Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
City
City of Beaver Falls
View of Beaver Falls, from the borough of New Brighton.
Nicknames:  BF, Birthplace of College Basketball
Location in Beaver County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Beaver County
Incorporated	November 9, 1868 (borough)
Area
• Total	2.35 sq mi (6.09 km2)
• Land	2.13 sq mi (5.51 km2)
• Water	0.22 sq mi (0.58 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	9,005
• Estimate  (2010)	9,005
• Density	3,831.91/sq mi (1,478.65/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	15010
FIPS code	42-04792
Website	City website

Beaver Falls is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 9,005 at the 2020 census. It is located 31 miles (50 km) northwest of Pittsburgh, and on the Beaver River, six miles (9 km) north of its confluence with the Ohio River.

History

Originally called Brighton, Beaver Falls was chartered as a borough in 1868. It adopted the commission form of government in 1913.

In the 1870s, Beaver Falls was home to a Chinatown and had as many as 200 Chinese residents.

Travellers would often stop in Beaver Falls while transversing Western Pennsylvania, since there were many modes of transportation through the area (railroad, highway, canal). The city was also linked to Ellwood City in 1914 by the Pittsburgh, Harmony, Butler and New Castle Railway, an interurban trolley line. The line closed on 15 June 1931.

The city is best known in fiction as the setting of the television situation comedy Mr. Belvedere.

On May 31, 1985, an F3 tornado hit just north of the city as it went across northern portions of Beaver County, as part of the 1985 United States-Canadian tornado outbreak. Geneva College is located in the College Hill neighborhood on the north side of the city. The world's first recorded college basketball game occurred in the city on April 8, 1893 when the intramural team from Geneva College defeated the New Brighton YMCA.

The population declined nearly 50% between 1940 and 2000, which is attributed mostly to its central location in the Rust Belt. Several manufacturing plants provided significant employment for residents in the twentieth century. Like most rust belt cities, Beaver Falls has suffered a fair amount of economic malaise due to the decline in the steel-making capacity in the region.

Geography

Beaver Falls is located at 40°45′32″N 80°19′11″W / 40.75889°N 80.31972°W / 40.75889; -80.31972 (40.758865, -80.319737).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²), of which 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) (7.02%) is water.

Demographics

Carnegie Library

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,920 people, 3,798 households, and 2,259 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,681.6 people per square mile (1,806.7/km²). There were 4,380 housing units at an average density of 2,067.1 per square mile (797.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.82% White, 17.53% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 2.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population.

Neighborhoods

A view of Downtown Beaver Falls in 2013.

• College Hill
• Morado
• Mount Washington
• Lower End
• Downtown
• Pleasantview
• Riverview

Sites of interest

Carnegie Library

• Beaver River Trail, a paved rail trail that runs over the former Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad right-of-way along the Beaver River.
• Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls, the first public library in Beaver County. The library was established in 1903 and was given a $50,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie, making the structure a Carnegie library. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Reeves Field is the playing field for the Beaver Falls Fighting Tigers and the Geneva College Golden Tornadoes football teams.

Transportation

Air

The closest airport to the city is Beaver County Airport. Though located in Allegheny County, Pittsburgh International Airport is within close proximity of Beaver Falls, and is easily accessible by way of I-376 (former PA 60).

Highways

I-376 is located just west of the city, and is accessible from Beaver Falls via PA 51, PA 551, and PA 588. PA 18 is the main road through Beaver Falls, and becomes the city's Main Street when going through downtown. PA 65 is located southeast of Beaver Falls in New Brighton. Plus, the Pennsylvania Turnpike is located just north of Beaver Falls, providing access to the entire state. PA 251 is a small highway located on the western edge of the city in the borough of West Mayfield.

Rail

Major freight haulers CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) both have mainlines running through Beaver Falls. NS also has a subsidiary line along the east side of Beaver River. Amtrak's Capitol Limited passes through the city via NS tracks without stopping. Amtrak's Broadway Limited and successor Three Rivers also passed through town until 2005.

Waterways

Though not used for transporting goods and materials, the Beaver River is a navigable waterway for boating.

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Notable people

• Ella M. George, teacher, lecturer, social reformer
• Thomas Midgley Jr., chemist and engineer, known for his role in the development of leaded gasoline
• Ryan "Archie" Miller - former NCAA Basketball coach for the Dayton Flyers and Indiana Hoosiers
• Joe Namath, Hall of Fame AFL and NFL quarterback
• Tom Tribone, energy entrepreneur, founded several major energy companies and early member of AES Corporation
• Mike Veon, former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, known for his involvement in the 2006 Pennsylvania General Assembly bonus controversy
• Joe Walton, former American football player and coach, creator and head coach of football program at Robert Morris University

See also

In Spanish: Beaver Falls para niños