AUSTIN, PA

Austin is a borough along the Freeman Run (river) in southwestern Potter County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 562 at the 2010 census.

History

Austin is known for being the site of the 1911 Austin Dam failure which destroyed much of the town and killed 78 people.

The town was rebuilt, under the slogan "the town too tough to die". This was later changed to "the best town by a dam site".

On November 9, 2021, Kate Crosby, aka Kaitlyn Crosby Wolfel, won the mayoral election against Jim Setzer. They received 38 and 30 votes, respectively. On July 7, 2021, Crosby pleaded guilty for the felony crime of aggravated assault by vehicle on December 21, 2014, which resulted in the death of 62-year-old David Croyle and the maiming of 25-year-old Patrick Hornung. Both men were struck by Crosby’s vehicle while walking along Old West Creek Road, Shippen Township, Cameron County. The Potter Leader-Enterprise wrote that Crosby's felony conviction may render her ineligible to hold office as mayor, because the Pennsylvania Constitution bars anyone convicted of an "infamous crime" from holding office in Pennsylvania. Once in office, the DA or attorney general would need to file a quo warranto to remove her.

Geography

Austin is located at (41.630781, -78.093590).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 623 people, 243 households, and 164 families residing in the borough. The population density was 156.5 people per square mile (60.4/km²). There were 282 housing units at an average density of 70.8 per square mile (27.4/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.72% White, 0.16% African American, 0.32% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.16%.

There were 243 households, 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 26.7% of households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 31.3% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% 65 or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

The median household income was $28,846 and the median family income was $34,375. Males had a median income of $29,659 versus $20,729 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $12,210. About 13.4% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.