Saxton, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Saxton is a borough in Bedford County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. The population was 803 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1 km²), all of it land.
Saxton is in an area known as the Broad Top. It sits on the eastern side of the Appalachian Mountains
. Saxton is located in Woodcock Valley. About a mile to the west is Tussey Mountain
which runs South to North. The Raystown Branch of the Juniata River
flows through the town. Known as "The River" locally, it supplies the town with a secondary source of drinking water. It flows into Raystown Lake just north of town. Saxton is at the southern edge of the Raystown region. The landscape around Saxton is mostly mountainous.
of 2000, there were 803 people, 357 households, and 213 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 1,949.9 people per square mile (756.2/km²). There were 397 housing units at an average density of 964.0 per square mile (373.9/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.25% White, 0.12% African American, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.
There were 357 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.8% were married couples
living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 37.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the borough the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 79.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.5 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $26,853, and the median income for a family was $34,250. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $22,917 for females. The per capita income
for the borough was $22,326. About 13.2% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
camped along the river. Saxton was the home of the Huntingdon and Broad Top Railroad (H&BT). For almost 100 years it shipped coal
from Saxton to places like Bedford
, Huntingdon
and Everett
. From there it went to Pittsburgh or some other major city. The railroad was the life blood of the town, and the Saxton grew up around it. Main Street used to run right along a railroad right-of-way. Thousands of peopled moved to the area to work on or for the railroad. The region's rich coal fields kept the railroad running for nearly 100 years. In it's heyday Saxton had a bowling alley, a toy factory, a candy factory, a coal power plant, dozens of shops and businesses, and even a 7Up Bottling factory. Saxton and the surrounding area were full of industry and other businesses. Its industries included a pig iron furnace, coke ovens, a tannery, brickyards, Dairies, and others. Around 1955 the railroad shut down, and much of what was left has been either torn down of has fallen down. More recently, Saxton was also the site of the Saxton Nuclear Generating Station
, the nation's 4th nuclear power plant, which has since been dismantled. It was one of the first test facilities for peace-time Plutonium
use. It also tested cooling methods which were employed during the nuclear disasters in Japan in 2011. The facility was dismantled and the Nuclear core taken away in the 2005.
Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Bedford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 49,762. The county seat is Bedford. It is part of the Altoona, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, 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...
. The population was 803 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Saxton is located at 40°12′53"N 78°14′43"W (40.214584, -78.245241).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 borough has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1 km²), all of it land.
Saxton is in an area known as the Broad Top. It sits on the eastern side 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...
. Saxton is located in Woodcock Valley. About a mile to the west is Tussey Mountain
Tussey Mountain
]Tussey Mountain is a stratigraphic ridge in central Pennsylvania, United States, trending east of the Bald Eagle, Brush, Dunning and Evitts Mountain ridges...
which runs South to North. The Raystown Branch of the Juniata River
Raystown Branch Juniata River
The Raystown Branch Juniata River is the largest and longest tributary of the Juniata River in south-central Pennsylvania in the United States....
flows through the town. Known as "The River" locally, it supplies the town with a secondary source of drinking water. It flows into Raystown Lake just north of town. Saxton is at the southern edge of the Raystown region. The landscape around Saxton is mostly mountainous.
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 803 people, 357 households, and 213 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 1,949.9 people per square mile (756.2/km²). There were 397 housing units at an average density of 964.0 per square mile (373.9/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.25% White, 0.12% African American, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.
There were 357 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.8% 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, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 37.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the borough the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 79.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.5 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $26,853, and the median income for a family was $34,250. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $22,917 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 $22,326. About 13.2% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
History
Saxton was once a thriving town of several thousand people. Officially founded in 1855 by James Saxton, Saxton has been home to people for many years. Though settlers had been in the area for over 100 years prior. Before Anglos arrived, Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
camped along the river. Saxton was the home of the Huntingdon and Broad Top Railroad (H&BT). For almost 100 years it shipped 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...
from Saxton to places like Bedford
Bedford, Pennsylvania
Bedford is a borough in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, west of the State Capital, Harrisburg. It is the county seat of Bedford County. Bedford was established in the mid-18th century. Population counts follow: 1890, 2,242; 1900, 2,167; 1910, 2,385. The population was 3,141 at the 2000...
, Huntingdon
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Huntingdon is a borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Huntingdon County. It is located along the Juniata River, west of Harrisburg, about halfway between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, in an agricultural and fruit-growing region, with valuable forests and deposits of...
and Everett
Everett, Pennsylvania
Everett is a borough in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,905 at the 2000 census.Everett's original name was Bloody Run, after a creek which was the site of a battle between settlers and Native Americans...
. From there it went to Pittsburgh or some other major city. The railroad was the life blood of the town, and the Saxton grew up around it. Main Street used to run right along a railroad right-of-way. Thousands of peopled moved to the area to work on or for the railroad. The region's rich coal fields kept the railroad running for nearly 100 years. In it's heyday Saxton had a bowling alley, a toy factory, a candy factory, a coal power plant, dozens of shops and businesses, and even a 7Up Bottling factory. Saxton and the surrounding area were full of industry and other businesses. Its industries included a pig iron furnace, coke ovens, a tannery, brickyards, Dairies, and others. Around 1955 the railroad shut down, and much of what was left has been either torn down of has fallen down. More recently, Saxton was also the site of the Saxton Nuclear Generating Station
Saxton Nuclear Generating Station
The Saxton nuclear facility was a nuclear-power plant located in Bedford County, near Saxton, Pennsylvania.-Operation:The plant began operations in November 1961....
, the nation's 4th nuclear power plant, which has since been dismantled. It was one of the first test facilities for peace-time Plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
use. It also tested cooling methods which were employed during the nuclear disasters in Japan in 2011. The facility was dismantled and the Nuclear core taken away in the 2005.