Mount Jewett, Pennsylvania

Mount Jewett, Pennsylvania
—  Borough  —
A birdseye view of Mt. Jewett (click to enlarge)
Mount Jewett, Pennsylvania
Coordinates: 41°43′29″N 78°38′37″W / 41.72472°N 78.64361°W / 41.72472; -78.64361Coordinates: 41°43′29″N 78°38′37″W / 41.72472°N 78.64361°W / 41.72472; -78.64361
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	McKean
Settled
Incorporated	1893
Area
– Total	2.4 sq mi (6.2 km2)
Elevation	2,240 ft (683 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	1,070
– Density	449.4/sq mi (173.6/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Zip code	16740
Area code(s)	814

Mount Jewett is a borough in McKean County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,070 at the 2000 census. The students of the borough attend school in the Kane Area School District, even though the borough is surrounded by Hamlin Township--belonging to neighboring Smethport Area School District. Currently a legal battle is occurring between the Kane Area School Board and The Mount Jewett Charter School Coalition to open a new charter school due to the recent closing of Mount Jewett's elementary school.

Geography

Mount Jewett is located at 41°43′29″N 78°38′37″W / 41.72472°N 78.64361°W / 41.72472; -78.64361 (41.724788, -78.643702)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²), all of it land.

Mount Jewett is tied with Callimont for the title of being the fifth-highest, in elevation, of towns in Pennsylvania, at 2240 feet.^[2]

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 1,070 people, 444 households, and 305 families residing in the borough. The population density was 449.1 people per square mile (173.6/km²). There were 504 housing units at an average density of 211.5 per square mile (81.8/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.53% White, 0.28% Native American, 0.09% Asian, and 0.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.19% of the population.

There were 444 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the borough the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $32,583, and the median income for a family was $40,147. Males had a median income of $30,189 versus $22,833 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $17,056. About 12.8% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Interesting facts

• The Kinzua Bridge State Park is located just a few miles north of Mount Jewett's borough line. It was used to carry trains across the Kinzua valley overlooking the town of Kushequa, Pennsylvania. Originally constructed in 1882, the structure was the highest iron bridge in the world. In 1900 it was turned into a steel structure. Upon becoming a state park an independent company used the bridge to carry sight seers and tourists across the valley in an old steam locomotive. On July 21, 2003 a tornado blew it down.^[4] Now all that remains is a portion of the bridge and a small section of railroad track at each end of the valley. There are no immediate plans to rebuild. In another devastating blow, on early Sunday March 16, 2008 the locomotives used to carry sightseers across the Kinzua Bridge were severely damaged by a fire set by arsonists.^[5] The fire, which burned the Biddle Street building used to house the trains in Kane, Pennsylvania caused $1 million in damage. The residents of Mount Jewett would watch the train daily as it passed through town—directly to the north of the borough building. This has further dampened the dream of rebuilding the bridge.

• Mount Jewett made world news in February 2001 when an explosion at the Temple Inland particle board plant killed several workers and injured many more^[6]

• The population of Mount Jewett includes a significant number of people with Swedish ancestry. Every August the town celebrates this history with their well-known "Swedish Festival." The August 2010 celebration was the 40th annual Swedish Festival in Mount Jewett.

References

1. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
2. ^ Highest Elevation of Towns in Pennsylvania
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ Pennsylvania State Parks - Kinzua Bridge
5. ^ Vosler, A. (2008, March 17). Arson fire in Kane causes $1 million in damage, severely burns two locomotives once used for Kinzua Bridge State Park tourist trips. In The Bradford Era. Retrieved March 17, 2008, from The Bradford Era Newspaper Web site: http://bradfordera.com/articles/2008/03/17/news/doc47dddf1dd9a36852794356.txt
6. ^ National News Briefs; 10 Hurt in Blast and Fire At a Pennsylvania Plant - New York Times