- Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania
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For other places in Pennsylvania with similar names, see Mahanoy (disambiguation).
Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania — Borough — Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania
Mahanoy City, PennsylvaniaCoordinates: 40°48′45″N 76°08′28″W / 40.8125°N 76.14111°WCoordinates: 40°48′45″N 76°08′28″W / 40.8125°N 76.14111°W Country United States State Pennsylvania County Schuylkill Settled 1859 Incorporated December 16, 1863 Government - Type Borough Council - Mayor George F. Krall Area - Total 0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2) Elevation 1,240 ft (378 m) Population (2000) - Total 4,647 - Density 9,060.8/sq mi (3,498.4/km2) Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4) Zip Code 17948 Area code(s) 570 Exchange: 773 Website Mahanoy City Mahanoy City (pronounced ma-HA-noy) is a borough located 50 miles (80 km) north by west of Reading and 13 miles southwest of Hazleton, in northern Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania or the southern Coal Region. The name "Mahanoy" is believed to be a variation of the Native American word 'Maghonioy', or "the salt deposits". Mahanoy Area School District is also found within this borough and includes an elementary, middle school, and high school complex for students. The mascot is a golden bear and school colors are black and gold.
Contents
History
Mahanoy City, originally a part of Mahanoy township was settled in 1859 and incorporated as a borough by decree of the Court of Quarter Sessions of Schuylkill County on December 16, 1863. The borough was a major center of anthracite production and the region was embroiled in the Molly Maguires incidents. It is served by branches of the Lehigh Valley and the Philadelphia & Reading railways. The borough is situated in the valley of Mahanoy Creek, approximately 4 miles southeast of Shenandoah, PA and 11 miles northeast of Tamaqua, PA. Mahanoy City has an elevation of 1240 ft. above the sea; Broad Mountain (1795 ft), a ridge extending through Schuylkill county, overlooks it on the S.E. The valley is also part of the anthracite Coal Region of Pennsylvania, fire clay abounds in the vicinity, and the borough's principal industries are still the mining and shipping of coal although the demand for it has steadily declined since its peak in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Aside from coal, the manufacturing of shirts, bedding and foundry products is also fairly prominent.
In 1930 the St. Nicholas Coal Breaker was built and went into operation in 1932. The now famous anthracite breaker was closed in 1963 yet still stands today.
In 1948, Mahanoy City became the first municipality in the country to have Cable TV.
The population in 1900 was 13,504 people; in 1910, 15,936 people; and in 1920, 15,599 people. The number of people working as coal miners had declined by 1940 when 13,442 people lived in the borough. The population was 4,647 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Mahanoy City is located at 40°48′45″N 76°8′25″W / 40.8125°N 76.14028°W (40.812413, -76.140223)[1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 4,647 people, 2,113 households, and 1,210 families residing in the borough. The population density was 9,060.8 people per square mile (3,518.1/km²). There were 2,595 housing units at an average density of 5,059.8 per square mile (1,964.6/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.79% White, 0.22% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.
Historical populations Census Pop. %± 1990 5,209 — 2000 4,647 −10.8% There were 2,113 households out of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 39.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 24.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the borough the population was spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 26.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $24,347, and the median income for a family was $32,033. Males had a median income of $29,628 versus $20,288 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $14,369. About 12.6% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.3% of those under age 18 and 20.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- James Curvey, former President of Fidelity Investments [3]
- Joe Dugan (1897–1982), Major League Baseball player, played in five World Series with the New York Yankees.
- John Peter "Joe" Boley, a former professional baseball player who played shortstop in the major leagues from 1927-1932.
- Kevin C. Rhoades (1957- ), ninth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg and current bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana
- Joseph Edward Kurtz, current Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lousiville and former Bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville.
- Victor Schertzinger (1890–1941), Academy Award winning composer, film director, film producer and screenwriter. An historic marker was erected in his honor on September 1, 2006.
- George Senesky (1922–2001), professional basketball player and coach.
- John Walson, first TV cable operator.
- James J. Rhoades (1941–2008), former Republican senator of Pennsylvania's 29th district.
- Jack McCloskey (1925-), Basketball coach (Penn, Wake Forest, Portland Trail Blazers), GM of two-time NBA Champion Detroit Pistons, Member Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
References
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ http://www.businessweek.com/1998/37/b3595168.htm
External links
- HDR Images of the abandoned Saint Nicholas Coal Breaker on Flickr, Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania
- Mahanoy City - Mining Town
- Historical Society Official Site
- Mahanoy Area Historical Society
- PTD NET
- Upper Schuylkill
Categories:- Populated places established in 1859
- Municipalities of the Anthracite Coal Region of Pennsylvania
- Boroughs in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
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