The Mahoning Valley is a geographic
valley encompassing the area of northeast
Ohio and a small portion of western
Pennsylvania that drains into the
Mahoning River. According to information at the bottom of Page 321 in a publication
by the
Ohio Secretary of State's Office, the river name comes from an Indian word meaning “at the licks.”
Valley Geography
Downstream of
Youngstown
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 ...
through
Struthers and
Lowellville
Lowellville is a village in eastern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, along the Mahoning River. The population was 996 at the 2020 census. Located about southeast of Youngstown, it is part of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area.
Geog ...
in Ohio and
Edinburg in Pennsylvania, the river runs through a significant valley. In contrast and notwithstanding some shallow reservoirs and short waterfalls, the river upstream of there flowing through
Newton Falls and
Warren
A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...
encounters less relief in the ground and the terrain is largely flat right up to the riverbank. Therefore, the term "Mahoning Valley" is generally applied locally only to the lower portion of the drainage unless addressing the
Youngstown–Warren, OH-PA Combined Statistical Area which is also often referred to colloquially as the "Mahoning Valley" for the purposes of referring to issues such as job opportunities and housing markets.
Other places named "Mahoning Valley"
There are also several other locales, most in the state of
Pennsylvania, where the term "Mahoning Valley" are applied. There are four townships in
Indiana County
Indiana County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the west central part of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 83,246. Its county seat is Indiana. Indiana County comprises the Indiana, PA Mi ...
that include the name "Mahoning":
East,
West,
North, and
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
Mahoning Townships near
Mahoning Creek which flows into the
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...
north of
Templeton. There is also
Mahoning Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania downstream on the same creek,
Mahoning Township, Montour County, Pennsylvania
Mahoning Township is a township in Montour County, Pennsylvania, United States.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 8.9 square miles (22.9 km2), of which 8.2 square miles (21. ...
where there is another
Mahoning Creek which flows into the
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...
near
Danville, and
Mahoning Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania
Mahoning Township is a township in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 4,305 at the 2010 census, up from 3,978 at the 2000 census.
Geography
The township is in southwestern Carbon County in ...
on yet another
Mahoning Creek which flows into the
Lehigh River
The Lehigh River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in eastern Pennsylvania. The river flows in a generally southward pat ...
at
Lehighton
Lehighton () is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Lehighton is located northwest of Allentown and northwest of Philadelphia.
Due in part to water power from the Lehigh River, Lehighton was an e ...
and from there into the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
. Near these communities are various businesses such as a nursing home, golf course, race track, cinema, butcher shop, mini-storage, and auto parts store, that have incorporated "Mahoning Valley" into their name. There is also Mahoning Valley Christian Camp near
Rushville, Indiana.
See also
*
Youngstown–Warren–Boardman metropolitan area
*
Mahoning River
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Mahoning Valley Historical Society
Valleys of Pennsylvania
Valleys of Ohio
Landforms of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania
Landforms of Mercer County, Pennsylvania
Landforms of Columbiana County, Ohio
Landforms of Mahoning County, Ohio
Landforms of Trumbull County, Ohio
Landforms of Portage County, Ohio
{{NortheasternOH-geo-stub