Ford City, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Ford City is a borough
in Armstrong County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
, 40 miles (64.4 km) northeast of Pittsburgh along the east bank of the Allegheny River
and 4 miles south of Kittanning
, the county seat
.
It was founded in 1887 as a company town
by the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company (now PPG Industries
) as the site for its Works No. 3 glass factory. The town was named in honor of the company founder, John Baptiste Ford
(1811–1903). The factory employed as many as 5,000 workers in its heyday. PPG shut down its Ford City operations in the 1990s. The once largest employer in Armstrong County, Eljer Plumbing, shut down its Ford City plant in 2008.
In 1900, 2,870 people resided in Ford City borough proper; in 1910, 4,850 people lived there; in 1930, 6,127; and, in 1940, 5,795. The population was 3,451 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), of which, 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (10.13%) is water.
of 2000, there were 3,451 people, 1,580 households, and 935 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 4,864.8 people per square mile (1,876.7/km²). There were 1,713 housing units at an average density of 2,414.8 per square mile (931.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 94.38% White, 3.88% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.14% from other races
, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.
There were 1,580 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were married couples
living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the borough the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 25.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $24,457, and the median income for a family was $30,843. Males had a median income of $28,438 versus $21,919 for females. The per capita income
for the borough was $14,318. About 13.5% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.
. The temporarily consolidated school was called Armstrong Central.
Currently, students in the Ford City area attend Lenape Elementary from kindergarten through sixth grade. The building recently underwent an extensive renovation process. It is located at 2300 Center Avenue, Ford City. According to statistics from City-data.com, 784 students attended the school in 2007. In honor of the Lenape Native American tribe from the area, the school's mascot is a Native American.
The town does not have a separate junior high school. Grades seven through twelve are combined in one building. Unlike the elementary school, the high school is located in Ford City's "downtown" area at 1100 Fourth Avenue, Ford City. According to the Ford City High School Alumni Association http://www.fordcityalumni.org, FCHS opened its doors in 1909, awarding diplomas to its first graduating class of 4 students on May 10, 1910.
In addition to the town's elementary and high school, two additional schools are located in the area. Students can attend Lenape Vocational Technical School beginning their junior year. It is located just below the elementary school (hence the similar name). Furthermore, the area's only Catholic elementary school, Divine Redeemer, is located on 4th Avenue in downtown Ford City.
. Ford City is one setting for the 1983 novel A Country Such as This by James H. Webb, now a U.S. Senator from Virginia
. It is also used by the writer Frank Brookhouser
in his books Request for Sherwood Anderson (1947) and She Made the Big Town (1952). The poet Peter Oresick
has also written about it in The Story of Glass (1977). A pictorial history, Around Ford City (2008) was written by William L. Oleksak
Borough (Pennsylvania)
In the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a borough is a self-governing municipal entity that is usually smaller than a city. There are 958 boroughs in Pennsylvania. All municipalities in Pennsylvania are classified as either cities, boroughs, or townships...
in Armstrong County
Armstrong County, Pennsylvania
Armstrong County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,941. It is located northeast of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Armstrong County was added to the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area in 2003.The county seat is Kittanning...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 40 miles (64.4 km) northeast of Pittsburgh along the east bank of the Allegheny River
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
and 4 miles south of Kittanning
Kittanning, Pennsylvania
Kittanning is a borough and the county seat of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is situated northeast of Pittsburgh, along the east bank of the Allegheny River. The name means "at the great stream" in the Delaware language...
, the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
.
It was founded in 1887 as a company town
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
by the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company (now PPG Industries
PPG Industries
PPG Industries is a global supplier of paints, coatings, optical products, specialty materials, chemicals, glass and fiber glass. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, PPG operates in more than 60 countries around the globe. Sales in 2010 were $13.4 billion...
) as the site for its Works No. 3 glass factory. The town was named in honor of the company founder, John Baptiste Ford
John Baptiste Ford
Captain John Baptiste Ford was an American industrialist and founder of the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, now known as PPG Industries, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
(1811–1903). The factory employed as many as 5,000 workers in its heyday. PPG shut down its Ford City operations in the 1990s. The once largest employer in Armstrong County, Eljer Plumbing, shut down its Ford City plant in 2008.
In 1900, 2,870 people resided in Ford City borough proper; in 1910, 4,850 people lived there; in 1930, 6,127; and, in 1940, 5,795. The population was 3,451 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Ford City is located at 40°46′17"N 79°31′48"W (40.771410, -79.529906).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the borough has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), of which, 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (10.13%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,451 people, 1,580 households, and 935 families residing in the borough. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 4,864.8 people per square mile (1,876.7/km²). There were 1,713 housing units at an average density of 2,414.8 per square mile (931.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 94.38% White, 3.88% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.14% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.
There were 1,580 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the borough the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 25.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $24,457, and the median income for a family was $30,843. Males had a median income of $28,438 versus $21,919 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the borough was $14,318. About 13.5% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.2% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Ford City has its own elementary and high school. This, however, has not always been the case. During the early 1990s, Ford City students attended the same school as students from nearby KittanningKittanning, Pennsylvania
Kittanning is a borough and the county seat of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is situated northeast of Pittsburgh, along the east bank of the Allegheny River. The name means "at the great stream" in the Delaware language...
. The temporarily consolidated school was called Armstrong Central.
Currently, students in the Ford City area attend Lenape Elementary from kindergarten through sixth grade. The building recently underwent an extensive renovation process. It is located at 2300 Center Avenue, Ford City. According to statistics from City-data.com, 784 students attended the school in 2007. In honor of the Lenape Native American tribe from the area, the school's mascot is a Native American.
The town does not have a separate junior high school. Grades seven through twelve are combined in one building. Unlike the elementary school, the high school is located in Ford City's "downtown" area at 1100 Fourth Avenue, Ford City. According to the Ford City High School Alumni Association http://www.fordcityalumni.org, FCHS opened its doors in 1909, awarding diplomas to its first graduating class of 4 students on May 10, 1910.
In addition to the town's elementary and high school, two additional schools are located in the area. Students can attend Lenape Vocational Technical School beginning their junior year. It is located just below the elementary school (hence the similar name). Furthermore, the area's only Catholic elementary school, Divine Redeemer, is located on 4th Avenue in downtown Ford City.
In popular culture
Several scenes of the 2009 horror film My Bloody Valentine 3D were shot in Ford City. The borough was also referenced in a scene of the cult classic Night of the Living DeadNight of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent black-and-white zombie film and cult film directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. It premiered on October 1, 1968, and was completed on a USD$114,000 budget. After decades of cinematic re-releases, it...
. Ford City is one setting for the 1983 novel A Country Such as This by James H. Webb, now a U.S. Senator from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. It is also used by the writer Frank Brookhouser
Frank Brookhouser
Frank Brookhouser was an American journalist and writer.He was born to Walter L. and Miriam Fischer Brookhouser in Ford City, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Ford City High School and Temple University in Philadelphia. In 1939 he married Helen E. Hanway. He served in the U. S...
in his books Request for Sherwood Anderson (1947) and She Made the Big Town (1952). The poet Peter Oresick
Peter Oresick
Peter Oresick is an American poet and Associate Professor of English at Chatham University, where he directs the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program...
has also written about it in The Story of Glass (1977). A pictorial history, Around Ford City (2008) was written by William L. Oleksak
See also
- List of crossings of the Allegheny River – bridge is located just outside the borough limits