Struthers, Ohio

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Struthers is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,756 at the 2000 census. Struthers is served by a branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Fast facts
5 Notable residents
6 External links

[edit] Geography

Struthers is located at 41°3′8″N, 80°35′37″W (41.052255, -80.593591)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (33 km²).

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 11,756 people, 4,704 households, and 3,255 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,150.2/sq. mile (1,216.9/km²). There were 4,982 housing units at an average density of 1,335.0/sq. mile (515.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.63% White, 1.78% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.02% of the population. Ancestries: Italian (28.3%), German (20.0%), Slovak (16.1%), Irish (15.8%), Polish (6.4%), English (6.0%).

There were 4,704 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,720, and the median income for a family was $37,212. Males had a median income of $30,588 versus $21,438 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,587. About 8.8% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

John Struthers, from Washington County, Pennsylvania, purchased 400 acres of Poland Township land in 1798. This land would later be known as the present day city of Struthers. Struthers' early history centers on Yellow Creek which was the site for the first iron blast furnace built west of Pittsburgh. The furnace was built in 1803 by Daniel Eaton and is mentioned in the first line of the 1995 Bruce Springsteen song "Youngstown". Several furnaces were built along the creek during the first decade of the 1800s and all ceased to exist after The War of 1812 began. The land on the Yellow Creek would lay dormant for more than 50 years until Thomas Struthers, son of John Struthers, bought back the land his father had lost following the War of 1812 in 1865. Thomas Struthers laid out the village that year and gave it his family's name.

An excerpt from a 1948 Cradle of Steel Homecoming program illustrated what happened next.

In 1869 Struthers again became an iron producing community with the construction of the Anna Furnace by the Struthers. Iron Company. In 1880 there was added the sheet mill plant of the Summer's Brothers Co., and in 1888 the plant of the J. A. and D. P. Cooper Gear Company. With all these activities Struthers still remained a village of less than 1,000 inhabitants, after 100 years had elapsed since John. Struthers built his first cabin and erected the sawmill and grist mill on Yellow Creek. In 1899 Struthers was brought into closer communication with Youngstown and the upper Mahoning Valley by the completion of an interurban electric line. In 1902 the neighboring village of East Youngstown (now Campbell) was started. This new community was started shortly after the incorporation of The Youngstown Iron Sheet and Tube Company (known as The Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co., since 1905).

With the steel industry booming in the early part of the 1900s, many European immigrants from diverse backgrounds flooded into Struthers. A village in 1902 when it was officially incorporated, Struthers quickly became a city in 1920. The steel industry allowed the city to flourish until 1977 when several area plants closed their doors for good. The city padded the loss of thousands of jobs by using its industrial infrastructure to lure non-steel making jobs, but population losses have continued throughout the start of the new century.[1]

[edit] Fast facts

The notable 1943 Supreme Court First Amendment ruling Martin v. City of Struthersshot down a city ordinance which prohibited "distributing handbills, circulars or other advertisements to ring the door bell, sound the door knocker, or otherwise summon".

Struthers, Ohio is the only city in the United States without a cemetery.