Lyons, Pennsylvania

Lyons, Pennsylvania Lyon Station
Borough
Lyons welcome sign
Location of Lyons in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Lyons Location of Lyons in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Lyons Lyons (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 40°28′49″N75°45′25″W / 40.48028°N 75.75694°W / 40.48028; -75.75694
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Berks
Area [1]
• Total	0.36 sq mi (0.92 km2)
• Land	0.36 sq mi (0.92 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	476 ft (145 m)
Population  (2020) [2]
• Total	439
• Density	1,233.15/sq mi (476.22/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	19536
Area codes	610 and 484
FIPS code	42-45752
Website	www.lyonsborough.com

Lyons (also known as Lyon Station) ^[3] is a borough that is located in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 439 at the time of the 2020 census. ^[4]

History

Lyons was founded as Lyon Station in 1860 when the railroad was extended to that point. ^[5]

The community was named for Charles Lyons, a railroad official. ^[5]

On May 31, 1998, an F3 tornado touched down in Lyons, causing roughly $1,400,000 worth of damage to local homes and properties. The town was closed off for nearly one month to all non-residents, save for construction teams and the Red Cross.

Geography

Lyons is located in eastern Berks County at 40°28′49″N75°45′25″W / 40.48028°N 75.75694°W / 40.48028; -75.75694 (40.480194, -75.756987). ^[6] It is bordered by Maxatawny Township on its north, east, and south sides, and by Richmond Township to the southwest. The unincorporated community of Bowers borders the east side of Lyons.

Lyons is located 3 miles (5 km) south of Kutztown. Topton is 3 miles (5 km) to the east, and Fleetwood is 4 miles (6 km) to the west.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Lyons has a total area of 0.35 square miles (0.9 km²), all land. ^[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	458		—
1930	511		—
1940	518		1.4%
1950	545		5.2%
1960	571		4.8%
1970	589		3.2%
1980	579		−1.7%
1990	499		−13.8%
2000	504		1.0%
2010	478		−5.2%
2020	439		−8.2%
Sources: [7] [8] [9] [2]

As of the census ^[8] of 2000, there were 504 people, 203 households, and 133 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,278.8 inhabitants per square mile (493.7/km²). There were 216 housing units at an average density of 548.1 per square mile (211.6/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.62% White, 0.99% African American, 0.20% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population.

There were 203 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 18, 16.9% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $40,500, and the median income for a family was $42,292. Males had a median income of $30,357 versus $25,875 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $20,459. About 3.2% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Government

Lyons was served by the Berks-Lehigh Regional Police until it was disbanded on December 31, 2012. The borough is currently served by the Pennsylvania State Police.

Arts and culture

Norfolk Southern Railway freight train westbound on the Reading Line

Lyons hosts an annual Fiddle Festival every September where there is traditional Pennsylvania Dutch food, crafts, as well as dancing and fiddling contests. This is a large event hosting up to 1,000 people annually.

Lyons Ballfield is a softball ballfield associated with the Lyons Fire Company. It hosts many adult male and female fast-pitch softball games and PIAA high school softball games. The Kutztown Cougars and Brandywine Bullets have both used Lyons Ballfield as a home venue for some games. The ballfield is managed by Naaman Schlegel, a native of Lyons.

Transportation

Main Street in Lyons

As of 2019, there were 3.56 miles (5.73 km) of public roads in Lyons, of which 1.29 miles (2.08 km) were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 2.27 miles (3.65 km) were maintained by the borough. ^[10]

No numbered highways pass through Lyons. The main thoroughfares through the borough include Main Street, Kemp Street, State Street and Penn Street.

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. "Official Website". Borough of Lyons. Retrieved 2010-09-06.
4. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Lyons borough, Pennsylvania". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
5. "Some peculiar post office names in Berks". Reading Eagle. Nov 27, 1910. p. 11. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
6. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
7. "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
8. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
9. "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 2 June 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
10. "Lyons Borough map" (PDF). PennDOT. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

External links

• Official website
• Tornado History Project