Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania

Mahanoy City (pronounced MAHA-noy) is a borough located 38 miles (61 km) southwest of Wilkes-Barre and 13 miles southwest of Hazleton, in northern Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania in the southern Coal Region. It is located entirely within but is not part of Mahanoy Township. The name "Mahanoy" is believed to be a variation of the Native American word 'Maghonioy', or "the bath salt deposits".[3][4]

For other places in Pennsylvania with similar names, see Mahanoy (disambiguation).
Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania
Borough
Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania
Location of Mahanoy City in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
Mahanoy City
Location in Pennsylvania
Mahanoy City
Mahanoy City (the United States)
Coordinates: 40°48′45″N 76°08′28″W
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountySchuylkill
Settled1859
IncorporatedDecember 16, 1863
Government
 • TypeBorough Council
 • MayorDennis Wiessner
 • Council PresidentThom Maziekas
Area
 • Total0.51 sq mi (1.32 km2)
 • Land0.51 sq mi (1.32 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
1,240 ft (380 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total4,162
 • Estimate 
(2019)[2]
3,944
 • Density7,733.33/sq mi (2,987.60/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
17948
Area code(s)570 Exchange: 773,783
FIPS code42-46592
WebsiteMahanoy City

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.[5][6][7] 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.[8] Sean Connery, the star of the 1970 historical drama film The Molly Maguires, served as chairman of the advisory board for the park project.[9]

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.[10][5]

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.[11]

Geography

Mahanoy City is located at 40°48′45″N 76°8′25″W (40.812413, -76.140223),[12] 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 km2), 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
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18705,533—
18807,18129.8%
189011,28657.2%
190013,50419.7%
191015,93618.0%
192015,599−2.1%
193014,784−5.2%
194013,442−9.1%
195010,934−18.7%
19608,536−21.9%
19707,257−15.0%
19806,167−15.0%
19905,209−15.5%
20004,647−10.8%
20104,162−10.4%
2019 (est.)3,944[2]−5.2%
Sources:[13][14][15]

As of the census[14] 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.

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 Mahanoy Township. The district operates: Mahanoy Area Elementary School (K-4), Mahanoy Area Middle School (5th-8th) and Mahanoy Area High School (9th-12). The district has provided full day kindergarten since 2004. In 2015, the Mahanoy Area School District's enrollment declined to 1,004 students.[16] Mahanoy Area School District was ranked 433rd out of 493 Pennsylvania school districts, in 2015, by the Pittsburgh Business Times.[17] Mahanoy Area High School has been listed on the Commonwealth's annual lowest achieving schools list.[18] In 2015, Mahanoy Area School District's graduation rate was 91%. In 2012, Mahanoy Area School District declined to Warning Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status, due to a low graduation rate and lagging student academic achievement.[19]

Map of Schuylkill County, public school districts showing Mahanoy Area SD in orange

High school aged students living in Mahanoy City, can attend the taxpayer funded Schuylkill Technology Centers for training in the building trades, auto mechanics, culinary arts, allied health careers and other areas. The closest campus STC AirportI Campus is located in Pottsville.

Schuylkill Intermediate Unit IU29 provides a variety of services to children living in Mahanoy City. Early screening, special education services, speech and hearing therapy, autistic support, preschool classes and many other services like driver education are available. Services for children during the preschool years are provided without cost to their families when the child is determined to meet eligibility requirements. Intermediate units receive taxpayer funding: through subsidies paid by member school districts; through direct charges to users for some services; through the successful application for state and federal competitive grants and through private grants.[20]

Mahanoy City residents may also apply to attend any of the Commonwealth's 13 public cyber charter schools (in 2015) at no additional cost to the parents. The resident's public school district is required to pay the charter school and cyber charter school tuition for residents who attend these public schools.[21][22] The tuition rate that Mahanoy Area School District must pay for high school pupils was $11,194.03 in 2015.[23] For elementary it was $9,485. By Commonwealth law, when the district provides transportation for its own students, then the district must provide transportation to any school that lies within 10 miles of its borders. Gillingham Charter School is located in Pottsville. Residents may also seek admission for their school aged child to any other public school district. When accepted for admission, the student's parents are responsible for paying an annual tuition fee set by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Community members have access to the Mahanoy City Public Library. Through it Pennsylvania residents have access to all POWER Library online resources.

Notable people

References
  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. Mahanoy Area Historical Society (2004). "Introduction". Mahanoy Area. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781439632123. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  4. "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".
  5. "Mahanoy City, The End of Coal Country". Grapple. Keystone Crossroads. Archived from the original on November 17, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. Hand, Mark (2015-09-29). "West Virginia Miners Play Second Fiddle to the Molly Maguires". Counterpunch.org. CounterPunch. Archived from the original on 2016-02-09. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  10. 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.
  11. Mayer, Mary Alice (21 July 1970). "Oral history interview with Cable Television Pioneer John Walson". The Cable Center, Barco Library. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  12. "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.
  13. "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 26 April 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 1996-12-27. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  15. "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.
  16. Pennsylvania Department of Education (December 4, 2015). "District Fast Facts - Mahanoy Area School District". Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  17. Pittsburgh Business Times (April 10, 2015). "Guide to Pennsylvania Schools Statewide School District Ranking 2015". Archived from the original on August 20, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  18. Pennsylvania Department of Education (May 2014). "Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program". Archived from the original on 2016-07-25. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
  19. Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 21, 2012). "Mahanoy Area School District AYP Overview 2012". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  20. Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 Administration, About the SIU, 2015
  21. Pennsylvania Department of Education (2013). "Charter Schools". Archived from the original on 2016-07-28. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
  22. Pennsylvania Department of Education (2013). "What is a Charter School?". Archived from the original on 2016-07-28. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
  23. Pennsylvania Department of Education, Tuition Rate Calculation, 2015
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