Elizabeth 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
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County ( ) is a County (United States), county in Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the List of counties in Pennsylvania, state's second-most populous county, after Philadelp ...
, United States, on the east bank of the
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River ( , ), sometimes referred to locally as the Mon (), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in nor ...
, where
Pennsylvania Route 51
Pennsylvania Route 51 (PA 51) is a major state highway that is located in Western Pennsylvania in the United States. It runs for from Uniontown, Pennsylvania, Uniontown to the Ohio state line near Darlington, Pennsylvania, Darlington, where ...
crosses, upstream (south) 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 ...
and close to the county line. The population was 1,398 at the
2020 census. The borough of Elizabeth is entirely contained within the 15037
USPS
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...
ZIP code. The local school district is the
Elizabeth Forward School District. The borough is home to neighborhoods Walker Heights and Town Hill.
Geography
Elizabeth is located at (40.271189, -79.886347).
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 14.63%, is water.
Surrounding neighborhoods
Elizabeth has two land borders with the townships of
Elizabeth to the east and northeast, and
Forward to the south and southeast. Across the Monongahela River, Elizabeth runs adjacent with
West Elizabeth and
Jefferson Hills, the former with a direct connector via Malady Bridge.
Demographics
As of the
2000 census,
there were 1,609 people, 681 households, and 422 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 758 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 94.84%
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 ...
, 3.60%
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 ...
, 0.37%
Native American, 0.19%
Asian, and 0.99% from two or more races.
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 were 0.25% of the population.
Households: There were 681 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.98.
Age distribution: The population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40. For every 100 females, there were 82.2 males; for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.1 males.
Income: The median income for a household in the borough was $30,556, and the median income for a family was $36,607. Males had a median income of $28,088 versus $22,350 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 $17,618. About 7.3% of families and 10.2% 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 17.5% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
Mayor: Barry Boucher
History
Elizabeth Town was founded in 1787 by Samuel Mackay, Colonel Stephen Bayard and his wife Elizabeth Mackay Bayard (for whom the town was named). Elizabeth was one of the first seven townships organized by Allegheny County the following year; the others being Moon, St. Clair, Mifflin, Versailles, Plum, and Pitt. The original Elizabeth Township comprised the entire triangle of land between the Monongahela and Youghiogheny Rivers. In addition to present-day Elizabeth Borough and Elizabeth Township, this also included areas which are now Forward Township, Lincoln Borough, Port Vue Borough, Liberty Borough, the City of Glassport, and the Tenth Ward of the City of McKeesport.
In 1803, the
keelboat
A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...
used for the first stages of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...
was built in Elizabeth. (This claim is disputed by the city of Pittsburgh, which makes a similar claim. See references below.) On April 2, 1834, a charter was issued to incorporate the Town of Elizabeth as a borough.
In 1869, Forward Township and Lincoln Township were separated from Elizabeth Township.
Early industry
Among the earliest industries of Elizabeth were
glass
Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...
making,
safe
A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable enclosure used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body ...
making,
steamboat
A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...
building, and
ship
A ship is a large watercraft, vessel that travels the world's oceans and other Waterway, navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally disti ...
building. Steamboats were built and repaired at ''O'Neil & Company'' from as early as 1895, and the ''Elizabeth Marine Ways'' operated between at least 1898 to 1925.
The town had two coal
inclines in 1876, the O'Neil and Company Coal Incline on pool 1, and the Lobb's Run Incline on pool 2.
Nike missile site
From 1956 to 1963, Elizabeth was the
location
In geography, location or place is used to denote a region (point, line, or area) on Earth's surface. The term ''location'' generally implies a higher degree of certainty than ''place'', the latter often indicating an entity with an ambiguous bou ...
of a Nike anti-aircraft missile site ().
Churches
*Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church
*Bethesda United Presbyterian Church Of Elizabeth
*Elizabeth Baptist Church
*Elizabeth United Methodist Church
*Elizabeth Wesleyan Church
*First Presbyterian Church Of Elizabeth – founded 1851
Old Graveyard
The Oldest Cemetery, known as "The Old Graveyard", is located on Bayard Street in Elizabeth. The cemetery contains the remains of Elizabeth Mackay Bayard, for whom the town is named. The cemetery has its first burial dating to 1774.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
Lewis and Clark timelinefrom the
United States National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all national parks; most national monuments; and other natural, historical, and recreational ...
{{authority control
Populated places established in 1787
Pittsburgh metropolitan area
Boroughs in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania populated places on the Monongahela River
1787 establishments in Pennsylvania