Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...
Once dubbed "The Magic City," Farrell sprang up practically overnight when a steel mill was constructed in 1901 on a plain bordering the
Shenango River
The Shenango River is a principal tributary of the Beaver River, approximately 100 mi (160 km) long,Sharon, in what was then part of Hickory Township (now Hermitage).
The community name was at the beginning South Sharon. In 1912, the population reached 10,000. At that time, the residents of the new city elected to take the name of Farrell, after industrialist James A. Farrell.''Farrell Golden Jubilee'' 1901-1951 )
The community was incorporated as the Borough of South Sharon in 1916; its population peaked at over 15,000 in 1920 and its status was elevated to a third-class city in 1932. In 1939, artist Virginia Wood Riggs was commissioned to paint the mural ''Myths of Vulcan and Juno'' in the towns post office. The mural was painted over in 1966.
The mill, which eventually became known as the Roemer Works of Sharon Steel Corporation, would serve as the community's lifeblood until 1992, when it was liquidated after filing bankruptcy. Many of the assets were sold at auction to Britain-based Caparo Corporation and later to Swiss steelmaker Duferco, which operates the plant today. Farrell was designated a financially distressed municipality in 1987 by the state of Pennsylvania.
Despite years of population and industrial decline, Farrell has made progress in rebuilding itself due to new industrial investments on tax abated land and several new housing starts.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2000, there were 6,050 people, 2,504 households, and 1,620 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
was 2,589.1 people per square mile (998.3/km2). There were 2,752 housing units at an average density of 1,177.7 per square mile (454.1/km2). The racial composition of the city was 50.28%
White
White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 46.71%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...
, 0.30% from other races, and 2.38% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population.
There were 2,504 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 24.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 31.5% 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 2.37 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $22,659, and the median income for a family was $28,935. Males had a median income of $32,800 versus $20,729 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $14,532. About 24.0% of families and 26.4% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 47.5% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
The city government provides numerous incentives to entice new businesses to locate within its borders. Today, some of the major contributors to Farrell's business base include:
*Duferco Farrell Corp. (steel processing *First General Services of Western PA. (Property Restoration *Kalco Metals Inc. (specialty alloys *NLMK Pennsylvania, a subsidiary of
Novolipetsk Steel
Novolipetsk Steel, or NLMK, is one of the four largest steel companies in Russia. NLMK's share of domestic crude steel production is about 21%. It primarily produces flat steel products, semi-finished steel products and electrical steels. NLMK ...
*Precision Steel Services (roll forming *Premier Hydraulics Inc. (hydraulic parts manufacturing)
*Sharon Custom Metal Forming (roll forming and welding *Sharon Packing Co. (food processing *UPMC Horizon Hospital, Farrell Campu
Farrell emerged Feb. 8, 2019 from Financially Distressed Municipalities Act, Act 47 provisions. The Act provides for municipalities that are near bankruptcy. Farrell had been under Act 47 since 1987, as Pennsylvania's first municipality to enter financially distressed municipality status.
Media
Television
Because of Farrell's location near the Pennsylvania/Ohio border, it is served by WKBN-TV ( CBS), WFMJ-TV (
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
Youngstown, OH
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, which ...
Farrell, PA
Farrell is a city in western Mercer County, Pennsylvania, along the Shenango River. The population was 4,258 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area.
History
Once dubbed "The Magic City," Farrell sprang up pr ...
Youngstown, OH
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, which ...
Youngstown, OH
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, which ...
).
Notable people
* Jack Marin - born October 12, 1944 is an American former professional basketball player. A 201 cm (6-foot, 7-inch) guard/forward from Duke University, Marin was valedictorian of his high school class at Farrell High School.
*
Russell L. Caldwell
Russell Leon Caldwell (1904-1979) was an American historian, educator, and community activist. He was born August 13, 1904, in Farrell, Pennsylvania, and died May 23, 1979, at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Inglewood, California, due to c ...
, historian and college professor
*
Gravelle Craig
Gravelle Craig (born June 10, 1970) is a college basketball coach, currently serving as an assistant coach at Canisius University. From 2011 to 2017, Craig was the head coach for the Bethune-Cookman University men's basketball team. He is a former ...
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pl ...
and
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
Newbery Award
The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...
winning author
* Marc L. Marks, politician and lawyer
*
Duke Mitchell
Duke Mitchell (born Dominic Salvatore Miceli; May 9, 1926 – December 2, 1981) was an American film actor, slapstick comedian, crooner and independent film director of 1970s gangster movies starring himself. Mitchell often performed his ni ...
The Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
ABA
ABA may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
Broadcasting
* Alabama Broadcasters Association, United States
* Asahi Broadcasting Aomori, Japanese television station
* Australian Broadcasting Authority
Education
* Académie des Beaux- ...
All-Star professional basketball player
*
Billy Soose
Billy Soose (August 2, 1915 – September 5, 1998) was an American boxer who won the world middleweight championship in 1941.
Biography
Soose was undefeated in his collegiate boxing career at Penn State and was a three-time Golden Gloves winne ...
Leo Yankevich
Leo Yankevich (30 October 1961 – 11 December 2018) was an American poet and the editor of '' The New Formalist''.
Early life and education
Leo Yankevich grew up and attended high school in Farrell, Pennsylvania, a small steel town in western ...