DELMONT, PA

Delmont is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,686 at the 2010 census.

History

Delmont was initially known as New Salem. The 300 acres of land was warranted to William Wilson in 1784 and upon his arrival in 1785 he named the area New Salem. In 1812 a post office was established in New Salem and it was named Salem X Roads(Salem Crossroads), Pennsylvania. Hugh Bigham was the first postmaster. Wilson continued to farm on the land until his death in 1796. After Wilson's death in 1796 his estate was divided between his sons, Thomas and George. It was not until 1812 that the patent was validated. Eventually, the family conveyed their deeds over to Thomas and he became the sole owner of the property. Thomas decided to divide the property into 48 lots to form a crossroads village. Thomas Wilson designed the town around a watering trough that was built in 1810 by Hugh Bigham. The watering trough was originally known as the "running pump." The watering trough was connected with wooden pipes to a "Big Spring" that's never known to run dry. In 1814, two days before Christmas, 48 lots were auctioned off to form a "crossroads" town. As the area developed, the town was referred to locally as "Salem Crossroads."

On April 8, 1833, the town was incorporated as "New Salem Borough." The mailing address was Salem Crossroads until 1871, when town postmaster Zachariah Zimmerman changed it to Delmont. The town and the post office carried two different names until May 16, 1967, when residents voted to change the borough's name to Delmont after a promotional campaign by then-Mayor Franklin Mangery. Several areas in and around the borough still carry the Salem reference. Major navigational roads were built through the area in the late 18th century, and what is now local Route 66 was built in 1800. The East-West Northern Turnpike was completed in 1819 linking Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. Delmont was a busy stagecoach stop boasting at one time five stage coach lines through the village. Travelers would stop tired and hungry and patronized the several inns and taverns in town. In 1853, the Pennsylvania Railroad was complete through Westmoreland County to Pittsburgh. This was a faster more economical way to travel. In 1855, the last stagecoach passed through the crossroads village and ended the stagecoach era for the crossroads town.

The now defunct Salem Crossroads Historical Restoration Society worked to maintain the local history and to restore the area. As a result of their efforts, the Salem Crossroads Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. In 1980 the society purchased Shields Farm, which hosts the annual Apple 'N Arts festival on Shields farm during the first week of October.

Geography

Delmont is located at (40.412971, -79.571433).

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

Delmont has been assigned the ZIP code of 15626.

Government and politics

Delmont Borough is administered by an elected Council composed of seven members and a mayor. The current council members are:

Former Councilwoman Alyce Urban was elected as Delmont's Mayor in March 2014 and re-elected as mayor in November 2017.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,497 people, 1,070 households, and 714 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,333.1 people per square mile (901.0/km²). There were 1,139 housing units at an average density of 1,064.2 per square mile (411.0/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.96% White, 0.52% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.04% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.24% of the population.

There were 1,070 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $39,700, and the median income for a family was $52,056. Males had a median income of $39,097 versus $25,804 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $21,090. About 4.6% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Most primary and secondary education is provided by two school districts - Greensburg Salem, in Greensburg, and Franklin Regional, in Murrysville. Students to the south and east of the borough are generally assigned to Greensburg Salem, while the bulk of the students in the borough, and those who reside in the north and west portions, attend Franklin Regional.

The Franklin Regional district consists of three elementary schools (Sloan, Newlonsburg, Heritage), Franklin Regional Middle School, and Franklin Regional High School. The Greensburg-Salem District consists of three elementary schools (Metzgar, Nicely, Hutchinson), Greensburg-Salem Middle School, and Greensburg-Salem High School.

Roads

Aside from the historical genesis of the town as a toll intersection and stagecoach stop, one of Delmont's notable characteristics is that it is the meeting point of two major highways, U.S. Route 22 and State Route 66.

For many years, these roads did not directly intersect but were linked by a cloverleaf interchange. Delmont became known for this interchange; many local merchants incorporated "Cloverleaf" into their business names as a result. In 2000, the "cloverleaf" system was dismantled and a single-point urban interchange was built in its place. This change was made to accommodate the widening of Route 22, one of the most heavily traveled roads in Pennsylvania. The interchange on Route 22 marks the boundary between suburban Pittsburgh and the more rural foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

Points of interest

Note some of the places listed below are not located within the defined limits of Delmont, but are commonly considered in the borough.