Homer City, Pennsylvania

Borough of Homer City
Borough
Businesses on Main Street
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Indiana
Elevation	1,375 ft (419.1 m)
Coordinates	40°32′23″N 79°09′33″W
Area	1.5 sq mi (3.9 km2)
- land	1.5 sq mi (4 km2)
- water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0%
Population	1,844 (2000)
Mayor	Michael Gaydosh
Timezone	EST (UTC-5)
- summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	15748
Area code	724
Location of Homer City in Pennsylvania
Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
Website: http://www.homercity.com/

Homer City is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,844 at the 2000 census. The Homer City Generating Station is located outside of Homer City but it takes its name from the borough. Homer City is located in the Indiana metro area. The community was named for the famous Greek poet Homer.

History

The history of Homer City dates back to the mid-18th century, when settlers began to establish homesteads on lands previously owned by six Indian nations. The village of Homer City was laid out in 1854 by William Wilson, who named it after the ancient Greek poet, Homer.^{[citation needed]} Businesses within the borough that provide goods and services to residents include a pharmacy, a bank, a grocery store, a dollar store, restaurants, a laundromat, a hair salon, physician's offices and other service oriented businesses.

A book called The Roving Red Rangers or Laura Lamar of the Susquehanna by Charles Asbury Robinson, was set in the Homer City area. It was published by the author in 1902.

State Representative Dave Reed was born in Homer City/Indiana and attended Homer-Center High School. He still resides in the Indiana area. The Homer City Generating Station has the tallest chimney in the United States and the third tallest in the world.

The borough's local radio station is 1160 WCCS "The Voice of Indiana County".

General information

• ZIP Code: 15748
• Area Code: 724
• Local Phone Exchanges: 479 915

Education

The Borough is a part of the Homer-Center School District, with the schools being located just south of the Borough line.

Famous residents

• Steve Demeter (born 1935) - professional baseball player for Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians from 1959-1960. [1]
• Ralph McConnaughey (1889–1966) - professional baseball player in 1914. [2]
• Patricia Robertson (1963–2001) - NASA Astronaut class of 1998.
• Dave Reed (born 1978) - Pennsylvania State Representative for the 62nd District.
• Ben McAdoo - Current Green Bay Packers Quarterback coach. [3]
• Noble J. Dick - Founder of the Dick Corporation, builder of Pittsburgh's David L. Lawrence Convention Center and CONSOL Energy Center.
• Doug McNulty- Former New York Mets Minor League Baseball Player 2008-2010.

Events

Hoodlebug SummerFest

The Hoodlebug SummerFest is a festival held in July, usually on the first Sunday. It hosts a variety of games and activities for local residents. Originally named SummerFest, the festival's name comes from the nickname of a passenger train service that was discontinued in the 1940s.

Geography

Homer City is located at 40°32′23″N 79°09′33″W. It is situated 6 miles (10 km) from Indiana, 30 miles (48 km) from Greensburg, 25 miles (40 km) from Johnstown, and 50 miles (80 km) from Pittsburgh.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,844 people, 805 households, and 511 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,298.3 people per square mile (1,271.4/km²). There were 869 housing units at an average density of 1,554.4 per square mile (599.1/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.40% White, 0.22% African American, 0.05% Asian, and 0.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.33% of the population.

There were 869 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the borough the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.1 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $30,815, and the median income for a family was $39,375. Males had a median income of $31,607 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $16,293. About 8.4% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Major ancestry groups reported by Homer City residents would include: 18% German, 17% Italian, 11% Irish, 9% Polish, 7% Slovak, 7% English, 5% Dutch, 3% Scots-Irish, 3% Scottch, 2% Hungarian, 1% Swedish, 1% Ukrainian, 1% French (except Basque), 1% Pennsylvania German, 1% Croatian, 1% Welsh, 1% Russian, 1% Norwegian, 1% Slovene and 1% Slavic.

Elected Officials

Homer City Borough's elected officials consist of a seven member council and a mayor. The council of Homer City meets the first Tuesday of every month for general business.

Mayor: Kenneth "Kal" Cecconi

Borough Council members:

• Richard Morris, President
• Kate Yancy, Vice-President
• Bea Harris
• David Meyers
• Jennifer Jaworski
• Matthew Black
• Robert Klingensmith

Controversies

NonLethal Technologies, Inc. based in Homer has been identified as the manufacturer of tear gas used against pro-democracy demonstrators in February, 2011 popular demonstrations in Bahrain. [4]

External links

• Homer City official website