Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie | |
|---|---|
| The Erie skyline, facing south from Presque Isle State Park across Presque Isle Bay The Erie skyline, facing south from Presque Isle State Park across Presque Isle Bay | |
| Nickname: The Gem City | |
| Location in Pennsylvania Location in Pennsylvania | |
 Location of Pennsylvania with the U.S.A. | |
| County | Erie County |
| Founded | 1795 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Joseph Sinnott |
| Population (2000) | |
| • City | 103,717 |
| • Metro | 280,843 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
| Website | www.cityoferiepa.com |
Erie is a city in Erie County, Pennsylvania, on the coast of Lake Erie. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 103,717. The Northwest Pennsylvania region (of which Erie is the regional hub) has a population of 910,000 people. It is the fourth most populated city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Allentown. For most of the past century, Erie was Pennsylvania's third largest city by a large margin. However, the industrial decline in the United States since the 1960s has been a major cause of the large population loss. Erie was, and still is to a lesser extent, one of the United States' major manufacturing centers. Since the early 1970s, Erie is estimated to have lost nearly 40,000 people. This fact, coupled with Allentown's location amidst the rapid sprawl of Southeast Pennsylvania and New Jersey, has allowed Allentown to claim the 3rd largest spot.
It is the county seat of Erie County.Template:GR
Erie is named after the adjacent lake, which is named after the Erie tribe of Native Americans who lived along its southern shore before European contact. Erie was also called the Gem City because of the sparkling lake.
Erie is home to three highly popular amusement parks, Waldameer Park, Conneaut Lake Park and Splash Lagoon. Six four year colleges are located in Erie, and Erie is home to Presque Isle State Park, a park that draws over 4 million people every year. [1]
History
Erie was first settled by the French, who built Fort Presque Isle in 1753, as part of their effort to garrison New France against the encroaching English. Presque Isle means "almost an island" in French. The fort was surrendered to the British, along with the rest of New France, at the end of the Seven Years' War in 1763.
The City of Erie was part of the Erie Triangle that was claimed by the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut (as part of its Western Reserve), and Massachusetts. It officially became part of Pennsylvania in 1792, after all four states renounced their claims and the federal government sold the area to Pennsylvania. The city was founded in 1795 and laid out by the famous surveyor Joseph Ellicott, who also completed the planning of Washington D.C.
During the War of 1812, President James Madison ordered the construction of a naval fleet at Erie in order to regain control of Lake Erie. Noted shipbuilders Daniel Dobbins of Erie and Noah Brown of New York led construction of four schooner-rigged gunboats and two brigs. Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry arrived from Rhode Island to command the squadron. His fleet successfully fought the British in the historic Battle of Lake Erie, which was the decisive victory that solidified United States control of the Great Lakes.
Site of the 1853 Railroad Gauge War
The city of Erie was the site where two different sets of gauges (width between tracks) met. The different gauges became a huge problem for western expansion because of the delays caused by the need to unload, and then reload trains. The delays subsequently created many jobs in Erie which became endangered when a national standardized gauge was proposed. The citizens of Erie, led by the mayor, set fire to bridges, ripped up track, and in general did everything imaginable to delay the inevitable standardization.
Culture
Erie is home to a number of professional and amateur performing-arts groups. The most significant is the Erie Philharmonic Orchestra, in continuous existence since 1913 (with the exception of an interregnum during World War II). This group of professional musicians also has a full chorus and a Junior Philharmonic division which actively tours the area.
The Lake Erie Ballet is a professional ballet company which puts on a number of performances of well-known ballets throughout the year.
The Erie Civic Music Association attracts, sponsors, and books performances by professional musicians, singers, entertainers, and ensembles from the world over.
Downtown Erie's historic and ornate Warner Theater hosts performances by all three groups. Renovated in the 1980s and again in 2007 , the Warner serves as the hub of Erie's Civic Center [1]. The downtown area is also the home of the Erie Playhouse, one of the leading community theaters in the country, as well as The Roadhouse Theatre for Contemporary Art , home to more avant-garde works. The Great Lakes Film Association, which hosts the Great Lakes Independent Film Festival every year in the fall, promotes independent films.
The Erie Art Museum [2] is Erie's premier art gallery, located in a former U.S. Customs House on lower State Street near the bayfront. Its collection has a particular emphasis on folk arts and modern styles. It also hosts a popular blues and jazz concert series.
Along West 6th St. is Millionaire's Row. There stands a collection of 19th century Victorian houses/mansions. The oldest lighthouse on all of the Great Lakes stands at the foot of Lighthouse Street in the city. The lighthouse was built in 1818 and replaced in 1867.
Construction of the Bicentennial Tower, located on Dobbins Landing at the foot of State Street, began during the city's 200th year in 1995. Construction was finished in 1996. It is 187 feet tall and gives a great view of Lake Erie and it's surroundings.
Presque Isle Downs opened for business on February 28, 2007, the fourth slots parlor in the state and the first in western Pennsylvania. There are 2,000 slot machines as of opening day, and the adjoining racetrack is scheduled to open in September 2007.
Media
Sports
- Erie Freeze, (American Indoor Football Association)
- Erie Illusion, (National Women's Football Association)
- Erie Otters, (Ontario Hockey League)
- Erie SeaWolves, (Eastern League)
Transportation
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Erie is well-situated on major transportation lines, leading in part to its relative health as a light-to-medium industrial center in the face of dramatic declines in the Great Lakes states.
Three interstate highways join in or near the city: Interstate 90 (Boston to Seattle); Interstate 79, which begins in Erie and ends in Charleston, West Virginia; and Interstate 86 (east), the "Southern Tier Expressway," which begins east of Erie and runs along the southern half of New York State to Binghamton and beyond. Also running through or near the city are the arterial roads U.S. Highway 20, U.S. Highway 19 (also known as Peach Street), U.S. Highway 6N and PA Route 8, which begins in Erie and ends in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The former "Water Level Route" of the New York Central Railroad (now the CSX mainline) travels directly through Erie. This is a major mainline for the railroad and sees scores of trains a day. The mainline of the Norfolk Southern Railroad at one time ran directly down the middle of 19th Street in the city. The 19th Street tracks were recently removed. The 19th Street rail traffic is now routed onto the aforementioned transcontinental mainline.
An Amtrak train calls on the city twice daily (at 1:36 AM for the westbound train and 8:30 AM for the eastbound one) at Union Station in downtown Erie: the Lake Shore Limited, running between New York, Boston, and Chicago. Amtrak recently annonced that the 5:39 AM departure would be pushed up to 8:30 AM. [2]Although there has been much discussion in recent years in favor of adding trains along the southern shore of Lake Erie to link Buffalo with Cleveland, and beyond, in light of Amtrak's perpetual budget woes, this will likely not take place in the near future.
Erie International Airport (IATA: ERI; IACO: KERI), located 5 miles (8 km) southwest of the city, hosts general aviation, charter, and scheduled airline service. Airlines currently serving Erie include Comair (Delta Air Lines Connection), Continental Connection, US Airways and Northwest Airlines. The Erie airport has recently been recognized by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation as the fastest-growing airport in the state and by the US Department of Transportation as the 3rd fastest-growing airport in the United States in 2004.[3] Greyhound Lines runs regular scheduled bus service to and from Erie from many hubs, including Pittsburgh, Chicago, and New York City.
A new bus terminal opened in the spring of 2006, located in the heart of the Port of Erie.
The Port of Erie is an under-utilized facility located within Presque Isle Bay, a natural harbor. Currently, there is very little commercial shipping activity through the Port, save sand and gravel and miscellaneous coal shipments. Erie is a stop on the American Canadian Caribbean Cruise Line's Great American Waterways cruise. [4]
The EMTA (Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority) bus system runs seven days a week in the city.
Geography and Climate
Erie is located at 42°6′52″N 80°4′34″W / 42.11444°N 80.07611°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (42.114507, -80.076213)Template:GR in the north of Appalachia.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 72.5 km² (28.0 mi²). 56.9 km² (22.0 mi²) of it is land and 15.6 km² (6.0 mi²) of it (21.54%) is water. Erie is home to Presque Isle State Park (known to the locals as "The Peninsula"), a peninsula that juts out into Lake Erie and boasts numerous public beaches, wetlands, and good fishing locations. Erie currently stands 13 on the snowiest places in the United States, averaging 88 inches of snow.[5] This winter, as of April 2007, Erie has received 107 inches of snow.[6]
| Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures | ||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec High °F | 70 | 75 | 82 | 89 | 90 | 100 | 99 | 94 | 94 | 88 | 80 | 75 |
| Norm High °F | 33.5 | 35.4 | 44.7 | 55.6 | 67.4 | 76.2 | 80.4 | 79 | 72 | 61 | 49.3 | 38.6 |
| Norm Low °F | 20.3 | 20.9 | 28.2 | 37.9 | 48.7 | 58.5 | 63.7 | 62.7 | 55.9 | 45.5 | 36.4 | 26.8 |
| Rec Low °F | -18 | -17 | -9 | 12 | 26 | 32 | 44 | 37 | 33 | 24 | 7 | -6 |
| Precip (in) | 2.53 | 2.28 | 3.13 | 3.38 | 3.34 | 4.28 | 3.28 | 4.21 | 4.73 | 3.92 | 3.96 | 3.73 |
| Source: USTravelWeather.com [3] | ||||||||||||
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 103,717 people, 40,938 households, and 24,480 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,823.6/km² (4,722.9/mi²). There were 44,971 housing units at an average density of 790.7/km² (2,047.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.56% White, 14.20% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.92% from other races and 2.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.41% of the population.
Erie has long been declining in population due to the departure of many businesses and factories. Recently however, due to large revitalization projects and other factors, Erie is expected to have gained people by 2010. Erie has become a popular home because of the beautiful beaches, revitalized downtown, and a suburban feel, even though Erie's population is over 100,000.
There were 40,938 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,387, and the median income for a family was $36,446. Males had a median income of $30,714 versus $21,828 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,972. About 13.8% of families and 18.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.0% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.
Recent Developments
Recently, the Erie Downtown Improvement District (DID) contracted a Philadelphia-based company (Kise, Straw, & Kolodner) to set up a "master plan" for the city of Erie's downtown[7]. The DID plan includes building several mid-rise and high-rise structures which will be utilized primarily for housing and retail expansion in the city centre. Fourth River Development and Radnor Property Group were selected as the developers.
GAF, an asphalt shingle manufacturer recently announced (January 2007) plans to relocate to Eastern Pennsylvania[8], thus making available several extremely valuable acres right next to the Convention Center and hotel currently under construction. A recent local newspaper poll shows that the majority of local citizens desire a park-like setting, followed by retail development in the area.
Ethnicities and religion
The major ethnic groups of the City of Erie are roughly broken down into 24.4% German, 14% Irish, 14% Polish, 13% Italian, 5.8% English, 1.7% Swedish, 1.7% French, 1.4% Russian, and the remaining 24% make up the ‘other’ category (see [4]).
Recently, Erie has seen a great influx of families from Kosovo and Bosnia, to the extent that the city now has a Bosnian-American Cultural Center and a Bosnian Festival. Many of these immigrants are Muslims and Orthodox Christian.
In the early 20th Century, Erie had a significant Russian immigrant community, many of whom worked in the now-closed shipbuilding plants along the bayfront. Unusually for a Great Lakes city, a substantial number of these Russian immigrants were Old Believers. Even today, the gold-domed ([5]) Church of the Nativity, on the bayfront near the former heart of the Russian community, is an Old Believer church ([6]). Bishop Daniel of Erie, of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, is based in ([7]) Erie and is the Vicar President of the Synod of Bishops for the Old Believers.
Erie has a vibrant Jewish community that is over one hundred fifty years old. Temple Anshe Hesed ([8]), a member of the Union for Reform Judaism, is served by its spiritual leader, Rabbi John L. Bush.
Erie is home to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie and Northwestern Pennsylvania, covering 13 counties (9,936 sq. miles - the largest in the state). Its diocesan seat is the Saint Peter Cathedral in Erie, which has a 265' central tower flanked by two 150' towers. It is among the tallest churches in the U.S and was constructed in 1873.
According to the Association of Religion Date Archives[9] Erie county has 103,333 people who claim affiliation with the Catholic church, 59,541 people who claim affiliation with a Protestant church and 115,682 who were listed as unaffiliated.
Economy
As of 2005, the city's largest single employer is the locomotive builder GE Transportation, which employs 4,000 people in neighboring Lawrence Park Township to the east. Apart from the General Electric plant, heavy industry is rapidly on the decline. However, smaller, high-precision companies are growing in size and scope. For example, Lord Corporation, which specializes in shock- and vibration-damping products for the aerospace industry, was founded in and has major operations in Erie.
The plastics industry is also a significant employer, although most of these companies are small to medium-sized. Over 10% of the nation's plastics are manufactured or finished in Erie-based plastics plants. These plants are supported by many locally-owned CNC machine tool job shops.
Colleges and universities
- Allegheny College
- Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
- Gannon University
- Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM)
- Mercyhurst College
- Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
Sites of interest
Erie's unique location along the shores of Lake Erie provides a plethora of outdoor activities in all four seasons. The region's largest attraction is Presque Isle State Park, drawing over 4 million visitors a year. The region is also home to some of the United States' best wineries. Other sites of interest include:
Sister cities
Erie currently has four sister cities. They are:
See also
References
External links
- City of Erie - Official Site
- Erie Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Everything Erie wiki - Local wiki site
Municipalities and communities of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States | ||
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