Editing Clairton, Pennsylvania

{{Short description|City in Pennsylvania, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Clairton, Pennsylvania
| settlement_type    = [[City]]
| nickname           = City of Prayer
| image_skyline      = STREET IN CLAIRTON, PENNSYLVANIA, 20 MILES SOUTH OF PITTSBURGH. IN THE BACKGROUND IS A PORTION OF A COKE PLANT OWNED... - NARA - 557224.jpg
| image_caption      = Clairton in 1973
| imagesize          = 
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = ClairtonPAseal.png
| image_map          = Allegheny County Pennsylvania incorporated and unincorporated areas Clairton highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 260px
| map_caption        = Location in [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Allegheny County]] and the U.S. state of [[Pennsylvania]].
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Pennsylvania|County]]
| subdivision_name   = {{USA}}
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Pennsylvania}}
| subdivision_name2  = [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Allegheny]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Richard Lattanzi<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cityofclairton.com/city-administration/|title = City Administration / Finance}}</ref>
| established_title  = Incorporated
| established_date   = April 12, 1903 (borough)
| established_title2 = &nbsp;
| established_date2  = January 1, 1922 (city)
| established_title3 = 
| established_date3  = 
| area_magnitude     = 
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_total_sq_mi   = 3.00
| area_total_km2     = 7.76
| area_land_sq_mi    = 2.77
| area_land_km2      = 7.17
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.23
| area_water_km2     = 0.59
| area_urban_sq_mi   = 
| area_urban_km2     = 
| area_metro_sq_mi   = 
| area_metro_km2     = 
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_note    = 
| population_total   = 6181
| population_metro   = 
| population_urban   = 
| population_density_km2 = 861.77
| population_density_sq_mi = 2232.21
| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 15025<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zipdatamaps.com/15025|title=Clairton PA ZIP Code|publisher=zipdatamaps.com|year=2023|access-date=May 13, 2023}}</ref>
| area_code          = [[Area code 412|412]]
| coordinates        = {{coord|40|17|47|N|79|53|14|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_m        = 
| elevation_ft       = 
| website            = [http://www.cityofclairton.com/ www.cityofclairton.com]
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| population_est     = 
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 42-13704
| area_footnotes     = <ref>{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE='42'&outFields=NAME,STATE,PLACE,AREALAND,AREAWATER,LSADC,CENTLAT,CENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=October 12, 2022}}</ref>
| population_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly"/>
}}
 
'''Clairton''' is a city in [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania]], United States. It is located along the [[Monongahela River]] and is part of the [[Pittsburgh metropolitan area]]. The population was 6,181 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://data.census.gov/all?q=Clairton+city,+Pennsylvania | title=Explore Census Data }}</ref> Under [[Local government in Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania legal classifications for local governments]], Clairton is considered a third-class city. It is home to [[U.S. Steel]]'s [[Clairton Coke Works]], the largest [[coke (fuel)|coke]] manufacturing facility in North America.

The city was the setting for the movie ''[[The Deer Hunter]]'' (1978), although none of the movie was actually filmed there (other mill towns in the Monongahela River Valley and elsewhere in the tri-state area were used).

The [[Montour Trail]], a recreational [[rail-trail]], extends from Clairton to [[Coraopolis, Pennsylvania]].

==History==
{{external media | width = 210px | headerimage = | float = right | audio1 = [https://soundcloud.com/user-316760808/episode-07-clairton-hometown-pride-still-alive-in-a-declining-steel-town Clairton, Hometown Pride Still Alive in a Declining Steel Town], 14:13, Grapple, Keystone Crossroads<ref>{{cite web | title =Clairton, Hometown Pride Still Alive in a Declining Steel Town | work = Grapple | publisher =Keystone Crossroads | url =https://grapplepodcast.atavist.com/clairton | access-date =November 21, 2016 }}</ref> }}

Clairton's existence dates to just after the turn of the 20th century, when the [[Crucible Steel Company]] acquired a large tract along the west side of the [[Monongahela River]], approximately {{convert|13|mi}} south of [[Pittsburgh]]. Soon after, the [[Carnegie Steel Company]] (later [[U.S. Steel]]) built an integrated [[steel mill]] and [[coke (fuel)|coke]] production facility, which eventually became one of the world's largest.

The site had more than {{convert|1000|acre|sqkm}} of level land suitable for a large industrial complex. On April 12, 1903, Clairton was incorporated as a borough, and on January 1, 1922, Clairton was incorporated as a City of the Third Class with a population of approximately 11,000. This incorporation was prompted by industry, which was taxed by the three boroughs - Clairton, Wilson and North Clairton - which were chartered separately prior to the incorporation of the City of Clairton.

During the next several decades, growth and advancement indicated a thriving city. As the steel mill and coke production facilities expanded, the population of Clairton grew. Clairton took on a life of its own, including a business district and educational, religious, and cultural facilities. The city peaked in the late 1950s, and has been in decline since.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/decennial/1960cenpopv1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505050039/http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/decennial/1960cenpopv1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2010-05-05|title=1960 Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|date=2012-08-16|access-date=2012-08-20 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cph2/cph-2-1-1.pdf|title=Census '90: Population and Housing Unit Counts|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=2012-10-24}}</ref><ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012-3.html|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=November 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019235623/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012-3.html|archive-date=October 19, 2013|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In the late 1950s, Clairton High School (CHS) had a large student body, and the city had a "feeder" system of public and parochial elementary schools. The CHS student body was soon siphoned off, however, by new schools in Elizabeth Borough, Snowden Township, and Jefferson Borough. During the mid-1950s and into the 1960s, CHS was a Class AAA competitor in the formidable [[Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League]] (WPIAL), playing against high schools in other mill towns up and down the Monongahela River Valley.

With the decline of the [[steel industry]] in the 1980s, Clairton began to experience severe problems in its employment and tax base, which spurred a major economic shock to the community. In 1988, Clairton was designated a distressed municipality by Pennsylvania's Department of Community Affairs (DCA). Pursuant to Act 47 of 1987 (the [[Financially Distressed Municipalities Act]]), DCA commissioned the development of a recovery plan for Clairton. By 1988, the [http://www.clairton.k12.pa.us/ Clairton School District] had consolidated its entire system into a single building (a remodeled version of the high school) and closed its other schools. Clairton High now competes at the Class A level in the WPIAL. The high school football team has had national prominence for recent success.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/22/sports/in-clairton-pa-a-high-school-football-team-keeps-a-towns-heart-beating.html?hp|title=Football Team Keeps Mill Town's Heart Beating|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 22, 2012|last1=Longman|first1=Jeré}}</ref>

==Geography==
Clairton is located at {{coord|40|17|47|N|79|53|14|W|type:city}} (40.296419, -79.887090).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|3.0|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|2.8|sqmi}} is land, and {{convert|0.2|sqmi}} (8.31%) is water.

===Surrounding and adjacent neighborhoods===
A majority of Clairton is bordered by land with [[Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania|Jefferson Hills]] with a short border with [[West Mifflin, Pennsylvania|West Mifflin]] to the north.

Across the Monongahela River, Clairton runs adjacent with [[Glassport, Pennsylvania|Glassport]] to the north and northeast (direct link via [[Clairton-Glassport Bridge]]) and follows the curve down the river with [[Lincoln, Pennsylvania|Lincoln]] from the northeast to the southeast.

[[File:Clairton Coke Works Ovens.jpg|thumb|U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works]]

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1910= 3326
|1920= 6264
|1930= 15291
|1940= 16381
|1950= 19652
|1960= 18389
|1970= 15051
|1980= 12188
|1990= 9656
|2000= 8491
|2010= 6796
|2020= 6181
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2016}}</ref><ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:42&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=October 12, 2022}}</ref>
}}

As of the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]],<ref name="GR2" /> there were 8,491 people, 3,710 households, and 2,203 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|3,072.3|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people}}. There were 4,350 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,573.9|/mi2|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the city was 69.12% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 28.32% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.11% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.16% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.28% from [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|other races]], and 2.00% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.73% of the population. 17.5% were of [[Italian people|Italian]], 9.8% [[German people|German]], 9.8% [[Irish people|Irish]], 6.7% [[Slovak people|Slovak]] and 5.0% [[English people|English]] ancestry according to the census. 96.4% spoke [[English language|English]], 1.3% [[Italian language|Italian]] and 1.1% [[French language|French]] as their first language.

There were 3,710 households, out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 19.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. Of these households, 36.4% consisted of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household had 2.25 people and the average family size was 2.92.

The population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 42. For every 100 females, there were 83.7 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 78.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,596, and the median income for a family was $31,539. Males had a median income of $29,399 versus $21,743 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $14,608. About 15.4% of families and 19.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 32.9% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.

==Government and politics==
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; font-size: 95%;"
|+ Presidential elections results<ref>{{cite web|last1=EL|title=2012 Allegheny County election|url=http://triblive.com/politics/2907065-74/pittsburgh-ward-hills-west-borough-braddock-east-elizabeth-north-park|website=Pittsburgh Tribune-Review|access-date=October 15, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=EL|title=2016 Pennsylvania general election results|url=http://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/electionresultsgen2016/|website=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|access-date=October 15, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/PA/Allegheny/106267/web.264614/#/detail/0004 | title=Election Night Reporting }}</ref>
|-
! Year
! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
! [[Third party (U.S. politics)|Third parties]]
|-
| style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2020 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|2020]]'''
| style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|''32%'' ''915''
| style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|''66%'' ''1,857''
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|''1%'' ''38''
|-
| style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2016 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|2016]]'''
| style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|''29%'' ''813''
| style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|''69%'' ''1,924''
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|''2%'' ''66''
|-
| style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|2012]]'''
| style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Republican}}|''23%'' ''706''
| style="text-align:center; {{Party shading/Democratic}}|''76%'' ''2,292''
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|''1%'' ''21''
|}

==In popular culture==
The city was the setting for the movie ''[[The Deer Hunter]]'' (1978), the steel town where the American characters live. None of the movie was actually filmed there; other mill towns in the Monongahela River Valley and elsewhere in the tri-state area were used. Even the opening scene, which features a large sign saying "Welcome to Clairton, City of Prayer," was shot in [[Mingo Junction, Ohio]].  The phrasing on the sign is based on smaller signs posted at the city's boundaries during the mid-1960s as a response to the Supreme Court's 1963 ban on sponsored school prayer.

Much of the 1979 [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] comic book [[Rom the Space Knight|''Rom: Spaceknight'']] is set in a fictional version of Clairton, located in [[West Virginia]] instead of Pennsylvania. In 2011, former Marvel Editor-in-Chief [[Jim Shooter]] explained that the change in location was made to benefit the story.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://jimshooter.com/2011/06/coming-of-rom-knights-tale.html/ |title= The Coming of ROM: A Knight’s Tale|last= Shooter|first= Jim|date= June 17, 2011|website= JimShooter.com|access-date= December 17, 2024}}</ref>

==Notable people==
{{Further|:Category:People from Clairton, Pennsylvania}}
*[[Nancy Y. Bekavac]], President of [[Scripps College]]
*[[Benny Benack]], trumpet player
*[[Tyler Boyd (American football)|Tyler Boyd]], NFL player
*[[Walter Cooper (scientist)|Walter Cooper]], scientist
*[[Reginald B. Desiderio]], [[Medal of Honor]] recipient
*[[Marva Josie]], jazz vocalist
*[[George Kosana]], actor, played the sheriff in [[Night of the Living Dead (1968 film)|Night of the Living Dead]] 
*[[Lance Parrish]], MLB catcher 1977–1995, chiefly for the [[Detroit Tigers]]
*[[Ron Lancaster]], Canadian Football League Quarterback 1963 - 1978, [[Saskatchewan Roughriders]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.cityofclairton.com/ City of Clairton official website]
* [http://digital.library.pitt.edu/maps/00vsein2.html G.M. Hopkins Map: South Eastern Vicinity of Pittsburgh, 1900]

{{Allegheny County, Pennsylvania}}
{{PA Home Rule Municipality}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1903]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Cities in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania populated places on the Monongahela River]]
[[Category:1903 establishments in Pennsylvania]]