Kutztown, Pennsylvania

History

George (Coots) Kutz purchased 130 acres (53 ha) of land that became Kutztown on June 16, 1755, from Peter Wentz, who owned much of what is now Maxatawny Township. Kutz first laid out his plans for the town in 1779. The first lots in the new town of Cootstown (later renamed Kutztown) were purchased in 1785 by Adam Dietrich and Henry Schweier.

Kutztown was incorporated as a borough on April 7, 1815, and is the second oldest borough in Berks County after Reading, which became a borough in 1783 and became a city in 1847.

As with the rest of Berks County, Kutztown was settled mainly by Germans, most of whom came from the Palatinate region of southwest Germany, which borders the Rhine river.

The Kutztown area, broadly defined, encompasses an area of land also known as the East Penn Valley, a broad limestone valley situated in northern and eastern Berks County, bounded by the Blue Mountain and South Mountain ranges to the north and south, respectively, by the Lehigh County border to the east, and by Ontelaunee Creek (Maiden Creek) to the west. Crystal Cave was discovered near the town in 1871.

The H.K. Deisher Knitting Mill and Kutztown 1892 Public School Building are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Since 1950 the Kutztown Folk Festival has been held in early July celebrating the culture, artistry and culinary delights of the aforementioned early German settlers as well as their Pennsylvania Dutch neighbors.

Geography

Kutztown is located in northeastern Berks County at 40°31′11″N 75°46′31″W (40.519798, -75.775260). It is surrounded by Maxatawny Township but is separate from it.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.3 km²), of which 0.004 square miles (0.01 km²), or 0.33%, is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 5,012 people residing in the borough. The racial makeup of the borough was 95.8% White, 1.4% African American, 0.0% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 0.8% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population.

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,067 people, 1,874 households, and 886 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,191.4 people per square mile (1,230.4/km²). There were 1,940 housing units at an average density of 1,221.9 per square mile (471.1/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.00% White, 0.99% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 0.53% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population. Historically there is a large Pennsylvania Dutch population.

There are 1,874 households, out of which 18.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% were married couples living together, 7.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 52.7% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size is 2.80.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 12.4% under the age of 18, 38.7% from 18 to 24, 19.0% from 25 to 44, 13.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 24 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $35,677, and the median income for a family is $49,653. Males had a median income of $33,438 versus $28,669 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,803. About 3.8% of families and 29.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

Ethnicities

Ethnicities in Kutztown:

Education

Kutztown is served by the Kutztown Area School District. Kutztown University serves as an institution of higher learning.

Transportation

U.S. Route 222 bypasses the borough to the north and west on a freeway, leading northeast to Allentown and southwest to Reading. Pennsylvania Route 737 leads north to Krumsville and Interstate 78. Main Street runs southwest-northeast through Kutztown, connecting to US 222 at both ends. Greenwich Street heads north from Main Street and becomes PA 737 past an interchange with US 222. Noble Street heads south from Main Street and leads south to Lyons. The Allentown & Auburn Railroad operates a freight and tourist railroad from a station in Kutztown east to Topton; the tracks are owned by the Kutztown Transportation Authority. Bieber Tourways provides bus service from Kutztown to Reading, Allentown, Bethlehem, Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal in Philadelphia, and Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City. Kutztown Airport was located outside the borough but closed on January 31, 2009.

Economy

Kutztown's economy is strong and diverse, with workers employed by Kutztown University, Radius Toothbrush, digital creative agency, Sposto Interactive, Bieber Tourways, and at one time, the brand of athletic shoe known as the Saucony.

Notable people