Sharon, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia : S : SH : SHA : Sharon, Pennsylvania
Sharon is a city in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, in the United States, 75 miles (121 km) northwest of Pittsburgh. Sharon was settled in 1795, incorporated as a borough on October 6, 1841, and became a city on December 17, 1918.
Thanks to its large coal deposits, Sharon was once a major industrial center, with rolling mills, boiler and machine shops, furnaces, flour mills, ordnance works, and manufactories of explosives, nails, horse collars, spokes, chains, stoves, and lumber products. In 1900, the population was 8,916 persons; in 1910, 15,270 persons; in 1920, 21,747 persons; and 25,622 people lived in Sharon in 1940. Today there is still some steel and metalworking as well as other manufacturing, but like most of America the city has been the victim of deindustrialization; despite the reclamation of several industrial sites and investments from manufacturing businesses, most of the city's job growth today is in the service sector. The population was 16,328 at the 2000 census.
A quirky small city in Western Pennsylvania, Sharon has worked to shed its "Rust Belt" image, having earned recognition and a small amount of tourist dollars through the somewhat dubious promotion of a number of "world's largest"s, including the "world's largest" shoe store (Reyers), candy store (Daffin's), and off-price women's fashion store (The Winner), as well as the original Quaker Steak and Lube, a bar specializing in chicken wings, and Tara (actually located in nearby Clark), an American Civil War-style plantation not located in the Deep South. Much of this is the brainchild of local entrepreneur James E. Winner Jr., who also made Sharon famous through his winning of a law suit which gave him title to the invention of The Club, a very popular auto-theft prevention device.
Sharon is also the home of Sharon Regional Health System, a massive full-service community hospital uncommonly found in communities of its size; the Vocal Group Hall of Fame; and the Shenango Campus of Pennsylvania State University, which is the only urban campus in the Penn State system.
Sharon, along with Mercer County, is counted by the US Census Bureau as part of the Youngstown-Warren, OH Metropolitan Area.
Profile
Despite its small size, Sharon is a remarkably diverse community. Approximately 10 percent of city residents and 19 percent of students enrolled in the city's public schools are minorities, giving it the second-highest minority concentration in Mercer County. Sharon's neighborhoods reveal further diversity--the west side is situated on a hillside just over the Pennsylvania-Ohio border and consists mainly of older, dense family homes (many of which are over a century old); the north and south sides contain a mixture of dense millworker houses and 1960s-style suburban development as well as some subsidized housing; the east side is home to many large and beautiful homes, some of which have changed hands for nearly $500,000; and the downtown is home to four massive senior complexes (Connelly, Riverview, Vermeire, and McKelvey manors), loft apartments over storefronts, and subsidized housing. The city is also home to over thirty churches that house Roman Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Jewish, Orthodox, and other congregations.The founding families of Sharon first settled on the flat plain bordering the Shenango River (this area is situated between two hills and is the current location of Sharon's downtown and the North and South flats business districts). The community probably received its name from a Bible-reading settler who likened the location to the Plain of Sharon in Israel.
The city operates unter the PA third-class city charter, with a mayor-council form of government.
Famous native Sharonites include author John D. MacDonald, current NFLer Marlin Jackson, singer Tony Butala of The Lettermen, composer/songwriter Johnny Broderick, and actors Lester Rawlins and Carmen Argenziano.
Elected Officials
- Robert J. Lucas, Mayor
- Fred J. Hoffman, City Council President
- Darin D. Flower, City Council Vice President
- Angeline "Chris" Outrakis, City Council
- Victor Heutsche, City Council
- Jennifer Kotyk Barborak, City Council
Geography
Sharon is located at (41.230106, -80.498960)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.7 km² (3.8 mi²), all land. However, the Shenango River runs through the city and provides drinking water to Sharon and several surrounding communities.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 16,328 people, 6,791 households, and 4,190 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,676.7/km² (4,342.6/mi²). There were 7,388 housing units at an average density of 758.6/km² (1,964.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.44% White, 10.85% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 2.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population.There were 6,791 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,945, and the median income for a family was $34,581. Males had a median income of $30,072 versus $20,988 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,913. About 14.0% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
External links
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