Hallstead was settled in 1787. What is now Hallstead was incorporated as Great Bend Village on November 28, 1874. In 1887, it was renamed to Hallstead Borough in honor of William F. Hallstead, president of the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad.
Geography
Hallstead is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of, all of it land. The boroughs of Hallstead and nearby Great Bend are bisected by both Interstate 81 and the Susquehanna River.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,303 people, 572 households, and 347 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,257.5 people per square mile. There were 606 housing units at an average density of 1,515 per square mile. The racial makeup of the borough was 97.5% White, 0.7% African American, 0.4% Native American, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1% of the population. There were 572 households, out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.2% 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 2.90. In the borough the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 58.4% from 18 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. The median income for a household in the borough was $45,649, and the median income for a family was $46,313. Males had a median income of $39,531 versus $21,481 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,181. About 10.9% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Hallstead lies in Blue Ridge School District. The Elementary, Middle and High Schools are all located about south of Hallstead. The Elementary School consists of Kindergarten to fifth grade with approximately 488 students in attendance. The Middle School consists of grades 6-8 and has approximately 297 students. The High School consists of grades 9-12 with approximately 429 students. The School Board Consists of: Alan Hall, Christina Cosmello, Joel Whitehead, Loren Small, Christina Whitney, Harold Empett, John Ketchur, Cindy Gaughan, Shane Rumage, Laurie Brown-Bonner, and Robert McTiernan.
The Foundry
The Foundry consists of of land on Main Street in Hallstead. During the early 1900s it was a manufacturer of lead crystal but after almost three decades ownership shifted and it became a major foundry.
