Sharon, Pennsylvania

Geobox|City
name = Sharon
official_name =
category = City


image_size =
image_caption =


flag_size =
symbol =
symbol_size =
etymology_type =
etymology =
nickname = The Friendly City
motto =
country = United States
country_

state = Pennsylvania
state_

region_type = County
region = Mercer
district =
part_type =
part_count =
part =
part1 =
elevation_imperial = 1000
area_imperial = 3.8
area_land_imperial =
area_water_imperial =
area_urban_imperial =
area_metro_imperial =
location =
lat_d = 41
lat_m = 13
lat_s = 48
lat_NS = N
long_d = 80
long_m = 29
long_s = 56
long_EW = W
coordinates_type = region:US_type:city
population_as_of = 2000
population = 16328
population_urban =
population_metro =
population_density_imperial = 4342.6
population_density_urban_imperial =
population_density_metro_imperial =
government =
established_type = Established
established = 1795
established1_type = Incorporated (borough)
established1 = 1841-10-06
established2_type = Incorporated (city)
established2 = 1917-12-17
government_type =
mayor = Bob J. Lucas
leader_type =
leader1_name =
leader1_type =
timezone = EST
utc_offset = -4
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
postal_code = 16146
postal_code_type = Zip code
area_code = 724
area_code_type =
free_type = School district
free = Sharon City School District
free1_type =
free1 =


map_caption = Location of Sharon in Mercer County
map1 = Pennsylvania Locator Map.png map1_caption = Location of Sharon within Pennsylvania
map1_locator = Pennsylvania
map2 = Map of USA PA.svg
map2_caption = Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
website = [http://www.cityofsharon.net www.cityofsharon.net]
footnotes =

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 incorporated as a city on December 17, 1918. The city currently operates under the PA third-class city charter with a mayor-council form of government; however, it is transitioning to a home-rule charter which will take effect in 2010.

History

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). According to local legend, the community probably received its name from a Bible-reading settler who likened the location to the Plain of Sharon in Israel.

Due to its large coal deposits, Sharon was once an 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. Today, there is still some steel and metalworking as well as other manufacturing, but the city has experienced levels 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.

Geography

Sharon is located at coor dms|41|13|48|N|80|29|56|W|city (41.230106, -80.498960)GR|1 in southwest Mercer County, the city borders the city of Hermitage to the north and east, the city of Farrell to the south, and on the west the census-designated places of Masury and West Hill, Ohio.

It is a common misconception that the northern edge of Sharon borders the borough of Sharpsville; however, a thin strip of Hermitage prevents this.Fact|date=September 2008

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.7 km²), all of it land. However, the Shenango River runs through the city and provides drinking water to Sharon and several surrounding communities.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 16,328 people, 6,792 households, and 4,190 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,342.6 people per square mile (1,676.7/km²). There were 7,388 housing units at an average density of 1,964.9/sq mi (758.6/km²). 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.

From the Census Ancestry Question, Sharon has the following ethnic make-up: German 21%, Irish 14%, Italian 11%, Black or African American 11%, English 8%, Polish 5%, Slovak 5%, Welsh - 3%, Scotch-Irish 2%, Hungarian 2%, Dutch 2%, French (except Basque) 2%, Croatian 1%, Scottish 1%, Russian 1%, Swedish 1%, Arab 1%, Slavic 1%, American Indian tribes, specified 1%.

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 distributed 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.

Census Figures

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. The population was 16,328 at the 2000 census.Sharon, along with Mercer County, is counted by the US Census Bureau as part of the Youngstown-Warren, OH Metropolitan Area.

Education

The [http://www.sharon.k12.pa.us/ Sharon City School District] comprises three K-6 elementary schools (Case Avenue, C.M. Musser, and West Hill) and the 7-12 Sharon Middle/High School. The city is also home to [http://www.stjosephs.pvt.k12.pa.us/ St. Joseph's Parish School] , a K-8 school affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, and [http://www.svfaithacademy.org/ Shenango Valley Faith Academy] , a nondenominational Christian school with heavy emphasis on individualized education.

Postsecondary education and training opportunities can be pursued at Sharon's Penn State Shenango campus (the only urban campus in the Penn State system), [http://www.laurel.edu/lti/ Laurel Technical Institute] , the Schools of Nursing and Radiography at Sharon Regional Health System, and a branch campus of Meadville-based [http://www.pmionline.edu/ Precision Manufacturing Institute] .

Local Businesses

The following is a list of notable businesses that are currently based in Sharon:

*Sharon Regional Health System
*The Herald
*John Maneely Company, Wheatland Tube Division
*Sharon Coating, LLC

Local Personalities

Notable native Sharonites include:
*Author John D. MacDonald
*Indianapolis Colts cornerback Marlin Jackson
*Singer Tony Butala of The Lettermen
*Great White guitarist Ty Longley
*post bop guitarist Mick Goodrick
*Basketball player Jack Marin
*Drummer Bernie Dresel of The Brian Setzer Orchestra
*Drummer Jonathan Dresel of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
*Actor Carmen Argenziano
*2007 Rhodes Scholar Sean Genius
*Nationally Syndicated Cartoonist Bill Murray
*Former CIA officer John Kiriakou

Cartoonist Bill Murray, became the seventh African American to be nationally syndicated in March of 2005. Murray have two nationally syndicated comic strips features “Jet News” a political comic feature and “The Golden Years” which pokes fun at the turmoils of being retired, but can be reflected by anyone of any age

Murray also does a comic strip for the RealTime Media newspaper chain, entited,"Sonnyboy" which has ran nationally in the weekly Pittsburgh Courier since 1981.

Some of Murray's other features that are published around the country includes: "Those Browns" and "Ebony Laughs". Murray’s syndicated features appears in over 1100 publications around the world with a viewing circulation in the millions.

In 1985 Murray along side comic book legendary artists Jerry Ordway , Ben Dunn and NINJA TURTLE co-creator Kevin Eastman, created Murray’s first comic book: ADAM & EVE A.D. which issue # 1 is now a hot item on ebay.

Murray also does editorial cartoons some of which have appeared on CNN, FOX , USA TODAY and many other leading publications around the country.

Born in Chicago,1952, Murray has a bachelor of fine arts degree in visual communications from the institute of of art - Chicago, IL. and served his art apprenticeship with Johnson Publishing Co. of Chicago, which publishes Ebony and Jet Magazines.

In the mid-1970’s he moved to the state of Pennsylvania and began doing editorial cartoons and a comic strip (Those Browns) for the daily Herald of Sharon and weeklies such as The Pittsburgh Courier, Akron Reporter and the Chicago Defender.

In the late 70's Murray comic feature panel "Those Browns" were distributed by Sammy Davis,Jr. enterprises.

http://www.BILLMURRAYS.com link title]

Broadcast Media

Because of Sharon's location on the Pennsylvania/Ohio border, it is served by NBC affiliate WFMJ, CBS affiliate WKBN-TV, FOX affiliate WYFX-LP, and ABC affiliate WYTV, all broadcast from nearby Youngstown.

Trivia

The 1988 movie Tiger Warsaw, starring Patrick Swayze, was filmed in Sharon. The film, directed by Pakistani filmmaker Amin Chaudhri (who started a studio in the Sharon area), made extensive usage of the town's post-industrial backdrop.

Although located in Pennsylvania, Sharon is the site of the Brookfield Elementary School, a public elementary school serving residents of the adjacent Brookfield (Ohio) Local School District. This anomaly occurred when the Ohio school district purchased the closed Sacred Heart School, located on Sharon's West Hill. Because the school site borders Ohio, there was consideration of actually changing the Pennsylvania-Ohio state line to move the school into Ohio (or vice-versa), but the legal difficulties of the Ohio district operating a school in Pennsylvania were resolved without re-drawing the state line.

References

External links

* [http://www.cityofsharon.net Official Website of the City of Sharon (under construction)]
* [http://www.sharonherald.com "The" (Sharon, PA) "Herald"]