Old Forge, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Old Forge, Pennsylvania
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Old Forge Town Hall
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| Nickname(s):
Ol' Forge, Pizza Capital of the World
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Location of Old Forge in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
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 Old Forge, Pennsylvania
Location in Pennsylvania
Old Forge, Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Lackawanna |
| Established | 1899 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor/Council |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.43 sq mi (8.88 km2) |
| • Land | 3.43 sq mi (8.88 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 732 ft (223 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 8,497 |
| • Density | 2,479.43/sq mi (957.25/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
18518
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| Area code(s) | 570 |
| FIPS code | 42-56576 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1215326 |
Old Forge is a small town, called a borough, located in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. In 2020, about 8,524 people lived there. It is located about 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Scranton and 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Wilkes-Barre. Old Forge is often called the "Pizza Capital of the World" because of its unique style of pizza.
Contents
Exploring Old Forge's Location
Old Forge is found at 41°22′11″N 75°44′18″W / 41.36972°N 75.73833°W. The borough covers about 3.5 square miles (9.1 km2) of land. The main river flowing through Old Forge is the Lackawanna River. This river is part of a larger water system that flows into the Chesapeake Bay.
Sadly, a lot of pollution from old coal mines, called acid mine drainage, flows into the Lackawanna River from Old Forge. This is the biggest source of pollution in the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Old Forge's Past: A Look at History
The story of Old Forge began in 1789 with Dr. William Smith. He was an army surgeon during the American Revolutionary War. In the 1820s, Charles Drake ran the only inn for travelers between Wilkes-Barre and Carbondale.
His son, Ebenezer, helped set up a post office in Old Forge in 1848. He worked as the postmaster until 1885. Old Forge officially became a township on May 26, 1871. Later, it became a borough on May 2, 1899.
Coal Mining and Early Industries
In the early 1900s, the main industry in Old Forge was anthracite coal mining. Anthracite is a very hard and shiny type of coal. There was also a smaller industry that made silk.
In the 1920s, the Dutchess Underwear Company opened in Old Forge. Many people worked there until the 1950s. During this time, the town's population grew to over 14,000 people. However, a big coal mining strike caused many people to leave. The population dropped to 12,661 by 1930.
The 1930s brought new jobs in the textile industry (making cloth). This was very important during World War II. By the 1950s, the Maxson Corporation opened an electronics factory. It employed up to 1,000 people at one point. But the Knox Mine Disaster on January 22, 1959, almost completely stopped coal mining in the area.
The Rise of Old Forge Pizza
Many immigrants from Italy came to Old Forge in the early 1900s to work in the coal mines. Most of them came from Felitto, a mountain town in Italy. These Italian miners often faced unfair treatment. They found that Old Forge style pizza was a great lunch because they could take it into the mines and eat it cold.
Old Forge style pizza became famous thanks to Nonna Ghigiarelli. She started making it for people who visited her and her husband's bar in 1926. In the 1960s and 1970s, the pizza business grew a lot. This unique pizza is usually rectangular. It has a balanced sauce and a mix of cheeses, often mozzarella and white American or mozzarella and mild cheddar. It's served on a crispy, thick crust. You can find Old Forge style pizza in many restaurants across Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Old Forge Neighborhoods
Old Forge has many different sections, each with its own name from the early days. These names are still used today.
| Name | Location |
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| Austin Heights | West Northwest, above Milwaukee Avenue |
| Babylon | South, in lower Old Forge along Main Street |
| Barbertown | North Northwest, area near Vine Street |
| Bush Patch | West, area along Milwaukee Avenue |
| Connel's Patch | West Southwest, in lower Old Forge on the north side of the Lackawanna River |
| Goose Alley | East Southeast, area of River Street |
| Lawrenceville | South, area along Bridge Street |
| Rendham | Northeast, area around Dunn Avenue |
| Rosemount | North, near Keyser Avenue |
| Sibley | North Northwest, area along Keyser Avenue between Oak Street and Sibley Avenue |
| Snyder's Patch | East, area behind Moosic Road between First & Hoover Streets |
Education in Old Forge
The Old Forge School District is a public school district that serves the town of Old Forge. It is a smaller, suburban district in Lackawanna County. The district covers about 3 square miles (7.8 km2). In 2010, about 8,310 people lived in the district. Most adults (89.4%) have finished high school, and 22.6% have graduated from college.
Old Forge Sports: The Blue Devils
The Old Forge Blue Devils have a long and proud history in high school sports. In the 1950s and 1960s, Old Forge was very strong in football and basketball. They won many championships. In the 1950s, their football team had the best winning record in the entire state!
The school has played in a state championship game five times and won twice.
- In 1932, Old Forge beat Strong Vincent High 24-19 to win the state basketball championship. At that time, all schools competed together, so there was only one state champion.
- Sixty years later, in 1992, Old Forge won the Class "AA" state championship in baseball. They beat Ridgway 15-5.
- In 2009, the girls' high school softball team almost won the state championship, losing 1–0.
- In the 2013–2014 school year, both the Old Forge football team and the girls' basketball team reached the state finals.
Old Forge has a long-standing sports rivalry with the nearby town of Taylor. This rivalry started in 1939 with a football game. It became known as the "Old Forge-Taylor Football Rivalry." When Taylor and Moosic combined, it became the "Old Forge – Riverside Rivalry." For many years, the two teams played on Thanksgiving Day. This tradition stopped in 1974 but was renewed in 2000.
Famous People from Old Forge
Many notable people have come from Old Forge, including:
- Rosalie Allen, a singer
- Louis Carpellotti, a World War II hero. A ship, the USS Carpellotti (APD-136), was named after him.
- Chuck Cherundolo, a professional football player
- Allan Jones, an actor
- Glynn Lunney, a NASA engineer
- Robert Nardelli, a former CEO of Chrysler Corporation
- Paul Plishka, an opera singer
- Anthony Rysz, a Polish National Catholic bishop
- Lou Tomasetti, a professional football player
Old Forge Population Facts
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 5,630 | — | |
| 1910 | 11,324 | 101.1% | |
| 1920 | 12,237 | 8.1% | |
| 1930 | 12,661 | 3.5% | |
| 1940 | 11,892 | −6.1% | |
| 1950 | 9,749 | −18.0% | |
| 1960 | 8,928 | −8.4% | |
| 1970 | 9,522 | 6.7% | |
| 1980 | 9,304 | −2.3% | |
| 1990 | 8,834 | −5.1% | |
| 2000 | 8,798 | −0.4% | |
| 2010 | 8,313 | −5.5% | |
| 2020 | 8,524 | 2.5% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 8,552 | 2.9% | |
| Sources: | |||
In 2010, there were 8,313 people living in Old Forge. There were 3,734 households and 2,276 families. The population density was about 2,375.1 inhabitants per square mile (917.0/km2) people per square mile.
Most people in Old Forge (96.9%) were White. About 1% were African American, and 0.7% were Asian. About 2.8% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
About 22.8% of households had children under 18 living with them. The average household had 2.23 people, and the average family had 2.85 people.
The median age in Old Forge was 45.1 years. About 18.5% of the population was under 18. About 20.4% were 65 years or older.
The median income for a household was $35,090. For families, it was $46,152. About 6.6% of the population lived below the poverty line.
Old Forge Weather and Climate
| Climate data for Old Forge | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 34 (1) |
37 (3) |
47 (8) |
61 (16) |
75 (24) |
80 (27) |
83 (28) |
82 (28) |
74 (23) |
65 (18) |
52 (11) |
39 (4) |
61 (16) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 18 (−8) |
20 (−7) |
28 (−2) |
38 (3) |
48 (9) |
62 (17) |
71 (22) |
60 (16) |
53 (12) |
42 (6) |
34 (1) |
24 (−4) |
42 (5) |
Old Forge has a humid continental climate. This means it has hot and humid summers. July is usually the warmest month, with an average high of 83 °F (28 °C). January is the coldest, with an average high of 34 °F (1 °C).
The town sometimes experiences severe weather, like thunderstorms and floods. Winters bring snow. Some years have little snow, while others get several feet from big storms called Nor'easters. For example, the Blizzard of 1993 brought about 21 inches of snow. On March 13–14, 2017, Winter Storm Stella brought 23 inches of snow, one of the biggest snowfalls in Old Forge's history. Winter can also bring dangerous ice, sleet, and freezing rain. Sometimes, tropical storms and hurricanes travel up the Atlantic coast and reach Pennsylvania.
See also
In Spanish: Old Forge (Pensilvania) para niños
