Country United States Established 1796 Time zone EST (UTC-4) Population 4,117 (2013) | State Pennsylvania Elevation 1,034 ft (315 m) FIPS code 42-81832 Area code Area code 724 | |
 | ||
Weather 19°C, Wind S at 14 km/h, 23% Humidity Colleges and Universities Waynesburg University, Greene County Career and Technology Center | ||
Waynesburg is a borough in and the county seat of Greene County, Pennsylvania, United States, located about 50 miles (80 km) south of Pittsburgh. Its population was 4,176 at the 2010 census.
Contents
Map of Waynesburg, PA 15370, USA
The region around Waynesburg is underlaid with several layers of coking coal, including the Pittsburgh No. 8 seam, the Waynesburg seam, and the Sewickley (Mapletown) seam. The area is also rich with coalbed methane, which is being developed from the underlying Marcellus Shale, the largest domestic natural gas reserve. Early in the 20th century, four large gas compressing stations and a steam shovel factory were located in Waynesburg.
Waynesburg is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne, one of the top lieutenants of George Washington during the Revolutionary War (1776–81). The borough is the location of Waynesburg University and the Greene County Airport.
History
In August 1875 construction began of the 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge Waynesburg and Washington Railroad, conceived by John Day in 1874 and chartered in 1875. Its passenger service ended in 1929, and conversion to 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge followed in 1944 as a wartime measure. Then the railroad was renamed the Waynesburg Secondary Railroad. Regular freight service ended on this line in 1976, though part of it still serves (irregularly) for railroad access to a coal mine.
The Waynesburg Historic District, Hanna Hall at the university, and Miller Hall are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Geography
Waynesburg is located northeast of the center of Greene County at 39°53′51″N 80°11′8″W (39.897403, -80.185597). Its southern boundary follows the South Fork of Tenmile Creek, an east-flowing tributary of the Monongahela River. The borough is surrounded by Franklin Township, a separate municipality.
U.S. Route 19 passes through the center of the borough as High Street (westbound) and Greene Street (eastbound), turning on the north side of town to follow Morris Street (northbound) and Richhill Street (southbound). Pennsylvania Route 21 joins US 19 through downtown Waynesburg on High Street and Greene Street. PA 21 leads east 2 miles (3 km) to Interstate 79 at Exit 14 and continues east another 25 miles (40 km) to Uniontown. To the west PA 21 leads 6 miles (9.7 km) to Rogersville and 24 miles (39 km) to the Ohio border. I-79 leads north from Exit 14 21 miles (34 km) to Washington and 53 miles (85 km) to Pittsburgh, while Morgantown, West Virginia, is 24 miles (39 km) to the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Waynesburg has a total area of 0.80 square miles (2.07 km2), all of which is land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,184 people, 1,619 households, and 869 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5,038.6 people per square mile (1,946.3/km²). There were 1,811 housing units at an average density of 2,180.9 per square mile (842.4/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.94% White, 1.63% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.65% of the population.
There were 1,619 households, out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.3% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 18.6% under the age of 18, 24.2% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $30,990, and the median income for a family was $42,933. Males had a median income of $31,577 versus $22,458 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $15,333. About 8.0% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.