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Meadville, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
 Crawford County Courthouse,Meadville Downtown Historic District | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: Tool City | |
 Location of Meadville inCrawford County, Pennsylvania | |
  Meadville Location in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Meadville Location in the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:41°39′N80°9′W / 41.650°N 80.150°W /41.650; -80.150 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Crawford |
| Settled | May 12, 1788; 237 years ago (1788-05-12) |
| Named after | David Mead, founder[1] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jamie Kinder (D)[2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.37 sq mi (11.31 km2) |
| • Land | 4.36 sq mi (11.30 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0039 sq mi (0.01 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,400 ft (430 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 13,050 |
• Estimate (2023)[5] | 12,361 |
| • Density | 2,991.9/sq mi (1,155.16/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 16335, 16388 |
| Area code | 814 |
| FIPS code | 42-48360 |
| Website | www |
| Designated | November 1, 1946[6] |
Meadville is acity inCrawford County, Pennsylvania, United States, and itscounty seat.[7] The population was 13,050 at the2020 census.[8] The first permanent settlement inNorthwestern Pennsylvania, Meadville is within 40 miles (64 km) ofErie and within 90 miles (140 km) ofPittsburgh. It is the principal city of theMeadville micropolitan area, as well as part of the largerErie–Meadville combined statistical area.
The Meadville area was the ancestral land of theEriechronon people until theIroquois Confederacy forced them out.[9] Having been displaced from their ancestral lands in what is now Eastern Pennsylvania, theLenape moved into the now unoccupied region. They formed an alliance with the neighboringSeneca, one of the five tribes that made up theIroquois Confederacy, and other displaced Lenape. Under the leadership of ChiefCustaloga, they founded the settlement of Cussewago. Custaloga's name first appeared in western Pennsylvania's history in George Washington's journal of 1754.[10] When Washington arrived in the village of Venango (Fort Machault), Custaloga was in charge of the wampum of his nation. This wampum was a message that was sent to the Six Nations if the French refused to leave the land. Custaloga was the chief of the Munsee or Wolf Clan of Delawares and he also ruled over the Delawares at the town of Cussewago, at the present site of Meadville.[11]
After Cussewago was abandoned, Meadville was laid out byWilliam McArthur Sr. and settled on May 12, 1788, by a party of settlers led byDavid Mead. Its location at the confluence ofCussewago Creek andFrench Creek was only a day's travel by boat to the safety ofFort Franklin. The neighboringIroquois andLenape befriended the isolated settlement, but their enemies, including theWyandots, were not so amiable. The threat of their attacks caused the settlement to be evacuated for a time in 1791.[citation needed] Around 1800, many of the settlers to the Meadville area came after receiving land bounties for service in theAmerican Revolutionary War. Allegheny College was founded in April 1815 byTimothy Alden.[12] Meadville became an important transportation center after the construction of theFrench Creek Feeder Canal in 1837 and of theBeaver and Erie Canal it connected to atConneaut Lake and subsequent railroad development.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Meadville played a small part in the Underground Railroad helping escaping slaves to freedom. An event in September 1880 led to the end of segregation by race in the state's public schools. At the South Ward schools, Elias Allen tried unsuccessfully to enroll his two children. He appealed to the Crawford County Court of Common Pleas, and Judge Pearson Church declared unconstitutional the 1854 state law mandating separate schools for Negro children. This law was amended, effective July 4, 1881, to prohibit such segregation.[13]
TheLeague of Friendship, Mechanical Order of the Sun, a fraternal beneficiary labor organization was formed at Meadville in April 1868, and dissolved in October, with the establishment of theAncient Order of United Workmen as the succeeding organization.[14]
By the late 19th century, Meadville's economy was also driven by logging, agriculture, and iron production. TheTalon Corporation, headquartered in Meadville, played a major role in the development of thezipper. Since the clothing industry was largely unaffected by theGreat Depression, the community saw a population boom at that time. DuringWorld War II, the nearby Keystone Ordnance plant brought additional jobs to the area.
The high demand for zippers created favorable conditions for the Talon Company, and so became Meadville's most crucial industry. The company encountered significant difficulties after it was absorbed byTextron industries in 1968, eventually ending up bankrupt. However, as a result of the need for close tolerances andtool and die makers, acottage industry of tool and die shops was established which resulted in Meadville, earning the city the nickname Tool City with more tool shops per capita than any place else in the United States.[citation needed]
In 1886, ablacksmith fromEvansburg, Pennsylvania, George B. DeArment, began hand-forgingfarrier's tools and selling them from town to town out of the back of a wagon. The business eventually became known as the Champion Bolt and Clipper Company. In 1904, now namedChannellock, the company moved to a 12,000-square-foot (1,100 m2) facility in Meadville and added nippers, pinchers, and open-end wrenches to its product line. George B. DeArment's two sons, Almon W. and J. Howard DeArment became partners in the company in 1911 and expanded the product line again to include hammers. In 1923, the company moved again to a 33,000-square-foot (3,100 m2) facility at its current location. Four years later, the name of the company was changed to the Champion–DeArment Tool Company.[15]
Talon remained a major employer, along with theErie Railroad,American Viscose Corporation (later known as Avtex Fibers), Channellock tools, andDad's Pet Food. The area actually saw an increase in population during the Great Depression and the economy continued to grow past World War II.[16] By the early 1990s, Channellock and Dad's were the only large companies operating in Meadville. This blow to the local economy was softened by a subsequent surge in light industry, mainly tool and die machine shops. The song "Bittersweet Motel" by Vermont jam band,Phish, was inspired when keyboardist Page McConnell left a wedding in Meadville and drove to the Pittsburgh Airport.[citation needed]
In addition to theMeadville Downtown Historic District, several buildings are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places:Baldwin-Reynolds House,Bentley Hall (Allegheny College),Independent Congregational Church,Dr. J. R. Mosier Office,Roueche House,Ruter Hall (Allegheny College), andJudge Henry Shippen House.[17]
Meadville is located at41°39′N80°9′W / 41.650°N 80.150°W /41.650; -80.150 (41.642, −80.147).[18]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11 km2), all land.
According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Meadville has awarm-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Meadville was 104 °F (40.0 °C) on July 9, 1936, while the coldest temperature recorded was −23 °F (−30.6 °C) on January 31, 1948.[19]
| Climate data forPort Meadville Airport, Pennsylvania, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1928–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 72 (22) | 73 (23) | 82 (28) | 92 (33) | 94 (34) | 99 (37) | 104 (40) | 98 (37) | 98 (37) | 88 (31) | 81 (27) | 72 (22) | 104 (40) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 56.6 (13.7) | 56.9 (13.8) | 68.4 (20.2) | 78.5 (25.8) | 84.2 (29.0) | 87.8 (31.0) | 89.6 (32.0) | 87.5 (30.8) | 85.2 (29.6) | 77.3 (25.2) | 66.8 (19.3) | 57.3 (14.1) | 90.5 (32.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 32.5 (0.3) | 35.1 (1.7) | 43.8 (6.6) | 57.6 (14.2) | 68.6 (20.3) | 75.8 (24.3) | 80.4 (26.9) | 78.3 (25.7) | 71.5 (21.9) | 59.9 (15.5) | 47.5 (8.6) | 37.0 (2.8) | 57.3 (14.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 25.4 (−3.7) | 27.2 (−2.7) | 35.2 (1.8) | 47.4 (8.6) | 58.2 (14.6) | 66.1 (18.9) | 70.5 (21.4) | 68.8 (20.4) | 62.2 (16.8) | 51.1 (10.6) | 40.3 (4.6) | 30.9 (−0.6) | 48.6 (9.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 18.4 (−7.6) | 19.3 (−7.1) | 26.5 (−3.1) | 37.2 (2.9) | 47.8 (8.8) | 56.4 (13.6) | 60.5 (15.8) | 59.3 (15.2) | 52.8 (11.6) | 42.3 (5.7) | 33.1 (0.6) | 24.8 (−4.0) | 39.9 (4.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −0.6 (−18.1) | 1.7 (−16.8) | 7.5 (−13.6) | 23.4 (−4.8) | 33.4 (0.8) | 42.2 (5.7) | 50.1 (10.1) | 48.2 (9.0) | 40.1 (4.5) | 30.3 (−0.9) | 19.4 (−7.0) | 8.2 (−13.2) | −3.6 (−19.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −23 (−31) | −22 (−30) | −12 (−24) | 5 (−15) | 21 (−6) | 29 (−2) | 38 (3) | 33 (1) | 26 (−3) | 17 (−8) | −1 (−18) | −19 (−28) | −23 (−31) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.52 (64) | 1.96 (50) | 2.90 (74) | 3.81 (97) | 3.73 (95) | 4.39 (112) | 4.91 (125) | 3.73 (95) | 4.16 (106) | 3.74 (95) | 2.98 (76) | 2.59 (66) | 41.42 (1,055) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 14.2 | 13.5 | 13.7 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 13.8 | 12.6 | 12.1 | 15.3 | 14.5 | 15.6 | 168.4 |
| Source 1: NOAA[20] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[19] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 457 | — | |
| 1820 | 649 | 42.0% | |
| 1830 | 1,076 | 65.8% | |
| 1840 | 1,319 | 22.6% | |
| 1850 | 2,578 | 95.5% | |
| 1860 | 3,702 | 43.6% | |
| 1870 | 7,103 | 91.9% | |
| 1880 | 8,860 | 24.7% | |
| 1890 | 9,520 | 7.4% | |
| 1900 | 10,291 | 8.1% | |
| 1910 | 12,780 | 24.2% | |
| 1920 | 14,568 | 14.0% | |
| 1930 | 16,698 | 14.6% | |
| 1940 | 18,919 | 13.3% | |
| 1950 | 18,972 | 0.3% | |
| 1960 | 16,671 | −12.1% | |
| 1970 | 16,573 | −0.6% | |
| 1980 | 15,544 | −6.2% | |
| 1990 | 14,318 | −7.9% | |
| 2000 | 13,685 | −4.4% | |
| 2010 | 13,388 | −2.2% | |
| 2020 | 13,050 | −2.5% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 12,361 | [5] | −5.3% |
| Sources:[7][21][22][23][4] | |||
As of the census of 2020, there were 13,050 people living in the city, for a population density of 2,991.75 people per square mile (1,155.16/km2). There were 6,009 housing units. Theracial makeup of the city was 93.3% White, 6.3% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from some other race, and 6.7% from two or more races. 3.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[24]
There were 5,058 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.6% weremarried couples living together, 21.7% had a male householder with no spouse present, and 36.0% had a female householder with no spouse present. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25, and the average family size was 2.90.[24]
19.9% of the city's population were under the age of 18, 64.2% were 18 to 64, and 15.9% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.3. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males.[24]
According to the U.S. CensusAmerican Community Survey, for the period 2016-2020 the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $40,694, and the median income for a family was $52,255. About 19.6% of the population were living below thepoverty line, including 24.2% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those 65 or over. About 49.2% of the population were employed, and 24.5% had a bachelor's degree or higher.[24]
As of thecensus of 2010, there were 13,338 people, 5,376 households, and 2,891 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,060.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,181.5/km2). There were 5,985 housing units at an average density of 1,375.5 per square mile (531.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 87.5% (11,487) White, 5.28%African American, 0.18%Native American, 2.4% (320)Asian, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 0.34% fromother races, and 3.2% (420) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 2.4% (5) of the population.
There were 5,376 households, out of which 17.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.5% weremarried couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.8% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out, with 19.4% under the age of 18, 20.0% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. There are currently 6,171 males (46.6%) while there are currently 7,067 females (53.4%).
The median income for a household in the city was $33,848, and the median income for a family was $54,069. Males had a median income of $32,813 versus $22,579 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $17,290. About 13.7% of families and 22.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 25.3% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.[25]
A replica of founder David Mead's log cabin, the first permanent settlement in northwestern Pennsylvania, is located at Bicentennial Park along the banks of French Creek. The replica was built as a part of Meadville's Bicentennial celebration in 1988. The cabin is used as an educational resource for school tours and the general public.[26]
The Market House is a prominent historical building located in downtown Meadville. It is the oldest continuously run market structure in the state of Pennsylvania, and still serves as a hub for local farmers. Farmers markets are still held on Saturdays.[27]
TheBaldwin-Reynolds House, managed by the Crawford County Historical Society, is ahouse museum in town. The building was constructed in 1843 byHeney Baldwin, anassociate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, a few months before his death in 1844.[28][29]
Diamond Park is Meadville's central park and has been used for a variety of different purposes for over two centuries. In the 19th century, the park was used as militia drill grounds leading up to and during the Civil War. After the Civil War was over, Diamond Park became more open to the public with grass, statues, monuments and a gazebo. It is now used as a recreational park for the community.[27]
Meadville is the home ofAllegheny College, aliberal arts college with approximately 1,700 students. Allegheny was founded in April 1815[30] by theReverend Timothy Alden, a graduate of Harvard'sSchool of Divinity. The college was historically affiliated with theUnited Methodist Church after 1833, although it is currently non-sectarian. The first class, consisting of four male students, began their studies on July 4, 1816, without any formal academic buildings. Within six years, Alden accumulated sufficient funds to begin building a campus. The first building erected, the library, was designed by Alden himself, and is a notable example of early American architecture.Bentley Hall is named in honor of Dr.William Bentley, who donated his private library to the college, a collection of considerable value and significance. In 1824,Thomas Jefferson wrote to Alden, expressing the hope that hisUniversity of Virginia could someday possess the richness of Allegheny's library.[31] Alden served as president of the college until 1831, when financial and enrollment difficulties forced his resignation.Ruter Hall was built in 1853.[32]
Meadville Theological School was established in 1844 by a wealthy businessman andUnitarian named Harm Jan Huidekoper. It moved toChicago in 1926.[33]
Public schools, all part of theCrawford Central School District, which covers the city:[34]
Private/charter schools:
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
Places adjacent to Meadville, Pennsylvania | |
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Municipalities and communities ofCrawford County, Pennsylvania,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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