Bethel Park, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Bethel Park is a home rule municipality
in Allegheny County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
, and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area
, approximately 7 miles (13 km) southwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 32,313 at the 2010 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the affluent borough had a total area of 11.7 square miles (30.3 km²), all of it land. Its average elevation is 1197 feet (364.8 m) above sea level. Bethel Park lies at the margin between the Pittsburgh Low Plateau and Waynesburg Hills Sections of the Allegheny Plateau physiographic province. The area is characterized as a maturely dissected region where the ephemeral minor tributaries converge into the tributaries of principal streams.
The highest point in Bethel Park is Rocky Ridge, in the southwestern portion of the municipality, 1370 feet (417.6 m), and the lowest point is at the intersection of the Piney Fork and Alsip Run creeks, 980 feet (298.7 m), in the southeast corner of the municipality.
, limestone
, shale
, and a few coal
layers (Redstone, Waynesburg, Washington, etc.). The ages of the exposed rocks bracket the late Pennsylvanian
epoch (Gzhelian
age; approximately 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
.
Bethel Park is underlain by the Pennsylvania-age Monongahela Formation. The Monongahela Formation consists of the Uniontown member and the underlying Pittsburgh member, and the base is the Pittsburgh coal seam
. Much of southern Allegheny County is undermined, and the PADEP indicates that all of Bethel Park was undermined.
A portion of the area is underlain by the Pittsburgh Terminal No. 8 Mine
(Cortis and others, 1975), which was commonly known as the "H" Mine and the Coverdale Mine. The mine opened around 1920. The historic operations of the Coverdale Mine are apparent on a Bridgeville 7.5-minute topographic map. A “Mine Dump” is shown adjacent to the Montour Railroad tracks and South Park Road. Coal was mined through vertical shafts accessing inclined slopes following the dip of the Pittsburgh coal seam
. Mine voids in the inclined slope resulted from the practice of room and pillar mining during the early 1900s. The Coverdale Mine is closed and largely unflooded.
Nine members of Council and a Mayor govern the Municipality of Bethel Park. Each of the nine members of Council are elected by Ward and the Mayor is elected at large; all serve four-year terms. The population of the Municipality is evenly divided into the nine wards and each Council member is required to maintain residency in the Ward they are elected to represent.
Mollenauer- Another small area of Bethel Park that was home to another mine that put Bethel Park on the map. The homes in this area are much larger than those of Coverdale but not nearly as nice.
Ruthfred Acres- One of the area's first planned community, planned by Ruth and Fred Brown around the early 1950s.
The first armored car robbery in the U.S. occurred on March 11, 1927 when a Brinks truck, heading towards the Coverdale Mine about a mile away was attacked. Paul Jaworski
and his 'Flatheads" gang destroyed the road with dynamite to steal a mining payroll.
of 2000, there were 33,556 people, 13,362 households, and 9,540 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 2,869.8 people per square mile (1,108.3/km²). There were 13,871 housing units at an average density of 1,186.3 per square mile (458.1/km²). 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.
Bethel Park was also the location of Pittsburgh's first drive-in theater, South Park Drive-In (August 27, 1940-September 1, 1985). It was located on Route 88, just north of the entrance to South Park. South Park Commons, Jiffy Lube and Arby's now occupy the drive-in site.
Home Rule Municipality (Pennsylvania)
A Home Rule Municipality in Pennsylvania is one incorporated under its own unique charter, created pursuant to the state's Home Rule and Optional Plans Law and approved by referendum. "Local governments without home rule can only act where specifically authorized by state law; home rule...
in Allegheny County
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area
Pittsburgh Metro Area
The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area is the metropolitan area surrounding the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is renowned for its industries including steel, glass and oil; moreover, its economy also thrives on healthcare, education, technology, robotics, financial services and more recently film...
, approximately 7 miles (13 km) southwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 32,313 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Bethel Park is located at 40°19′38"N 80°2′15"W (40.327102, -80.037491).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the affluent borough had a total area of 11.7 square miles (30.3 km²), all of it land. Its average elevation is 1197 feet (364.8 m) above sea level. Bethel Park lies at the margin between the Pittsburgh Low Plateau and Waynesburg Hills Sections of the Allegheny Plateau physiographic province. The area is characterized as a maturely dissected region where the ephemeral minor tributaries converge into the tributaries of principal streams.
The highest point in Bethel Park is Rocky Ridge, in the southwestern portion of the municipality, 1370 feet (417.6 m), and the lowest point is at the intersection of the Piney Fork and Alsip Run creeks, 980 feet (298.7 m), in the southeast corner of the municipality.
Geology
The exposed rocks in the municipality are mostly composed of sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
, and a few coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
layers (Redstone, Waynesburg, Washington, etc.). The ages of the exposed rocks bracket the late Pennsylvanian
Pennsylvanian
The Pennsylvanian is, in the ICS geologic timescale, the younger of two subperiods of the Carboniferous Period. It lasted from roughly . As with most other geochronologic units, the rock beds that define the Pennsylvanian are well identified, but the exact date of the start and end are uncertain...
epoch (Gzhelian
Gzhelian
The Gzhelian is an age in the ICS geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest stage of the Pennsylvanian, the youngest subsystem of the Carboniferous. The Gzhelian lasted from 303.9 ± 0.9 to 299.0 ± 0.8 Ma...
age; approximately 303 million years ago) near the lowest elevations, and early Permian
Permian
The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...
period (Asselian
Asselian
In the geologic timescale, the Asselian is the earliest geochronologic age or lowermost chronostratigraphic stage of the Permian. It is a subdivision of the Cisuralian epoch or series. The Asselian lasted between 299.0 ± 0.8 and 294.6 ± 0.8 million years ago...
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
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
.
Bethel Park is underlain by the Pennsylvania-age Monongahela Formation. The Monongahela Formation consists of the Uniontown member and the underlying Pittsburgh member, and the base is the Pittsburgh coal seam
Pittsburgh coal seam
The Pittsburgh Coal Seam is the thickest and most extensive coal bed in the Appalachian Basin; hence, it is the most economically important coal beds in the eastern United States. The Upper Pennsylvanian Pittsburgh coal bed of the Monongahela Group is extensive and continuous, extending over...
. Much of southern Allegheny County is undermined, and the PADEP indicates that all of Bethel Park was undermined.
A portion of the area is underlain by the Pittsburgh Terminal No. 8 Mine
Terminal Coal Company
The Terminal Coal Company was a coal mining company in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It operated mines in the Pittsburgh Coalfield, including mines in Becks Run and Horning, Pennsylvania. Unusually for that time in Pennsylvania, it hired African-American miners for some of its work....
(Cortis and others, 1975), which was commonly known as the "H" Mine and the Coverdale Mine. The mine opened around 1920. The historic operations of the Coverdale Mine are apparent on a Bridgeville 7.5-minute topographic map. A “Mine Dump” is shown adjacent to the Montour Railroad tracks and South Park Road. Coal was mined through vertical shafts accessing inclined slopes following the dip of the Pittsburgh coal seam
Pittsburgh coal seam
The Pittsburgh Coal Seam is the thickest and most extensive coal bed in the Appalachian Basin; hence, it is the most economically important coal beds in the eastern United States. The Upper Pennsylvanian Pittsburgh coal bed of the Monongahela Group is extensive and continuous, extending over...
. Mine voids in the inclined slope resulted from the practice of room and pillar mining during the early 1900s. The Coverdale Mine is closed and largely unflooded.
Government
The residents of Bethel Park elected a Home Rule form of Government in 1978, which resulted in Bethel Borough being renamed as the Municipality of Bethel Park. This Home Rule form of government provides the Municipality with greater powers of governance than the former Borough form of government. The municipality is divided into 9 "wards", each with one elected member of the Bethel Park Municipal Council, representing each.Nine members of Council and a Mayor govern the Municipality of Bethel Park. Each of the nine members of Council are elected by Ward and the Mayor is elected at large; all serve four-year terms. The population of the Municipality is evenly divided into the nine wards and each Council member is required to maintain residency in the Ward they are elected to represent.
Surrounding communities
- Baldwin Borough
- Castle ShannonCastle Shannon, PennsylvaniaCastle Shannon is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 8,316 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
- Mt. LebanonMt. Lebanon, PennsylvaniaMt. Lebanon is a home rule municipality, formerly a township, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 33,137 at the 2010 census....
- Peters TownshipPeters Township, Washington County, PennsylvaniaPeters Township is a township in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 17,566 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
(Washington CountyWashington County, Pennsylvania-Government and politics:As of November 2008, there are 152,534 registered voters in Washington County .* Democratic: 89,027 * Republican: 49,025 * Other Parties: 14,482...
) - South ParkSouth Park Township, PennsylvaniaSouth Park Township is located in the southern part of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, near Pittsburgh. The population was 13,416 at the 2010 census.A large portion of the township is covered by a county park of the same name...
- Upper St. ClairUpper St. Clair, PennsylvaniaUpper St. Clair Township is a Home Rule Municipality and township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located about south of Pittsburgh. The population was 20,053 at the 2000 census.-History:...
- WhitehallWhitehall, Allegheny County, PennsylvaniaWhitehall is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,944 at the 2010 census.-History:The Whitehall is probably named after Silas D. Prior's tavern on Brownsville Road, which was re-named White Hall in the 1850s...
Neighborhoods
Coverdale- A small area of Bethel Park which was home to the Pittsburgh Terminal "H" mine.Mollenauer- Another small area of Bethel Park that was home to another mine that put Bethel Park on the map. The homes in this area are much larger than those of Coverdale but not nearly as nice.
Ruthfred Acres- One of the area's first planned community, planned by Ruth and Fred Brown around the early 1950s.
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 and became a home rule municipality in 1978.The first armored car robbery in the U.S. occurred on March 11, 1927 when a Brinks truck, heading towards the Coverdale Mine about a mile away was attacked. Paul Jaworski
Paul Jaworski
Paul Jaworski was a Polish-American gangster born in Poland. He immigrated to the United States in 1905. Although born to Catholic parents, when offered the services of a chaplain before his execution Jaworski said: "I preached atheism since the day I quit singing the choir...
and his 'Flatheads" gang destroyed the road with dynamite to steal a mining payroll.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 33,556 people, 13,362 households, and 9,540 families residing in the borough. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,869.8 people per square mile (1,108.3/km²). There were 13,871 housing units at an average density of 1,186.3 per square mile (458.1/km²). 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
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 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
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
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
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
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 VillageSouth Hills VillageSouth Hills Village is a two-level shopping mall located in the Pittsburgh suburbs of Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair. It was developed by the Oxford Development Co. as the first shopping complex to be built as a fully enclosed structure. The two-level complex is currently owned by Simon Property...
- 11 community parks
- Bethel Park Community Center
- South Park Wave Pool
- South Park Hundred Acres Manor
- Blade Runners
Bethel Park was also the location of Pittsburgh's first drive-in theater, South Park Drive-In (August 27, 1940-September 1, 1985). It was located on Route 88, just north of the entrance to South Park. South Park Commons, Jiffy Lube and Arby's now occupy the drive-in site.
Notable people
Further reading
- Dodge, C. H., 1985. Coal resources of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania—Part 1, Coal crop lines, mined-out areas, and structure contours. Pennsylvania Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey, Harrisburg, PA. Mineral Resources Report M 89, 68 p. (loose-leaf, 8½" x 11"), 64 maps, scale approx. 1:62,500.
- PADEP, 1999. The Effects of Subsidence Resulting from Underground Bituminous Coal Mining on Surface Structures and Features and Water Resources. Prepared under Authorization of Section 18a of the Bituminous Mine Subsidence and Land Conservation Act. March 1999.