Smicksburg, Pennsylvania Explained

Official Name:Smicksburg, Pennsylvania
Settlement Type:Borough
Pushpin Map:Pennsylvania#USA
Pushpin Label:Smicksburg
Pushpin Label Position:right
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Pennsylvania
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Indiana
Government Type:Borough Council
Leader Title:Mayor
Established Title:Settled
Established Date:1827
Established Title1:Incorporated
Established Date1:1854
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:0.38
Area Land Km2:0.38
Area Water Km2:0.00
Area Total Sq Mi:0.15
Area Land Sq Mi:0.15
Area Water Sq Mi:0.00
Population As Of:2020
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:57
Population Density Km2:113.73
Population Density Sq Mi:294.52
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Coordinates:40.8686°N -79.1703°W
Postal Code Type:Zip code
Postal Code:16256
Area Code:814
Pop Est As Of:2021
Population Est:56
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:42-71256

Smicksburg is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 57 at the 2020 census,[2] and it is one of the smallest incorporated boroughs in Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Reverend J. George Schmick.

Geography

Smicksburg is located at 40.8686°N -79.1703°W (40.868715, -79.170415).[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.1sqmi, all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 49 people, 25 households, and 14 families residing in the borough. The population density was 362.5sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 28 housing units at an average density of 207.1sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the borough was 100% White.

There were 25 households, out of which 16% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40% were married couples living together, 8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44% were non-families. 40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.96 and the average family size was 2.50.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 16.3% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 26.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 96 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $26,875, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had a median income of $26,750 versus $25,625 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $14,502. There were 20.0% of families and 20.7% of the population living below the poverty line, including 45.5% of under eighteens and 20.0% of those over 64.

Amish Country along the Great Shamokin Path

An Amish heritage corridor extends generally along the Great Shamokin Path through Clearfield, Jefferson, Indiana and Armstrong counties, beginning at Big Spring near Luthersburg, Clearfield County, and ending in Rural Valley in Armstrong County. The corridor winds through Amish settlements near the villages of Troutville in Clearfield County; Big Run, Cloe and Punxsutawney in Jefferson County; Smicksburg in Indiana County; and Rural Valley in Armstrong County. Amish buggies co-mingle with automobiles through the corridor. The Troutville Amish settlement in Brady Township, Clearfield County, is good-sized and has eight church districts. The settlement has farms, trades and small shops. Troutville was named for Jacob Trautwien who settled the area in 1832.[4] The Smicksburg Amish settlement is centered on the borough of Smicksburg, Indiana County, about 10 miles southwest of Punxsutawney. The Smicksburg settlement is the third largest in Pennsylvania, and the eleventh largest in the U.S. The Smicksburg settlement has 18 church districts and was founded in 1962. Amish here drive Midwestern-style black buggies. Smicksburg was founded in 1827 by the Reverend John George Schmick, and most of the area's citizens are Amish. However, there are no Amish families living in Smicksburg borough. The Smicksburg settlement has speciality shops with Amish wares of handcrafts, quilts, furniture, foods and eating establishments.[5] Rural Valley is a borough in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, where the Cowanshannock Creek flows west leading to the Allegheny River. The population was 876 at the 2010 census.[6] The regional high school, West Shamokin High School, bears the name of the historic Great Shamokin Path.

References

  1. Web site: 2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. July 28, 2020.
  2. Web site: Bureau . US Census . City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021 . Census.gov . US Census Bureau . 7 July 2022.
  3. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. 2011-04-23. 2011-02-12.
  4. See, Ben A. and Orpha Hershberger, Troutville Directory: Migrations and History of Troutville, PA, 1971 to 2004, Third print, Punxsutawney, PA. See http://amishamerica.com/pennsylvania-amish/ and "Amish Trail", Clearfield County PA Backwoods, Backroads, Backwaters 2012, and http://clearfield.lunarcow.com/article/Amish+Trail/913122/91829/article.html
  5. See http://smicksburg.net/ and http://amishamerica.com/groundhog-day-brain-dump-punxsutawney-amish-seeing-shadows-and-the-miracle-heater-in-court/?cid=14170
  6. Web site: Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Rural Valley borough, Pennsylvania. https://archive.today/20200212201911/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US4266720. dead. February 12, 2020. U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. July 31, 2013.