West Mifflin, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
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Borough
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Location in Allegheny County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
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 West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
Location in Pennsylvania
West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Pennsylvania |
| County |  Allegheny |
| Incorporated | 1788 (Mifflin Township) |
| Dec. 11, 1942 (Borough) | |
| Area | |
| • Total | 14.50 sq mi (37.56 km2) |
| • Land | 14.21 sq mi (36.79 km2) |
| • Water | 0.29 sq mi (0.76 km2) 1.8% |
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 20,313 |
| • Estimate
(2019)
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19,699 |
| • Density | 1,386.67/sq mi (535.38/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| FIPS code | 42-83512 |
West Mifflin is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, located southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. The population was 20,313 at the 2010 census. It is named after Thomas Mifflin, 1st Governor of Pennsylvania, signer of the United States Constitution, and 1st Quartermaster General of the United States Army.
Although the borough is heavily residential, it is home to one of America's oldest traditional amusement parks, Kennywood Park. Other employers include advanced naval nuclear propulsion technology research and development facility, Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory; monorail manufacturer Bombardier; US Steel's Mon Valley Works–Irvin Plant; Community College of Allegheny County's South Campus; and the Allegheny County Airport.
Contents
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 14.4 square miles (37 km2), of which 14.2 square miles (37 km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2), or 1.80%, is water. The landscape is largely hilly and wooded, and the borough's eastern boundary is contiguous with the Monongahela River three separate times. Much of the original landscape has been altered as a result of the historic dumping of steel mill byproducts such as slag and fly ash.
Environmental monitoring
Coal mining has also affected the flow and water quality of small streams. Land developers have produced more level ground by clean-filling ravines and other small parcels of land to improve the land usage. Toxic waste dump areas are monitored with water quality improvement with bioremediation successfully implemented. West Mifflin operates its own sewage treatment facility. The Environmental Protection agency regulates 78 facilities for environmental compliance. Asbestos waste and radioactive waste and controls were addressed in 1991.
Surrounding communities
The borough is bordered by the City of Pittsburgh neighborhoods Lincoln Place and Hays, and the boroughs of Munhall and Whitaker to the north, the city of Duquesne to the east, the borough of Dravosburg to the southeast, the boroughs of Jefferson Hills and Pleasant Hills to the south, and the borough of Baldwin to the west.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1940 | 8,694 | — | |
| 1950 | 17,985 | 106.9% | |
| 1960 | 27,289 | 51.7% | |
| 1970 | 28,070 | 2.9% | |
| 1980 | 26,322 | −6.2% | |
| 1990 | 23,644 | −10.2% | |
| 2000 | 22,464 | −5.0% | |
| 2010 | 20,313 | −9.6% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 19,699 | −3.0% | |
| Sources: | |||
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,464 people, 9,509 households, and 6,475 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,586.2 people per square mile (612.5/km2). There were 9,966 housing units at an average density of 703.7 per square mile (271.7/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 89.64% White, 8.85% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population.
There were 9,509 households, out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $36,130, and the median income for a family was $46,192. Males had a median income of $36,984 versus $26,529 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,140. About 8.8% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over. The unemployment rate is just over 6%.
Transportation and infrastructure
West Mifflin is accessible primarily by road, though no Interstate highways pass through the area. The main road passing through most of the area is Pennsylvania Route 885, which intersects with Pennsylvania Route 51 nearby in the borough of Whitehall.
West Mifflin is the location of Allegheny County Airport, a general aviation airport; as a result, most of West Mifflin is in Class D airspace. The nearest airports with commercial service are Pittsburgh International Airport and Arnold Palmer Regional Airport.
