Tamaqua is a borough in eastern Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is located in Pennsylvania's Coal Region.

The name Tamaqua is a Native American word that means "Land of the Running Water". It is the only community in the world to have this name.

 

Tamaqua PA is located at 40°47′55″N, 75°57′59″W (40.798600, -75.966498)[2].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 10.0 square miles (25.8 km²), of which, 9.8 square miles (25.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (1.31%) is water.

Tamaqua is situated within the Pennsylvania Coal Region section of the Appalachian Mountains. In the Tamaqua area, coal mining was an extremely vital economic activity throughout the 20th century but has since experienced a decline. The town also gained recognition as a railroad center. In addition, the 1885 Edison Electric Illuminating Co. of Tamaqua is said to have furnished the town with the nation's third incandescent municipal lighting system, a feat accomplished through the involvement of Thomas Edison.

Three streams pass through Tamaqua. The Little Schuylkill River runs through the town from the North through a gap in Nesquehoning Mountain. Panther Creek, flowing southwest at the foot of the mountain, joins the Little Schuykill in Tamaqua, and the Wabash Creek joins the Little Schuykill from the West.

Tamaqua is located 12 miles (19 km) south of Hazleton, 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Lansford and approximately 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Allentown.

Tamaqua's average elevation is 870 feet (270 m) above sea level. Elevations can reach up to 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level.

Since 1965 Tamaqua has had its own FM radio station. Now WMGH (Magic 105.5) However the station has since moved to Summit Hill and broadcasts from the same building as AM Radio 1410 WLSH. The Bill Angst Little League Field sits on the site of the former station in the Dutch Hill section of the borough.



Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 7,174 people, 3,179 households, and 1,901 families residing in the borough. The population density was 729.9 people per square mile (281.8/km²). There were 3,602 housing units at an average density of 366.5/sq mi (141.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.69% White, 0.18% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.30% of the population.

There were 3,179 households out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.93.

The borough's population consisted of 21.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $27,899, and the median income for a family was $36,406. Males had a median income of $29,970 versus $20,637 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $15,752. About 11.1% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

 

Legal Precedent
The borough of Tamaqua passed an unprecedented law giving ecosystems legal rights. The ordinance establishes that the municipal government or any Tamaqua resident can file a lawsuit on behalf of the local ecosystem.[3] Other townships, such as Rush, followed suit and passed their own laws.[4]


References
^ ""Incorporation Dates of Boroughs of Schuylkill County, Pa"" (in English). Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

 

 

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