Apollo, Pennsylvania
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Apollo 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 ...
in
Armstrong County, Pennsylvania Armstrong County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,558. The county seat is Kittanning. The county was organized on March 12, 1800, from parts of Allegheny, Westmoreland and Lycom ...
, United States, northeast of
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
in a former coal-mining region. Apollo was settled in 1790, laid out in 1816, and incorporated as a borough in 1848. The population was 1,615 at the 2020 United States census


History

The area was sectioned in 1769, following the
Treaty of Fort Stanwix The Treaty of Fort Stanwix was a treaty signed between representatives from the Iroquois and Great Britain (accompanied by negotiators from New Jersey, Virginia and Province of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania) in 1768 at Fort Stanwix. It was negotia ...
, as a farm known as "Warren's Sleeping Place", named after a Native American trader from the area named Edward Warren. It was soon surveyed and divided into lots, with the town of Warren officially being added to the Greensburg register on November 9, 1816. The log cabin home of the Drake family still stands in the area, and is one of the oldest buildings in Armstrong County. With the introduction of the post office, the area was officially renamed from Warren to Apollo in 1848 to avoid confusion with the post office of another town in Pennsylvania of the same name. The present name is after
Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...
, the Greek and Roman god of music, healing, light, prophecy and enlightenment. By the late 19th century the Apollo Iron & Steel Company dominated the local economy. In 1895, the company's president, George Gibson McMurtry, hired prominent landscape architects Olmsted, Olmsted and Eliot to design a town for Apollo Iron & Steel's workers. The result was the neighboring town of Vandergrift. In 1911, Apollo became home to the first public library in Armstrong County. The Roaring Run Recreation Area is located one mile upriver (southeast) of Apollo and can be accessed via the Apollo Kiski River Trail. Stone remnants of the Western Division of the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal, that passed through Apollo and operated between 1825 and 1850, can be found along the Roaring Run Trail. The canal made use of the Kiskiminetas River using a system of slackwater dams, and the boats floated on the river, entering a lock located at the mouth of Roaring Run. From there the canal ran along the path of the current Roaring Run Trail, through the entire length of the borough, entering the Kiskiminetas River again across the river from where the current borough of East Vandergrift is situated. The borough suffered significant damage in the 1936 St. Patrick's Day flood. The Kiskiminetas River rose more than 15 feet above flood stage. 95 area homes were damaged or washed away and the borough's bridge was destroyed, according to the Apollo Area Historical Society. The Drake Log Cabin was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1983.


Geography

Apollo is located on the Kiskiminetas River at (40.584103, -79.564363). 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 , of which is land and , or 12.43%, is water.


Surrounding and adjacent neighborhoods

Apollo has two land borders, including North Apollo to the north and Kiskiminetas Township to the east and south. Across the Kiskiminetas River in Westmoreland County to the west, Apollo runs adjacent with
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
with the 1st Street Bridge as a connector.


Demographics

At th
2020 census
there were 1,408 people, 623 households 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 4,612 per square mile. The racial makeup was 85% White, 5% African American, 1% Native American, 2% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander and 5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3% of the population. There were 623 households, of which 56% 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, 13% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23% were non-families. The average household size was 2.2. The median age of 41.5 years is more than the previous census, which had a median age of 37. The distribution by age group was 19% under the age of 18, 65% from 18 to 64, 16% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.5 years. The population was 52% male and 48% female. The
median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...
was $43,173. 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 ...
was $23,835. About 11.6% 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 9% of those under age 18 and 13% of those age 65 or over.


Education

Apollo-Ridge School District, K–12


Media

WJFA WJFA (910 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Apollo, Pennsylvania, and serving the northeast suburbs of the Greater Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area in Western Pennsylvania. The station ...
signed on as WAVL on April 15, 1947. The 5,000-watt station is at 910 on the AM dial.


Notable people

*
Nellie Bly Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman (born Elizabeth Jane Cochran; May 5, 1864 – January 27, 1922), better known by her pen name Nellie Bly, was an American journalist who was widely known for her record-breaking circumnavigation, trip around the world ...
, journalist and adventurer * Ryan Hemphill,
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
driver


References


External links


Borough of Apollo official websiteApollo Area Historical Society
{{authority control Populated places established in 1790 Pittsburgh metropolitan area Boroughs in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania 1790 establishments in Pennsylvania