Editing Farrell, Pennsylvania (section)

==History==
Once dubbed "The Magic City," Farrell sprang up practically overnight when a steel mill was constructed in 1901 on a plain bordering the [[Shenango River]], near [[Sharon, Pennsylvania|Sharon]], in what was then part of Hickory Township (now [[Hermitage, Pennsylvania|Hermitage]]).

The community name was at the beginning '''South Sharon'''. In 1912, the population reached 10,000. At that time, the residents of the new city elected to take the name of Farrell, after industrialist [[James A. Farrell]].<ref name=FarrellGoldenJubilee>([http://pedasfamily.com/Archives-HistoryFarrell.htm#PartI ''Farrell Golden Jubilee'' 1901-1951].)</ref>

The community was incorporated as the Borough of South Sharon in 1916; its population peaked at over 15,000 in 1920 and its status was elevated to a third-class city in 1932.<ref name=FarrellGoldenJubilee/> In 1939, artist  Virginia Wood Riggs was commissioned to paint the mural ''Myths of Vulcan and Juno'' in the towns post office. The mural was painted over in 1966.<ref>Park, Marlene and Gerald E. Markowitz, Democratic vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal,  Temple University Press, Philadelphia  1984</ref>

The mill, which eventually became known as the Roemer Works of Sharon Steel Corporation, would serve as the community's lifeblood until 1992, when it was liquidated after filing bankruptcy.  Many of the assets were sold at auction to Britain-based Caparo Corporation and later to Swiss steelmaker Duferco, which operates the plant today. Farrell was designated a [[Financially Distressed Municipalities Act|financially distressed municipality]] in 1987 by the state of Pennsylvania.

In 2004 local politicians proposed the creation of [[Shenango Valley City]], consisting of Farrell as well as [[Hermitage, Pennsylvania|Hermitage]], [[Sharpsville, Pennsylvania|Sharpsville]], [[Sharon, Pennsylvania|Sharon]], and [[Wheatland, Pennsylvania|Wheatland]] with the issue being put on the ballot in the form of a referendum.<ref name="2004 merger">{{cite web |last1=Gwin |first1=Harold |title=Here are some answers to questions on consolidation in Shenango Valley |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20190702142509/https://www.vindy.com/news/2004/oct/30/here-are-some-answers-to-questions-on/ |website=[[The Vindicator (Ohio newspaper)|The Vindicator]] |access-date=2 May 2024}}</ref> Then [[Governor of Pennsylvania]], [[Ed Rendell]] voiced support for the measure and would be joined by [[Kathleen McGinty]], Secretary of the [[Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection|Department of Environmental Protection]], and [[Dennis Yablonsky]], Secretary of the [[Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development|Department of Community and Economic Development]] with the trio touring the region to urge for voters to pass the motion.<ref name="2004 merger" /> The city would largely be an expansion of Hermitage, whose city government would be retained including the office of mayor and it's nine-member city council.<ref name="2004 merger" /> The merger would have kept the various independent school districts intact.<ref name="2004 merger" /> The effort would ultimately be defeated, and via the ordinance the issue of merger could not be brought up again until 2009.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shenango Valley City Proposed 2004 Creation |url=https://www.localgeohistory.pro/en/pa/event/shenango-valley-city-proposed-2004-creation/ |website=localgeohistory.pro |access-date=2 May 2024}}</ref>

Despite years of population and [[deindustrialization|industrial decline]], Farrell has made progress in rebuilding itself due to new industrial investments on tax abated land and several new housing starts. {{Citation needed|date=November 2011}}