| Shenandoah, Pennsylvania |
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| schuylkill county, pennsylvania | |
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Shenandoah is a borough located in the lower part of the Coal Region , Schuylkill County , Pennsylvania It is 105 miles (169 km) northwest of Philadelphia . The Greater Shenandoah area includes Shenandoah Heights , which is part of West Mahanoy Township and is located just north of Shenandoah. The United Greek Catholic Church (Ruthenian rite) was the first of that denomination in the United States. St. George Lithuanian Roman Catholic Church is the oldest Lithuanian parish in the United States. In 1900 , 20,321 people lived here; in 1910 , 25,774 people lived here; in 1920 , 24,726 people lived here; and in 1940 , 19,790 people lived here. The population was 5,624 at the 2000 census. HISTORY Shenandoah was settled between 1820 and 1835. The earliest settler was a farmer named Peter Kehley and he would later discover anthracite coal in a nearby stream. Booming growth occurred during the Civil War years caused by the development and opening of several Anthracite Coal Mine s. The area was incorporated as a borough in 1866 and was a famous hotbed of activity during the era of the Molly Maguires in the 1870's. After the original influx of English, Welsh, Irish and German immigrants a large influx of peoples from the eastern and southern European countries occurred in the decades before and after the turn of the Twentieth Century and by 1920 a population of nearly 30,000 residents was attained with the city taking on a cosmopolitan appearance. The community was hard hit by the decline of the Anthracite Coal industry after World War II and heavy emigration by coal miners occurred in order to find work elsewhere. ORIGINS OF THE NAME SHENANDOAH The origin of the name Shenandoah is much debated. One theory holds that Shenandoah is an Indian word meaning "''sprucy stream''" or "river flowing alongside high hills and mountains." The word Shenandoah does come from Algonquian -Wakashian American Indians which does mean (''Beautiful star daughter; maybe spruce-lined stream or vast prairie.'') Another theory is the origin of the Shenandoah Valley , Virginia, Indian, of course, and also means "daughter of the skies." Jacob Oliver Roads named Shenadoah after the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia where he had coal interests. Other claims are that Shenandoah is Iroquois for "great plains" and less likely, that it is derived from the Schind-han-dom or "spruce stream." Ultimately, it is left to the residents to determine which meaning it is for themselves, for it could be any of these choices. NOTABLE NATIVES AND RESIDENTS Shenandoah was the birthplace of Jazz musicians and bandleaders Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey . Shenandoah was also the birthplace of writer Daryl Poniscan , whose novel, ''Andoshen, PA'' is set in "a fictional town fourteen real miles from John O'Hara 's fictional Gibbsville." (Shenandoah is fourteen miles north of Pottsville ). Shenandoah was also the birthplace of Mary Twardzik. In 1952 , her son Ted, using Mary's original recipe for a potato-stuffed pasta pocket, or '' Pierogi '', launched the Shenandoah-based, brand ''Mrs. T's Pierogies'' {Link without Title} ', which today is run with the help of Ateeco Corp. Roman-Catholic Priest , best selling author, and GULAG survivor Walter Ciszek was born to a Polish-American family in Shenandoah. He is currently under investigation for possible Sainthood . His current title is Servant Of God . GEOGRAPHY Shenandoah is located at (40.819753, -76.202883). According to the United States Census Bureau , the borough has a total area of 4.1 Km&2 (1.6 Mi&2 ). 3.9 km&2 (1.5 mi&2) of it is land and 0.2 km&2 (0.1 mi&2) of it (3.80%) is water. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 5,624 people, 2,649 households, and 1,380 families residing in the borough. The Population Density was 1,428.6/km&2 (3,710.7/mi&2). There were 3,339 housing units at an average density of 848.2/km&2 (2,203.1/mi&2). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.40% White , 0.34% African American , 0.25% Native American , 0.36% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 1.01% from Other Races , and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.76% of the population. There were 2,649 households out of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.5% were Married Couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.9% were non-families. 42.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 26.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.84. In the borough the population was spread out with 19.0% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 28.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $18,714, and the median income for a family was $26,910. Males had a median income of $24,289 versus $19,783 for females. The Per Capita Income for the borough was $12,562. About 16.2% of families and 20.1% of the population were below the Poverty Line , including 32.3% of those under age 18 and 16.1% of those age 65 or over. TRIVIA
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