Steubenville, Ohio

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Steubenville, Ohio
settlement_type = City
nickname = The City of Murals


imagesize =
image_caption =
image_



mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location within the state of Ohio


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_name1 = Ohio
subdivision_name2 = Jefferson
government_type =
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Dominic Mucci (D)
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 26.7
area_land_km2 = 26.8
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 10.3
area_land_sq_mi = 10.3
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0
elevation_m = 319
elevation_ft = 1047
latd = 40 |latm = 21 |lats = 56 |latNS = N
longd = 80 |longm = 37 |longs = 53 |longEW = W
population_as_of = 2000
population_total = 19329
population_metro = 128000 (Shared with Weirton, WV)
population_density_sq_mi = 1842.2
population_density_km2 = 711.4
timezone = EST
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
latitude = 40°21′56″N
longitude = 80°37′53″W
website = http://www.ci.steubenville.oh.us
established_title = Founded
established_date = 1795
established_title2 =
established_date2 =
established_title3 =
established_date3 =
postal_code_type = ZIP codes
postal_code = 43952-43953
area_code = 740
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 39-74608GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1065383GR|3
footnotes =

Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio, in the United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson CountyGR|6 and is largely considered part of the Pittsburgh Tri-State area, unofficially as a suburb [http://theburb.org/] despite its own individual identity. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 19,329. Steubenville is called the City of Murals because of over 25 murals in the downtown area, and is the home of Franciscan University, Jefferson Community College, Old Fort Steuben, and the Creegan Animation Factory.

History

Steubenville was platted as a town in 1797, immediately after the creation of Jefferson County. It was built on the site of [http://www.oldfortsteuben.com/ Fort Steuben] which was erected in 1786–1787 and named in honor of Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben. Steubenville received a city charter in 1851. The city was also a stop along the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad that connected Pittsburgh to Chicago and St. Louis. Bezaliel (Bezaleel) Wells and James Ross were the founders of the city. Wells, a government surveyor born in Baltimore, received about a thousand acres of land west of the Ohio River, and Ross, a lawyer from Pittsburgh, owned acreage north of his. The two men were responsible for the layout of the city.

Geography

Steubenville is located at coor dms|40|21|56|N|80|37|53|W|city (40.365535, -80.631483)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.0 square miles (26.8 km²), all of it land. The city lies along the Ohio River, with the city spreading west from the floodplains to the hills that surround the city.

Government and politics

City Officials

Political corruption

Steubenville has had a poor reputation of political corruption. The Department of Justice alleged that the city and the police force had subjected numerous individuals to "excessive force, false arrests, charges, and reports" and had engaged in practices regarding "improper stops, searches, and seizures." The report from the Department also states that excessive force was levied against individuals who witnessed incidents of police misconduct, and against those who were known critics of the city and its police force. Those individuals were also falsely detained if the city and the police agreed that they were "likely to complain of abuse." It also stated that the officers involved also falsified reports and tampered with official police recorders so that "misconduct would not be recorded." ["Federal Civil Actions." Shielded from Justice. 8 November 2006 [http://www.hrw.org/reports98/police/uspo36.htm] .] [United States of America v. City of Steubenville, Steubenville Police Department, Steubenville City Manager, in his capacity as director of Public Safety, and Steubenville Civil Service Commission, Civil No. C2 97-966, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, August 28, 1997.]

Over a period of 20 years the city lost, or settled out of court, 48 civil rights lawsuits involving its police force. The city paid out more than $800,000, $400,000 of which was between 1990 and 1996. As a result the city's police force earned the dubious distinction of being the second city in the nation to sign a consent decree with the federal government due to an excessive number of civil rights lawsuits. The decree signed on September 4, 1997 under the "pattern or practice" provision. Under this agreement, the city agreed to improve the training of its police officers, implement new guidelines and procedures, establish an internal affairs unit, and establish an "early warning system."

Politics

The current political make-up of Steubenville is largely Democratic and an above-average number of registered Independents. There are six Democrats for every one Republican in Steubenville, but the largest population of Franciscan University of Steubenville is primarily very conservative and Pro-life, which leads many parades and pro-life activities across the country.

The City of Steubenville is part of the 6th Congressional district of Ohio and represented by Charlie Wilson. The 6th district is the longest US House district in Ohio and runs along the southeast state borders of Ohio.

City parks

Steubenville Board of Parks and Recreation maintains four parks within the City. Belleview Park is the main park, where the Steubenville Little League holds all of their games. Belleview also has a swimming pool, picnic areas, and a golf course. Beatty Park, located in the south side of Steubenville, was reopened for public use in September 2007. A newly installed Disc Golf Course was the focus for the Park's reopening. Other activities for Beatty Park may include hiking trails and a dog park. Thanks to efforts by local individuals working with the Steubenville Parks and Recreation Department, the idea of Beatty Park in “state of disrepair for sometime“ is no longer the theme. North End Park maintains a softball diamond (for use by Steubenville High School), playgrounds, and a picnic area. Jim Woods Park, in the west end of Steubenville, has a walking/jogging track, baseball diamond, and a picnic area. The newest elementary school in Steubenville will be located at Jim Woods Park. The Steubenville City Council has successfully sold the Belleview Golf Course along with the "Green Strip" to Franciscan University of Steubenville. This move will allow the University to expand its operations and attract more potential students. The sale has come under scrutiny as the Belleview Golf Course was the only public course in the city.

Speed cameras

The speed camera program began in 2005 and netted the city $600,000 in revenues; nearly 7,000 tickets at $85 each were issued during that timespan. In March 2006, the Jefferson County Court of Common Pleas ruled that the city ordinance of giving support to the speed camera program was illegal and unconstitutional. The city refused to remove the cameras, however, because it stated it was "bound by contract to continue the services" of [http://www.traffipaxinc.com/ Traffipax, Inc.] , the US subsidiary of ROBOT Visual Systems, a German corporation. Despite attempts to remove the cameras, the city continued to defy the judge's order and reinstated an identical ordinance to continue issuing citations. Councilman at Large Michael Hernon cast the sole dissenting vote re-instating the traffic cameras. ["Steubenville Reinstates Traffic Cameras" 20 June. 2006. WTOV9. [http://www.wtov9.com/news/9402098/detail.html] ]

In mid-2006, Attorney Gary Stern filed a class-action lawsuit against the city of Steubenville for illegally collecting fines and generating unnecessary revenue from motorists. He won the case in December 2005 and the city was forced to refund thousands of tickets totaling $258,000 cite news | last = Law | first = Mark | title = Traffic camera case returns | publisher = Herald Star | date = 2007-05-04 | url = http://www.hsconnect.com/news/articles.asp?articleID=13402 | accessdate = 2007-05-08 ] . City Gary Stern also gathered enough signatures from the residents of the city to put forth a referendum that posed the question of whether the city's ordinance authorizing the speed camera program should continue. On November 8, 2006, the voters of Steubenville voted to end the city's speed camera program with a 76.2 percent majority ["Steubenville, Ohio Voters Overwhelmingly Reject Speed Cameras." 8 November 2006. theNewspaper. 8 November 2006 [http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/14/1433.asp] .] .

On May 4, 2007, Attorney Stern asked the Jefferson County Common Pleas Judge to hold Steubenville in contempt of court for failing to mail out $7,947 in owed refunds stemming from the lawsuit filed in mid-2006 . Stern stated that the city has held possession of the money owed for nine months, an unreasonable amount of time, and that the city should be charged interest for the money held. The checks, which were mailed out on August 3, 2006, were returned due to incorrect addresses listed. On March 30, Stern sent a letter to the city listing the people who had not been reimbursed for the traffic camera violations, which featured the amount of money owed; the addresses were updated, however, the city did not respond. A similar letter was sent April 11, however, the city failed to reply again .

Implications

Ohio traffic law allows small cities such as Steubenville to establish mayor's courts instead of the traditional county courthouses. The theory behind this is for the city to keep most of the revenue generated via traffic stops, although this has led to the encouragement of speed traps and other revenue-generating schemes, such as speed and red-light cameras. This practice has come under fire in Middlefield, Ohio ["Middlefield foes want mayors court put to vote." 12 December 2006. Cleveland Plain Dealer. 13 December 2006 [http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/geauga/1165830599151340.xml&coll=2] .]

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of June 20, 2008, there were 19,015 people, 8,342 households, and 4,880 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,842.2 people per square mile (711.4/km²). There were 9,449 housing units at an average density of 915.4/sq mi (353.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.55% White, 17.25% African American, 0.00% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 0.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population.

There were 8,342 households out of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.5% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 22.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 85.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,516, and the median income for a family was $36,597. Males had a median income of $36,416 versus $21,819 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,830. About 15.3% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.2% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.

Population

From 1980 to 2000, census figures show that the Weirton–Steubenville population dropped faster than any other urban area in the United States Fact|date=February 2007. The population, which decreased steadily due to employment losses regarding the nearby steel industries, has rebounded with 314 new residents within the past six years.

Economy

ImageStackRight|250
Steubenville and the communities that surround it, especially Weirton, West Virginia, have experienced sluggish growth in their local economies since the steel industry waned during the 1980s. Corporations such as Weirton Steel have had to reduce their workforce in order to become more efficient and competitive against other steel producers and lower steel prices worldwide.

Although there is a municipal income tax for individuals [http://www.ci.steubenville.oh.us/income/] , one local organization, [http://www.progressalliance.org/ Progress Alliance] , has been promoting the city as a low-cost suburban area that is less than 30 minutes away from western Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh International Airport. The organization also touts the fact that Jefferson County provides free college education at [http://www.jcc.edu/ Jefferson Community College] . This, it is promoted, means that the area has a skilled labor pool with potential employees who probably will not demand the high pay and benefits which are usually associated with jobs that require college-level education. As a result, business costs would most likely be much lower in Steubenville than in a major city such as Pittsburgh or Columbus, Ohio.

A recent survey, conducted by business representatives from Weirton, showed that many of Pittsburgh's residents still do not know how close in proximity Weirton and Steubenville are from western Pennsylvania. In an effort to combat the survey's results, Progress Alliance has advertised on U.S. Route 22 through a billboard campaign.

The new Findlay Connector is being built in western Pennsylvania as a toll-access highway between Pittsburgh International Airport at PA Route 60 and U.S. Route 22 in northwestern Washington County. Its unintended effect is a great one for the Steubenville area's economic development. It will make the trip between western Pittsburgh, an economically burgeoning section, and eastern Ohio and the northern panhandle of West Virginia even shorter and more streamlined. This connector has since been completed, travel time between the Pittsburgh International Airport and the city of Steubenville is approximately 25 minutes. This also could make the Steubenville and Weirton area just like in the West Virginia panhandle for Washington D.C., Pittsburgh's exburb.

One major company has already invested millions of dollars in the Upper Ohio Valley region. Walmart has built an convert|800000|sqft|m2|-4|abbr=on. distribution center at the largest development site in eastern Ohio, located within five miles of Steubenville. Other various companies have come as well because the county has made such an effort to provide low taxes, tax breaks for job creation, and utilities on-site from the beginning. Much of the site still remains unoccupied with shell buildings ready for final completion by whichever type of business that might locate there.

Culture

Sports

The city's high school (Steubenville High School) football team, Steubenville Big Red, went 15–0 in the 2005 season, ending as Ohio Div-III State Champions. As of October 26, 2007, they have won 50 straight regular season games. Steubenville went 15-0 in the 2006 season, repeating as Ohio Div-III State Champions. Big Red also won the 1984 Division II State Championship in football and were runners-up in Division II in 1987 and 1988. Not only does Big Red excel at football, but also has the second most victories in the state for baseball and 7th most wins in the state for basketball. The city is also home to Steubenville Catholic Central High School, 1993 Div-V State Champions and 2005 Div-VI State Runner-Up. The Steubenville Stampede is a member of the Continental Indoor Football League.

Historic sites

Although Steubenville is known for its steel and manufacturing economy, there are several sites in the city that take visitors back to the days of frontier life and early settlement.Historic Fort Steuben, located downtown on South Third Street, is a reconstructed 18th century fort on its original location overlooking the Ohio River. Built in 1787 to protect the government surveyors of the "Seven Ranges" of the Northwest Territory, Fort Steuben housed 150 men of the 1st American Regiment. A visit to Historic Fort Steuben reveals the daily life and hardships of the men who settled the Ohio frontier. The non-profit organization that worked to rebuild the fort also developed the surrounding block into Fort Steuben Park that includes the Veterans Memorial Fountain and the Berkman Amphitheater. The Fort Steuben Visitors center is home to the Museum Shop and the Steubenville Convention & Visitors Bureau and is an official site on the Ohio River Scenic Byway. Adjacent to the fort is the First Federal Land Office with its original logs from 1801. After the Ohio country was surveyed, it could be sold or given away as land grants; the settlers brought their deeds to be registered at the Land Office to David Hoge, the Registrar of Lands and Titles for the Northwest Territory. Not only does the Land Office provide a glimpse of life in early Steubenville, it also features examples of some of the 19th century industries of the area: pottery and woolen mills.

"Ohio Valley Steelworker" Statue:This statue was created by artist Dimitri Akis as a tribute to the Ohio Valley Steelworkers. The life-size figure carries a long-handled dipping ladle, and is wearing the hooded fire-proof suit worn in the steel mills.The statue is located at the junction of Hwy 22 (University Blvd) and Hwy 7 (Dean Martin Blvd).

Music

Steubenville is the birthplace of Dean Martin (b. 1917 - d.1995). Martin was a famous singer and actor, primarily through the 1950s and 1960s. It is also the birthplace of Dorothy Sloop (b. 1913), a jazz musician who performed under the nickname "Sloopy" and was alleged to be the inspiration for the song "Hang on Sloopy", which is now the official state rock song.

Notable people

Steubenville is the birthplace of:
*Danny Abramowicz
*Bob Borden
*Sylvia Crawley
*Daniel N. DiNardo, Roman-Catholic Cardinal
*Rollie Fingers
*4th Disciple
*Richard Hague
*Dard Hunter
*Cal Jones, All-American football player at the University of Iowa
*Traci Lords
*Dean Martin
*John S. Mason, American Civil War general in the Union Army and postwar Indian fighter
*Fred Mertz (fictional character)
*Jon Nese, Meteorologist and Professor, former Weather Channel personality
*Eric Piatkowski
*John Scarne
*Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder
*Edwin M. Stanton
*Eli Todd Tappan
*Reverend Dr. Joseph Ruggles Wilson (1822–1903) Father of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
*Mary Tappan Wright
*Mark Eddie

Steubenville is the home of:
*Fr.Michael Scanlan, TOR

References

*Felicity Barringer, "As a Test Lab on Dirty Air, an Ohio Town Has Changed", "New York Times", 27 September 2006, p. A18.

Ohio High School Athletic Assoc. http://www.ohsaa.org

ee also

*Franciscan University murders
*List of cities and towns along the Ohio River

External links

* [http://www.ci.steubenville.oh.us/ City of Steubenville]
* [http://www.steubenvillelibrary.com/ Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County]