Ford City, Pennsylvania

Ford City, Pennsylvania
—  Borough  —
Ford City, Pennsylvania
Coordinates: 40°46′17″N 79°31′48″W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Armstrong
Settled	1887
Incorporated	1889
Government
• Type	Council-Mayor
• Mayor	Marc Mantini
Area
• Total	0.8 sq mi (2.0 km2)
Population (2010)
• Total	2,991
• Density	4,864.8/sq mi (1,876.7/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Zip code	16226
Area code(s)	724

Ford City is a borough in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States, 40 miles (64 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.

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, 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 miles (0.26 km²) of it (10.13%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census 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.

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 Kittanning. 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 [1], 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 Dead. 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

See also

• List of crossings of the Allegheny River – bridge is located just outside the borough limits

Notes and references

• Pospishil, Victor J. (Ed.) (1962). Ford City, Pennsylvania 1887–1962: The First Seventy-Five Years of Our Town. Ford City: The Ford City Public Library. ISBN none.