Bethel Park

Bethel Park is a borough with home rule status in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, approximately 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 33,577 as of the 2020 census. The highest point in the borough is Rocky Ridge, in the southwestern portion of the borough, 1,370 feet (420 m), and the lowest point is at the intersection of the Piney Fork and Alsip Run creeks, 980 feet (300 m) The area is underlain by the Pittsburgh Terminal No. 8 Mine (Cortis and others, 1975), which was commonly known as the "H" Mine and the Coverdale Mine. The first armored car robbery in the U.S. occurred on March 11, 1927, when a Brinks truck, heading towards the coverdale Mine about a mile away was attacked. The area was originally settled around 1800 and was first established as Bethel Township, in 1886. It was named after Bethel (meeting house) Bethel Park was incorporated as a borough on March 17, 1949, and became a home rule municipality in 1978. The borough has seven borders, including Castle Shannon to the north, Whitehall, Baldwin to the northeast, South Park to the east and southeast, Peters Township in Washington County to the south, Upper St. Clair to the west, and Mt. Lebanon to thenorth-northwest. Much of the area is undermined, and the PADEP indicates that all of Betchel Park was undermined.

History

The first armored car robbery in the U.S. occurred on March 11, 1927, when a Brinks truck, heading towards the Coverdale Mine about a mile away was attacked. Paul Jaworski and his 'Flatheads" gang destroyed the road with dynamite to steal a mining payroll. Bethel Park was incorporated as a borough on March 17, 1949, and became a home rule municipality in 1978. It was first established as Bethel Township, in 1886, and was named after Bethel (meeting house) and Bethel, the name of the town's first post office. It is located on the New Jersey Turnpike, which was built in 1838. The town has a population of about 3,000. It has been the site of several major sporting events, including the New York Knicks, New York Mets, and New York Rangers. It also has a number of other outdoor activities, such as hiking, camping, and fishing. The park's name comes from the word "bethel" which means meeting house, and "park" is the name given to the area's original meeting house. The name Bethel was also used to refer to the town of Bethel in New Hampshire, where it was first settled around 1800. The city's name was first used as a place of business in the 19th century, when it was known as "Bethel Town" and was later used as the name for the town itself. It became a borough in 1949, and a city in 1978, after becoming a homerule municipality.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 11.7 square miles (30 km²), all of it land. Its average elevation is 1,197 feet (365 m) above sea level. The highest point in Bethel Park is Rocky Ridge, in the southwestern portion of the borough, 1,370 feet (420 m), and the lowest point is at the intersection of the Piney Fork and Alsip Run creeks, 980 feet (300 m) in the southeast corner. The exposed rocks are mostly composed of sandstone, limestone, shale, and a few coal layers. The area is underlain by the Pittsburgh Terminal No. 8 Mine (Cortis and others, 1975), which was commonly known as the "H" Mine and the Coverdale Mine. Much of southern Allegheny County is undermined, and the PADEP indicates that all ofBethel Park was undermined. The historic operations of the coverdale mine are apparent on a Bridgeville 7.5-minute topographic map. A Mine Dump is shown adjacent to the Montour Railroad tracks and South Park Road. The Coverdale mine is closed and largely unflooded. The borough has seven borders, including Castle Shannon, Whitehall, Baldwin, South Park, Peters Township, Upper St. Clair, Mt. Lebanon, and Peters Township. It is located in the Allegheny Plateau physiographic province, between the Pittsburgh Low Plateau and Waynesburg Hills Sections.

Transportation

Pennsylvania Route 88 and U.S. Route 19 run through Bethel Park. Interstate 79 and the Mon-Fayette Expressway do not enter the borough. All three of Port Authority of Allegheny County's light rail lines run through the area. Park-and-ride lots at South Hills Village, West Library, Lytle, and Washington Junction provide local commuters with an easy trip to Pittsburgh. In addition to light rail service, Port Authority's 36 Banksville and Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority's Commuter A routes provide bus service through the commercial areas of the Borough. The South Hills Expressway was planned to be constructed along the Route 88 corridor, but was canceled in the 1990s. The borough is located on the Allegheny River, which runs through the center of the city. It is also on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which cuts through the city and runs through South Park and South Hills. The Pittsburgh Railways Interurbans opened up the area to accelerated growth and development in the early 1900s, making the area an early example of a streetcar suburb. Most of the Pittsburgh area's passenger rail and streetcar services were discontinued in the 1950s and 1960s and further growth was fueled by automobiles. The trolley lines were kept in service and upgraded to modern light rail standards in the 1980s. In the early 1990s, the Port Authority built a new light rail line, the Blue and Red Line, which passed through the central business district to its terminus in Library.

Demographics

At the 2020 census there were 33,556 people, 13,362 households, and 9,540 families living in the Municipality. There were 13,871 housing units at an average density of 1,186.3 per square mile (458.1/km²) The racial makeup of the borough was 97.10% White, 1.02% African American, 0.03% Native American, 1,11% Asian, 0,03% Pacific Islander, and 0.58% from two or more races. The median household income was $53,791 and the median family income was $64,390. About 2.5% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and3.8% ofThose age 65 or over. The per capita income for the Borough was $25,867. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.01. The age distribution was 23.7%. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For each 100 females age 18 or over, there were 87.7 males. The. median income of $47,876 was $32,351 for females and $47.876 for males. the. median age of 42 years was 42.5 years. The borough is located on the New Jersey Turnpike and the New York State Thruway.

Arts and culture

Arts and culture includes art, architecture, design, music, film, television, radio, theater, and radio. The arts and culture section is open to the general public.

Government

Bethel Park has home rule status. It is divided into nine wards of approximately equal population. Each ward elects one member of the Bethel Park Municipal Council. Both the mayor and the council member serve four-year terms. Each council member is required to reside in the ward that they represent. The mayor at large is elected for a term of four years. The council is made up of members from the ward in which the mayor lives. The city has a population of approximately 2,000. It has a home rule government, which means it has greater powers than the default form of borough government. It also means that it has a smaller population than other boroughs in the area. The population is approximately 1,000 people. The municipal council has a total of nine members, each of whom serves a four year term. There is no mayor or council member at large, but the mayor is elected to a four- year term for the ward he or she lives in. The municipality has an annual budget of $1,000,000 (or $2,500,000 in some wards) and a total population of 2,500 (or 2,400 in other wards). The mayor and council members are elected for four years, with the mayor serving a maximum of two terms. The town's mayor is not allowed to run for re-election more than once in a year. The Municipal Council has a maximum term of five years, and can only serve one term in a single ward.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Bethel Park, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania = 5.9. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 52. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 20. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Bethel Park = 3.4 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 1,412 individuals with a median age of 45.4 age the population dropped by -6.71% in Bethel Park, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,869.34 residents per square mile of area (1,107.85/km²). There are average 2.41 people per household in the 12,791 households with an average household income of $64,757 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.00% of the available work force and has dropped -4.29% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 25.42%. The number of physicians in Bethel Park per 100,000 population = 380.7.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Bethel Park = 38.2 inches and the annual snowfall = 16.1 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 117. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 165. 84 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 23.8 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 49, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Bethel Park, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania which are owned by the occupant = 74.73%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 42 years with median home cost = $144,440 and home appreciation of 0.74%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $21.33 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $6,889 per student. There are 14.1 students for each teacher in the school, 627 students for each Librarian and 558 students for each Counselor. 8.58% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 25.89% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 11.78% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).