Sayre, Pennsylvania

Sayre is the largest borough in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, 59 mi northwest of Scranton. In the past, various iron products were made there. In 1900, 5,243 people lived there; in 1910, 6,426 people lived there, and in 1940, 7,569 persons made their homes in Sayre. The population was 5,587 at the 2010 census. Children residing in the borough are assigned to attend the Sayre Area School District.

Sayre is home to the Robert Packer Hospital and Guthrie Clinic. Sayre is also in a small area called 'The Valley,' a group of four contiguous communities in New York and Pennsylvania:  Waverly, New York; South Waverly, PA; Sayre; Athens, PA, and smaller surrounding communities with a combined population near 35,000 of the Greater Valley.

Sayre borders, and is contiguous with, Waverly, New York; South Waverly, Pennsylvania; and Athens, Pennsylvania..

History
In May 1870, a Waverly banker named Howard Elmer, along with Charles Anthony and James Fritcher, bought the Pine Plains area between Waverly and Athens. Elmer convinced Asa Packer to locate a new railroad repair facility on the Pine Plains for the expanding Lehigh Valley Railroad, which was making a push north to connect to the Erie railroad at Waverly, NY. Robert Heysham Sayre, President of the Pennsylvania and New York Railroad, helped cement the deal. The town was named in his honor. Sayre was incorporated on January 27, 1891.

In 1904 when the locomotive shops were built at Sayre, the main shop building was believed to be the largest structure in the world under one roof, it held that title for only a brief time however. The railroad operated from 1870 until 1976, but maintenance facilities were shifted away before that. With the decline of industry, population has declined since 1940.

Geography
Sayre is situated in a river valley in the Allegheny Plateau on the confluence of the Susquehanna River and the Chemung River, along with Athens, Pennsylvania, South Waverly, Pennsylvania, and Waverly, New York. Together, these small towns make up the greater area known as the Penn-York Valley, or just the Valley. The New York / Pennsylvania border cuts through the Valley. There is no physical border between the towns, as the grid of streets and avenues blend seamlessly from one town to another.

Sayre is located at 41.98361°N, -76.52083°W (41.983567, -76.520845).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.0 sqmi.2.0 square miles (5.3 km²) of it is land and 0.49% is water.

2010
As of the census of 2010, there were 5,587 people, 2,479 households, and 1,394 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,793.5 people per square mile (1,091.2/km²). There were 2,693 housing units at an average density of 1,346.5 per square mile (526/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 96% White, 0.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population.

There were 2,479 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.8% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the borough the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 60.1% from 18 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years.

The median income for a household in the borough was $34,221, and the median income for a family was $57,256. Males had a median income of $41,895 versus $27,816 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $20,956. About 6.6% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,813 people, 2,529 households, and 1,514 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,866.8 people per square mile (1,105.6/km²). There were 2,722 housing units at an average density of 1,342.4 per square mile (517.7/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.92% White, 0.62% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.26% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population.

There were 2,529 households out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the borough the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.0 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $33,338, and the median income for a family was $40,571. Males had a median income of $30,685 versus $24,837 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,549. About 7.1% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Red Murray - professional baseball player
 * Jane Roberts - author
 * Father Robert S. Smith - priest
 * Jeff Terpko - Baseball player
 * Chuck Ciprich - Racecar driver
 * Charles C. Pixley - Doctor
 * Erwin Rudolph - Billiards player
 * Elishama Tozer - Revolutionary War politician
 * Colleen Dominguez- ESPN Reporter
 * Arcesia - Jazz singer

Media
Newspaper
 * The Morning Times: formerly called The Evening Times (based in Sayre; serves Waverly, Sayre, Athens and surrounding communities)
 * Star Gazette (based in Elmira; serves Tioga, Chemung and Steuben Counties in NY and Bradford County in PA)
 * The Daily Review (based in Towanda; serves Bradford County and surrounding areas)

Radio
 * WAVR - 102.1 FM (based in Sayre; licensed in Waverly for FM broadcasting to the Twin Tiers market)
 * WATS - 960 AM (based in Sayre; licensed in Sayre for AM broadcasting to the Twin Tiers market)
 * WPHD - 96.1 FM (based in Horseheads; licensed in South Waverly (adjacent to Sayre) for FM broadcasting to the Twin Tiers market)

Television

Sayre is served by many local television stations, in three broadcast television markets, along with Time Warner Cable's YNN (Your News Now).
 * Binghamton: WBNG CBS; WIVT ABC; WBGH NBC; WICZ Fox; and WSKG Public Television
 * Elmira: WETM NBC; WENY ABC & CBS; and WYDC Fox
 * Wilkes-Barre/Scranton: WOLF (W52CE-TV Sayre) Fox; WNEP ABC; and WYOU CBS

Transportation
Sayre has one bus service. This is the Endless Mountains Transportation Authority. The EMTA's Blue Bus makes numerous stops in Waverly, Sayre, and Athens. Sayre and The Valley also has taxi service available through Valley Taxi. Valley Taxi also travels throughout the vicinities of Waverly, Sayre, and Athens.

Organizations

 * Sayre Little League (www.sayrelittleleague.com)
 * Sayre Recreation Program (www.sayresd.org)
 * Big Brothers/Big Sisters
 * 4H
 * Community Service Club
 * Sayre Library