Garrett, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Garrett is a borough
in Somerset County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 449 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²).
Garrett sits at the confluence of the Buffalo Creek and the Casselman River. The Casselman River
is believed to be named for the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel
or Hesse-Cassel in Germany
. An imperial immediacy (German: Reichsfreiheit
or Reichsunmittelbarkeit) which was a privileged feudal and political status, a form of statehood, which a city, religious entity or feudal principality of minor lordship could attain within the Holy Roman Empire
.
of 2000, there were 449 people, 168 households, and 128 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 606.3 people per square mile (234.3/km²). There were 180 housing units at an average density of 243.0 per square mile (93.9/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.55% White, and 0.45% from two or more races.
There were 168 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples
living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the borough the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $24,609, and the median income for a family was $27,375. Males had a median income of $23,542 versus $15,625 for females. The per capita income
for the borough was $10,935. About 12.1% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.
Notable landmarks in Garrett include a 10 MW wind farm
, the first large-scale wind facility constructed in the eastern U.S.
Garrett is named for the president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad John Work Garrett
.
John Work Garrett president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
from 1858–1884, was born in Baltimore, Maryland
July 31, 1820. He was the second son of Elizabeth Stouffer and Robert Garrett. He married Rachel Ann Harrison, the daughter of Thomas Harrison, a Baltimore merchant
. They had one daughter, Mary and two sons Robert and Thomas Harrison Garrett.
The Western Maryland Railroad ran in an East to West direction on the Brooklyn side of Garrett. It is the current site of the Great Allegheny Passage
. A 150-mile system of biking and hiking trails connecting Cumberland
, Maryland and Pittsburgh. Which was constructed on the former Western Maryland railroad bed. The Connellsville Extension of the Western Maryland Railroad was built west from Cumberland, Maryland, to Connellsville, Pennsylvania
, beginning around 1906 and was completed in 1912. In 1964, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
(C&O) and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
(B&O) jointly filed for permission to acquire control of the Western Maryland Railway with the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). In 1973, as part of the Chessie System, the Western Maryland ownership went to C&O and it was operated by the B&O. In 1987, it was merged into the C&O which itself became part of CSX Transportation
.
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
in Somerset County
Somerset County, Pennsylvania
Somerset County is a county located in the state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 77,742. Somerset County was created on April 17, 1795, from part of Bedford County and named for Somerset, United Kingdom. Its county seat is Somerset. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania,...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, west-southwest of Altoona, Pennsylvania and east of Pittsburgh. The population was 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County...
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 449 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Garrett is located at 39°51′49"N 79°3′40"W (39.863563, -79.061159).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the borough has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²).
Garrett sits at the confluence of the Buffalo Creek and the Casselman River. The Casselman River
Casselman River
The Casselman River is a tributary of the Youghiogheny River in western Maryland and Pennsylvania in the United States.The Casselman River rises atop the plateau of western Maryland and then follows a great arc across the Laurel Highlands of Somerset County, Pennsylvania to the appropriately named...
is believed to be named for the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel
Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel or Hesse-Cassel was a state in the Holy Roman Empire under Imperial immediacy that came into existence when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided in 1567 upon the death of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. His eldest son William IV inherited the northern half and the...
or Hesse-Cassel in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. An imperial immediacy (German: Reichsfreiheit
Reichsfreiheit
Imperial immediacy was a privileged feudal and political status, which the estates of the realm such as an imperial city, a religious entity, a feudal principality, or a minor lordship could attain within the Holy Roman Empire...
or Reichsunmittelbarkeit) which was a privileged feudal and political status, a form of statehood, which a city, religious entity or feudal principality of minor lordship could attain within the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 449 people, 168 households, and 128 families residing in the borough. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 606.3 people per square mile (234.3/km²). There were 180 housing units at an average density of 243.0 per square mile (93.9/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.55% White, and 0.45% from two or more races.
There were 168 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the borough the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $24,609, and the median income for a family was $27,375. Males had a median income of $23,542 versus $15,625 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the borough was $10,935. About 12.1% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.
Notable landmarks in Garrett include a 10 MW wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
, the first large-scale wind facility constructed in the eastern U.S.
History
Garrett was first settled in 1869 and was incorporated in 1900.Garrett is named for the president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad John Work Garrett
John W. Garrett
John Work Garrett was an American banker, philanthropist, and president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad ....
.
John Work Garrett president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
from 1858–1884, was born in Baltimore, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
July 31, 1820. He was the second son of Elizabeth Stouffer and Robert Garrett. He married Rachel Ann Harrison, the daughter of Thomas Harrison, a Baltimore merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
. They had one daughter, Mary and two sons Robert and Thomas Harrison Garrett.
The Western Maryland Railroad ran in an East to West direction on the Brooklyn side of Garrett. It is the current site of the Great Allegheny Passage
Great Allegheny Passage
The Great Allegheny Passage is a rail trail in Maryland and Pennsylvania. It is the central part of a several-hundred-mile long network of long-distance hiker-biker trails through the Allegheny region of the Appalachian Mountains, connecting Washington, D.C...
. A 150-mile system of biking and hiking trails connecting Cumberland
Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland is a city in the far western, Appalachian portion of Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Allegany County, and the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,859, and the metropolitan area had a...
, Maryland and Pittsburgh. Which was constructed on the former Western Maryland railroad bed. The Connellsville Extension of the Western Maryland Railroad was built west from Cumberland, Maryland, to Connellsville, Pennsylvania
Connellsville, Pennsylvania
Connellsville is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, USA, 57 miles southeast of Pittsburgh on the Youghiogheny River, a tributary of the Monongahela River. It is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. In 1890, 5,629 people lived in Connellsville, which was a borough at that time...
, beginning around 1906 and was completed in 1912. In 1964, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
(C&O) and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
(B&O) jointly filed for permission to acquire control of the Western Maryland Railway with the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC). In 1973, as part of the Chessie System, the Western Maryland ownership went to C&O and it was operated by the B&O. In 1987, it was merged into the C&O which itself became part of CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
.