Dormont is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,244 at the 2020 census. It is a residential suburb of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Loosely translated, Dormont means "Mountain of Gold" in French.
History
The territory in which Dormont Borough is situated was held by the Delaware and Shawnee tribes until 1768, when the territory was part of the transaction in which Fort Stanwix was purchased from the Six Nations. In following years, Dormont's area was part of Cumberland County, Pitt Township in Bedford County, Penn Township in Washington County, and finally, St. Clair Township in Allegheny County in 1788.
Dormont was originally fashioned from parts of Scott and Union Townships. An order of incorporation was signed on March 31, 1909, making Dormont the first independent municipality in the South Hills of Allegheny County. Municipal officials initially wanted to name the new community "Mt. Lebanon"; however, objections were raised by their as yet unincorporated neighbors to the south, who eventually adopted the name. Instead, the name Dormont was chosen from the Americanized version of the French term "mont d'or", loosely translated as "Mountain of Gold."
The first election of borough officials was held on April 27, 1909. Dormont later annexed part of Scott Township in 1909, two additional parts of Union Township in 1913 and 1916, and a portion of Mt. Lebanon Township in January 1921, giving it a total area of just less than one square mile. With the construction of the streetcar tunnel and the Liberty Tunnels came rapid growth.
Once the borough of Dormont was incorporated in 1909, at least 30 different streets were given new names. Today, all but two of Dormont's "side streets" are designated as avenues, the exceptions being Memorial Drive and Park Blvd. Two of Dormont's mainline streets, Scott Road and McFarland Road, are two-lane "borough line" streets in which one lane is located in Dormont and the other in Mt. Lebanon. The northern stretch of another "borough line" street, McNeilly Avenue, runs through Dormont on one side and the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Brookline on the other. Before the incorporation and street name changes, Dormont actually had four designated "streets": Beech St. (Dwight Ave.), Sycamore St. (Philadelphia Ave.), Sylvester St. (Texas Ave.) and "C" St. (Miles Ave.).
In June 2020, the Dormont Borough Council approved a comprehensive plan for the next ten years, which includes provisions for land use, housing, transportation, economic development, parks and recreation, community facilities, historic preservation, sustainability, and public engagement. The council also adopted a $9.8 million budget for 2021 without a tax increase for residents. The Keystone Oaks School District, after a stint of fully remote learning, resumed in-person instruction for all students starting in February 2021.
Geography
Dormont is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania, in Allegheny County, approximately south of the county seat of Pittsburgh. Dormont's map coordinates are: (40.393646, -80.037466). According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , all land.
Surrounding communities
Dormont has four borders, including the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of Banksville to the north, Beechview to the northeast and Brookline to the east. The remainder of Dormont is bordered by Mt. Lebanon to the south and west.
Demographics
As of the 2000 census, there were 9,305 people, 4,089 households, and 2,314 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 4,287 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 96.08% White, 1.05% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.63% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population.
There were 4,089 households, out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 21.3% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 34.6% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.