| Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
| Borough | |
 Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, October 2009 | |
 Location of Mahanoy City in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. | |
  Mahanoy CityLocation in PennsylvaniaShow map of Pennsylvania Mahanoy CityMahanoy City (the United States)Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates: 40°48′45″N 76°08′28″W / 40.81250°N 76.14111°W / 40.81250; -76.14111 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Schuylkill |
| Settled | 1859 |
| Incorporated | December 16, 1863 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Home Rule Charter |
| • Borough Manager | John Fatula |
| • Council President | Michael Connolly |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.51 sq mi (1.32 km) |
| • Land | 0.51 sq mi (1.32 km) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km) |
| Elevation | 1,240 ft (380 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 3,499 |
| • Density | 6,860.78/sq mi (2,650.51/km) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 17948 |
| Area code | 570 |
| FIPS code | 42-46592 |
| Website | Mahanoy City |
Mahanoy City is a borough located 38 miles (61 km) southwest of Wilkes-Barre and 13 miles southwest of Hazleton, in northern Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Coal Region of Pennsylvania and is surrounded by (but not part of) Mahanoy Township.
The name Mahanoy is believed to be a variation of the Delaware word Maghonioy, or "the salt deposits".
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. It was served by branches of the Lehigh Valley and the Philadelphia & Reading railways.
Mahanoy City lies in a valley in the Pennsylvania Coal Region and was a major center of anthracite production; the area was embroiled in the Molly Maguires incidents. In 2010, the borough erected the Molly Maguire Historic Park, which features a Zenos Frudakis statue of a hooded miner on a gallows about to be hanged.
The borough's principal industries remain 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. In 1930 the St. Nicholas Coal Breaker was built and went into operation in 1932. A controlled explosion destroyed the breaker in March 2018.
| External audio | |
|---|---|
 St. Nicholas Coal Breaker in 2007 | |
 Mahanoy City, The End of Coal Country, 36:23, Grapple, Keystone Crossroads |
Fire clay abounds locally. The manufacturing of shirts, bedding and foundry products is also fairly prominent.
In 1948, Mahanoy City became the first municipality in the country to have cable TV.
Geography
Mahanoy City is located at 40°48′45″N 76°8′25″W / 40.81250°N 76.14028°W / 40.81250; -76.14028 (40.812413, -76.140223), with PA 54 as a main thoroughfare and through road, serving as a main street named Centre Street. To the west it connects to Shenandoah thence to the Susquehanna Valley and to the east reaches through several unincorporated villages then passes through Barnesville as Pine Creek Dr. and then serves Hometown as a main road, intersecting PA 309 (N-S) before passing into Tamaqua and Nesquehoning. The borough is situated in the valley of Mahanoy Creek, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Shenandoah and 11 miles (18 km) west-northwest of Tamaqua, both of which are reached via Route 54. Mahanoy City lies at an elevation of 1,240 feet (380 m) above sea level; Broad Mountain (1,795 feet (547 m)), a ridge extending through Schuylkill County, overlooks it on the southeast.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km), all land. It has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) and average temperatures range from 24.3 °F in January to 69.3 °F in July. The hardiness zone is borderline between 5b and 6a, meaning that the approximate average annual absolute minimum temperature is -10°F.
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 5,533 | — | |
| 1880 | 7,181 | 29.8% | |
| 1890 | 11,286 | 57.2% | |
| 1900 | 13,504 | 19.7% | |
| 1910 | 15,936 | 18.0% | |
| 1920 | 15,599 | −2.1% | |
| 1930 | 14,784 | −5.2% | |
| 1940 | 13,442 | −9.1% | |
| 1950 | 10,934 | −18.7% | |
| 1960 | 8,536 | −21.9% | |
| 1970 | 7,257 | −15.0% | |
| 1980 | 6,167 | −15.0% | |
| 1990 | 5,209 | −15.5% | |
| 2000 | 4,647 | −10.8% | |
| 2010 | 4,162 | −10.4% | |
| 2020 | 3,511 | −15.6% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 3,513 | 0.1% | |
| Sources: | |||
As of the census 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 inhabitants per square mile (3,498.4/km). There were 2,595 housing units at an average density of 5,059.8 per square mile (1,953.6/km). 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.
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.
Education
Mahanoy Area School District serves the borough and includes an elementary, middle school, and high school complex for students.
Notable people
- Joe Boley (1896–1962), Major League Baseball player, two-time World Series champion
- Joe Dugan (1897–1982), former Baseball player and member of the New York Yankees first World Series title in 1923.
- David Huebner (b. 1960), US Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa
- Joseph Edward Kurtz (b. 1946), current archbishop of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville and former bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville
- Brandi Levy (b. 2001) litigant before the US Supreme Court for strengthening free speech rights in American public schools and former junior varsity cheerleader
- Paul Marks (1926-2020), scientist and former president of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Jack McCloskey (1925–2017), basketball coach and general manager
- Ron Northey (1920–1971), Major League Baseball outfielder
- James J. Rhoades (1941–2008), former Republican state senator of Pennsylvania's 29th district
- Kevin C. Rhoades (b. 1957), ninth bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg and current bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend
- Mike Rhoades (b. 1972), head basketball coach at Penn State University
- Victor Schertzinger (1890–1941), Academy Award winning composer, film director, producer and screenwriter
- George Senesky (1922–2001), professional basketball player and coach
- John Walson, (1915–1993) cable TV inventor and operator
Notes
- Known to be pronounced /ˈmɒhɒnɔɪ/ or /ˈmɒ(hɒ)nɔɪ/ in the 21st century; known to have been pronounced both that way and /ˈmɒkənɔɪ/ by Coal Region natives in the 19th and 20th centuries, although the latter pronunciation may now be waning and may now in some cases be a hypercorrection by people who take pride in knowing it as a shibboleth.
References
- "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- ^ "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Oct 12, 2022.
- History of Mahanoy City: Written in 1933-34, Mahanoy Area Historical Society, 1933–1934, retrieved January 21, 2014
- Mahanoy Area Historical Society (2004). "Introduction". Mahanoy Area. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781439632123. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
- "Area History: A Centennial History - Mahanoy City". USGenWeb Archives. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
The original spelling of the word is "Maghonioy". The authority for this is the deed, executed August 22, 1749, by representatives of the Six Nations and the Delaware, Shamokin and Shawnee Indians of Pennsylvania, who transferred a tract of land to the Provincial proprietaries for 500 pounds "lawful money of Pennsylvania".
- ^ "Mahanoy City, The End of Coal Country". Grapple. Keystone Crossroads. Archived from the original on November 17, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
- Bulik, Mark (1998-07-04). "Dark Days of Mayhem Finally Emerge In the Light". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2018-01-31. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
- Jackson, Kent (2018-07-02). "'The Molly Maguires' Real Story Still Attracts Interest". Republican Herald. Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
- Usalis, John E. (2010-05-21). "Molly Maguires story echoes through new Mahanoy City statue". Republican Herald. Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on 2014-09-22. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
- Rubinkam, Michael (19 March 2018). "Pennsylvania's last massive coal breaker comes down, ending an era". The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
- Mayer, Mary Alice (21 July 1970). "Oral history interview with Cable Television Pioneer John Walson". Syndeo Institute at The Cable Center. The Cable Center, Barco Library. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Archived from the original on 2019-08-24. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- "PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University".
- "2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map | USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map".
- "City and Town Population Totals: 2020—2021". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 26 April 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 1996-12-27. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
External links
- Mahanoy Area Historical Society Official Site
- "Mahanoy City" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.
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