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Massillon, Ohio

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City of Massillon
City
Lincoln Way in downtown Massillon in 2006
Lincoln Way in downtown Massillon in 2006
Location of Massillon, Ohio
Location of Massillon, Ohio
CountryUnited States
StateOhio
CountyStark
Founded1812
Government
 • MayorFrancis H. Cicchinelli, Jr.
Area
 • Total16.9 sq mi (43.8 km2)
 • Land16.7 sq mi (43.4 km2)
 • Water0.1 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation
Template:GR
948 ft (289 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total31,325
 • Density1,870.3/sq mi (722.1/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
44646-44648
Area code330
FIPS code39-48244Template:GR
GNIS feature ID1061483Template:GR
Websitehttp://www.massillonohio.com.

Massillon is a city in Stark County in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 31,325 at the 2000 census.

The Friendly Association for Mutual Interests founded Massillon, then called Kendal, on a 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) estate in response to Robert Owen's success in New Harmony, Indiana to create a utopian society. The group of approximately 150 people, consisting of farmers, mill workers, and mechanics from the surrounding area, abandoned their communitarian lifestyle. Massillon was named after Bishop Jean Baptiste Massillon, a French Catholic bishop.

SARTA provides bus service between Massillon and nearby Canton.

Massillon is the hometown of Marlia Fontaine who was crowned Miss Ohio for 2005 and represented Ohio in the Miss America contest. She previously held the title of Miss Lake Erie.

Little Steel strike

Massillon is the site of one of the most tragic instances of labor violence in the history of the United States. The Steel Workers Organizing Committee was attempting to organize workers at Republic Steel in the spring and summer of 1937. When the company refused to recognize their union, the workers struck.

A crowd of strikers and their families had taken to gathering nightly for a rally and dance in front of the union's headquarters. On the night of July 11, 1937, a citizen of the town failed to dim the headlights on his car as he approached the rally. City police assumed the worst and without warning opened fire with rifles and shotguns on the peaceful crowd. One auxiliary policeman shouted, 'Let them have it boys! Break them down!' Police pumped tear gas canisters into the fleeing mob; one officer raked the street and local houses with submachinegun fire. Wounded people who attempted to seek medical attention were shot at. The wounded sought refuge in the union hall's kitchen, where the walls became smeared with blood. The police hunted down fleeing families throughout the night, sporadically firing on anyone they found. Three men were killed, and a large number of men, women and children wounded.[1]

Geography

Massillon is located at 40°47′43″N 81°31′22″W / 40.79528°N 81.52278°W / 40.79528; -81.52278Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (40.795270, -81.522896),Template:GR along the Tuscarawas River.[2]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.9 square miles (43.7 km²), of which, 16.8 square miles (43.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.83%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 31,325 people, 12,677 households, and 8,328 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,870.3 people per square mile (722.1/km²). There were 13,567 housing units at an average density of 810.0/sq mi (312.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.18% White, 9.39% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population.

There were 12,677 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,734, and the median income for a family was $41,058. Males had a median income of $32,021 versus $22,327 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,633. About 8.3% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

Past population figures were: [1] 1890 — 10,092; 1900 — 11,944; 1910 — 13,879; 1920 — 17,428

Education

Public High School students from Massillon attend either Massillon Washington High School, Perry High School, Tuslaw High School, or Jackson High School depending on their location. Most attend Massillon Washington, the Massillon City Schools high school, however those in recently annexed areas and some newer developments attend Perry High School, while a small section of the annexed region of Jackson Township attend the Jackson Local Schools.

Football

In Ohio and elsewhere, the name Massillon is probably most associated with the Massillon Washington High School football team, the Tigers. Distinguished Massillon alumni include Paul Brown and The Ohio State University graduate and NFL veteran linebacker Chris Spielman. The Tigers are historically one of the winningest high school football teams in the United States, second only to the Valdosta High School Wildcats, in Valdosta, Georgia. Along with the Canton McKinley High School Bulldogs, the Tigers represent one half of what many consider to be the greatest high school football rivalry in the nation.[citation needed] Both Massillon and their fierce rivalry with Canton are subjects of the documentary film Go Tigers!, and numerous websites such as http://massillonproud.com and http://www.massillontigerslair.com.

While the first players known to be paid to play football are believed to have played for club teams in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, perhaps the first great professional football rivalry was between the Massillon Tigers and Canton Bulldogs from 1903-1906. This rivalry pre-dated both the NFL and the aforementioned rivalry between the Massillon and Canton high schools which continue to use the nicknames of these early professional teams. The Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA) web site (http://www.profootballresearchers.org/) includes outstanding articles on this rivalry year by year, as well as numerous articles spanning the origins of football through the 1970's.

Notable natives

Notes and references

  1. ^ Zieger, Robert H. The CIO, 1935-1955. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1995. ISBN 0-8078-2182-9 p. 62-63.
  2. ^ DeLorme (1991). Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-233-1.
  3. ^ "Bob Knight". Library Factfiles. The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2007-05-29.

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