Espy, Pennsylvania

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Location within Columbia county
Location within Columbia county
Espy is located in Pennsylvania
Location within the state of Pennsylvania
Coordinates: 41°0′21″N 76°24′54″W﻿ / ﻿41.00583°N 76.41500°W﻿ / 41.00583; -76.41500Coordinates: 41°0′21″N 76°24′54″W﻿ / ﻿41.00583°N 76.41500°W﻿ / 41.00583; -76.41500
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
County Columbia
 • Total 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2)
 • Land 0.9 sq mi (2.4 km2)
 • Water 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation[1] 480 ft (150 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 1,642
 • Density 1,500/sq mi (590/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 17815[2]

Espy is a census-designated place (CDP) in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,642 at the 2010 census.[2] It is part of the BloomsburgBerwick Micropolitan Statistical Area. Espy was first settled in the late 1700s. It was home to a boatyard in the 1800s.


Espy was named after Josiah Espy, and early settler who moved to the area in 1775. Soon afterwards, in 1785, Josiah's son George moved into the area as well. In 1800, George Espy divided up the area that is now Espy into lots. The town was originally called Liberty, however, in 1828, it was officially renamed Espy after George Espy. The first hotel in Espy was built in 1805. There used to a boatyard in Espy, but it was destroyed in 1900.[3]


Espy is located at 41°0′21″N 76°24′54″W﻿ / ﻿41.00583°N 76.41500°W﻿ / 41.00583; -76.41500 (41.005904, -76.414883).[4] Espy is bordered by U.S. Route 11 to the north, the Susquehanna River to the south, Almedia to the east, and Bloomsburg to the west and northwest.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2), of which, 0.9 square miles (2.3 km2) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) of it (15.60%) is water.

Espy is one of several small CDP's on the north side of the Susquehanna River between Bloomsburg and Berwick.


As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 1,428 people, 658 households, and 402 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,547.8 people per square mile (599.3/km²). There were 690 housing units at an average density of 747.9/sq mi (289.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.48% White, 0.63% African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.21% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.12% of the population.


In the CDP the population was spread out with 19.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $33,250, and the median income for a family was $36,908. Males had a median income of $32,112 versus $29,943 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $19,108. About 11.2% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.6% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.

In 2000, 2.0% of Espy residents identified as being of Egyptian heritage. This was the highest percentage of Egyptian Americans of any place in the country, although in raw numbers this is dwarfed by neighborhoods in Jersey City, New Jersey and Queens, New York.

The most common ancestries in Espy are German (32%), Irish (13.9%), Dutch (11.2%), American (8.8%), British (7.6%), and Italian (6.8%).[2]

Major Roads[edit]

U.S. Route 11 goes in the extreme north of Espy.


The Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania is the nearest college with over 2000 students to Espy.[2] Espy is in the Central Columbia School District.[6]


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  2. ^ a b c d "Espy, Pennsylvania". 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012. 
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