's shoes which are passed on to the needy. In honor of the area's former shoemaking industry (that used to be located where the Ten-Thousand Villages corporate offices are currently located) a giant

sneaker Sneakers (American English, US) or trainers (British English, UK), also known by a #Names, wide variety of other names, are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but are also widely used for everyday casual ...

is lowered at midnight.

References

External links

* {{authority control Populated places established in 1884 Boroughs in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania 1884 establishments in Pennsylvania