Waterford, Pennsylvania

Waterford
Borough
Downtown Waterford
Location in Erie County and the state of Pennsylvania.
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Erie
Government
• Mayor	Brian Skelton
Area
• Total	1.2 sq mi (3 km2)
• Land	1.2 sq mi (3 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Population (2000)
• Total	1,449
• Density	1,200/sq mi (470/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-4)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-5)
Zip code	16441
Area code(s)	814

Waterford is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,449 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Erie Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Waterford is an independent municipality located entirely within (and completely surrounded by) Waterford Township and is located near the geographic center of the township.

Location

Waterford is located at (41.943648, -79.984012).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), of which, 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) of it (1.63%) is water. Lake Le Boeuf lies immediately adjacent to the borough.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	403		—
1850	498		23.6%
1860	792		59.0%
1870	790		−0.3%
1880	784		−0.8%
1890	838		6.9%
1900	767		−8.5%
1910	724		−5.6%
1920	744		2.8%
1930	769		3.4%
1940	804		4.6%
1950	1,195		48.6%
1960	1,390		16.3%
1970	1,468		5.6%
1980	1,568		6.8%
1990	1,492		−4.8%
2000	1,449		−2.9%
2010	1,517		4.7%
Est. 2014	1,543		1.7%
Sources:

A statue of George Washington wearing the uniform of the Virginia militia.

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,449 people, 558 households, and 409 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,189.3 people per square mile (458.6/km²). There were 590 housing units at an average density of 484.3 per square mile (186.7/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.76% White, 0.28% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.48% of the population.

There were 558 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $37,875, and the median income for a family was $40,368. Males had a median income of $32,946 versus $21,202 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $17,135. About 4.5% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

History

Waterford is said to contain the only statue of George Washington wearing a British uniform, but in reality, he had been sent by the Governor of Virginia and is wearing the uniform of an officer in the Virginia Militia. In December 1753, at age 21, Washington was asked by Governor Dinwiddie to carry a British ultimatum to the French Canadians on the Ohio frontier. Washington delivered the message to the French Canadians at Fort Le Boeuf in present-day Waterford, Pennsylvania. The message, which went unheeded because he delivered it to the wrong person, called for the French Canadians to abandon their development of the Ohio country to the south. The two colonial powers were heading toward worldwide conflict, the Seven Years' War, or the French and Indian War.

The area roughly bounded by North Park Row, High St, West First Street, and Walnut Street comprises the Waterford Borough Historic District. The Eagle Hotel and Waterford Covered Bridge, along with the Waterford Borough Historic District are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Notable residents

• Brian Milne, professional football player, Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints
• Claude Anshin Thomas, Zen Buddhist mendicant monk, decorated Vietnam War veteran, writer
• Patrick Monahan,singer-songwriter, lead singer of Train (band)
• Strong Vincent, American Civil War Brigadier General, hero of the Battle of Gettysburg

References

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons