Bridgewater 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 central

Beaver County, Pennsylvania Beaver County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,215. Its county seat is Beaver, and its largest city is Aliquippa. The county is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region of the commonw ...

, United States, at the confluence of the

Beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

and

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

rivers. The population was 745 at the 2020 census. It is part of the

Pittsburgh metropolitan area Greater Pittsburgh is the metropolitan area surrounding the city of Pittsburgh in Western Pennsylvania, United States. The region includes Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County, Pittsburgh's urban core county and economic hub, and s ...

. The borough is best known as the home of the

Bruster's Ice Cream Bruster's Ice Cream, Inc. , also known as Bruster's Real Ice Cream or Bruster's, is an American chain of ice cream parlors based in Bridgewater, Pennsylvania. Their primary operating region is in most states east of the Mississippi River. The c ...

chain. A few scenes in the 1986 movie ''

Gung Ho ''Gung ho'' () is an English term, with the current meaning of 'enthusiastic or energetic', especially overly so. It originated during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) from a Chinese term, ( zh, hp=gōnghé, l=to work together), sho ...

'' were also shot in Bridgewater. Much of Bridgewater, including its two major streets, are included in the Bridgewater Historic District.

Geography

Bridgewater is located at (40.703827, −80.296715). The borough lies at the confluence of the

and

rivers. 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 (10.39%) is water.

Surrounding and adjacent neighborhoods

Bridgewater has three land borders, with

to the southwest, Brighton Township to the west and Fallston to the northwest. Across the Beaver River from the east to its confluence with the Ohio River southeast, Bridgewater runs adjacent with Rochester Township, the borough of Rochester, and Monaca.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, there were 739 people, 335 households, and 210 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 361 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 89.04% White, 8.80% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population. There were 335 households, out of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.71. In the borough the population was spread out, with 19.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $38,750, and the median income for a family was $42,500. Males had a median income of $31,023 versus $24,286 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 $19,695. About 8.8% of families and 12.0% 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 ...

, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Children in Bridgewater are served by the

Beaver Area School District Beaver Area School District is a suburban, public school district in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The district encompasses approximately serving the Boroughs of Beaver and Bridgewater and Brighton Township and Vanport Township in Beaver Co ...

. The current schools serving Bridgewater are: *College Square Elementary School – grades K–2 *Dutch Ridge Elementary School – grades 3–6 *Beaver Area Middle School – grades 7–8 *Beaver Area High School – grades 9–12

Media

The Beaver County Times ''The Beaver County Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, United States, serving suburban Beaver County northwest of Pittsburgh. It is the sole newspaper covering Beaver County. The ''Times'' has previously produc ...

'', the sole newspaper covering Beaver County, has its headquarters in Bridgewater. A daily publication, it is the descendant of the acquisition and merger of many of the county's newspapers.

References

External links

Borough website
{{authority control Populated places established in 1798 Pittsburgh metropolitan area Boroughs in Beaver County, Pennsylvania 1798 establishments in Pennsylvania