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Clairton, Pennsylvania

Coordinates: 40°17′47″N 79°53′14″W / 40.29639°N 79.88722°W / 40.29639; -79.88722
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Clairton, Pennsylvania
City
Clairton in 1973
Clairton in 1973
Nickname: 
City of Prayer
Location in Allegheny County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Location in Allegheny County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Coordinates: 40°17′47″N 79°53′14″W / 40.29639°N 79.88722°W / 40.29639; -79.88722
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
CountyAllegheny
IncorporatedApril 12, 1903 (borough)
 January 1, 1922 (city)
Government
 • MayorRichard Lattanzi[1]
Area
[2]
 • Total
3.00 sq mi (7.76 km2)
 • Land2.77 sq mi (7.17 km2)
 • Water0.23 sq mi (0.59 km2)
Population
 (2020)[3]
 • Total
6,181
 • Density2,232.21/sq mi (861.77/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
15025[4]
Area code412
FIPS code42-13704
Websitewww.cityofclairton.com

Clairton is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located along the Monongahela River and is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 6,181 at the 2020 census.[5] Under Pennsylvania legal classifications for local governments, Clairton is considered a third-class city. It is home to U.S. Steel's Clairton Coke Works, the largest coke manufacturing facility in North America.

The city was the setting for the movie The Deer Hunter (1978), although none of the movie was actually filmed there (other mill towns in the Monongahela River Valley and elsewhere in the tri-state area were used).

The Montour Trail, a recreational rail-trail, extends from Clairton to Coraopolis, Pennsylvania.

History

[edit]
External audio
audio icon Clairton, Hometown Pride Still Alive in a Declining Steel Town, 14:13, Grapple, Keystone Crossroads[6]

Clairton's existence dates to just after the turn of the 20th century, when the Crucible Steel Company acquired a large tract along the west side of the Monongahela River, approximately 13 miles (21 km) south of Pittsburgh. Soon after, the Carnegie Steel Company (later U.S. Steel) built an integrated steel mill and coke production facility, which eventually became one of the world's largest.

The site had more than 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of level land suitable for a large industrial complex. On April 12, 1903, Clairton was incorporated as a borough, and on January 1, 1922, Clairton was incorporated as a City of the Third Class with a population of approximately 11,000. This incorporation was prompted by industry, which was taxed by the three boroughs - Clairton, Wilson and North Clairton - which were chartered separately prior to the incorporation of the City of Clairton.

During the next several decades, growth and advancement indicated a thriving city. As the steel mill and coke production facilities expanded, the population of Clairton grew. Clairton took on a life of its own, including a business district and educational, religious, and cultural facilities. The city peaked in the late 1950s, and has been in decline since.[7][8][9][10]

In the late 1950s, Clairton High School (CHS) had a large student body, and the city had a "feeder" system of public and parochial elementary schools. The CHS student body was soon siphoned off, however, by new schools in Elizabeth Borough, Snowden Township, and Jefferson Borough. During the mid-1950s and into the 1960s, CHS was a Class AAA competitor in the formidable Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL), playing against high schools in other mill towns up and down the Monongahela River Valley.

With the decline of the steel industry in the 1980s, Clairton began to experience severe problems in its employment and tax base, which spurred a major economic shock to the community. In 1988, Clairton was designated a distressed municipality by Pennsylvania's Department of Community Affairs (DCA). Pursuant to Act 47 of 1987 (the Financially Distressed Municipalities Act), DCA commissioned the development of a recovery plan for Clairton. By 1988, the Clairton School District had consolidated its entire system into a single building (a remodeled version of the high school) and closed its other schools. Clairton High now competes at the Class A level in the WPIAL. The high school football team has had national prominence for recent success.[11]

Geography

[edit]

Clairton is located at 40°17′47″N 79°53′14″W / 40.29639°N 79.88722°W / 40.29639; -79.88722 (40.296419, -79.887090).[12]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2), of which 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2) is land, and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (8.31%) is water.

Surrounding and adjacent neighborhoods

[edit]

A majority of Clairton is bordered by land with Jefferson Hills with a short border with West Mifflin to the north.

Across the Monongahela River, Clairton runs adjacent with Glassport to the north and northeast (direct link via Clairton-Glassport Bridge) and follows the curve down the river with Lincoln from the northeast to the southeast.

U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19103,326—
19206,26488.3%
193015,291144.1%
194016,3817.1%
195019,65220.0%
196018,389−6.4%
197015,051−18.2%
198012,188−19.0%
19909,656−20.8%
20008,491−12.1%
20106,796−20.0%
20206,181−9.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[13][3]

As of the 2000 census,[9] there were 8,491 people, 3,710 households, and 2,203 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,072.3 people per square mile (1,186.2 people/km2). There were 4,350 housing units at an average density of 1,573.9 per square mile (607.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 69.12% White, 28.32% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.73% of the population. 17.5% were of Italian, 9.8% German, 9.8% Irish, 6.7% Slovak and 5.0% English ancestry according to the census. 96.4% spoke English, 1.3% Italian and 1.1% French as their first language.

There were 3,710 households, out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.3% were married couples living together, 19.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. Of these households, 36.4% consisted of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household had 2.25 people and the average family size was 2.92.

The population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 42. For every 100 females, there were 83.7 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 78.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,596, and the median income for a family was $31,539. Males had a median income of $29,399 versus $21,743 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,608. About 15.4% of families and 19.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.9% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

[edit]
Presidential elections results[14][15][16]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2020 32% 915 66% 1,857 1% 38
2016 29% 813 69% 1,924 2% 66
2012 23% 706 76% 2,292 1% 21
[edit]

The city was the setting for the movie The Deer Hunter (1978), the steel town where the American characters live. None of the movie was actually filmed there; other mill towns in the Monongahela River Valley and elsewhere in the tri-state area were used. Even the opening scene, which features a large sign saying "Welcome to Clairton, City of Prayer," was shot in Mingo Junction, Ohio. The phrasing on the sign is based on smaller signs posted at the city's boundaries during the mid-1960s as a response to the Supreme Court's 1963 ban on sponsored school prayer.

Much of the 1979 Marvel comic book ROM: Spaceknight is set in a fictional version of Clairton, located in West Virginia instead of Pennsylvania. In 2011, former Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter explained that the change in location was made to benefit the story.[17]

Notable people

[edit]
Further information: Category:People from Clairton, Pennsylvania

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "City Administration / Finance".
  2. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  4. ^ "Clairton PA ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  5. ^ "Explore Census Data".
  6. ^ "Clairton, Hometown Pride Still Alive in a Declining Steel Town". Grapple. Keystone Crossroads. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  7. ^ "1960 Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. August 16, 2012. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  8. ^ "Census '90: Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF). Census.gov. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  9. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  10. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  11. ^ Longman, Jeré (November 22, 2012). "Football Team Keeps Mill Town's Heart Beating". The New York Times.
  12. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  13. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  14. ^ EL. "2012 Allegheny County election". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  15. ^ EL. "2016 Pennsylvania general election results". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  16. ^ "Election Night Reporting".
  17. ^ The Coming of ROM: A Knight’s Tale on JimShooter.com
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