We all know that there is only one Emsworth, the delightful town on the shores of Chichester Harbour. But did you know that across the Atlantic there is another Emsworth, a small town on the Ohio River, part of Allegheny County, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA? Emsworth, USA is a small community with a population of 2598 compared with 9492 (2011 census) for Emsworth, Hants. According to the Emsworth Borough website their town was named after the Duke of Emsworth! There is no evidence of there ever being a Duke of Emsworth so perhaps the town, which was settled in the early part of C19 may have been named by a Hampshire man who wanted to remember his home town.
One of the most notable facts about Emsworth, USA are the house prices. Pleasant 4 bedroom detached houses are on offer for $125,000 (about £83,333!) This is very different from Emsworth, Hants where average prices according to Zoopla are £346,928. Median income in Emsworth, USA is $48,000 (£32000). Average wages in the Borough of Havant are only £27,000 pa.
Both Emsworth’s have a volunteer fire station and both towns have small craft breweries. The Emsworth, USA brewery is Aurochs Brewery who specialise in gluten free beer. Emsworth USA has its own form of local government (a bit like Parish Council) which is mainly responsible for Parks and Recreation. The most noticeable feature of Emsworth, USA are the enormous locks and dam which cross the Ohio River. These structures were built in 1919 and are maintained by the US Corps of Engineers. Around 470 barges pass through the locks each month, in addition to several hundred pleasure boats in the summer months. Every year millions of tons of river traffic, mainly oil, coal and chemical barges pass through the Ohio River, on their way to Pittsburgh which is the 21st largest port in the USA.
Unlike Emsworth, Hants, Emsworth USA does not appear to be a culinary centre with only a couple of local cafes listed on Trip Advisor. The most famous resident of Emsworth, USA is the astronaut Michael Fincke (b. 1967) who holds the American record for the most time spent in space (381 days) Colonel Fincke has served with the USAF and NASA since he graduated.
David Harris, who is a local writer and regular contributor to Postcode Publications has made links with Emsworth, USA and has written an article about Emsworth, Hants for The Citizen newspaper which covers the northern boroughs of Pittsburgh, including the town of Emsworth.