Editing Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania

{{short description|Borough in Pennsylvania, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                   = Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania
| settlement_type        = [[Borough (Pennsylvania)|Borough]]
| image_skyline          = Penn and Columbia, Sinking Spring.jpg
| image_caption          = [[U.S. Route 422|Penn Avenue]] in the commercial district
| image_flag             = 
| flag_alt               = 
| image_seal             = 
| seal_alt               = 
| image_shield           = 
| shield_alt             = 
| etymology              = 
| nickname               = 
| motto                  = 
| image_map              = File:Sinking Spring.png
| mapsize                = 
| map_alt                = 
| map_caption            = Location in Berks County, Pennsylvania
| pushpin_map            = Pennsylvania#USA
| pushpin_label          = Sinking Spring
| pushpin_label_position = top
| pushpin_map_alt        = 
| pushpin_map_caption    = Location in Pennsylvania##Location in the United States
| coordinates            = {{coord|40|19|29|N|76|01|21|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      = [[Berks County, Pennsylvania|Berks]]
| established_title      = Incorporated
| established_date       = March 13, 1913
| established_title1     = 
| established_date1      = 
| founder                = 
| seat_type              = 
| seat                   = 
| leader_party           = 
| leader_title           = Mayor
| leader_name            = Gary Cirulli<ref>{{Cite web| title=Borough Officials | url=http://www.co.berks.pa.us/Muni/SinkingSpring/Documents/Borough%20Officials.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023171921/http://www.co.berks.pa.us/Muni/SinkingSpring/Documents/Borough%20Officials.pdf | archive-date=2015-10-23}}</ref>
| unit_pref              = Imperial
| area_footnotes         = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE='42'&outFields=NAME,STATE,PLACE,AREALAND,AREAWATER,LSADC,CENTLAT,CENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 16, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi       = 1.24
| area_land_sq_mi        = 1.24
| 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           = 338
| population_footnotes   = <ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:42&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=Oct 12, 2022}}</ref>
| population_total       = 4286
| population_as_of       = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_density_sq_mi = 3453.67
| population_demonym     = 
| population_note        = 
| timezone1              = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset1            = -5
| timezone1_DST          = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST        = -4
| postal_code_type       = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code            = 19608
| area_code_type         = 
| area_code              = [[Area codes 610 and 484|610 & 484]]
| blank_name_sec1        = 
| blank_info_sec1        = 
| website                = {{URL|http://www.co.berks.pa.us/Muni/SinkingSpring/Pages/default.aspx}}
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
|blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
|blank_info = 42-70880
|area_total_km2 = 3.22
|area_land_km2 = 3.21
|area_water_km2 = 0.01
|population_density_km2 = 1333.80
}}

'''Sinking Spring''' is a [[Borough (Pennsylvania)|borough]] that is located in [[Berks County, Pennsylvania]], United States. The population was 4,286 at the time of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].

The borough's name was derived from a spring that was located in the center of town. The water in this spring would sink into the ground from time to time, giving the illusion that it had disappeared. The Sinking Spring area is served by the [[Wilson School District]].<ref>{{Cite web| title=School Districts of Berks County | url=http://www.co.berks.pa.us/Dept/GIS/Documents/maps/general/Berks_Schools.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421042135/http://www.co.berks.pa.us:80/Dept/GIS/Documents/maps/general/Berks_Schools.pdf | archive-date=2015-04-21}}</ref>

==History==
The [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indigenous people]] who first inhabited this area were the Lenni [[Lenape]] (meaning the "original people"). The tribe in this immediate area was the Minsi or Wolf tribe. Inhabitants in the Sinking Spring area reportedly called the main spring the sunken spring. White settlers later called it the "sinking spring."

Penn Avenue is the main thoroughfare of Sinking Spring.  There is a stone monument in the 3800 block of Penn Avenue. The borough, which has a large number of underground streams that carve out limestone and form sinkholes, was incorporated on March 13, 1913.

==Geography and climate==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the borough has a total area of {{convert|1.4|sqmi|km2}}, all  land.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|access-date=2011-04-23|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>

The borough has a hot-summer [[humid continental climate]] (''Dfa'') and average monthly temperatures range from 30.4&nbsp;°F in January to 75.6&nbsp;°F in July.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/|title=PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University}}</ref> The local [[hardiness zone]] is 6b bordering 7a.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=right
|1880= 517
|1920= 1270
|1930= 1771
|1940= 1861
|1950= 1982
|1960= 2244
|1970= 2862
|1980= 2617
|1990= 2467
|2000= 2639
|2010= 4008
|2020= 4286
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
}}

As of the [[census]]<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> of 2000, there were 2,639 people, 1,233 households, and 748 families residing in the borough. The population density was {{convert|1,960.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,269 housing units at an average density of {{convert|942.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the borough was 95.76% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.06% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.15% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.80% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 1.21% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.02% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.73% of the population.

There were 1,233 households, out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.72.
 
In the borough the population was spread out, with 19.6% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $35,078, and the median income for a family was $50,064. Males had a median income of $36,875 versus $24,635 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the borough was $23,053. About 12.0% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.

==Business and industry==
Several oil and gas pipeline, terminal, and distribution companies are located in Sinking Spring near the village of [[Montello, Pennsylvania|Montello]].

The [[Sunoco|Sunoco Logistics]] Montello Complex is the company's Eastern Pipeline System headquarters, as well as a local trucking terminal and a major midstream terminal for refined products, mostly originating from the Philadelphia and Marcus Hook refineries.  Sunoco's pipelines out of Montello provide gasoline, diesel fuel, and heating oil to large markets in Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Rochester, as well as smaller markets near Harrisburg, Altoona, Williamsport, Tamaqua, and Kingston in Pennsylvania and the [[Elmira-Corning, NY CSA|Elmira/Corning]] area in New York state.

Also located in Sinking Spring is "[[Alcon]] Precision Device" facility, used for the production of disposable, single and multi-use medical devices. The devices are manufactured for eye surgeries around the world, including cataract and vit surgerie, including the scalpels and sutures used for such surgeries. Alcon is a division of one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, [[Novartis]].<ref>Paraphrased from Alcon's website, {{cite web |url=http://www.alcon.com/alcon-locations/us-sinking-spring-pa.asp |title=Alcon Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania Information and Resources &#124; Alcon |access-date=2008-05-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080109222827/http://www.alcon.com/alcon-locations/us-sinking-spring-pa.asp |archive-date=2008-01-09 }}</ref>

==Transportation==
{{stack|[[File:2022-08-24 12 18 21 View west along U.S. Route 422 (Penn Avenue) at Hull Street in Sinking Spring, Berks County, Pennsylvania.jpg|right|thumb|US 422 westbound in Sinking Spring]]}}
As of 2007, there were {{convert|13.58|mi}} of public roads in Sinking Spring, of which {{convert|3.67|mi}} were maintained by the [[Pennsylvania Department of Transportation]] (PennDOT) and {{convert|9.91|mi}} were maintained by the borough.<ref name=PennDOTmap>{{cite web|url=https://gis.penndot.gov/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/Type5/06420.pdf|title=Sinking Spring Borough map|publisher=PennDOT|access-date=March 14, 2023}}</ref>

[[U.S. Route 422 in Pennsylvania|U.S. Route 422]] and [[Pennsylvania Route 724]] are the numbered highways serving Sinking Spring. US 422 follows an east-west alignment along Penn Avenue through the center of the borough. PA 724 heads southeast from US 422 along Shillington Road across the southeastern portion of the borough.

Sinking Spring is also served by [[Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority|BARTA]] bus Route 14.

== Notable people ==
* [[John H. Addams]], was a politician and businessman 
* [[Kenny Brightbill]], former [[NASCAR]] and professional dirt modified driver
* [[Lori and George Schappell]], [[Conjoined twins]], were born here
* [[Paul Specht]], was an American dance [[bandleader]] popular in the 1920s
* [[Shane Stafford]], former [[arena football]] [[quarterback]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.co.berks.pa.us/Muni/SinkingSpring/Pages/default.aspx Borough of Sinking Spring]

{{Berks County, Pennsylvania}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Populated places established in 1913]]
[[Category:Boroughs in Berks County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:1913 establishments in Pennsylvania]]