Curwensville, Pennsylvania

Curwensville, Pennsylvania
Borough
Map showing Curwensville in Clearfield County
Map showing Clearfield County in Pennsylvania
Curwensville Location in Pennsylvania
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Clearfield
Settled	1799
Incorporated	1851
Government
• Type	Borough Council
• Mayor	Thomas E. Carfley
Area
• Total	2.33 sq mi (6.04 km2)
• Land	2.23 sq mi (5.77 km2)
• Water	0.10 sq mi (0.27 km2)
Elevation	1,161 ft (354 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	2,542
• Density	1,141/sq mi (440.5/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	16833
Area code(s)	814
Website	curwensvilleborough.com

Curwensville is a borough in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States, 45 miles (72 km) north of Altoona on the West Branch Susquehanna River. Coal mining, tanning, and the manufacture of fire bricks were the industries at the turn of the 20th century. In 1900, 1,937 people lived in the borough, and in 1910, 2,549 lived there. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the borough had a population of 2,542. The population of the borough at its highest was 3,422 in 1940.

History

Curwensville was named for John Curwen in 1799. Curwensville became the second borough of Clearfield County in 1851.

View of Curwensville looking northwest

Businesses

NARCO was a brick plant in Curwensville. The "Brick Yard" as most called it in the community made many different types of brick. Seneca, acid, and cardic brick were all manufactured in NARCO. They were also noted for hot gun models and specialty shapes.

Geography

Curwensville is located near the center of Clearfield County at (40.973408, -78.522318), along the banks of the West Branch Susquehanna River. Curwensville Lake on the West Branch is impounded 2 miles (3 km) south of the borough and extends 6 miles (10 km) southwest to Lumber City. Pennsylvania Route 879 passes through Curwensville, leading northeast (downstream) 6 miles (10 km) to Clearfield, the county seat, and west 5 miles (8 km) to Grampian.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Curwensville has a total area of 2.33 square miles (6.04 km²), of which 2.23 square miles (5.77 km²) is land and 0.10 square miles (0.27 km²), or 4.49%, is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	455		—
1870	556		22.2%
1880	706		27.0%
1890	1,664		135.7%
1900	1,937		16.4%
1910	2,549		31.6%
1920	2,973		16.6%
1930	3,140		5.6%
1940	3,422		9.0%
1950	3,332		−2.6%
1960	3,231		−3.0%
1970	3,189		−1.3%
1980	3,116		−2.3%
1990	2,924		−6.2%
2000	2,650		−9.4%
2010	2,542		−4.1%
Est. 2014	2,486		−2.2%
Sources:

As of the census of 2000, there are 2,650 people, 1,144 households, and 758 families residing in the borough. The population density is 1,178.4 people per square mile (454.7/km²). There are 1,254 housing units at an average density of 557.7 per square mile (215.2/km²). The ethnic composition of the borough is 99.02% White, 0.34% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.04% from other races, and 0.30% from two or more races. 0.30% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 1,144 households of which 28.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% are married couples living together, 11.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% are not nuclear families. 30.6% of all households are made up of solitary dwellers of varying ages with 15.9% of those being a person who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.29 people and the average family size is 2.84 people.

The ages of persons living in the Curwensville borough are widely varied with 22.8% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 82.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 80.0 males.

The median income for a household in the borough is $27,281, and the median income for a family is $36,197. Males have a median income of $28,145 versus $18,598 for females. The per capita income for the borough is $14,829. 16.0% of the population and 12.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 29.0% of those under the age of 18 and 12.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Notable people

• Charles Emory Patton (1859–1937), Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1911 to 1915
• Charles Wall (c. 1903-1995), resident superintendent of George Washington's estate at Mount Vernon for 39 years, starting in 1937

External links

• Curwensville Borough official website
• Curwensville Development Corporation
• Curwensville Lake (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)