| Sharon | |
| City | |
| Nickname: The Friendly City | |
| Country | United States |
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| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Mercer |
| Elevation | 1,000 ft (305 m) |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 3.8 sq mi (10 km2) |
| Population | 16,328 (2000) |
| Density | 4,342.6 / sq mi (1,677 / km2) |
| Established | 1795 |
| - Incorporated (borough) | 1841-10-06 |
| - Incorporated (city) | 1917-12-17 |
| Timezone | EST (UTC-4) |
| - summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-5) |
| Zip code | 16146 |
| Area code | 724 |
| School district | Sharon City School District |
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Location of Sharon in Mercer County
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Location of Sharon within Pennsylvania
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Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
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| Website: www.cityofsharon.net | |
Sharon is a city in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, in the United States, 75 miles (121 km) northwest of Pittsburgh. It is part of the Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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Sharon was settled in 1795, incorporated as a borough on October 6, 1841, and incorporated as a city on December 17, 1918. The city operated under the PA third-class city charter until 2008, at which point it adopted a home rule charter under which the elected position of mayor was replaced with a hired city manager and financial officer. On April 20, 1936, a large fire swept through Sharon's commercial district, causing damage estimated at $1 million (1936 dollars).
The founding families of Sharon first settled on a flat plain bordering the Shenango River (this area is situated between two hills and is the current location of Sharon's downtown business district). According to local legend, the community received its name from a Bible-reading settler who likened the location to the Plain of Sharon in Israel.
Initially a center of coal mining, Sharon's economy transitioned to steelmaking and other heavy industry following the Industrial Revolution. Following the extensive national deindustrialization of the 1970s and 80's, the city's economy diversified and is now based primarily on light industry, education, health care, and social services.
Sharon is located at (41.230106, -80.498960)[1] in southwest Mercer County, the city borders the city of Hermitage to the north and east, the city of Farrell to the south, and on the west the census-designated places of Masury and West Hill, Ohio.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km2), all land. However, the Shenango River runs through the city and provides drinking water to Sharon and several surrounding communities.
In 1900, the population was 8,916 persons; in 1910, 15,270 persons; in 1920, 21,747 persons; and 25,622 people lived in Sharon in 1940. Today, Sharon, along with Mercer County, is counted by the US Census Bureau as part of the Youngstown-Warren, OH Metropolitan Area.
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 16,328 people, 6,791 households, and 4,189 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,342.6 people per square mile (1,676.7/km²). There were 7,388 housing units at an average density of 1,964.9 per square mile (758.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.44% White, 10.85% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 2.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population.
From the Census Ancestry Question, Sharon has the following ethnic make-up: German 21%, Irish 14%, Italian 11%, Black or African American 11%, English 8%, Polish 5%, Slovak 5%, Welsh - 3%, Scots-Irish 2%, Hungarian 2%, Dutch 2%, French (except Basque) 2%, Croatian 1%, Scottish 1%, Russian 1%, Swedish 1%, Arab 1%, Slavic 1%, American Indian tribes, specified 1%. Sharon's Jewish community is served by the Reform Jewish Temple Beth Israel.
There were 6,791 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was distributed with 24.4% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,945, and the median income for a family was $34,581. Males had a median income of $30,072 versus $20,988 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,913. About 14.0% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
The Sharon City School District comprises three K-6 elementary schools (Case Avenue, C.M. Musser, and West Hill) and the 7-12 Sharon Middle/High School. The city is also home to St. Joseph's Parish School, a K-8 school affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, and Shenango Valley Faith Academy, a nondenominational Christian school with heavy emphasis on individualized education.
Post secondary education and training opportunities can be pursued at Sharon's Penn State Shenango campus (the only urban campus in the Penn State system), Laurel Technical Institute, the Schools of Nursing and Radiography at Sharon Regional Health System, and a branch campus of Meadville-based Precision Manufacturing Institute.
Because of Sharon's location on the Pennsylvania/Ohio border, it is served by NBC affiliate WFMJ, CBS affiliate WKBN-TV, Fox affiliate WYFX-LP, ABC affiliate WYTV, and CW affiliate, WBCB, all broadcast from nearby Youngstown.
Sharon is served by radio stations such as WPIC (790 AM), WKBN (570 AM), The River (96.7 FM), and Youngstown stations such as Froggy 95 (95.1 FM), Mix 98.9, and Y103 (102.9 FM).