BETHEL PARK, PENNSYLVANIA

'Bethel Park' is a home rule municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area, approximately 8 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. As of the 2000 census, the population was 33,556.

Contents

Geography

Geology

Surrounding communities

History

Demographics

Points of Interest

Notable Residents

References

External links

Geography

Bethel Park is located at (40.327102, -80.037491).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 30.3 km² (11.7 mi²), all land. Its average elevation is above sea level .
The highest point in Bethel Park is Rocky Ridge in the southwestern portion of the municipality, , and the lowest point is at the intersection of the Piney Fork and Alsip Run creeks, , in the southeast corner of the municipality.

Geology

The exposed rocks in the municipality are mostly composed of sandstone, limestone, shale, and a few coal layers (Redstone, Waynesburg, Washington, etc.). The ages of the exposed rocks bracket the late Pennsylvanian epoch (Gzhelian age; approximaetely 303 million years ago) near the lowest elevations, and early Permian period (Asselian age; approximaetely 297 million years ago) near the highest parts of the southern part of Bethel Park (e.g. Rocky Ridge). These sedimentary rocks were deposited as the sea level rose and fell along an ancient coastline (with the region alternating between delta, shallow lake, and shallow sea), and finally being uplifted with the formation of the Appalachian Mountains.

Surrounding communities

★ Baldwin Borough

★ Castle Shannon

★ Mt. Lebanon

★ Peters Township

★ South Park

★ Upper St. Clair

★ Whitehall

History

The area that is now Bethel Park was originally settled around 1800 and was first established as Bethel Township, in 1866. Bethel Park was incorporated as a borough on March 17, 1949.^[1]

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 33,556 people, 13,362 households, and 9,540 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,108.3/km² (2,869.8/mi²). There were 13,871 housing units at an average density of 458.1/km² (1,186.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.10% White, 1.02% African American, 0.03% Native American, 1.11% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.49% of the population.
There were 13,362 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the borough the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $53,791, and the median income for a family was $64,390. Males had a median income of $47,876 versus $32,351 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $25,867. About 2.5% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

Points of Interest

★ South Hills Village

★ 11 community parks

★ Bethel Park Community Center

★ South Park Wave Pool

Notable Residents

★ Armen Gilliam - professional basketball player in NBA and ABA

★ Rick Sebak - PBS documentary director and producer

★ Tom Skladany - NFL punter

References

1. "Allegheny County - 2nd Class"

External links

★ Official Site

★ Bethel Park School District