New Freedom, Pennsylvania

New Freedom, Pennsylvania
—  Borough  —
Former Pennsylvania Railroad Station, now a restaurant and museum on the York County Heritage Rail Trail County Park
Location within the state of Pennsylvania
Coordinates: 39°44′12″N 76°41′55″W / 39.73667°N 76.69861°W / 39.73667; -76.69861Coordinates: 39°44′12″N 76°41′55″W / 39.73667°N 76.69861°W / 39.73667; -76.69861
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	York
Settled	1783
Incorporated	1879
Government
- Type	Borough Council
- Mayor	Jeffrey Joy
Area
- Total	2.0 sq mi (5.2 km2)
Elevation	643 ft (196 m)
Population (2010)
- Total	4,464
- Density	2,232/sq mi (861.8/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Zip code	17349
Area code(s)	717
Website	[www.newfreedomboro.org/index2.htm New Freedom]

New Freedom is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the borough had a population of 4,464.^[1]

Geography

New Freedom is located at 39°44′12″N 76°41′55″W / 39.73667°N 76.69861°W / 39.73667; -76.69861 (39.736703, -76.698541)^[2].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 3,512 people, 1,296 households, and 1,031 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,711.8 people per square mile (661.5/km²). There were 1,340 housing units at an average density of 653.1 per square mile (252.4/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.53% White, 0.77% African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.40% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.48% of the population.

There were 1,296 households out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.1% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.4% were non-families. 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the borough the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $66,458, and the median income for a family was $70,319. Males had a median income of $46,563 versus $31,576 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $24,828. About 1.3% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

Community

The York County Heritage Rail Trail cuts through the center of New Freedom. The trail, which was established in 1992, runs from just south of New Freedom 21 miles (34 km) north into the city of York. The trail also connects to Maryland's 20-mile-long (32 km) Northern Central Railroad Trail, heading south from the Mason-Dixon line.

Some popular places in New Freedom include Rutters (the most famous gas station), The Treehouse Florist, Paesano's pizza shop, Bonkey's ice cream shop, Hodle Tavern, and Railroad Cafe.^{[citation needed]}

Popular seasonal events in New Freedom include:

• The New Freedom Lions Club Carnival, held annually in July since the 1930s
• The Annual New Freedom Fest held the third weekend of September, a revival of the New Freedom's Farmers Improvement Fair that was held this same weekend in the early 1900s for many years
• Outdoor Movie Night held three times each summer where families can gather with their blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy a classic movie.

New Freedom teens attend Susquehannock High School and Southern Middle School, part of Pennsylvania's Southern York County School District, as well as private schools including York Catholic High School and New Freedom Christian. In 2010, St. John the Baptist opened a new Roman Catholic Parochial School in the New Freedom borough.

Crime

New Freedom was the location of a brutal teen fratricide killing on October 2, 1998. Thirteen-year-old Gregory Witman was found dead after being stabbed sixty-four times in his home. His brother, Zachary Witman, age 15, was indicted for the murder and some five years later was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. It was only the third murder in the history of New Freedom.^[4]

References

1. ^ "Race, Hispanic or Latino, Age, and Housing Occupancy: 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File (QT-PL), New Freedom borough, Pennsylvania". U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder 2. http://factfinder2.census.gov. Retrieved October 6, 2011. 
2. ^ "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. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ [1]

External links

• Borough of New Freedom official website
• New Freedom Heritage Organization