Aaronsburg is an unincorporated census-designated place in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 485 at the 2000 census.

Founded by Aaron Levy in 1786, and named for him.^[1] Aaronsburg is the first town in Pennsylvania (and probably in the United States) that was laid out by and named after a Jew. The town's orderly planned and aligned streets were designed that the town might one day be the county seat. This, however never occurred due to the lack of water. The current county seat is Bellefonte.

Aaronsburg is home to two churches (Salem Lutheran and Reformed), three cemeteries, a library, historical museum, and a pottery shop.

The Aaronsburg Story

In 1949 a pageant was held to celebrate Aaronsburg's unique history and namesake. Aaron Levy, a Jewish merchant from Philadelphia, presented the town's residents with a pewter communion set as a gift. This unusual gesture inspired many, and 50,000 people descended upon Aaronsburg to commemorate it. Attendees included Ralph Bunche, Cornell Wilde, and, later, Ronald Reagan. A short film and book were written about this event.

Geography

Aaronsburg is located at 40°54′3″N 77°27′12″W / 40.90083, -77.45333 (40.900946, -77.453383)^[2].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 485 people, 201 households, and 146 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 931.1 people per square mile (360.1/km²). There were 209 housing units at an average density of 401.2/sq mi (155.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 99.59% White, 0.21% Native American, and 0.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population.

There were 201 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $40,833, and the median income for a family was $41,667. Males had a median income of $30,938 versus $28,036 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $21,011. About 3.2% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

• John H. Stover, (1833-1889), born in Aaronsburg, United States Congressman from Missouri.^[4]

External links

• Aaronsburg, Pennsylvania is at coordinates 40°54′03″N 77°27′12″W / 40.900946, -77.453383 (Aaronsburg, Pennsylvania)Coordinates: 40°54′03″N 77°27′12″W / 40.900946, -77.453383 (Aaronsburg, Pennsylvania)

Sources

• Aaron Levy, by Isabella H. Rosenbach and Abraham S. Wolf Rosenbach, in Publ. Am. Jew. Hist. Soc. No. 2, 1894, pp. 157-163.

Notes

• 1. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, 22. 

• ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
• ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
• ^ (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 

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