Newport 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 Perry County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,487 at the 2020 census. It is part of the

Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

–

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Newport was originally known as Reider's Ferry—later Reidersville—as it was the site of an early ferry on the

Juniata River The Juniata River () is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed August 8, 2011 in central Pennsylvania. The river is ...

operated by Paul Jr., Daniel, and John Reider until 1851. The trio had also originally laid down 54 plots and several streets. When the Juniata Division of the Pennsylvania Canal was finished in 1929, the town was officially renamed Newport. In 1849 the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

had laid tracks through Third Street downtown. The PRR purchased the struggling canal in 1857, but kept the waterways open until 1889 when the Johnstown Flood demolished it. By 1905, the PRR began construction of a new trackline along the former towpath which remains today. There was a small freight yard where railcars and cargo could be transferred to standard gauge, and in 1890 Newport was the eastern end of the Newport and Shermans Valley Railroad. Newport Boro HD

Newport once had a large tannery that operated from the second half of the 19th century until the early part of the 20th. The town playground and youth baseball fields now occupy the site. The Bridge in Newport Borough and Newport Historic District are 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 ...

Geography

Newport is located at (40.478260, -77.133997). 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 , 90% of it land.

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 1,506 people, 666 households, and 402 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 743 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 98.54%

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 ...

, 0.13%

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 ...

, 0.33% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.66% 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 0.66% of the population. Of the 666 households, 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.91. In the borough the age distribution of the population shows 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $31,594, and the median income for a family was $39,545. Males had a median income of $31,413 versus $22,344 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 $16,818. About 6.8% of families and 10.0% 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 10.1% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

High school

St. Paul Lutheran Church (foreground) and former Newport Methodist Church The high school serves the borough and several surrounding townships and is located at the northwest corner of town. It was remodeled in 2007. The school's nickname is the Buffaloes, whose athletic field is named in honor of George Katchmer, who coached the school to their only undefeated campaign in 1953. The field is dual purpose and is used for football and baseball.

Notable people

* Billy Cox, Major League Baseball infielder. The baseball field is named after him. He played third base for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

and

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

in the 1940s and 1950s. * John W. Hetrick, Engineer who invented the airbag * Thomas Markle, Lighting director and father of

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (; born Rachel Meghan Markle, August 4, 1981) is an American member of the British royal family, media personality, entrepreneur, and former actress. She is married to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son ...

References

External links

Newport PA Borough Website

Newport Revitalization & Preservation Society

Newport School District site
{{authority control Boroughs in Perry County, Pennsylvania Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area Populated places established in 1804 1840 establishments in Pennsylvania Boroughs in Pennsylvania