Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Womelsdorf, named after John Womelsdorff, is a borough in Berks County
Berks County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 373,638 people, 141,570 households, and 98,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 150,222 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile...

, 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...

. The population was 2,599 at the 2000 census. The main thoroughfares through Womelsdorf are High Street, which runs east-west, and Route 419, which runs north-south. Route 422 runs along the northern edge of town. A 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...

 state historic site, the Conrad Weiser Homestead
Conrad Weiser Homestead
Conrad Weiser Homestead is the historic home of Johann Conrad Weiser, who enlisted the Iroquois on the British side in the French and Indian War. The home, a designated National Historic Landmark, is administered as a historic house museum by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission near...

, is located in Womelsdorf; this site interprets the life of Conrad Weiser
Conrad Weiser
Weiser's colonial service began in 1731. The Iroquois sent Shikellamy, an Oneida chief, as an emissary to other tribes and the British. Shikellamy lived on the Susquehanna River at Shamokin village, near present-day Sunbury, Pennsylvania. An oral tradition holds that Weiser met Shikellamy while...

, a well-known 18th-century German immigrant who played a major role in the history of colonial 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...

.

Geography

Womelsdorf is located at 40°21′55"N 76°11′16"W (40.365201, -76.187815).

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 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
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 2,599 people, 1,061 households, and 691 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 2,995.8 people per square mile (1,153.4/km²). There were 1,112 housing units at an average density of 1,281.8 per square mile (493.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.46% White, 0.65% African American, 1.42% Asian, 0.96% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.19% of the population.

There were 1,061 households, of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% 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, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 28.5% of all households consisted of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the borough the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $45,082, and the median income for a family was $53,456. Males had a median income of $38,309 versus $24,514 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 $22,133. About 2.2% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

  • Conrad Weiser
    Conrad Weiser
    Weiser's colonial service began in 1731. The Iroquois sent Shikellamy, an Oneida chief, as an emissary to other tribes and the British. Shikellamy lived on the Susquehanna River at Shamokin village, near present-day Sunbury, Pennsylvania. An oral tradition holds that Weiser met Shikellamy while...

    , 1696–1760, built his homestead
    Conrad Weiser Homestead
    Conrad Weiser Homestead is the historic home of Johann Conrad Weiser, who enlisted the Iroquois on the British side in the French and Indian War. The home, a designated National Historic Landmark, is administered as a historic house museum by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission near...

     just outside the what is now the borough
    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....

    limits.

Womelsdorf Volunteer Fire Company

Continuing under Chief Martin's supervision since 2004, one of the things Womelsdorf is known for in the surrounding communities and counties is the fire department. Chief Martin and Womelsdorf were thrown into the national spotlight in March 2008, when Chief Martin was nominated and recognized on America's Most Wanted TV show for an American All Star, he was in the third week, the third highest nominated candidate. Known for their training, abilities from their firefighters when responding to a call, and more, the fire department is 100% volunteer and has a roster of firefighters with experience from less than a year to over thirty years. The background of these firefighters come from all walks of life, and respond to a call at a moments notice no matter what they are doing. The firefighters answer to everything from fire suppression, rescue, assisting EMS with patients, and more, twenty fours a day, seven days a week without question. The department, like all volunteer departments, relies on the citizens of its town for donations and more. Several times a year, the firefighters go door to door selling sandwiches, chickens, and more. With every year that passes the department sets records on their selling and the loving donations that the public of Womelsdorf give so much. The fire department is one of seventy all volunteer or paid/volunteer departments in Berks County, Pa. Womelsdorf was recognized in the summer of 2009, from the state of Pa as being one of the few departments in Berks County to have the greatest number of firefighters with the certification of Firefighter 1, that allows the dept to qualify for more funding when grants come around from the state.
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