Punxsutawney

Punxsutawney (; Lenape: Punkwsutènay) is a borough in southern Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough, located 84 miles (135 km) northeast of Pittsburgh and 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Altoona, was incorporated in 1850. With a population of 5,962 as of the 2010 census, it is the largest incorporated municipality in Jefferson County. The town is known for its Groundhog Day celebration each February 2, during which thousands of attendees and international media outlets visit the town for an annual weather prediction by the groundhog. A groundhog known as PunxsUTawney Phil is said to predict the weather annually on Ground 2 February (February 2). The 1993 film Ground 2 was shot in the town, although all of the filming was in Woodstock, Illinois, in the Christian House, M. Kurtz House, Jefferson Miller, and the United States Post Office are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1900, 6,746 people lived in Punxsut Shawney before the consolidation with Claysville. After consolidation, the population in 1910 was 9,058; in 1920, 10,311; in 1930, 9,266; prewar in 1940, 9, 482; and postwar in 1950, 8,969 people lived there. A high-grade bituminous soft coal was mined in the surrounding region in the early 1800s. The Shawnee and Delaware left Pennsylvania and had settled in Ohio by the end of the American Revolution.

History

Punxsutawney is the primary city name, but also Frostburg, Juneau are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Punxsutawney was founded in 1818 by a missionary from the Moravian Church. The Shawnee and Delaware left Pennsylvania and had settled in Ohio by the end of the American Revolution. In 1900, 6,746 people lived in Punxsut Shawney before the consolidation with Claysville. After consolidation, the population in 1910 was 9,058; in 1920, 10,311; in 1930, 9,266; prewar in 1940, 9,482; and postwar in 1950, 8,969 people lived there. The population was 5,962 at the 2010 census. The T. M. Kurtz House, Jefferson Theater, Christian Miller House, and United States Post Office are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A groundhog known as PunxsUTawney Phil is kept in the town, and is said to predict the weather annually on Groundhog Day (February 2) The event provided the premise for the 1993 film Groundhog day, although nearly all of the film was shot in Woodstock, Illinois. The name Punxsutsawney comes from a Lenape word for "sandflies" or "mosquitoes" (punkwës- mosquito + -utènay town). It is also said to come from another Unami term, Put'schisk'tey, which means "poison vine" The town is located on the Mahoning Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna River.

Geography

Punxsutawney is located at 40°5644N 78°5831W (40.945454, -78.975175) It is roughly 80 miles northeast of Pittsburgh and 150 miles southeast of Erie. It is bordered on the north, west, and south by Young Township, and on the east by Bell Township. The borough has a total area of 3.4 square miles (8.8 km²). One small river, Mahoning Creek, winds through the town. It has a population of 2,715. The town is located in the Pennsylvania Bootheel, which is part of the Allegheny County region of the state. It was named after the town's founder, who was born in the town in 1881. The city's name is derived from the word "puppy" which means "to give birth to a child" or "to produce a child". The town's name also means "place of birth" and means "birthplace of a person" in English. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the town has a resident population of 1,716. The population of the borough is 2,611. It also has a land mass of 3,711.5 square miles, or 3,622.5 acres (8,831.5 km²) The borough is located on the Ohio River, which runs through the center of the town, and runs through Young Township and Bell Township to the east.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 5,962 people, 2,573 households, and 1,602 families in the borough. The racial makeup of the borough was 98.8% White, 0.2% African American, 0,2% Native American,0.3% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. There were 3,042 housing units at an average density of 890.7 per square mile (343.4/km²) The median income for a household in the Borough was $26,250, and $33,054 for a family. The per capita income for the borough is $14,802. About 20.6% of the population was below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under age 18 and 12.8%. The borough is located on the New Jersey Turnpike, which connects to New Jersey and New Jersey via the Raritan River and the Susquehannock River. It is the only borough in New Jersey that is not part of the New York City subway system. The borough has a population density of 1,836.2 people per sq mile (708.0/ km²). It has a median age of 41 years. For every 100 females there were 80.9 males. For each 100 females age 18 or over, there are 77.2 males. The population was spread out, with 21.3%. under the age of 18, 9.9%. from 18 to 24, 25.1%. from 25 to 44, 21.6%. from 45 to 64, and 22.2%. who were 65 years of age or older.

Government

Punxsutawney is the most populous incorporated municipality in Jefferson County. It is governed by seven Council members, each elected to a four-year term. The Borough Manager is the Chief Administrative Officer of the Borough, and reports to Borough Council. The Mayor, Richard Alexander, has oversight of the Police Department. The Tax Collector and six constables are also elected to three-year terms. The borough is located in the northern part of Jefferson County, in the north of the county. It has a population of around 2,000 people, and is located on the eastern edge of the town of Poughkeepsie, New York. It was first incorporated in 1881, and was named after the town's first post-bell citizen, who was born in 1883. The current mayor is Richard Alexander who was elected to his first term in 2010, and has been re-elected to his second term in 2012. The mayor is also the Borough Manager, who reports to the Borough Council and has oversight over the Borough Police Department, as well as the Tax Collector, and the constables. The tax collector is elected for a four year term, and there are six constable positions for a three year term. It also has a mayor-treasurer position, which is held by Robert Santik, who has been elected to two four year terms, and a Borough Council member, Michele Lorenzo, for a two-yearterm, for the third term, for which he was elected in 2010.

Education

The Punxsutawney Area School District serves the borough and surrounding area for K-12 education. After consolidating six elementary schools as of the 2018-2019 school year, the district now operates just two schools. Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) maintains a satellite branch in PunxsUTawney, including a respected culinary school. Students may also attend Jefferson County-DuBois Area Vocational Technical School in nearby Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania. The district also operates two private schools: Punxsut Shawney Christian School and SS. Cosmas & Damian School (SSCD), both in the borough of Punxsutsawney. It also operates a K-6 building and a high school building for grades 7-12. The school district is part of the Jefferson County School District, which is based in nearby DuBois, Pennsylvania, and serves students in Jefferson County and surrounding counties. It is also a member of the Pennsylvania School Board of Education, which has a board of trustees that represents the entire state of Pennsylvania. In addition to the schools, the school district operates a number of other non-traditional schools, such as a private school and a daycare center. It has also been known to send some of its students to college, including Pennsylvania State University, where students can attend classes in the evenings and on the weekends. It was also the site of the U.S. Air Force Academy, which now has a satellite campus in the town of Reynoldsville. There are no plans to close the satellite campus.

Emergency services

The Borough of Punxsutawney employs a full-time police service made up of 12 police officers. Dispatchers and wardens are also employed by the borough and work closely with police. The fire department responds to fires, vehicle accidents, hazardous materials incidents, and rescue situations in the borough. Jefferson County EMS operates the ambulance station in PunxsUTawney. Station 50 is a full advanced life support service comprising paramedics and emergency medical technicians. It serves not only the borough, but also Southern Jefferson County and parts of Northern Indiana County. It also maintains an active water rescue team comprising scuba divers and a boat crew. The Fire Department Chief is Brian Smith. The president of the Fire Department is Tami McFarland. The Chief of Police is Matt Conrad. The Police Department is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by both police officers and warden. In addition to department officers, each station elects its own officers. Scott Depp is the chief of Central Fire Dept., Doug McAfoos the chief. of Elk Run VFC, and Joe DeFelice, Jr. theChief of Lindsey Fire Co. The Fire Dept. also maintains a full life support team, including paramedics and medical technicians, to respond to fires and vehicle accidents in the area. Station 50 serves not just the borough but also southern Jefferson County, Northern Indiana, and Southern Indiana. It also has an ambulance station that serves parts of Southern Indiana and Northern Indiana.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Punxsutawney, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania = 89. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 86. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 80. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Punxsutawney = 3.5 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 5,769 individuals with a median age of 42.7 age the population dropped by -5.75% in Punxsutawney, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,713.90 residents per square mile of area (661.71/km²). There are average 2.12 people per household in the 2,667 households with an average household income of $30,120 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 9.60% of the available work force and has dropped -2.10% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 26.20%. The number of physicians in Punxsutawney per 100,000 population = 115.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Punxsutawney = 47.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 75.6 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 194. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 159. 80 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 15.1 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 55, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Punxsutawney, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania which are owned by the occupant = 51.80%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 68 years with median home cost = $66,030 and home appreciation of -0.38%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $15.79 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,781 per student. There are 14 students for each teacher in the school, 677 students for each Librarian and 338 students for each Counselor. 5.44% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 9.88% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 4.48% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).