Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania

History

In 1792, S. Lulis and Catharina Jungman (Youngman) and their two children, came from Fort Augusta (now Sunbury) Pennsylvania to the Buffalo Valley to settle on land given to them by Catharina’s father. They divided the land into 60’ by 120’ plots that were sold to other adventurous settlers, many of them German, and the village of Youngmanstown was formed. A few years later George Rote (Rhoade) laid out a village just east of Youngmanstown, known as Greenville or Rotestown, after George’s death. Eventually, the two settlements merged at Third Street. In 1827 the two villages combined and were incorporated. The combined village was named Mifflinburg, in honor of Thomas Mifflin, the first Governor of Pennsylvania after the 1790 Constitution.

In 1845, George Swentzel set up Mifflinburg's first buggy business. Soon other buggy manufacturers set up their own shops in Mifflinburg, and by 1855, with a population of 800, Mifflinburg hosted thirteen coachmakers. By the 1880s, with more than fifty buggy and sleigh factories, Mifflinburg became known as “Buggy Town” because its buggy makers produced more horse-drawn vehicles per capita than any other town in the state.

The Mifflinburg Historic District, Hassenplug Bridge, and William A. Heiss House and Buggy Shop are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Mifflinburg is located at 40°55′8″N 77°2′48″W (40.918939, -77.046800), about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Williamsport.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,594 people, 1,506 households, and 1,028 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,976.0 people per square mile (762.4/km²). There were 1,605 housing units at an average density of 882.4 per square mile (340.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.16% White, 0.45% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.

There were 1,506 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the borough the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $34,906, and the median income for a family was $43,520. Males had a median income of $30,568 versus $21,315 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $17,161. About 7.6% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

There are no colleges or universities in Mifflinburg. The Mifflinburg Area School District has a number of its schools located in the borough. It has the high school (Mifflinburg Area High School), the middle school (Mifflinburg Area Middle School) and the Mifflinburg Area Intermediate School which opened for the 2006 school year. An elementary school (Mifflinburg Elementary School) is also located in the borough. As of the 2011 school year, the three elementary schools that were previously surrounding the district have been closed. All students outside the borough now go to Mifflinburg Elementary School. In 2007 the Pittsburgh Business Times ranked the district 203rd out of 499 Pennsylvania school districts based on three years of Pennsylvania System of Student Assessment test scores.

SUN Area Technical Institute New Berlin, Union County, PA 17855 (570) 966-1031. SUN Tech is a regional school that provides area students with skills needed to compete in today’s job market and receive consideration for advanced college placement. SUN Tech also offers adult education classes, vocational education, and technical career training, serving over 1500 people annually. ISO9001 and Middle States Accredited. SUN Tech was presented with the Significant Achievement Award in Education for raising their Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program criteria score to 648 points, a 345-point increase from 303 points in August, 2000.

Residents also have a wide selection of alternative schools. By law, the local public school must provide transportation to schools within 10 miles of the borders of the school district at no charge to the student.

Hillside Christian Academy 1650 Centennial Road, Mifflinburg, PA 17844-0178 Founded in 1976 the school offers a k-12 curriculum. Member of the Accelerated Christian Education Association.

Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit 16 serves the region from Montandon, Union County, PA. It provides specialized services to the district like professional development and special education support.

Economy and tourism

Major employers include Weis Markets (a supermarket), Mifflinburg Area School District, CVS, Cole's Hardware, Ritz-Craft (a manufacturer of modular homes), and Yorktowne (a cabinetry manufacturer). In 2005 Yorktowne management made the decision to move most of the Mifflinburg operations to Danville, Virginia, rather than comply with new air pollution regulations in Pennsylvania.

Major tourist attractions include

Highway

Mifflinburg's business district is centered on Pennsylvania Route 45.
U.S. Route 15, the primary north/south highway through central Pennsylvania, is located 9 miles to the east.
The most direct route to the nearest interstate highway exit involves going over Sand Mountain on an unpaved road to reach Interstate 80 exit 192. Most westbound drivers will opt for exit 185 instead. Eastbound drivers will use exit 210.

Bus

A Susquehanna Trailways station is located 9 miles east.

Rail

Mifflinburg was once served by the Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad. Today, the closest passenger rail access is the Lewistown Amtrak station.

Air

Although Williamsport Regional Airport (IATA: IPT) is the closest airport with scheduled airline service, travelers often seek out the lower fares at Trenton–Mercer Airport (IATA: TTN), Philadelphia International Airport (IATA: PHL), or Washington Dulles International Airport (IATA: IAD).
The general-aviation Penn Valley Airport (IATA: SEG) is located 15 miles southeast, and features an Avis car rental facility.