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Columbia, Pennsylvania
  CATEGORIES ABOUT COLUMBIA, PENNSYLVANIA
   
boroughs in pennsylvania
   
lancaster county, pennsylvania
   
underground railroad locations
   
cities and towns along the susquehanna river
   
settlements established in 1788
   
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GENERAL INFORMATION

  • Zip code: 17512

  • Area code: 717



GEOGRAPHY

Columbia is located at 40°1'59" North, 76°29'48" West (40.033197, -76.496802).

Columbia is located immediately east of the Susquehanna River . It is just south of U.S. Route 30.

According to the United States Census Bureau , the borough has a total area of 6.9 Km&2 (2.7 Mi&2 ). 6.3 km&2 (2.4 mi&2) of it is land and 0.6 km&2 (0.2 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 8.61% water.


DEMOGRAPHICS

As of the Census of 2000, there were 10,311 people, 4,287 households, and 2,589 families residing in the borough. The Population Density was 1,631.6/km&2 (4,227.8/mi&2). There were 4,595 housing units at an average density of 727.1/km&2 (1,884.1/mi&2). The racial makeup of the borough was 91.34% White , 4.42% Black or African American , 0.18% Native American , 0.41% Asian , 0.05% Pacific Islander , 1.70% from Other Races , and 1.90% from two or more races. 4.49% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,287 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were Married Couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the borough the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $32,385, and the median income for a family was $42,309. Males had a median income of $32,528 versus $22,748 for females. The Per Capita Income for the borough was $16,626. 11.3% of the population and 7.5% of families were below the Poverty Line . 18.3% of those under the age of 18 and 10.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.


HISTORY

  • In 1789 it was proposed to locate the Capital of the United States here.

  • During the first part of the 19th Century , Columbia was an important stopping place along the Underground Railroad , as escaped Slave s would be transported across the Susquehanna River and often fed and given supplies in Columbia before heading north towards Canada .

  • In the 1840s and 1850s , the town became an important regional center of commerce, with manufactured and agricultural goods being shipped via Railroad , Canal and the Turnpike to markets in Philadelphia , Harrisburg , Baltimore and other locales. Important industries included warehousing, tobacco processing, iron foundries, clock making and boat building.

  • The world's longest Covered Bridge (5,960 feet) once spanned the Susquehanna from Columbia to neighboring Wrightsville in York County . Built in 1814, it was destroyed by high water and ice in 1832. A replacement bridge was burned in June of 1863 by state Militia during the Gettysburg Campaign in the American Civil War , preventing Confederate soldiers from entering Lancaster County and attacking Harrisburg from the rear. Yet another replacement covered bridge was destroyed by a windstorm a few years later. The final bridge was a steel open-air bridge, which was razed in the early 1960s .

  • During the Civil War, a number of local black citizens enlisted in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, a Regiment composed of black soldiers serving under white officers. The unit gained fame in an assault on Fort Wagner in South Carolina . Some of these veterans are buried in Columbia's black cemetery, located just off of Fifth Street.



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