Williamsport

Williamsport is a city in, and the county seat of, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. It recorded a population of 27,754 at the 2020 Census. The city is the cultural, financial, and commercial center of Central Pennsylvania. Williamsport was settled by Americans in the late 18th century, and began to prosper due to its lumber industry. The population has since declined by approximately 40 percent from its peak of around 45,000 in 1950. It is also home to two institutions of higher learning, the Pennsylvania College of Technology and Lycoming College. South Williamsport, a town nearby, is the headquarters of Little League Baseball and annually hosts the Little League World Series in late summer. The West Branch Canal opened and the first boat to pass through the canal en route to Jersey Shore was that of George Aughenbaugh. In May 1835, the first public schools opened in Williamsport and also the town's first bank, West Branch National Bank. The Underground Railroad, used by enslaved African-Americans to obtain their freedom in 30 years before the Civil War, included routes from states in the South, which supported slavery, to "free" states in North and Canada. During 1865, many local abolitionists, including Daniel Hughes, served as conductors and conductors of the Underground Railroad. In 1831 Jacob L. Mussina established the Repasz Band, the oldest brass band in America still in existence. The first freight carried into town was iron for the foundry of John B. Hall. The Hiawatha riverboat, Millionaires' Row, Peter J. McGovern Little League Museum, the Community Arts Center, the Genetti Hotel, the Susquehanna Riverwalk and The Gallery at Penn College.

History

Williamsport is the primary city name, but also Armstrong, Bastress, Collomsville, Duboistown, Nisbet, S Williamspor, S Williamsport, S Williamsprt, South Williamsport, Sylvan Dell are acceptable city names or spellings, Oval on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. The official name is City of Williamsport. In 1763 the Battle of Muncy Hills took place during the French and Indian War. On April 13, 1795 Lycoming County was formed from Northumberland County. In 1798 the first brick house in Williamsport was erected on Front Street. In 1831 Jacob L. Mussina established the Repasz Band, the oldest brass band in America still in existence. On Oct. 15 1834 The West Branch Canal opened and the first boat to pass through the canal en route to Jersey Shore was that of George Aughenbaugh. In May 1835, the first public schools opened and also the town's first bank, the West Branch National Bank. The Underground Railroad, used by enslaved African-Americans to obtain their freedom in the 30 years before the Civil War (1860-1865), included routes from states in the South, which supported slavery, to "free" states in. the North and Canada. From 1830 until 1865, the underground railroad, a system of safe houses and routes for slaves escaping to freedom, operated in Lycoming county; many local abolitionists, including Daniel Hughes, served as conductors and agents. Mamie Sweeting Diggs, fourth generation descent and great-granddaughter, was a river raftsman on the Susquehanna river who had migrated from Oswego, New York. During his trips transporting logs to Maryland, he brought escaped slaves back on foot from Baltimore and hid them at his home and in the caves on Freedom Road.

Geography and climate

Williamsport is located at 41°1440N 77°17W (41.244428, 77.018738) It is about 130 miles (209 km) northwest of Philadelphia and 165 miles (266 km) east-northeast of Pittsburgh. The Peter Herdic House, Hart Building, Millionaire's Row Historic District, City Hall, Williamsport Armory, and Old City Hall are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Summers are typically very warm and humid with temperatures exceeding 90 °F (32 °C) on 15 days per year on average. Snowfall averages 36.0 inches (91 cm) per season. The snowiest month on record was 40.1 inches (102 cm) in January 1987, while winter snowfall amounts have ranged from 85.9 in (218 cm) to 7.0 in (18cm) in 198889. The all-time record high temperature in Williamsport was 106°F (41°C) was established on July 9, 1936, which occurred during the Dust Bowl. January is the coldest month with an average mean temperature of 26.8 °F   (2.9 °C), with temperatures on average dropping to or below 0 °C (18 °F) on 2.8 days and staying at or below freezing on 29 days peryear. The normal annual mean temperature is 50.4 °f (10.2 °C). Normal yearly precipitation based on the 30-year average from 1981-2010 is 4128 inches (049 mm) falling on an average 133 days.

Demographics

Williamsport is the larger principal city of the Williamsport-Lock Haven, PA Combined Statistical Area. The combined population of the two cities was 157,958 at the 2000 census. Williamsport is located in Lycoming County and Clinton County. The city has a population of 30,706, with 12,219 households and 6,732 families. The median income for a household in the city was $25,946, and the median income. for a family was $33,844. About 13.7% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.0% of those under age 18 and 11.6% ofThose age 65 or over. The population of Williamsport was 84.1% White, 12.7. Black, 0.4% Native American,0.6. Asian, 0,0% Pacific Islander, and 1.7%. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1%. The city is home to the U.S. Air Force's Williamsport Air Force Base, which is located on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The Williamsport Airport is located just south of the city. The airport is one of the busiest airports in the United States, with a passenger traffic capacity of more than 1.5 million people per day. It is the second-busiest airport in the state, after Philadelphia, with an average of 1.6 million passengers per day, according to the 2010 census.

Government

Williamsport is located in Pennsylvania's 23rd senatorial District, Pennsylvania's 83rd House District, and Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district. Williamsport operates on a "Strong Mayor" form of government. The mayor is given almost total administrative authority and a clear, wide range of political independence with the power to appoint and dismiss department heads without council approval. There is little need for public input in the mayor's decision-making process. The city's mayor is Derek Slaughter, who has been in office since 2007. The town is located on the banks of the Susquehannock River, which runs through the center of the city. It has a population of about 2,000 people. It is in the 23rd district and the 83rd district of Pennsylvania's House of Representatives, and the 12th district of the Senate, which are all in the state's 12th congressional district. It was founded in 1881. The city's first mayor was William "Bill" Smith, who was elected in 1883. The current mayor is Derek Slaughter, who took office in 2007. It is located in the 23rd district, which is home to the Pennsylvania Senate and the 83rd House of Pennsylvania, and the 12th District of the Congress of Pennsylvania, which is in the state for the 13th constituency and the 14th state.

Economy

Williamsport is noted for the Lycoming aircraft engines which is a division of Avco Corporation and a subsidiary of Textron. Shop-Vac is headquartered in the Newberry section of Williamsport and manufactures wet/dry vacuums and accessories for consumer, industrial, commercial and contractor uses. Bethlehem Wire Rope, a 46-acre (190,000 m2) manufacturing complex in Williamsport, is the single largest wire rope manufacturing facility in North America. The Williamsport Downtown Gateway Revitalization Project began in 2004 in order to attract more people (both citizens of the Williamsport community and visitors) to the downtown Williamsport area. The construction on the Carl E. Stotz Memorial Little League Bridge, the first of many projects, began in June 2004 and was completed in 2008. Williamsport has become a key area in the Marcellus Shale drilling. The Pennsylvania State Government, the Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport Area School District, Brodart Company, Springs Window Fashions, Weis Markets, West Pharmaceuticals, Shop Vac Corporation, and Textron Lycoming Engines are among the city's top employers. The city is home to the UPMC Susquehanna Medical Center and the Pennsylvania State University of Technology. It is also the home of the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania's College of Science and Technology, which are both located in the city. The town is located on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which runs through Williamsport.

Education

Williamsport is the home of Lycoming College and Pennsylvania College of Technology, The Commonwealth Medical College. There is also a continuing education center of Pennsylvania State University located in Williamsport. Private schools in the area include West Branch School, Mountain View Christian School and Williamsport Christian School. Several Catholic schools in Lycoming County are run by Saint John Neumann Regional Academy. Williamsport Area School District has a renowned music program, frequently ranked in the top Schools in the country each year according to the Namm Foundation. The school district consists of: Cochran Primary, Jackson Primary, Stevens Primary, Lycoming Valley Intermediate School, Williamsport High School and West Branch Middle School. It is also home to West Branch High School, West Branch Elementary School, and Mountain View High School. The high school is located in the town of Williamsport and is known for its music program. The district also has a middle school and a high school, which are known for their music program and are ranked among the best in the nation. It also has an elementary and middle school, as well as a middle and high school. The area is home to several private schools, including West Branch, Jackson and Lycoming Christian School, which is run by the Church of Christ, Scientist. There are also a number of private Catholic schools, such as West Branch and Mountainview Christian School in the county. The town is also the home to the Saint Johns Regional Academy, a private Catholic school that was founded in 1883.

Libraries

The James V. Brown Library is Williamsport's public library. With a collection of nearly 150,000 units it offers books, DVDs, CDs, and other resources. As the headquarters for the county library system, the Brown Library serves almost 87,000 patrons. Lycoming College's Snowden Library and the Pennsylvania College of Technology's Madigan Library are also located in Williamsport. The Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Bureau of Library Development funds the statewide online resource "Ask Here PA", a free chat service that provides Williamsport and other Pennsylvania library patrons with access to 24/7 reference support. The library has a staff of nearly 50 full and part-time employees, and offers volunteer opportunities for youth and adults. It also offers a variety of after-school gaming clubs, arts and crafts programs, and social events that occur on a regular basis. In 2009, the library constructed a children's wing in 2009 to target educational and social resources to young people from birth through the second grade. It has since been able to bolster its school-age programming to include teen and tween populations, offering a range of programs for teens and adults, as well as a traveling Storymobile. It offers wireless Internet access, local history archives, and premium online reference resources. It is also home to the Pennsylvania State Library, which offers a wide range of resources for students and the general public. The Brown Library has been open to the public for more than 50 years.

Hospitals

UPMC Susquehanna is a six hospital integrated health system. It was recognized as one of the 2011 Thomson Reuters 50 Top Heart Hospitals in the nation. It is located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Muncy, Lock Haven, Wellsboro, Pennsylvania and Sunbury, Pennsylvania. The hospital is one of six in the U.S. that are part of the UPMC Health System, which also includes the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. It has a total of six hospitals, including two in Maryland and two in New Jersey. It also has a satellite hospital in New York City, the New Jersey Medical Center, and a satellite facility in Washington, D.C. The system also has an outpatient center, the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, which has a network of more than 30 clinics. It also has a satellite clinic in New Haven, Connecticut, and an outpatient clinic in Washington. It's also located in Muncy and Lock Haven in Pennsylvania, as well as a satellite center in Newburgh, New York, and in Sunbury in Pennsylvania. In addition to the hospitals, the system has a number of outpatient facilities, including the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center and University Phenomenal Cancer Research Institute, which is based in New Hampshire, New Jersey. The hospital complex in Williamsport is the largest in the United States, with six hospitals.

Transportation

Williamsport Regional Airport (IPT) has two flights daily to Charlotte via American Eagle (as of October 2020) Fullington Trailways provides daily long distance bus service from a station in the downtown to Elmira, New York, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia. Local bus service within Williamsport and to other places in Lycoming County is offered by River Valley Transit. There is no passenger rail service, but, until the mid-20th century, Williamsport was a major transfer point between the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), Reading Railroad (to Jersey City and Philadelphia), and New York Central Railroad. Freight rail service (west to Avis and east to Muncy) is provided by the Lycoming Valley Railroad, which has its main yard in the Newberry section of Williamsport. The West Branch Susquehanna River is not navigable, but a dam at Hepburn Street provides a large lake for recreational boating, including outings on the mock paddlewheeler Hiawatha from SusqueHanna State Park. Once completed, Interstate 99 will enter Williamsport from the southwest on US 220 and continue north on US 15, joining only one at a time. The longest enduring were PRR passenger services to New York City, Buffalo, Harrisberg, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia (the Buffalo Day Express and the Dominion Express to the north and the Washington Express and Dominionexpress to the south); and to Erie (Northern Express bound west, and Southern Express bound south and east).

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Williamsport, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania = 50.1. 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 93. 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 89. 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 Williamsport = 3.8 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 27,754 individuals with a median age of 34 age the population dropped by -4.14% in Williamsport, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 3,162.13 residents per square mile of area (1,220.89/km²). There are average 2.23 people per household in the 11,928 households with an average household income of $30,519 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 10.50% of the available work force and has dropped -5.03% 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 19.44%. The number of physicians in Williamsport per 100,000 population = 177.7.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Williamsport = 40.9 inches and the annual snowfall = 42.5 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 139. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 180. 84 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 18.8 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 48, 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 Williamsport, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania which are owned by the occupant = 39.90%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 29.4 years with median home cost = $103,550 and home appreciation of -2.11%. 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 $15.17 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 $6,928 per student. There are 15 students for each teacher in the school, 1161 students for each Librarian and 323 students for each Counselor. 7.12% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 10.27% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 5.93% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).