| Beaver, Pennsylvania | |
| Settlement Type: | Borough |
| Mapsize: | 260px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Pennsylvania |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Beaver |
| Established Title: | Settled |
| Established Date: | 1792 |
| Established Title1: | Incorporated |
| Established Date1: | 1802 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 2.91 |
| Area Land Km2: | 2.37 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.54 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1.12 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 0.92 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.21 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 4438 |
| Population Density Km2: | 1871 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 4845 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Coordinates: | 40.6947°N -80.3075°W |
| Elevation Ft: | 791 |
| Postal Code Type: | Zip Code |
| Postal Code: | 15009 |
| Area Code: | 724 |
| Website: | http://www.beaverpa.us |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 42-04688 |
Beaver is a borough in, and the county seat of, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States.[2] It is located near the confluence of the Beaver and Ohio Rivers, approximately northwest of Pittsburgh. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,438.[3]
The area around Beaver was once home to Shawnee Indians, who were later displaced by groups such as the Mingoes and the Lenape. It was part of the Ohio Country that was in dispute during the French and Indian War.
Beaver became the site of Fort McIntosh, a Revolutionary War era Patriot frontier fort. After the war, the fort was the home of the First American Regiment, the oldest active unit in the US Army. The fort was abandoned in 1788 and razed a short time later. By then, the frontier had moved westward and there was no further need for a permanent garrison to protect the area.
The community was laid out in 1792. In 1800, it became the county seat of the newly formed Beaver County. The first county court was established in Beaver in 1804. Growth was steady until 1879 when the arrival of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad caused a major growth spurt. In February 1884 a massive flood caused extensive damage. In 1974, an archeological excavation was conducted at the site of Fort McIntosh. The borough became a Tree City USA community in 1997.[4]
Robert Linn was the mayor of Beaver for 58 years, from 1946 to 2004, making him one of the longest-serving mayors in the United States. In late 2007, local officials proposed the consolidation of Beaver with Brighton Township, although nothing came of the initiative.[5]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.1sqmi, of which 0.9sqmi is land and 0.2sqmi (13.89%) is water.
Beaver borders three municipalities, with Brighton Township to the north, Bridgewater to the east, and Vanport Township to the west. Across the Ohio River to the south, Beaver runs adjacent with Monaca to the southeast, Center Township to the south, and Potter Township to the southwest.
As of the 2000 census,[6] of 2000, there were 4,775 people, 2,112 households, and 1,260 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5119PD/sqmi. There were 2,297 housing units at an average density of 2463PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of the borough was 96.44% White, 2.64% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population.
There were 2,112 households, out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the borough, the population was spread out, with 19.2% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $42,113, and the median income for a family was $57,208. Males had a median income of $43,198 versus $26,709 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $24,003. About 3.7% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.
See main article: Beaver Historic District. In 1996, almost the entire community was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district. Centered on Beaver's commercial Third Street, the buildings in the Beaver Historic District date primarily to the nineteenth century, although some twentieth-century structures are present. Some of the district's most prominent buildings are five churches and the county courthouse, although most of the district consists of residential neighborhoods. Included in the boundaries of the district is the Matthew S. Quay House, the National Historic Landmark home of Beaver native Senator Matthew Quay, and the site of Fort McIntosh, a fort constructed in the 1780s.[7]
The Beaver Area Memorial Library started as a small collection of books in the basement of the Beaver Trust Co. in the 1940s and was run by the Beaver Civic Club. It eventually moved into the basement of a former high school on College Avenue in Beaver. In 1948, the Beaver County courts granted a charter for the official formation of the Beaver Memorial Library. A fundraiser was started in Beaver County in 1961 to raise the $130,000 to build a new establishment. The new building, which continues to serve as the public library today, was officially dedicated on April 8, 1962, and open to the public.
Children in Beaver are served by the Beaver Area School District, which also serves Bridgewater, Brighton Township, and Vanport Township. The current schools serving Beaver are: