Ligonier, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ligonier | |
| Borough | |
 Ligonier, Pennsylvania
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| Official name: Borough of Ligonier | |
| Named for: John Ligonier | |
| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Pennsylvania |
| County | Westmoreland |
| Elevation | 1,197 ft (365 m) |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 0.5 sq mi (1.3 km²) |
| - land | 0.5 sq mi (1.3 km²) |
| - water | 0.0 sq mi (0 km²), 0% |
| Population | 1,695 (2000) |
| Density | 3,482.5 /sq mi (1,344.6 /km²) |
| Fort established | 1758 |
| - Town settled | 1817 |
| - Borough incorporated | April 10, 1834 |
| Timezone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 15658 |
| Area code | 724 |
| School District | Ligonier Valley School District |
  Location of Ligonier in Pennsylvania
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 Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
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Ligonier is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,695 at the 2000 census. Ligonier was settled in the 1760s. The borough is well known for nearby Idlewild Park, one of the oldest amusement parks in the country, and Seven Springs ski resort. Another tourist attraction is Fort Ligonier Days, a parade and craft market that takes place every fall over the course of three days. Ligonier is part of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Ligonier is the site of a reconstruction of Fort Ligonier, an example of a frontier fort of the French and Indian War. Ligonier is also known for its downtown square, the Diamond, which has a gazebo in the middle.
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[edit] Geography
The Borough of Ligonier is entirely surrounded by Ligonier Township, which is a separate municipality. According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), all of it land. Ligonier is located at (40.244518, -79.237067)[1].
[edit] History
In 1758, when British forces launched a major campaign to remove French forces from the forks of the Ohio, now Pittsburgh, this spot on Loyalhanna Creek was the site of their westernmost camp before reaching the Ohio. It was an enormous army, a virtual moving city of 6,000 people, that temporarily made this the most populated spot in Pennsylvania second only to Philadelphia. The fort was named Fort Ligonier after John Ligonier, a British noble of French origin who held the rank of Field Marshal in the British Army. Eventually, the name of the settlement that grew up around the fort was shortened to Ligonier.
In 1817, the Philadelphia-Pittsburgh Turnpike was completed, a gravel road that was the precursor to today's US Route 30. Fort Ligonier was a logical place for travelers to break their journey, and with such commercial opportunities in mind, a local resident named John Ramsay (sometimes spelled Ramsey) laid out the street plan, including the space now known as the Diamond. The Diamond was intended to be a courthouse site, in the expectation that Ligonier would eventually become the seat of a new county. He initially called the town Ramseytown, later changed to Wellington (after the Duke of Wellington), and finally the name was changed to Ligonier.[2] Several decades of prosperity followed. On April 10, 1834, Ligonier was incorporated as a borough.
However, in 1852 the Pennsylvania Railroad was completed, which avoided Ligonier and passed through Bolivar and Latrobe instead. Traffic shifted from horse-drawn vehicles to the railroad, causing the community's population to drop to 350 according to the 1860 census.[3] A quarter-century of stagnation ensued as the town withered.
Ligonier enjoyed a new impetus when the the Ligonier Valley Railroad[4] was completed in 1877, linking the community to Latrobe where connections to the Pennsylvania Railroad were possible. The Ligonier Valley Railroad enabled lumber, coal, and quarried stone to be transported out of the Ligonier Valley, which spurred development of the town. Also, the railroad made it easier for Pittsbugh residents to visit Ligonier, causing the town to develop as a summer resort. Some major physical changes to Ligonier occurred during this period. In 1894, the Diamond, which had been used as a corral for horses and wagons, was transformed into a park with a gazebo. A large hotel, the Hotel Brenister, was built in 1900 where the town hall currently sits.[3] In 1909-1910, the Ligonier Valley Railroad built an ornate station and headquarters building, which still stands at 339 West Main Street.
In 1952, the Ligonier Valley Railroad ceased operation, due to a combination of overlogging, decline of the coal industry, and the loss of passenger traffic to motor vehicles.
The Pittsburgh, Westmoreland, and Somerset Railroad also served Ligonier from 1899 to 1916, although it did not enjoy the success of the Ligonier Valley Railroad.
Ligonier has three sites on the National Register of Historic Places: Fort Ligonier at 216 South Market Street, Ligonier Armory (1938) at 358 West Main Street, and the Ligonier Historic District, which encompasses the Diamond and the oldest parts of the borough.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[5] of 2000, there are 1,695 people, 827 households, and 459 families residing in the borough. The population density is 3,482.5 people per square mile (1,335.6/km²). There are 907 housing units at an average density of 1,863.5/sq mi (714.7/km²). The racial makeup of the borough is 99.76% White, 0.06% Asian, and 0.18% from two or more races. 0.35% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 827 households out of which 20.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% are married couples living together, 9.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% are non-families. 41.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 22.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.03 and the average family size is 2.73.
In the borough the population is spread out with 18.8% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 28.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 46 years. For every 100 females there are 84.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 76.6 males.
The median income for a household in the borough is $31,947, and the median income for a family is $42,656. Males have a median income of $26,509 versus $24,808 for females. The per capita income for the borough is $20,546. 10.3% of the population and 6.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.2% of those under the age of 18 and 10.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
[edit] References
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Shirey, Salley (2001). Ligonier Valley. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 27. ISBN 0738505358.
- ^ a b National Register of Historical Places - Ligonier Historic District (PDF). ARCH: Pennsylvania's Historic Architecture & Archeology. Pennsylvania Museum and Historical Commission. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
- ^ Ligonier Valley Rail Road Association.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
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