Commodore is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, su ...

(CDP) in

Green Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania Green Township is a township in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. Green Township was formed from Wheatfield Township ''circa'' 1816 and was named for the great evergreen forests covering the area. The population was 3,457 at the 2020 c ...

, United States. The population was 331 at the 2010 census.

History

Commodore was founded in 1919 by the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation, a subsidiary of the

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mi ...

. It was named in honor of

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore, a ...

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

, founder of that railroad. (Vanderbilt was known by the nickname or unofficial rank of Commodore due to his background as a riverboat owner.) The town was created as a "model town", with a higher caliber of worker housing than other coal mining communities. Houses were constructed of concrete block, not wood. Also, the houses had toilets and the community had a sewer system, which were unusual in comparison to neighboring mining communities. Streets were named after executives of the coal company: F.E. Herriman (President), John Fisher (Vice President), H.B. Douglas (Assistant to the President), A.J. Musser (General Manager), and H.J. Hinterleitner (General Superintendent). The town and its initial buildings were designed by Paul Gill, an engineer of the coal company. ''Note:'' This includes The community was added to 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 artist ...

as Commodore Historic District on August 26, 1994. The national

Historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from ce ...

has 94 contributing buildings.

Geography

Commodore is located at (40.710694, -78.945857). 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 An economy is an area of th ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.

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 2000, there were 337 people, 126 households, and 102 families residing in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was . There were 147 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.22%

White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 0.59% from other races, and 1.19% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population. There were 126 households, out of which 42.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 23.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.3% were non-families. 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 2.96. In the CDP the population was spread out, with 30.0% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 80.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.8 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $29,063, and the median income for a family was $31,000. Males had a median income of $23,281 versus $17,500 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 CDP was $9,502. About 13.0% of families and 18.8% 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 10.6% of those under age 18 and 19.6% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1919 Census-designated places in Indiana County, Pennsylvania Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Indiana County, Pennsylvania