Kutztown, Pennsylvania Kutzeschteddel | |
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 Kutztown in March 2011 | |
 Seal | |
 Location of Kutztown inBerks County, Pennsylvania | |
  Kutztown Kutztown (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:40°31′11″N75°46′31″W / 40.51972°N 75.77528°W /40.51972; -75.77528 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Berks |
| Incorporated | April 6, 1815 |
| Named after | George Kutz |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-council |
| • Mayor | James F. Schlegel (D) |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.61 sq mi (4.16 km2) |
| • Land | 1.60 sq mi (4.15 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0039 sq mi (0.01 km2) |
| Elevation | 400 ft (120 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 4,162 |
| • Density | 2,600.5/sq mi (1,004.07/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 19530 |
| Area codes | 610 and 484 |
| FIPS code | 42-40656 |
| Website | www |
Kutztown (Pennsylvania German:Kutzeschteddel) is aborough inBerks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located 18 miles (29 km) southwest ofAllentown and 17 miles (27 km) northeast ofReading. As of the2020 census, the borough had a population of 4,162.[3]Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is located just outside the borough limits to the southwest.
George (Coots) Kutz purchased 130 acres (53 ha) of land that became Kutztown on June 16, 1755, from Peter Wentz who owned much of what is present-dayMaxatawny Township. Kutz first laid out his plans for the town in 1779. The first lots in the new town of Cootstown, later renamed Kutztown, were purchased in 1785 by Adam Dietrich and Henry Schweier.
Kutztown was incorporated as a borough on April 7, 1815, and is the second oldest borough inBerks County afterReading, which became a borough in 1783 and became a city in 1847.
Like most of Berks County, Kutztown was settled predominantly byGermans, most of whom came from thePalatinate region of southwest Germany, which borders theRhine river.
The Kutztown area encompasses an area of land also known as the East Penn Valley, a broadlimestone valley situated in northern and eastern Berks County, bounded by theBlue Mountain andSouth Mountain ranges to the north and south, respectively, by theLehigh County border to the east, and byOntelaunee Creek (Maiden Creek) to the west.Crystal Cave was discovered near Kutztown in 1871.
TheH.K. Deisher Knitting Mill andKutztown 1892 Public School Building are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[4]
Since 1950, the Kutztown Folk Festival has been held in early July celebrating the culture, artistry, and culinary delights of thePennsylvania Dutch.
Kutztown is located in northeasternBerks County, Pennsylvania, at40°31′11″N75°46′31″W / 40.51972°N 75.77528°W /40.51972; -75.77528 (40.519798, -75.775260).[5] It is surrounded byMaxatawny Township but is separate from it.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.3 km2), of which 0.004 square miles (0.01 km2), or 0.33%, is water.[3] Kutztown has a hot-summerhumid continental climate (Dfa) and average monthly temperatures range from 28.9 °F (−1.7 °C) in January to 73.7 °F (23.2 °C) in July.[1] Thehardiness zone is 7a.[2]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 693 | — | |
| 1850 | 640 | −7.6% | |
| 1860 | 915 | 43.0% | |
| 1870 | 945 | 3.3% | |
| 1880 | 1,198 | 26.8% | |
| 1890 | 1,595 | 33.1% | |
| 1900 | 1,328 | −16.7% | |
| 1910 | 2,360 | 77.7% | |
| 1920 | 2,684 | 13.7% | |
| 1930 | 2,841 | 5.8% | |
| 1940 | 2,966 | 4.4% | |
| 1950 | 3,110 | 4.9% | |
| 1960 | 3,312 | 6.5% | |
| 1970 | 4,166 | 25.8% | |
| 1980 | 4,040 | −3.0% | |
| 1990 | 4,704 | 16.4% | |
| 2000 | 5,067 | 7.7% | |
| 2010 | 5,012 | −1.1% | |
| 2020 | 4,162 | −17.0% | |
| Sources:[6][7][8][2] | |||
As of the 2010 census,[7] there were 5,012 people living in the borough. The racial makeup of the borough was 95.8%White, 1.4%African American, 0.0%Native American, 1.0%Asian, 0.0%Native Hawaiian, 0.8% fromother races, and 1.0% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 2.6% of the population.
There were 1,874households, out of which 18.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% weremarried couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with nohusband present, and 52.7% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the averagefamily size was 2.80.
In the borough, the population was spread out, with 12.4% under the age of 18, 38.7% from 18 to 24, 19.0% from 25 to 44, 13.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. Themedian age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $35,677, and themedian income for a family was $49,653. Males had a median income of $33,438 versus $28,669 for females. Theper capita income for the borough was $18,803. About 3.8% of families and 29.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
The Kutztown area is home to anOld Order Mennonite community consisting of about 160 families.[9] The Old Order Mennonites in the area belong to theGroffdale Conference Mennonite Church and use thehorse and buggy as transportation. There are several farms in the area belonging to the Old Order Mennonite community and a meetinghouse is located south of Kutztown.[10] The Old Order Mennonites first bought land in the area in 1949.[11]
Kutztown has amayor–council system of government with a mayor and a six-member council. As of 2019, the mayor of Kutztown is James F. Schlegel (D) and the council members are Council President Kevin J. Snyder (R), Council Vice President Derek D. Mace (D), Council President Pro Tempore Scott R. Piscitelli (R), Edwin K. Seyler (R), Richard J. Diehm (D), and Arabel J. Elliott (D).[12]
Police services in the borough is provided by the Kutztown Police Department, which consists of twelve full-time officers.[13] Fire protection in Kutztown and surrounding areas is provided by the Kutztown Fire Department, a volunteer fire department with 30 members and six pieces of equipment.[14]
Public school students in Kutztown, along withLyons,Maxatawny Township,Greenwich Township,Lenhartsville, andAlbany Township, are served by theKutztown Area School District. Schools in the district serving the borough include Greenwich Elementary School, Kutztown Elementary School, Kutztown Area Middle School, andKutztown Area High School.
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is a four-year public university located just outside the borough to the southwest. The university, which is one of the 14 schools of thePennsylvania State System of Higher Education, has an enrollment of 7,391 undergraduates and 918 postgraduates.[15]
_from_the_overpass_for_North_Elm_Street_in_Kutztown%2c_Berks_County%2c_Pennsylvania.jpg)
As of 2007, there were 19.63 miles (31.59 km) of public roads in Kutztown, of which 3.09 miles (4.97 km) were maintained by thePennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 16.54 miles (26.62 km) were maintained by the borough.[16]
U.S. Route 222 skims the northern and western edge of the borough on afreeway called the Kutztown Bypass, heading northeast toAllentown and southwest toReading.Pennsylvania Route 737 heads north on Krumsville Road toKrumsville andInterstate 78/U.S. Route 22. Main Street runs southwest–northeast through Kutztown, becoming Kutztown Road outside the borough and connecting to US 222 at both ends. Greenwich Street heads north from Main Street and becomes PA 737 past an interchange with US 222. Noble Street heads south from Main Street towardLyons.[17]
TheAllentown and Auburn Railroad operates a freight and tourist railroad from a station in Kutztown east toTopton; the tracks are owned by the Kutztown Transportation Authority.[18]Kutztown University of Pennsylvania has azero-fare shuttle bus service that serves the campus and the adjacent town when school is in session, consisting of four routes operating at different times and to different locations.[19]Klein Transportation provides bus service from a stop at Kutztown University toDouglassville, Reading,Wescosville,Hellertown, andMidtown Manhattan inNew York City.[20] Kutztown-basedBieber Transportation Group formerly provided bus service from the Bieber Bus Terminal in Kutztown to Reading, Allentown, Bethlehem,Philadelphia, and Midtown Manhattan in New York City.[21][22] Bieber ended bus service on February 8, 2019.[23]Kutztown Airport was located outside the borough but closed on January 31, 2009.[24]
The Borough of Kutztown Electric Department provides electricity to most of the borough,[25] with portions of the borough receiving electricity fromMet-Ed, a subsidiary ofFirstEnergy.[26][27] The borough's electric department dates back to the early 1900s and is one of 35 municipal electric departments in Pennsylvania. The borough purchases its electric power from American Municipal Power.[25] The borough of Kutztown provides water and sewer service through the Water Department and Wastewater Department, respectively.[28][29] The Public Works department provides trash collection and recycling to the borough.[30] The borough also provides cable, internet, and telephone service through Home Net, a division of Hometown Utilicom.[31] Natural gas service in Kutztown is provided byUGI Utilities.[32][33]
Lehigh Valley Health Network operates the Health Center at Kutztown, which offers various services such as blood testing, family medicine, speciality care, and rehabilitation services.[34] The nearesthospitals to Kutztown are located in the Allentown and Reading areas.[35] Emergency medical services are provided by Kutztown Area Transport Service.
Kutztown's economy is strong and diverse, with workers employed byKutztown University of Pennsylvania, and others.[36][37] Companies formerly based in Kutztown includeBieber Transportation Group and the athletic shoe companySaucony.
Kutztown has one sister city:
Altrip,Rhineland-Palatine, Germany[40]
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