Here it is, my hometown (and current location of exile). Is it any wonder why I am leaving?


Ambridge is a borough in Beaver County in western Pennsylvania, incorporated in 1910 and named after the American Bridge Company, which had significant operations there. Ambridge is located 16 miles (25 km) northwest of Pittsburgh, alongside the Ohio river. In 1910, 5,205 people lived in Ambridge; in 1920, 12,730 people lived there, and in 1940, 18,968 people resided in Ambridge. The population was 7,769 at the 2000 census.

The Harmony Society first settled the area in the early 1800s, founding the village of "Oekonomie" or Old Economy in 1824. Although initially successful, accumulating significant landholdings, the sect went into decline.

By the end of the nineteenth century only a few Harmonists remained. In 1905 the Society was dissolved and its vast real estate holdings sold, much of it to the American Bridge Company, who subsequently enlarged the town and renamed it Ambridge.

Ambridge had been a highly productive place at one time. The borough was widely known for bridge building, metal molding, and the manufacture of tubes (large iron pipes). During World War II, numerous small vessels such as LSTs were constructed in Ambridge by American Bridge Company. ABC ended operations in Ambridge in 1983.

Geography
Ambridge is located at 40°35′35″N, 80°13′31″W (40.593167, -80.225200)GR1, along the Ohio River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 4.4 km² (1.7 mi²). 3.8 km² (1.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (12.87%) is water.

There were 3,595 households out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.6% were married couples living together, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.3% were non-families. 39.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% 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 2.88.

The median income for a household in the borough was $26,263, and the median income for a family was $35,529. Males had a median income of $30,996 versus $21,455 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $15,089. About 16.4% of families and 17.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.3% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.


Education
The town is served by the Ambridge Area School District [1]. The town's high school is Ambridge Area High School.