Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
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View of Beaver Falls from across the Beaver River.
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| Nicknames:
BF, Birthplace of College Basketball
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Location in Beaver County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
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| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Beaver |
| Incorporated | November 9, 1868 (borough) December 3, 1928 (city) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Home rule charter |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.36 sq mi (6.11 km2) |
| • Land | 2.13 sq mi (5.53 km2) |
| • Water | 0.22 sq mi (0.58 km2) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 9,005 |
| • Density | 4,217.80/sq mi (1,628.15/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code |
15010
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| FIPS code | 42-04792 |
Beaver Falls is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. In 2020, about 9,005 people lived there. The city is located about 31 miles (50 km) northwest of Pittsburgh. It sits along the Beaver River. This river flows into the Ohio River about six miles (9 km) south of the city. Beaver Falls is part of the larger Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
Contents
History of Beaver Falls
The area where Beaver Falls is today was first written about in 1770. This was in the journals of David Zeisberger. He was a Moravian Church missionary. A Lenape chief named Pakanke showed Zeisberger the valley around the Beaver River. The Lenape people owned a large area of open land there. Zeisberger was allowed to use this land.
In April 1770, Zeisberger and his group traveled in 16 canoes. They went down the Allegheny and Ohio rivers. Three days later, they reached the mouth of the Beaver River. They then went up to a place called the "Falls of the Beaver," where they set up camp.
Early settlers like Dr. Samuel and Milo Adams lived near the upper falls. David Hoopes and Isaac Wilson developed the middle falls area. The town that grew around the middle falls was first named Brighton. It was named after Brighton, England, which was the hometown of the people who surveyed the area.
At first, the town seemed promising because of the canal business near the falls. But it struggled and fell behind the nearby town of New Brighton. This was because of several tough economic times. The original owners sold the land to the Harmony Society in 1859.
The Harmonists immediately started to re-plan Brighton. They made the town twice as big as it was before. They paved several main streets with brick. They also officially changed the community's name to Beaver Falls. The town quickly grew and improved. Because of this, it became a borough on November 9, 1868.
In the 1870s, Beaver Falls had a Chinatown. Up to 225 Chinese residents lived there. They were brought in by the Harmonists to work at the Beaver Falls Cutlery Company.
On May 31, 1985, a strong F3 tornado hit just north of the city. This was part of a larger tornado outbreak across the United States and Canada.
The number of people living in Beaver Falls dropped by almost half between 1940 and 2000. This happened because the city is in the Rust Belt. This is an area where many factories and industries closed down.
Beaver Falls Geography and Climate
Understanding the Climate
Beaver Falls has a humid continental climate. This means it has cold winters and hot summers. The warmest month is July, with an average temperature of about 72.1 degrees Fahrenheit (22.3 degrees Celsius). The coldest month is January, with an average temperature of about 27.6 degrees Fahrenheit (-2.4 degrees Celsius).
| Climate data for Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania (Beaver Falls 1NE) 1991–2020 normals (records 2011–present) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 67 (19) |
76 (24) |
77 (25) |
86 (30) |
94 (34) |
92 (33) |
97 (36) |
92 (33) |
95 (35) |
89 (32) |
82 (28) |
69 (21) |
97 (36) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 35.9 (2.2) |
39.0 (3.9) |
48.3 (9.1) |
61.6 (16.4) |
71.5 (21.9) |
78.9 (26.1) |
83.1 (28.4) |
82.2 (27.9) |
75.6 (24.2) |
63.8 (17.7) |
51.0 (10.6) |
40.3 (4.6) |
60.9 (16.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 27.6 (−2.4) |
29.1 (−1.6) |
37.6 (3.1) |
49.1 (9.5) |
59.7 (15.4) |
67.7 (19.8) |
72.1 (22.3) |
70.9 (21.6) |
64.3 (17.9) |
52.8 (11.6) |
41.3 (5.2) |
32.4 (0.2) |
50.4 (10.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 19.2 (−7.1) |
19.1 (−7.2) |
26.8 (−2.9) |
36.6 (2.6) |
47.8 (8.8) |
56.4 (13.6) |
61.1 (16.2) |
59.5 (15.3) |
52.9 (11.6) |
41.8 (5.4) |
31.5 (−0.3) |
24.5 (−4.2) |
39.8 (4.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −9 (−23) |
−12 (−24) |
−1 (−18) |
18 (−8) |
28 (−2) |
40 (4) |
49 (9) |
49 (9) |
36 (2) |
29 (−2) |
13 (−11) |
0 (−18) |
−12 (−24) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.14 (80) |
2.40 (61) |
3.07 (78) |
3.65 (93) |
3.84 (98) |
4.26 (108) |
4.82 (122) |
3.50 (89) |
3.62 (92) |
3.06 (78) |
2.95 (75) |
3.01 (76) |
40.32 (1,024) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 14 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 144 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Population Changes in Beaver Falls
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 3,112 | — | |
| 1880 | 5,104 | 64.0% | |
| 1890 | 9,735 | 90.7% | |
| 1900 | 10,054 | 3.3% | |
| 1910 | 12,191 | 21.3% | |
| 1920 | 12,802 | 5.0% | |
| 1930 | 17,147 | 33.9% | |
| 1940 | 17,098 | −0.3% | |
| 1950 | 17,375 | 1.6% | |
| 1960 | 16,240 | −6.5% | |
| 1970 | 14,635 | −9.9% | |
| 1980 | 12,525 | −14.4% | |
| 1990 | 10,687 | −14.7% | |
| 2000 | 9,920 | −7.2% | |
| 2010 | 8,987 | −9.4% | |
| 2020 | 9,005 | 0.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
According to the 2000 census, there were 9,920 people living in Beaver Falls. These people lived in 3,798 households. About 2,259 of these were families.
The city's population was made up of different groups. About 78.82% were White. Around 17.53% were African American. Smaller percentages were Native American, Asian, or Pacific Islander. Some people were from other races, and 2.37% were from two or more races. About 1.06% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
Education in Beaver Falls
Students in Beaver Falls go to schools in the Big Beaver Falls Area School District. The schools that serve Beaver Falls are:
- Central Elementary School – for students in grades K–5
- Beaver Falls Middle School – for students in grades 6–8
- Beaver Falls High School – for students in grades 9–12
Beaver Falls has also been home to Geneva College since 1880. This is a private Christian college. It focuses on liberal arts. The college is in the city's College Hill neighborhood. About 1,400 students attend Geneva College. Their sports teams are called the Golden Tornadoes. They compete in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.
The city also has a public library. It is called the Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls. This was the first building built specifically as a library in Beaver County. It was paid for by Andrew Carnegie. It opened in 1899.
Getting Around Beaver Falls
Airports Near Beaver Falls
The closest airport to Beaver Falls is Beaver County Airport. Even though it's in Allegheny County, Pittsburgh International Airport is also very close. You can easily get there using I-376.
Highways Passing Through Beaver Falls
The following main roads go through Beaver Falls:
State Route 18
State Route 588
Famous People from Beaver Falls
Many interesting people have come from Beaver Falls, including:
- Darryl & Don Ellis – A country music brother duo. They were nominated for awards like the CMA and ACM Awards.
- Ella M. George – A teacher, lecturer, and social reformer.
- Herbert A. Gilbert – He invented the electronic cigarette.
- Charles Keene – A racing car driver.
- Nate Lewis – A talented artist.
- Tony Lip – An actor.
- Thomas Midgley Jr. – A chemist and engineer. He helped create leaded gasoline.
- Ryan "Archie" Miller – A former basketball coach for college teams like the Dayton Flyers and Indiana Hoosiers.
- Joe Namath – A Hall of Fame AFL and NFL quarterback.
- Tom Tribone – An energy entrepreneur. He started several big energy companies.
- Mike Veon – A former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
- Joe Walton – A former American football player and coach. He started the football program at Robert Morris University.
See also
In Spanish: Beaver Falls para niños
