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Bloomsburg is a town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Wilkes Barre. In 1900, the population of Bloomsburg stood at 6,170; in 1910, 7,413; and in 1940, 9,799. The population was 12,375 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Columbia County. The town is home to the Bloomsburg Fair.
Only Town
For more than a century, starting in 1870, Bloomsburg held the distinction of being the only incorporated town in Pennsylvania. While other municipalities are often commonly referred to as towns, they were all officially classified as either cities, boroughs, or townships. While Bloomsburg still uses the slogan of "The only TOWN in Pennsylvania," it's no longer true. Pennsylvania code chapter 23 established the Town of McCandless, in Allegheny County as an incorporated municipality, effective January 1, 1975.*
Geography
Bloomsburg is located at (41.000614, -76.453950).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 12.0 km² (4.6 mi²). 11.4 km² (4.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (4.98%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,375 people, 4,080 households, and 1,791 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,088.4/km² (2,818.1/mi²). There were 4,399 housing units at an average density of 386.9/km² (1,001.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.42% White, 2.60% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.11% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.72% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.74% of the population.
There were 4,080 households out of which 19.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.2% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 56.1% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the town the population was spread out with 12.3% under the age of 18, 45.5% from 18 to 24, 18.6% from 25 to 44, 12.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 77.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $24,868, and the median income for a family was $39,806. Males had a median income of $29,940 versus $19,961 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,819. About 10.5% of families and 31.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Bloomsburg is served by the Bloomsburg Area School District, which has about 1,800 students enrolled. Students in some nearby townships attend Central Columbia School District, which serves about 2,100 students.
The town is also home to Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, one of the 14 institutions in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, which has about 7,600 undergraduate and 760 graduate students.
Notable Businesses
Notable businesses located in or near the town of Bloomsburg include R.R. Donnelly & Sons, a book-binding company, Kawneer Inc, manufacturer of aluminum building products, Del Monte Foods, Bernardi's Italian Foods, Magee-Rieter Automotive Systems, and The Bloomsburg Hospital. The local Special Olympics has its 3rd annual Bocce Bash at the Nelson Field House on campus at the Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania in November.
Arts
Bloomsburg is home to the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble. The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble was founded in 1978 to establish a resident professional ensemble for the production of quality entertainment and educational programs for the region, and to promote the arts.
Local Media
Bloomsburg is served by one daily newspaper, the Press Enterprise. Several radio stations also serve the area, including WHLM-AM (formerly WCNR-AM) and WFYY-FM (formerly WHLM-FM). The town is primarily served by Service Electric Cablevision and receives both the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton market television stations and Philadelphia stations.
Nearby
Nearby municipalities include Danville, Berwick, Millville, Catawissa, Mainville and Benton.
External links
"Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania"