Nicholson, Pennsylvania

Borough of Nicholson
Borough
Aerial view of Nicholson and Tunkhannock Viaduct
Motto:  Population 1,000. Hospitality for 1,000,000
Location of Nicholson in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania
Nicholson Location of Nicholson in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Nicholson Nicholson (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 41°37′30″N75°46′59″W / 41.62500°N 75.78306°W / 41.62500; -75.78306
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Wyoming
Founded	August 23, 1875
Government
• Mayor	Charles H. Litwin Jr.
• Council President	Dawn Bell
Area [1]
• Total	1.17 sq mi (3.04 km2)
• Land	1.16 sq mi (3.00 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2)
Elevation	728 ft (222 m)
Population  (2020) [2]
• Total	696
• Density	601.04/sq mi (231.99/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	18446
Area code	570
FIPS code	42-54400
Website	www.nicholsonborough.org

Nicholson is a borough in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania. The population was 698 at the 2020 census. ^[3]

History

The borough of Nicholson was incorporated on August 23, 1875 and was named after John Nicholson, who had been Pennsylvania's comptroller general in the late 1700s. ^[4]

The town of Nicholson attracted national attention during the final week of July 1986, when an escaped Bengal tiger was hunted in the area for several days. ^[5] Despite air and ground searches by state police and zoo officials, the animal was never found. ^{[6] [7]}

Geography

Nicholson is located at 41°37′30″N75°46′59″W / 41.62500°N 75.78306°W / 41.62500; -75.78306 (41.624983, -75.783054). ^[8] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), of which 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.026 km²) (0.83%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	586		—
1890	734		25.3%
1900	893		21.7%
1910	852		−4.6%
1920	842		−1.2%
1930	932		10.7%
1940	731		−21.6%
1950	569		−22.2%
1960	686		20.6%
1970	877		27.8%
1980	945		7.8%
1990	857		−9.3%
2000	713		−16.8%
2010	767		7.6%
2020	698		−9.0%
2021 (est.)	697	[3]	−0.1%
Sources: [9] [10] [11] [2]

As of the census ^[12] of 2010, there were 767 people, 302 households, and 195 families residing in the borough. The population density was 639.2 inhabitants per square mile (246.8/km²). There were 343 housing units at an average density of 285.8 per square mile (110.3/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97% White, 0.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% some other race, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.

There were 302 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the borough, the population was spread out, with 25% under the age of 18, 58.3% from 18 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years.

The median income for a household in the borough was $38,650, and the median income for a family was $40,833. Males had a median income of $38,889 versus $27,813 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $21,449. About 24% of families and 24.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The town has a weak mayor - strong council form of government.

Mayor

Charles Litwin Jr.

Republican

Council

Council Member	Term Expires	Party
Nathan Harpster	2025	Democratic
John Kiryluk	2025	Republican
John Decker	2025	Republican
Albert Olive	2023	Republican
Joan Irion Jenkins	2025	Republican
David Noakes	2023	Republican
John Bower	2023	Republican

Tunkhannock Viaduct

Aerial view of the Tunkhannock Viaduct

A local landmark, the Tunkhannock Viaduct, Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct or "Nicholson Bridge" has been a focal point of the Nicholson community since its completion in 1915. ^[13] Built by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad between 1912 and 1915, the bridge has served many owners: DL&W, Erie Lackawanna, Conrail, Delaware & Hudson [also operated by Guilford Transportation, and New York Susquehanna & Western] before the current owner, Norfolk Southern Railway. Norfolk Southern trains operate over it daily between Binghamton and several other New York state locations, along with rail yards in Pennsylvania such as Scranton, Allentown and Harrisburg. Each year the town organizes a festival in honor of the bridge called Nicholson Bridge Day. The entire main street of the town is shut down and filled with vendors, entertainment, and more.

Notable people

• Jim Saxton, former Representative, New Jersey 3rd Congressional District
• Don Sherwood, former Representative, Pennsylvania 10th Congressional District

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
2. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Oct 12, 2022.
3. Bureau, US Census. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020—2021". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
4. "Nicholson – Nicholson Heritage Association".
5. Daily Herald (Chicago) "Bengal tiger on the loose," (July 28, 1986, p7); "Tiger loose in Pennsylvania mountains?" (July 29, 1986, p3)
6. The Indiana (Pa.) Gazette "Tiger may be stray pet, caller says," (July 30, 1986, p29) "Calls, leads in Gibson tiger hunt die down," (July 31, 1986, p3)
7. Tyrone (Pa.) Daily Herald (UPI) "Was The Loose Tiger A Pet Which Finally Went Home?" (August 1, 1986, p1).
8. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
9. "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
10. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
11. "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved 2011-05-14.
13. "Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct – Nicholson Heritage Association".