Rochester, Pennsylvania
Borough
Downtown Rochester
Downtown Rochester
Location in Beaver County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Location in Beaver County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Coordinates: 40°42′11″N 80°17′0″W / 40.70306°N 80.28333°W / 40.70306; -80.28333
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountyBeaver
Settled1799 (1799)
Incorporated1849 (1849)
Government
 • TypeBorough Council
 • MayorKeith Jackson
Area
[1]
 • Total0.73 sq mi (1.89 km2)
 • Land0.59 sq mi (1.52 km2)
 • Water0.14 sq mi (0.36 km2)
Elevation
810 ft (250 m)
Population
 (2020)[2]
 • Total3,472
 • Density5,904.76/sq mi (2,279.52/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Zip Code
15074
Area code(s)724, 878
FIPS code42-65392

Rochester is a borough in central Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, at the confluence of the Beaver and Ohio rivers. Located 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Pittsburgh, it is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 3,472 at the 2020 census.[3]

Like many towns around Pittsburgh, Rochester was a former industrial hub, home to the H. C. Fry Glass Company, and was a major junction on the Pennsylvania Railroad. Rochester has been a background for films, including the 1986 movie Gung Ho, the 1996 movie Kingpin, and the 2000 movie Wonder Boys.

History

H. C. Fry Glass Factory in Rochester, c. 1910

What eventually became Rochester was originally a Lenape village called Sawcunk. The area was settled in 1799 in what was then the American frontier by white settlers and was known as East Bridgewater, Fairport, and Beaver Point. The borough adopted the name Rochester in 1834 when a local businessman who did regular business in Pittsburgh decided to christen his home with the name Rochester so he could have a unique name to stamp his goods; the borough was officially incorporated as such in 1849.[4]

Many of the streets that run through Rochester today had different names based on wild animals. Virginia Avenue and Adams Street—two of the city's main thoroughfares via Pennsylvania Route 68—were once known as Fox Lane and Tiger Lane, respectively. Deer Lane, which still exists today, is the last remnant of the original naming scheme for the street grid in the borough.[4]

Rochester is where Henry Clay Fry and his associates formed a glass manufacturing company following Fry's return from the American Civil War. In 1897 the Rochester Tumbler Company (as the company was known) became the National Glass Company of Rochester.[5][6] The company helped to introduce pressed glass production to America, pressing the glass into a mold where previously the technique of cut glass had been to blow it by hand.[7] At its height, the National Glass Company of Rochester employed over a 1000 people but its bankruptcy during the Great Depression began a long decline in the town's population which continues up to today.

Rochester was a railroad junction for the Pennsylvania Railroad and sat along the railroad's mainline from the Eastern United States to Chicago.

Geography

Native American villages were located throughout Western Pennsylvania, with the town of Sawcunk at the site of present-day Rochester.

Rochester is at 40°42′11″N 80°17′0″W / 40.70306°N 80.28333°W / 40.70306; -80.28333 (40.703146, -80.283420).[8] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2), of which 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (17.14%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1850993—
18601,37638.6%
18702,09152.0%
18802,55222.0%
18903,64943.0%
19004,68828.5%
19105,99327.8%
19206,95716.1%
19307,72611.1%
19407,441−3.7%
19507,197−3.3%
19605,952−17.3%
19704,819−19.0%
19804,759−1.2%
19904,156−12.7%
20004,014−3.4%
20103,657−8.9%
20203,472−5.1%
2021 (est.)3,437[3]−1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]

As of the 2000 census,[10] there were 4,014 people, 1,732 households, and 971 families residing in the borough. The population density was 6,861.5 inhabitants per square mile (2,649.2/km2). There were 1,900 housing units at an average density of 1,243.4 inhabitants/km2 (3,247.8 inhabitants/mi2). The racial makeup of the borough was 83.81% White, 13.38% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.57% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.

There were 1,732 households, out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.3% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.9% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the borough, the population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.3 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $30,970, and the median income for a family was $39,805. Males had a median income of $28,906 versus $21,576 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $15,359. About 7.2% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Children in Rochester are served by the Rochester Area School District. The current schools serving Rochester are:

  • Rochester Elementary School – grades K–5
  • Rochester Middle School – grades 6–8
  • Rochester Area High School – grades 9–12

Notable people

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rochester, Pennsylvania.
  1. ↑ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Bureau, US Census. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  4. 1 2 The Hub: Rochester’s formative days were once part of East Bridgewater The Beaver County Times (July 14, 2015)
  5. ↑ "HC Fry Glass Co". Retrieved August 31, 2008.
  6. ↑ "H. C. Fry Glass Company Advertisements". Archived from the original on September 22, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2008.
  7. ↑ Kane, p. 211. The glass was pressed into a mold, the marks of the iron plunger remaining on the inside of the glass. Previously, cut glass had been blown by hand.
  8. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  10. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
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