Beaver County, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Beaver County
U.S. county
Beaver County Courthouse
Flag Seal Logo
Motto(s):  Divided by its Rivers, United by its People
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	March 12, 1800
Named for	Beaver River
Seat	Beaver
Largest city	Aliquippa
Area
• Total	444 sq mi (1,150 km2)
• Land	435 sq mi (1,130 km2)
• Water	9.3 sq mi (24 km2)  2.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	168,215
• Density	387/sq mi (149/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	17th
Pennsylvania Historical Marker
Designated:	July 5, 1982

Beaver County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,215. Its county seat is Beaver, and its largest city is Aliquippa. The county is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region of the state.

History

Beaver County was created on March 12, 1800, from parts of Allegheny and Washington counties. It took its name from the Beaver River.

The original townships at the date of the erection of Beaver County (1800) were North Beaver, east and west of the Big Beaver Creek; South Beaver, west of the Big Beaver; and Sewickley, east of the Big Beaver—all north of the Ohio River; and Hanover, First Moon, and Second Moon, south of the Ohio.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 444 square miles (1,150 km²), of which 435 square miles (1,130 km²) is land and 9.3 square miles (24 km²) (2.1%) is water. It has a humid continental climate (Dfa/Dfb) and average monthly temperatures in the Beaver/Rochester vicinity range from 29.4 °F in January to 73.2 °F in July. Beaver County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, and it is identified as part of the "Midlands" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.

Bodies of water

• The Ohio River flows north through Beaver County from a point near Ambridge, then turns west near Beaver and on to the Ohio and West Virginia borders. It divides the southern third of the county from the northern two-thirds.
• The Beaver River flows south from Lawrence County entering Beaver County near Koppel and continuing south to its confluence with the Ohio near Beaver.

Adjacent counties

• Lawrence County (north)
• Butler County (east)
• Allegheny County (southeast)
• Washington County (south)
• Hancock County, West Virginia (west)
• Columbiana County, Ohio (west)

Protected areas

• Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Raccoon Creek State Park, a Pennsylvania state park
• Brady’s Run Park
• Brush Creek Park
• Old Economy Park

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 181,412 people, 72,576 households, and 50,512 families residing in the county. The population density was 418 inhabitants per square mile (161/km²). There were 77,765 housing units at an average density of 179 units per square mile (69/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.55% White, 5.96% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. 0.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 23.0% were of German, 17.4% Italian, 9.9% Irish, 6.5% English, 6.4% Polish and 5.8% American ancestry.

There were 72,576 households, out of which 28.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.50% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. Of all households 26.90% were made up of individuals, and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county, the age distribution of the population shows 22.60% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 18.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.20 males.

2020 census

Recreation

Near Koppel there is Buttermilk Falls, a naturally occurring waterfall. In Brighton Township there is Brady's Run Park. Racoon Creek State Park is one of Pennsylvania's largest and most visited state parks. The park encompasses 7,572 acres (3,064 ha) and features the 101 acres (41 ha) Raccoon Lake. Additionally, there are many riverfront parks throughout the county. The North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT) passes through the county's northern end. The NCT has an 11-mile point-to-point off-road section near Darlington to the Ohio state line and a 2.5 mile off-road section near New Galilee and Enon Valley, Pennsylvania.

Transportation

Major roads and highways

• I-76 / Penna Turnpike
• I-376
• US 30 / Invalid type: road
• PA 18
• PA 51
• PA 65
• PA 68
• PA 151
• PA 168
• PA 251
• PA 288
• PA 351
• PA 551
• PA 588
• PA 989

Public transit

Beaver County Transit Authority

Airports

• Beaver County Airport
• Zelienople Municipal Airport

Education

Colleges and universities

• Geneva College
• Penn State Beaver Campus
• Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry

Community, junior, and technical colleges

• Community College of Beaver County

Map of Beaver County, Pennsylvania public school districts. Note that two districts on this map, Monaca School District and Center Area School District, merged in 2009 to form the Central Valley School District.

Public school districts

High schools

Charter schools

As reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Education – EdNA, as of April 2010.

• Baden Academy Charter School (grades K–6)
• Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School (grades 7–12)
• Midland Innovation + Technology Charter School (grades 9-12)

Private schools

As reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Education – EdNA, as of April 2010.

• Agapeland Children Garden – Beaver
• Beaver County Christian School -Upper – Beaver Falls
• Beaver Co Christian -West Park Elementary – Beaver Falls
• Bethel Christian School – Aliquippa
• Deliverance Temple Ministries ROOTS Inc Christian Academy – Aliquippa
• Hope Christian Academy – Aliquippa
• North Hills Christian School – Baden
• Our Lady of Fatima School – Aliquippa
• Pleasant Hill Wesleyan Academy – Hookstown
• Quigley Catholic High School – Baden
• St John the Baptist School – Monaca
• St Monica Catholic Academy – Beaver Falls
• Sts Peter & Paul School – Beaver
• Sylvania Hills Christian – Rochester

Former school districts

In 2009, Center Area School District and Monaca School District merged to form Central Valley School District.

Communities

Map of Beaver County, Pennsylvania with municipal labels showing cities and boroughs (red), townships (white), and census-designated places (blue)

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are in Beaver County:

Cities

• Aliquippa
• Beaver Falls

Boroughs

Townships

Census-designated places

• Frisco
• Hazen

Unincorporated communities

• Byersdale
• Cannelton
• Fombell
• Gringo
• Harshaville
• Kobuta
• West Aliquippa

Former community

• Borough Township, established in 1804 from the small southeast corner of South Beaver Township. In 1970, it was renamed Vanport Township.

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Beaver County.

† county seat

Notable people

• Sam Adams – early explorer of the American west
• Gust Avrakotos – CIA operative active in Operation Cyclone
• Julian Michael Carver – science fiction novelist known for his usage of dinosaurs in fiction
• Jim Covert – former NFL offensive tackle for the Chicago Bears, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003
• Ed DeChellis – head men's basketball coach for The Naval Academy
• Mike Ditka – former NFL tight end for the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, and head coach for the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988 (as a tight end)
• Tony Dorsett – former NFL running back for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos, inducted into both the Pro and College Football Hall of Fame in 1994
• Shane Douglas – born Troy Martin, professional wrestler, best known with Extreme Championship Wrestling, having also wrestled for World Championship Wrestling, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and (briefly) with the World Wrestling Federation. He is also a former teacher for Beaver Area High School
• Terry Francona – former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder for the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers, and former manager for the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox
• Sean Gilbert – former NFL defensive lineman for the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, Washington Redskins, Carolina Panthers and Oakland Raiders
• Donnie Iris – musician, former member of The Jaggerz and Wild Cherry, also notable for his solo performances
• Ty Law – former NFL cornerback for the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos
• Joe Letteri – three-time Academy Award-winning visual imaging artist, and visual effects supervisor of the movie Avatar
• Henry Mancini – music composer, including "Moon River" and "The Pink Panther Theme", among many others
• "Pistol" Pete Maravich – former NBA guard for the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans/Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987
• Press Maravich – former NCAA Basketball coach
• Nate Martin – Entrepreneur and "Founding Father of Escape Rooms"
• Doc Medich – former Major League Baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers
• Ryan "Archie" Miller – current NCAA Basketball coach for the Rhode Island Rams, and former NCAA Basketball coach for the Dayton Flyers and Indiana Hoosiers.
• Sean Miller – former NCAA Basketball coach for the Arizona Wildcats
• Joe Namath – former NFL and AFL quarterback for the New York Jets and Los Angeles Rams, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985
• Babe Parilli – former NFL and AFL quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, Boston Patriots and New York Jets, former CFL quarterback for the Ottawa Rough Riders, and All-American quarterback for the University of Kentucky
• Paul Posluszny – NFL linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars
• Dan Radakovich – Athletics Director for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
• Darrelle Revis – NFL cornerback for the New York Jets
• Jesse Steinfeld – former Surgeon General of the United States
• Pete Suder – former Major League Baseball infielder for the Philadelphia Athletics/Kansas City Athletics
• Mark Vlasic – former NFL quarterback for the San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• William Ziegler – industrialist and co-founder of the Royal Baking Powder Company

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Beaver (Pensilvania) para niños