Laporte, Pennsylvania

Laporte is a borough in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 316 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sullivan County.[3] Laporte is surrounded by Laporte Township. It was named for John Laporte. It is the smallest county seat in Pennsylvania by population (as of the 2000 Census),[4] and in 1969 was one of the two smallest in the United States.[5]

Overlooking Laporte at Sunset in June 2019
Laporte, Pennsylvania
The Sullivan County Courthouse, built 1894, in Laporte
Location of Laporte in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania.
Laporte
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Laporte
Laporte (the United States)
Coordinates: 41°25′24″N 76°29′27″W
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountySullivan
Settled1850
Incorporated (borough)1853
Area
  Total1.23 sq mi (3.19 km2)
  Land1.07 sq mi (2.76 km2)
  Water0.16 sq mi (0.42 km2)
Elevation
1,972 ft (601 m)
Population
 (2010)
  Total316
  Estimate 
(2019)[2]
298
  Density279.03/sq mi (107.78/km2)
Time zoneEastern (EST)
  Summer (DST)EDT
ZIP code
18626
Area code(s)570 Exhange: 946
FIPS code42-41512
Websitewww.laportepa.com

History

The Pennsylvania Guide, compiled by the Writers' Program of the Works Progress Administration, described Laporte in 1940 as:[6]

a mountain resort founded in 1847 and named for John Laporte, Surveyor General of Pennsylvania, [and] formerly a lumbering and tannery center. Wide verandas front many of the houses. Among the deeds preserved in the courthouse here is one recorded in 1864, which transfers the ownership of a large tract of land on a mountain plateau four miles west of Laporte to 'Almighty God.' The plateau was once the site of the Celestia Community of Adventists, founded in 1853 by Peter Armstrong and his wife. A small group of Adventists, interested in Armstrong's plan for communalism in preparation for the expected coming of the Lord, maintained the experiment for several years. Forced by hardships and the dissatisfactions of other members to abandon it, Armstrong returned to Philadelphia, after deeding the property to the Lord. Eventually the land was taken over by the county for unpaid taxes.

Federal Writers'Project, "Part III: Tours", Pennsylvania: A Guide to the Keystone State (1940)

The Sullivan County Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[7]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2), of which 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (12.50%) is water. Within the borough lies Lake Mokoma.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.
1860208
1870145−30.3%
188019232.4%
1890443130.7%
19004655.0%
1910245−47.3%
1920175−28.6%
1930163−6.9%
194020626.4%
1950199−3.4%
1960195−2.0%
19702076.2%
198023011.1%
199032842.6%
2000290−11.6%
20103169.0%
2019 (est.)298[2]−5.7%
Sources:[8][9][10]

At the 2010 census,[11] there were 316 people, 109 households, and 67 families residing in the borough. The population density was 287.3 people per square mile (112.2/km2). There were 251 housing units at an average density of 228.2 per square mile (89.1/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.1% White, 0.6% African American, 0.9% Native American, and 0.3% Asian. Hispanics or Latinos of any race makes up 0.9% of the borough population.

Of the 109 households, 14.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 34.9% of households were one person, and 22% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.54.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 8.5% under the age of 18, 49.1% from 18 to 64, and 42.4% 65 or older. The median age was 61.7 years.

The median household income was $43,750 and the median family income was $52,500. Males had a median income of $30,625 versus $25,500 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,762. About 3.6% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those 65 or over.

References

  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. Williams, Oliver P. (2001). County Courthouses of Pennsylvania: A Guide. Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-2738-6. Retrieved 2013-12-26.
  5. Taber, Thomas Townsend, III (1969). Muncy Valley Lifeline: The Life and Times of the Williamsport and North Branch and Eagles Mere Railroads. Muncy Valley Historical Society. Retrieved 2008-02-09.
  6. Federal Writers' Project (1940). Pennsylvania: A Guide to the Keystone State (1st ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 518–519.
  7. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  8. "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  9. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  10. "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  11. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.