Girard, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Girard, Pennsylvania
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Borough
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Main Street of Girard
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Location in Erie County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
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| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Erie |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.36 sq mi (6.12 km2) |
| • Land | 2.34 sq mi (6.07 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2) |
| Elevation
(center of borough)
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777 ft (237 m) |
| Highest elevation
(southeast corner of borough)
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870 ft (270 m) |
| Lowest elevation | 620 ft (190 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,993 |
| • Density | 1,276.88/sq mi (493.11/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
16417
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| Area code(s) | 814 |
Girard is a small town, called a borough, located in Erie County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. In 2020, about 2,994 people lived there. It's part of the larger Erie area.
Contents
History of Girard
Girard's story began in 1832. People asked for it to become a "Township." This meant taking land from nearby towns like Springfield and Fairview.
The town was named after Stephen Girard. He was a very rich banker from the late 1700s and early 1800s. Stephen Girard lived in Philadelphia. He owned a lot of land in nearby Springfield Township. Many people in the area admired him.
After Stephen Girard died in 1831, officials in Girard tried to get his foundation to build a special school there. This school was called Girard College. However, Stephen Girard's family decided to build the boarding school in Philadelphia instead. He had done a lot of good work there as a philanthropist (someone who helps others).
Geography of Girard
Girard is in the western part of Erie County. It is next to Lake City on its northwest side. On all other sides, it is surrounded by Girard Township.
The borough covers about 6.1 square kilometers (2.36 square miles). Only a tiny part of this, about 0.05 square kilometers (0.02 square miles), is water. Elk Creek flows along the southwest edge of the town. It then goes northwest into Lake Erie.
U.S. Route 20 is a main road that goes through Girard. It's called Main Street in town. This road goes northeast about 4 miles to Fairview. It continues about 15 miles to the city of Erie. If you go southwest on this road, it's about 13 miles to Conneaut, Ohio.
Population and People
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 400 | — | |
| 1860 | 616 | 54.0% | |
| 1870 | 704 | 14.3% | |
| 1880 | 703 | −0.1% | |
| 1890 | 626 | −11.0% | |
| 1900 | 954 | 52.4% | |
| 1910 | 1,165 | 22.1% | |
| 1920 | 1,242 | 6.6% | |
| 1930 | 1,554 | 25.1% | |
| 1940 | 1,732 | 11.5% | |
| 1950 | 2,141 | 23.6% | |
| 1960 | 2,451 | 14.5% | |
| 1970 | 2,613 | 6.6% | |
| 1980 | 2,615 | 0.1% | |
| 1990 | 2,879 | 10.1% | |
| 2000 | 3,164 | 9.9% | |
| 2010 | 3,104 | −1.9% | |
| 2020 | 2,994 | −3.5% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 2,979 | −4.0% | |
| Sources: | |||
In the year 2000, there were 3,164 people living in Girard. These people lived in 1,226 homes. About 863 of these were families.
Most of the people living in Girard were White (98.70%). A small number were African American, Native American, or Asian. Some people were also from other backgrounds. About 0.60% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
In many homes (37.2%), there were children under 18 years old. More than half of the homes (51.5%) had married couples living together. About 13.7% of homes had a female head of the house without a husband.
The population was spread out by age. About 29.4% of people were under 18. About 13.4% were 65 years old or older. The average age in Girard was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were about 90 males.
Famous People from Girard
- Jack Allen, a professional baseball player
- Marc Blucas, an actor
- Bones Ely, a professional baseball player
- Emma Gillett, a lawyer and activist for women's rights
- James Hervey Herron, an engineer who worked with machines and metals
- James M. King, a Methodist minister
- David K. MacEwen, a high-ranking officer in the United States Army
- Curt Miller, a professional women's basketball coach
- Luke Smalley, a photographer
- Denman Thompson, a writer and actor for plays
- Charlotte Elizabeth Battles, who was the President of R. S. Battles Bank
See also
In Spanish: Girard (Pensilvania) para niños
