Editing West View, Pennsylvania

{{Short description|Borough in Pennsylvania, US}}
{{use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = West View, Pennsylvania
| official_name      = Borough of West View
| settlement_type    = [[Borough (Pennsylvania)|Borough]]
| image_skyline      = Ridgewood Avenue in West View.jpg
| image_size         = 250px
| image_caption      = Houses on Ridgewood Avenue






| image_flag         = 
| flag_alt           = 
| image_seal         = 
| seal_alt           = 
| image_shield       = 
| shield_alt         = 
| etymology          = 
| nickname           = 
| motto              = A Good Place to Live
| image_map          = Allegheny County Pennsylvania incorporated and unincorporated areas West View highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 260px
| map_caption        = Location in [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Allegheny County]] and the U.S. state of [[Pennsylvania]].
| coordinates        = {{coord|40|31|6|N|80|2|1|W|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint      = 
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Pennsylvania]]
| subdivision_type2  = County
| subdivision_name2  = [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Allegheny]]
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = March 20, 1905
| established_title1 = 
| established_date1  = 
| founder            = Frederick Christian Martsolf
| seat_type          = 
| seat               = 
| leader_party       = 
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref>{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_42.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 28, 2020}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi   = 1.01
| area_land_sq_mi    = 1.01
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.00
| area_urban_sq_mi   = 
| area_rural_sq_mi   = 
| area_metro_sq_mi   = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_note          = 
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_ft       = 
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 6685
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_density_sq_mi = 6451.49
| population_demonym = 
| population_note    = 
| timezone1          = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset1        = -5
| timezone1_DST      = [[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = -4
| postal_code_type   = ZIP code
| postal_code        = 15229
| area_code_type     = 
| area_code          = [[Area code 412|412]]
| blank_name_sec1    = School district
| blank_info_sec1    = [[North Hills School District|North Hills]]
| website            = {{URL|www.wvboro.com}}
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 42-84144
| area_total_km2     = 2.62
| area_land_km2      = 2.62
| area_water_km2     = 0.00
| population_density_km2 = 2491.67
}}

'''West View''' is a [[borough (Pennsylvania)|borough]] in [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania]], United States, just north of downtown [[Pittsburgh]]. The population was 6,685 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://data.census.gov/all?q=West+View+borough,+Pennsylvania | title=Explore Census Data }}</ref> It is a suburb of the [[Pittsburgh metropolitan area]].

==Geography==
West View is located at {{Coord|40|31|6|N|80|2|1|W|type:city}} (40.518368, −80.033645).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the borough has a total area of {{convert|1.0|sqmi|km2}}, all land.

===Climate===
{{Weather box
|location = West View, Pennsylvania
|single line = yes
|Jan high F = 36
|Feb high F = 39
|Mar high F = 50
|Apr high F = 61
|May high F = 71
|Jun high F = 79
|Jul high F = 83
|Aug high F = 81
|Sep high F = 75
|Oct high F = 63
|Nov high F = 51
|Dec high F = 40
|year high F = 61.1
|Jan low F = 17
|Feb low F = 19
|Mar low F = 27
|Apr low F = 36
|May low F = 46
|Jun low F = 55
|Jul low F = 59
|Aug low F = 58
|Sep low F = 51
|Oct low F = 40
|Nov low F = 32
|Dec low F = 28
|year low F = 38.9
|Jan precipitation inch = 2.49
|Feb precipitation inch = 2.48
|Mar precipitation inch = 2.95
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.12
|May precipitation inch = 3.74
|Jun precipitation inch = 3.46
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.00
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.17
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.42
|Oct precipitation inch = 2.21
|Nov precipitation inch = 2.90
|Dec precipitation inch = 2.74
|year precipitation inch = 36.68
|source 1 = http://www.idcide.com/weather/pa/west-view.htm<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.idcide.com/weather/pa/west-view.htm| title = West View, PA Normal Temperatures and Precipitation | access-date = January 15, 2011}}</ref>
|date=January 2011
}}

== History ==
West View was first incorporated on March 20, 1905. In the early 1900s, the Allegheny-Bellevue Land Company began acquiring land in [[Ross Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Ross Township]] in order to build houses. Land developer Frederick Christian Martsolf was particularly enamored by the area, so working with the Allegheny-Bellevue Land Company, he was able to incorporate 640 acres of land right in the middle of Ross Township into West View Borough. West View held its first election on May 16, 1905, with Martsolf being elected the first president of the Borough Council on May 24, 1905.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=West View Centennial History Committee |url=https://www.wvboro.com/sites/g/files/vyhlif6966/f/uploads/centennial_anniversary_downscale_.pdf |title=West View Borough Centennial Anniversary 1905 - 2005 |date=July 2005 |publisher=Professional Graphic Communications, Inc. |year=2005 |location=Sewickley, PA 15143-8621}}</ref>

It is said that the name "West View" came from pioneers who, traveling north out of Pittsburgh on the Venango Trail, appreciated the view to the west. The Venango Trail was a trail that Native Americans had used for centuries by the time European settlers arrived. The trail began in Pittsburgh and went north, eventually ending in [[Erie, Pennsylvania|Erie, PA]]. Present-day [[U.S. Route 19]], which goes right through the heart of West View, closely follows the path of the original Venango Trail.<ref name=":0" />

Casper Reel was the first European settler in the West View/Ross area.<ref name=":0" /> Reel was born in [[Frankfurt|Frankfurt, Germany]] on May 11, 1742. He immigrated to America around 1761. After serving in the [[Continental Army]] during the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], Reel received 727 acres of land in what was then [[Pine Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Pine Township]]. He constructed a cabin in West View in 1792, but was forced to leave shortly thereafter due to [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] attacks. He did not return until 1795, when he built a second cabin which still exists in the borough today. Reel became a successful farmer and also the first tax collector north of Pittsburgh. He died on October 20, 1824. The bulk of West View today is made up of land that was once owned by Reel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Casper Reel (1742-1824) {{!}} West View, PA |url=https://www.wvboro.com/history/pages/casper-reel-1742-1824 |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=www.wvboro.com}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1910= 1626
|1920= 2797
|1930= 6028
|1940= 7215
|1950= 7581
|1960= 8079
|1970= 8312
|1980= 7648
|1990= 7734
|2000= 7277
|2010= 6771
|2020= 6685
|footnote=Sources:<ref>{{cite web|title=Number and Distribution of Inhabitants:Pennsylvania-Tennessee|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/03815512v1ch09.pdf|work=Fifteenth Census|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Number of Inhabitants: Pennsylvania|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/17216604v1p40ch02.pdf|work=18th Census of the United States|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=November 22, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Pennsylvania: Population and Housing Unit Counts|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cph2/cph-2-40.pdf|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=November 22, 2013}}</ref><ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012-3.html|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=November 22, 2013}}</ref>
}}
As of the 2020 census, there were 6,685 people and 2,806 households, and residing in the borough. The population density was {{convert|6,618.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|racial makeup]] of the borough was 90.6% White, 2.9% African American, 0.4% Asian, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, and 5.1% from two or more races.

There were 2,806 households, with the persons per household being 2.37.

The median income for a household in the borough was $75,054. The [[per capita income]] for the borough was $38,565. About 6.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=United States Census Bureau |date=2020 |title=Quickfacts West View borough, Pennsylvania |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/westviewboroughpennsylvania }}</ref>

==Government and politics==

===Council members===
[2017-2019] Democrats-6 (Schellhaus, Kircher, Borio, Aguglia, Steele, Mikec), Unknown party-1 (Miller), Republicans-0<ref>{{cite web |last1=EL |title=Allegheny Election Night |url=http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/PA/Allegheny/71801/Web02.193333/#/ |website=Allegheny County |access-date=July 19, 2019}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:95%;"
|+ Presidential election results<ref>{{cite web|last1=EL|title=2012 Allegheny County election|url=http://triblive.com/politics/2907065-74/pittsburgh-ward-hills-west-borough-braddock-east-elizabeth-north-park|website=Pittsburgh Tribune-Review|access-date=October 15, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=EL|title=2016 Pennsylvania general election...|url=http://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/electionresultsgen2016/|website=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|access-date=October 15, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/PA/Allegheny/106267/web.264614/#/detail/0004 | title=Election Night Reporting }}</ref>
|- bgcolor=lightgrey
! Year
! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
! [[Third party (U.S. politics)|Third parties]]
|-
| '''[[2020 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|2020]]'''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|''44%'' ''1,750''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|''54%'' ''2,146''
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|''1%'' ''61''
|-
| '''[[2016 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|2016]]'''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|''49%'' ''1,655''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|''50%'' ''1,709''
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|''1%'' ''42''
|-
| '''[[2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|2012]]'''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|''48%'' ''1,567''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|''51%'' ''1,674''
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|''1%'' ''45''
|}

==Education==
West View, along with neighboring (and surrounding) [[Ross Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Ross Township]], is served by the [[North Hills School District]].

==West View Park==
From 1906 to 1977, West View was home to one of the most remembered Pittsburgh amusement parks, [[West View Park]]. West View Park was conceived by Theodore Marshall Harton II. In 1905, Harton entered into a 10-year lease with the Allegheny-Bellevue Land Company for 18.42 acres in the recently-established Borough of West View. Conveniently situated at the end of the Bellevue/West View trolley line, West View Park first opened on May 23, 1906.<ref name=":0" />

This one-midway [[trolley park]] featured two beloved [[roller coaster]]s: The Dips, with its unique banked turn-around curve, and the Racing Whippet, which featured two coasters on a strategically placed single track so that the train that started on the left of the loading platform came back on the right side and vice versa. Another popular park attraction was "Danceland", an entertainment hall that featured many performers from [[big band]] to [[rock and roll]] over the years, most notably [[The Rolling Stones]] in 1964. Danceland burned to the ground in 1973 and was not rebuilt.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Funyak |first=Mike |title=West View Park: The Story of the T.M. Harton Company |date=November 26, 2021 |publisher=Word Association Publishers |year=2021 |isbn=978-1633854512 |publication-date=November 26, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

West View Park closed for good at the end of the 1977 season.<ref name=":1" /> Its competing amusement park, [[Kennywood]], was continuously expanding with bigger attractions, which West View was unable to do because of its location. Today, West View Park Shopping Center (originally signed with a roller coaster resembling the Dips, replaced in 2010 by a new sign with a carousel horse on top) occupies the amusement park site. The shopping center opened in 1981. There are no traces of the park left, but several nearby businesses feature old memorabilia (such as signs, photos, and tickets).

The [[coming-of-age novel]] ''Stick Man'', about a boy growing up in a bohemian household, with an accompanying musical soundtrack, is set in West View. Several key scenes are set in West View Park. The novel was written by West View native [[Richard Rossi]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Vancheri|first1=Barbara|title=Film Notes: Strand to screen movie about Roberto Clemente|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/movies/2013/08/08/Film-Notes-Strand-to-screen-movie-about-Roberto-Clemente/stories/201308080400|access-date=December 26, 2015|publisher=Pittsburgh Post Gazette|date=August 8, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Jones|first1=Diana Nelson|title=Saint Roberto Clemente?|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/local/pittsburgh-history/2015/01/11/Saint-Roberto-Clemente-Richard-Rossi-Pirates/stories/201501110144|access-date=December 26, 2015|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=January 11, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Virginia |title=West View minister uses 'friendly' approach |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/41663235/ |access-date=November 29, 2020 |agency=North Hills News Record |publisher=Scaife Media Group, Gannett Publishing |date=September 5, 1986 |ref=Front Page}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://westviewborough.org/home.html Borough website]
* [http://www.facebook.com/groups/279373672166449/ West View Historical Society]
{{Allegheny County, Pennsylvania}}

{{authority control}}

{{S-start}}
{{Succession box
 | title  = [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Bordering communities]]<br />of [[Pittsburgh]]
 | years  =
 | with   =
 | before = [[Reserve Township, Pennsylvania|Reserve Township]]
 | after  = [[Bellevue, Pennsylvania|Bellevue]]
}}
{{S-end}}

[[Category:Populated places established in 1905]]
[[Category:Boroughs in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:1905 establishments in Pennsylvania]]