Niles, Ohio
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Niles is a city in
Trumbull County, Ohio Trumbull County is a County (United States), county in the far northeast portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 201,977. Its county seat and largest city is Warren, Ohio, Warren, ...
, United States. The population was 18,443 at the 2020 census. Located at the confluence of the
Mahoning River The Mahoning River is a river in northeastern Ohio and a small portion of western Pennsylvania. Flowing primarily through several Ohio counties, it crosses the state line into Pennsylvania before joining with the Shenango River to form the Beav ...
and Mosquito Creek, Niles is a suburb in the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area. Niles is best known as the birthplace of
William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...
, the 25th
president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
. Located in the nation's former industrial belt, the city's economy focused initially on iron manufacturing but later diversified to include steel and glass production. After the decline of heavy industry in the region in the 1970s, Niles became a retail hub for the northern Mahoning Valley with development centered around the
Eastwood Mall Eastwood Mall is an indoor shopping center in Niles, Ohio, United States, serving the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area. It is owned by the Cafaro Company. Its anchor stores are Boscov's, JCPenney, Macy's, Dave & Buster’s, and Target ...
complex and along the U.S. Route 422 corridor. The
Mahoning Valley Scrappers The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River, and play their home games at Eastwood Field. From 1999 to 2020, they were ...
baseball team plays at
Eastwood Field Eastwood Field is a minor league baseball stadium located in Niles, Ohio, United States. It is currently the home of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. Since 2000, it has also served as the h ...
in Niles.


History

Niles was founded in 1806 by James Heaton, who owned one of the first iron-ore processing plants in Ohio. The town originally went by the name of Heaton's Furnace but was later renamed Nilestown after
Hezekiah Niles Hezekiah Niles (October 10, 1777 – April 2, 1839), was an American editor and publisher of the Baltimore-based national weekly news magazine '' Weekly Register'', also known as ''Niles' Weekly Register'' or ''Niles' Register''. The most widely ...
, editor of the influential ''
Weekly Register The ''Weekly Register'' (also called the ''Niles Weekly Register'' and ''Niles' Register'') was a national magazine published in Baltimore, Maryland by Hezekiah Niles from 1811 to 1848. The most widely circulated magazine of its time, the ''Reg ...
'' news magazine. The name was shortened to Niles in 1843. In the early 19th century, Heaton built a
forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to the ...
and, later, a charcoal
blast furnace A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being supplied above atmospheric pressure. In a ...
in the area just east of what is now the city's central park, on the west side of Mosquito Creek. Heaton is credited with producing the first bar iron in Ohio. Niles' iron industry thrived until the late 19th century when the
economic depression An economic depression is a period of carried long-term economic downturn that is the result of lowered economic activity in one or more major national economies. It is often understood in economics that economic crisis and the following recession ...
of 1873 brought about the closure of the community's largest industrial firm, James Ward and Company. Plans to restore the local iron industry floundered because of the exorbitant cost of modernizing outdated mills. By the early 1900s, however, Niles was the site of companies including Ohio Galvanizing, Sykes Metal, the Niles Glass Works of the
General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...
Company, and the Niles Iron and Steel Roofing Company. Between 1900 and 1920, the city's population swelled from 7,500 to over 13,000. The
Great Flood of 1913 The Great Flood of 1913 occurred between March 23 and March 26, after major rivers in the central and eastern United States flooded from runoff and several days of heavy rain. Related deaths and damage in the United States were widespread and ...
precipitated massive flooding of the
Mahoning River The Mahoning River is a river in northeastern Ohio and a small portion of western Pennsylvania. Flowing primarily through several Ohio counties, it crosses the state line into Pennsylvania before joining with the Shenango River to form the Beav ...
, leaving extensive damage exceeding $3 million and 428 casualties in Niles. Throughout much of the late 19th and 20th century, Niles was known to most Ohioans as the birthplace of
William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...
, the 25th
president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
. McKinley was born in Niles on January 29, 1843, and attended
Niles High School Niles High School is a public high school located in Niles, Michigan, United States. It is part of the Niles Community Schools district. Athletics The Niles Vikings compete in the Wolverine Conference, joining the conference in 2021-2022. The ...
before graduating from
Poland Seminary Poland Seminary, originally Poland Academy, was a name used for a series of schools operated in Poland, Ohio. First academy The original Poland Academy was created in 1830 by a Presbyterian minister named Bradley (first name unknown), in a room o ...
. President McKinley's assassination in 1901 shocked the nation and particularly saddened residents of northeastern Ohio. In 1915,
Youngstown Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...
industrialist Joseph G. Butler, Jr., a childhood friend of McKinley, campaigned for the construction of the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial in downtown Niles. The facility currently houses the community's library as well as a small museum. Niles' location in the
Mahoning Valley The Youngstown–Warren, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, typically known as the Mahoning Valley, is a metropolitan area in Northeast Ohio with Youngstown, Ohio, at its center. According to the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau, ...
, a center of
steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
production, ensured that the community would become a destination for immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe in the early 20th century; dramatic demographic change fueled ethnic and religious tension. In the 1920s, regional chapters of the
Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
targeted Niles because of its large
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
population. The Klan marched through the center of Niles in May 1924 and attempted another march in June of the same year. When violence forced the Klan to cancel the second march, the event was rescheduled for November 1, 1924. The city mayor's ultimate decision to issue the Klan a permit for the march outraged many of the community's Italian- and
Irish-American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...
residents. In response to the scheduled Klan march, an anti-Klan organization, the Knights of the Flaming Circle, pledged to hold their own parade of 10,000 participants on the same day. On October 29, the mayor's house was bombed, due to his refusal to revoke the permit. Tensions escalated from this point on, and the city gained national attention due to the impending marches. Despite the city's pleas for assistance from the militia, they were denied. The result was 18 hours of full-blown rioting. Control was brought to the town, requiring 10 days of
martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...
. Between the Klan and anti-Klan participants, 104 people were indicted. Niles' economy was undermined in the 1970s when the Mahoning Valley's steel industry – already in decline – collapsed. On May 31, 1985, Niles was struck by an F5 tornado that had its origins just west of Newton Falls, where it destroyed much of that town. The tornado then moved through Lordstown and
Warren Warren most commonly refers to: * Warren (burrow), a network dug by rabbits * Warren (name), a given name and a surname, including lists of persons so named Warren may also refer to: Places Australia * Warren (biogeographic region) * War ...
, before wreaking havoc on Niles, where it flattened a roller skating rink and
shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...
. The tornado also leveled dozens of houses, ripped through the city's historic Union Cemetery, injured many people, and took several lives. In the Niles area, nine people were killed and 250 were injured. Nearly 70 homes were leveled and another 65 to 70 were severely damaged. The tornado of 1985 took a path through Niles that was almost identical to that of a tornado that struck in 1947.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.


Demographics

Niles hosts a large
Italian-American Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...
community. The local center of Italian-American culture and tradition is Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church. The church hosts an annual celebration of the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel during July.


2010 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 19,266 people, 8,499 households, and 4,971 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 9,417 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.1%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 3.5%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population. There were 8,499 households, of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.5% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 42 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.4% were from 25 to 44; 28.4% were from 45 to 64; and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.


2000 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 20,932 people, 8,859 households, and 5,519 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 12,512 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.98%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 2.27%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.19% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.22% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 0.83% of the population. There were 5,012 households, out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 22.3% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $65,615, and the median income for a family was $76,704. Males had a median income of $35,936 versus $23,888 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $19,410. About 6.5% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.2% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Niles constitutes a mixed-use
suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
and is one of the main
retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...
hubs of the
Mahoning Valley The Youngstown–Warren, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, typically known as the Mahoning Valley, is a metropolitan area in Northeast Ohio with Youngstown, Ohio, at its center. According to the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau, ...
area. Most of the city's commercial and retail development centers around U.S. Route 422. The
Eastwood Mall Eastwood Mall is an indoor shopping center in Niles, Ohio, United States, serving the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area. It is owned by the Cafaro Company. Its anchor stores are Boscov's, JCPenney, Macy's, Dave & Buster’s, and Target ...
opened in 1969 and contains over 100 stores and restaurants across of space. The mall is part of the greater Eastwood Mall Complex, which includes a variety of outdoor strip plazas located at the intersection of U.S. Route 422 and
Ohio State Route 46 State Route 46 (SR 46) is a north–south state highway in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Its southern terminus is at State Route 170 in East Palestine (this point is also the eastern terminus of State Route 55 ...
. Developed by the Youngstown-based
Cafaro Company The Cafaro Company is an American property management and real estate development company which owns several retail shopping centers throughout the United States. Based in Niles, Ohio, it is the largest privately owned shopping center developme ...
, the company relocated its headquarters to Niles in 2016. Historically, the
Niles Car and Manufacturing Company The Niles Car and Manufacturing Company was an American manufacturer of railroad equipment, including many streetcar and interurban cars. It was founded in 1901 in Niles, Ohio and published catalogs showcasing their various cars. Niles special ...
built
streetcar A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...
and
interurban The interurban (or radial railway in Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...
cars in the city for national use. It was founded in 1901 and specialized in building wooden-bodied cars in the heyday of interurban building.


Arts and culture

The National McKinley Birthplace Memorial Library and Museum in downtown Niles was established in 1915 to remember President
William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...
. The Ward-Thomas Museum is the current home of the Niles Historical Society.


Sports

The
Mahoning Valley Scrappers The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River, and play their home games at Eastwood Field. From 1999 to 2020, they were ...
, a short-season Class A
minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
team, moved from
Erie, Pennsylvania Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pen ...
, to Niles in 1999. The team plays at
Eastwood Field Eastwood Field is a minor league baseball stadium located in Niles, Ohio, United States. It is currently the home of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. Since 2000, it has also served as the h ...
, located behind the
Eastwood Mall Eastwood Mall is an indoor shopping center in Niles, Ohio, United States, serving the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area. It is owned by the Cafaro Company. Its anchor stores are Boscov's, JCPenney, Macy's, Dave & Buster’s, and Target ...
on U.S. Highway 422.
Youngstown Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...
-based boxer
Kelly Pavlik Kelly Robert Pavlik (born April 5, 1982) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2000 to 2012. He won the unified WBC, WBO, ''Ring'' magazine and lineal middleweight titles by defeating Jermain Taylor in 2007, and made thr ...
fought a nationally broadcast fight in Niles on July 1, 2003, against Rico Cason. The fight was broadcast over
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
's "Tuesday Night Fights", and Pavlik won the fight by knockout in the second round. Between 1980 and 1982,
Youngstown Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...
-born boxer
Harry Arroyo Harry Arroyo (born October 25, 1957) is an American former professional boxer who held the IBF lightweight title from 1984 to 1985. Early years Arroyo, of Puerto Rican descent, was born on the south side of Youngstown, Ohio, a steel-manufactu ...
fought four of his professional fights in Niles, Ohio, and won all four of them, bringing his professional record at the time to 16–0. Eventually, Arroyo would win the IBF World Lightweight Title.


Education

Children in Niles are served by the Niles City School District, which includes one primary school, one intermediate school, one middle school and
Niles McKinley High School Niles McKinley High School is a four-year public high school in Niles, Ohio, United States. As of the 2023-2024 school year, the school had an enrollment of 579 students and 37.77 classroom teachers (on a FTE basis, for a student-teacher ratio o ...
.


Notable people

* Joseph Bangust, World War II naval hero and
Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...
recipient * Cynthia S. Burnett, educator, temperance reformer, newspaper editor *
George Burns George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film, and television. His arched eyeb ...
, professional baseball player and 1926
American League MVP The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. The award has been presented by the Baseball Writers' ...
*
Jim Capuzzi Jim Capuzzi is a former defensive back and quarterback in the National Football League. Biography Capuzzi was born on March 12, 1932, in Niles, Ohio. Career Capuzzi played with the Green Bay Packers for two seasons (1955–56). He played at th ...
, professional football defensive back and quarterback for the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
* John Hlay, collegiate football player for
Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
* Sonny Horne, professional boxer *
William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...
, 25th president of the United States * A. F. Moritz, poet *
Kenneth Patchen Kenneth Patchen (December 13, 1911January 8, 1972) was an American poet and novelist. He experimented with different forms of writing and incorporated painting, drawing, and jazz music into his works, which have been compared with those of Will ...
, poet and noted figure of the Beat era * Gertrude L. Pew, miniature painter * Phil Ragazzo, professional football player *
Bo Rein Robert Edward Rein (July 20, 1945 – January 10, 1980) was an American football and baseball player and football coach. He was a two-sport athlete at Ohio State University and served as the head football coach at North Carolina State Universi ...
, Ohio State University football and baseball player * Tim Ryan, U.S. representative for Ohio from 2003 to 2023 *
Dominic Sena Dominic Sena (born April 26, 1949) is an American film director and music video director. As a film director, he is best known for directing the films ''Kalifornia'' (1993), ''Gone in 60 Seconds (2000 film), Gone in 60 Seconds'' (2000), and ''S ...
, film and music video director *
David Sherman David Sherman (February 27, 1944 – November 16, 2022) was an American novelist who dealt overwhelmingly with military themes at the small-unit tactical level. His experiences as a United States Marine Corps, United States Marine informed his ...
, novelist * Harry M. Stevens, ballpark concessionaire and purported inventor of the
hot dog A hot dog is a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term ''hot dog'' can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter ( Frankfurter Würs ...


References


External links


City website
{{authority control Cities in Ohio Cities in Trumbull County, Ohio Populated places established in 1806 Italian-American culture in Ohio 1806 establishments in Ohio