Country United States County Dauphin Incorporated 1880 Area 4.9 km² Zip code 17113 Local time Sunday 11:35 PM | State Pennsylvania Settled 1866 Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) Elevation 96 m Population 5,945 (2013) Area code 717 | |
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Weather 6°C, Wind E at 16 km/h, 88% Humidity | ||
Steelton is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States, 4 miles (6 km) southeast of Harrisburg. The population was 5,990 at the 2010 census. The borough is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
Map of Steelton, PA, USA
History
Steelton was incorporated as a borough on January 19, 1880. It was named from the steel industry contained within its borders. The extensive works of the Pennsylvania Steel Company, later operated by Bethlehem Steel, are located along the Susquehanna River in Steelton. Also present at one time were brickyards, a flouring mill, and machine shops.
Steelton is the birthplace of Homer Litzenberg, the Korean War hero who commanded the 7th Marine Regiment during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.
19 people were killed and 199 injured, when a Baseball Special train from Harrisburg to Philadelphia derailed at Steelton on July 28, 1962. Three of the nine cars landed in the Susquehanna River. A passing U.S. Navy drill team participated in the rescue efforts.
Steelton High School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.
Geography
Steelton is located in southern Dauphin County along the northeast bank of the Susquehanna River. It is bordered to the southeast by the borough of Highspire and to the northeast by the unincorporated communities of Enhaut and Bressler. To the northwest, the city limits of Harrisburg, the state capital, come within 0.3 miles (0.48 km) of the borough limits of Steelton; the city center is 4 miles (6 km) northwest of Steelton's center.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2), all of it land.
Pennsylvania Route 230 (Front Street) is the main road through the borough, connecting Harrisburg to the northwest with Highspire and Middletown to the southeast. Steelton has two neighborhoods, Uptown and East End.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,858 people, 2,312 households, and 1,518 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,215.6 people per square mile (1,242.7/km²). There were 2,533 housing units at an average density of 1,390.4 per square mile (537.4/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 62.03% White, 31.12% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.41% from other races, and 3.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.48% of the population. 15.0% were of German, 7.7% American, 6.0% Irish, 5.7% Italian and 5.4% Croatian ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 2,312 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 22.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.7% 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 2.53 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 28.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $34,829, and the median income for a family was $39,556. Males had a median income of $30,488 versus $24,701 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $16,612. About 9.1% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.
Steelton is also home to Eddie Albert, the legendary 2006 PA-Ohio Slam Dunk Contest judge.