It was home for many years to the Mount Carbon Brewery which closed in the late 1970s. D.G. Yuengling & Son bought the rights to use the Mount Carbon name and label when Mount Carbon Brewery went out of business in 1977. Yuengling initially brewed Mount Carbon for a short time but eventually abandoned it. 7up bottling Co. then took over building for years as a distribution and shipping point.
Government
Mount Carbon has also had one of the youngest mayors in history; Mayor Jeffrey Dunkel was sworn in as mayor when he was only 18-years-old. On July 16, 2015, The Pottsville Republican Herald reported that Mayor Dunkel will resign after 13 years for a job opportunity in another state. He was succeeded by Donna Porter, who also resigned after moving outside the borough. In February 2016, 22-year-old Brandon Wentz was appointed mayor. Wentz's grandmother was the borough's first female mayor. He died on November 10, 2017, at the age of 23 due to a drug overdose. The borough was considering a merger with the City of Pottsville. The merger was shot down by the residents, and the borough has been making financial progress since a new council took the helm. In 2019, the borough had no functioning government after the borough secretary resigned and three borough council members quit. That year, John Raess was elected mayor by two write-in votes and borough council member by five write-in votes. Raess was the only person to show up to the borough council reorganization meeting, meaning there would be no functioning government in 2020. As a result, Mount Carbon may have to merge with Pottsville, which would need to be approved by voters in both municipalities. Another option would be to merge with North Manheim Township, though that would force the borough to change school districts.
Transportation
Mount Carbon was the end of the original Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, opened in 1842. Mount Carbon was a very active location along the Canal. The Hotel which was located at the present Pottsville Pizzeria, was rumored to have royalty stay there on their travels. South Centre Street, Main Street, Sherwood Drive and the Mt. Carbon Arch are the only streets of the borough. Pennsylvania Route 61 passes to the east of Mount Carbon and access is provided by a bridge over the Schuylkill River. The Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad operates alone the former tracks of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad.
As of the census of 2000, there were 87 people, 39 households, and 23 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,414.1 people per square mile. There were 47 housing units at an average density of 763.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the borough was 100.00% White. There were 39 households out of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were married couplesliving together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.9% 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 2.87. In the borough the population was spread out with 19.5% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $34,688, and the median income for a family was $46,875. Males had a median income of $24,000 versus $23,125 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,355. There were no families and 7.1% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 40.0% of those over 64.
