Edinboro, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Edinboro, Pennsylvania
Home rule municipality
Downtown Edinboro along Erie Street
Location in Erie County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Erie
Area
• Total	2.40 sq mi (6.23 km2)
• Land	2.29 sq mi (5.92 km2)
• Water	0.12 sq mi (0.31 km2)
Elevation (center of downtown)	1,200 ft (400 m)
Highest elevation (southeast corner of borough)	1,305 ft (398 m)
Lowest elevation (Conneauttee Creek)	1,180 ft (360 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,964
• Density	2,170.53/sq mi (837.91/km2)
Time zone	UTC-4 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (EDT)
ZIP code	16412
Area code(s)	814

Edinboro is a small town, called a borough, in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. In 2020, about 4,920 people lived there. It is known as a college town because it is home to Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro. Edinboro is part of the larger Erie area.

History of Edinboro

Early Settlers and Growth

The first people known to live in the Edinboro area were Native American tribes like the Eriez, Iroquois, and Cornplanter. They called this region Conneauttee, which means "land of the living snowflake".

In 1801, a man named William Culbertson moved to the area. He built a gristmill (a mill for grinding grain) near Conneauttee Lake.

Between 1801 and 1825, the town started to form. Groups of Presbyterian and Methodist churches moved in. They built houses and churches, some of which are still standing today. William Culbertson also built the first school around 1825.

The first post office opened around 1837. It was part of the mail routes for Erie and Crawford counties. Farms helped the area grow. In 1840, Edinboro officially became a town. It had 232 people and covered about 500 acres.

Transportation and Education

In the 1840s, a road made of wooden planks was built between Erie and Meadville. It was finished in 1852.

A big step for Edinboro was in 1857 when an academy (a type of school) was started. This school was renamed the State Normal School in 1861. It later became Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.

In the 1900s, an electric railway was built, which brought more people to the area. Sadly, fires in 1902, 1905, and 1909 destroyed many wooden buildings. These were replaced with brick buildings, many of which you can still see today.

Modern Edinboro

From 1910 to the 1950s, many more houses and apartments were built. Edinboro was promoted as a resort area by the lake, especially to people from Pittsburgh and Erie. This helped tourism grow. The college also got more students, bringing more residents to the town.

The 1960s was a time of big growth for Edinboro. About 400 building permits were given out for homes and businesses. A new post office was built in 1960. The town also built a new sewage plant in 1970 because more water was being used.

In 1974, Edinboro adopted its own home rule charter. This gave the town more control over its local government. A new municipal building was built in 1975.

By 1980, Edinboro was the fastest-growing town in Erie County. Its population grew by 30% from 1970 to 1980, reaching 6,324 people. In 1983, Edinboro State College became Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.

Today, Edinboro University is the largest university in northwestern Pennsylvania. It helps bring many people to the area. Edinboro is known as a college town in the winter and a lake resort in the summer.

Academy Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

Edinboro Borough Hall

Geography of Edinboro

Edinboro is located in the southern part of Erie County. It is surrounded by Washington Township.

The borough covers about 6.2 square kilometers (2.4 square miles). Most of this is land, with about 0.3 square kilometers (0.12 square miles) being water.

The center of Edinboro is at the south end of Edinboro Lake. It is also around the start of Conneauttee Creek. This creek flows south and is part of the French Creek system. Darrows Creek also flows through the university campus.

Roads and Travel

U.S. Route 6N goes through the middle of Edinboro. You can take it east about 7 miles to connect with U.S. Routes 6 and 19. Going west, it leads to Interstate 79 in about 2.5 miles.

Pennsylvania Route 99 also crosses US 6N in Edinboro. It goes north about 8 miles to McKean. To the southeast, it goes about 7 miles to Cambridge Springs. The city of Erie is about 23 miles north of Edinboro.

Edinboro's Population

In 2000, Edinboro had 6,950 people living there. There were 2,087 households. About 19.3% of households had children under 18.

The population was spread out by age:

• 10.8% were under 18 years old.
• 56.6% were between 18 and 24 years old (many college students).
• 15.0% were between 25 and 44 years old.
• 10.7% were between 45 and 64 years old.
• 6.8% were 65 years or older.

The average age in Edinboro was 22 years.

Most people in Edinboro (92.29%) were White in 2000. About 4.45% were African American, and 1.61% were Asian. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 0.99% of the population.

Education

Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro is a major part of the town. It was founded in 1857. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

Notable People

Many interesting people have connections to Edinboro:

• Bruce Baumgartner – An Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling from the 1984 Olympics.
• Clarence B. Culbertson – A former state legislator from Wisconsin.
• William Constantine Culbertson – A former U.S. Congressman.
• John R. Evans – A former Pennsylvania State Representative.
• John Randolph Lewis – A former administrator for the Freedmen's Bureau.
• Allison McAtee – An actress.
• Scott Douglas Miller – The president of Virginia Wesleyan University.
• Blidi Wreh-Wilson – A former professional football player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• David F. Winder – A Vietnam War hero who received the Medal of Honor.
• Ali Zaidi – The first White House National Climate Advisor.

See also

In Spanish: Edinboro para niños