Warren, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Warren is a city in Warren County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
, located along the Allegheny River
. The population was 9,710 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat
of Warren County
. It is home to the headquarters of the Allegheny National Forest
and the Cornplanter State Forest
. It is also the headquarters for the Chief Cornplanter Council, the oldest continuously chartered Boy Scouts of America
Council, and the catalog company Blair
.
. French explorers had longstanding claims to the area which they acted to secure in an unambiguous fashion with an military-Amerindian expedition in 1749 that buried a succession of plaques claiming the territory as France's in response to the formation of the colonial Ohio Company
and the first of these was buried in Warren
but ultimately control was transferred to the British after the French and Indian War
. After the Revolutionary War
, General William Irvine
and Andrew Ellicott
were sent to the area to lay out a town in 1795. It was named after Major General Joseph Warren
. The first permanent structure in Warren, a storehouse built by the Holland Land Company
, was completed in 1796. Daniel McQuay of Ireland was the first permanent inhabitant of European descent. Lumber was the main industry from 1810–1840, as the abundance of wood and access to water made it profitable to float lumber down the Allegheny River to Pittsburgh.
David Beaty
discovered oil in Warren in 1875 while drilling for natural gas in his wife's flower garden. Oil came to dominate the city's economy. Many of the town's large Victorian homes were built with revenue generated by the local oil and timber industry.
In recent years, Warren has struggled through hard economic times and a steady decline in population, but the city is attempting to bounce back with the Impact Warren project, a riverfront development project in downtown Warren. The completed project will include new townhouses and senior citizen housing, retail and commercial development, a parking garage, convention center and bus depot.
Major employers include the United Refining Company
, who supplies Kwik Fill and Red Apple Food Mart gas stations, Allegheny National Forest, Northwest Savings Bank
, Whirley-Drinkworks, Superior Tire and Rubber Corporation, Pennsylvania General Energy, Betts Industries, Inc, Blair Corporation
, and Interlectric.
and the Conewango Creek
. The Conewango Creek
flows between North Warren and Warren, and the Allegheny Reservoir
and Kinzua Dam
are situated nearby.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8 km²), of which 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) (6.11%) is water.
of 2000, there were 10,259 people, 4,565 households, and 2,606 families residing in the city. The population density
was 3,508.3 people per square mile (1,356.5/km²). There were 5,046 housing units at an average density of 1,725.6 per square mile (667.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.53% White, 0.20% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races
, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.39% of the population.
There were 4,566 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were married couples
living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.9% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,384, and the median income for a family was $41,986. Males had a median income of $32,049 versus $22,969 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $18,272. About 8.0% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
Warren County, Pennsylvania
Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 41,815. It was formed in 1800 from parts of Allegheny and Lycoming counties; attached to Crawford County until 1805 and then to Venango County until Warren was formally organized in 1819. Its county...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, located along the Allegheny River
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
. The population was 9,710 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Warren County
Warren County, Pennsylvania
Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 41,815. It was formed in 1800 from parts of Allegheny and Lycoming counties; attached to Crawford County until 1805 and then to Venango County until Warren was formally organized in 1819. Its county...
. It is home to the headquarters of the Allegheny National Forest
Allegheny National Forest
The Allegheny National Forest is a National Forest located in northwestern Pennsylvania. The forest covers of land. Within the forest is Kinzua Dam, which impounds the Allegheny River to form Allegheny Reservoir. The administrative headquarters for the Allegheny National Forest is located in Warren...
and the Cornplanter State Forest
Cornplanter State Forest
Cornplanter State Forest is a Pennsylvania State Forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #14. The main office is located in North Warren in Warren County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is named for Chief Cornplanter of the Seneca Nation, one of the tribes of the Iroquois...
. It is also the headquarters for the Chief Cornplanter Council, the oldest continuously chartered Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
Council, and the catalog company Blair
Blair Corporation
Blair is one of America's largest direct marketing mail order retailers, selling clothing and household goods. Originally founded in 1910 as New Process Company by John Leo Blair, the company is celebrating its 100th year in business...
.
History
Warren was initially inhabited by Native Americans of the Seneca nationSeneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...
. French explorers had longstanding claims to the area which they acted to secure in an unambiguous fashion with an military-Amerindian expedition in 1749 that buried a succession of plaques claiming the territory as France's in response to the formation of the colonial Ohio Company
Ohio Company
The Ohio Company, formally known as the Ohio Company of Virginia, was a land speculation company organized for the settlement by Virginians of the Ohio Country and to trade with the Indians there...
and the first of these was buried in Warren
but ultimately control was transferred to the British after the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. After the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, General William Irvine
William Irvine (physician)
William Irvine was an Irish-American physician, soldier, and statesman from Carlisle, Pennsylvania.Irvine was born near Enniskillen, County Fermanagh in Ireland...
and Andrew Ellicott
Andrew Ellicott
Andrew Ellicott was a U.S. surveyor who helped map many of the territories west of the Appalachians, surveyed the boundaries of the District of Columbia, continued and completed Pierre Charles L'Enfant's work on the plan for Washington, D.C., and served as a teacher in survey methods for...
were sent to the area to lay out a town in 1795. It was named after Major General Joseph Warren
Joseph Warren
Dr. Joseph Warren was an American doctor who played a leading role in American Patriot organizations in Boston in early days of the American Revolution, eventually serving as president of the revolutionary Massachusetts Provincial Congress...
. The first permanent structure in Warren, a storehouse built by the Holland Land Company
Holland Land Company
The Holland Land Company was a purchaser of the western two-thirds of the western New York land tract known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. This tract was known thereafter as The Holland Purchase...
, was completed in 1796. Daniel McQuay of Ireland was the first permanent inhabitant of European descent. Lumber was the main industry from 1810–1840, as the abundance of wood and access to water made it profitable to float lumber down the Allegheny River to Pittsburgh.
David Beaty
David Beaty
David Beaty discovered oil at his home in Warren, Pennsylvania in 1875. He was reportedly searching for a deposit of natural gas that he could use to heat his home...
discovered oil in Warren in 1875 while drilling for natural gas in his wife's flower garden. Oil came to dominate the city's economy. Many of the town's large Victorian homes were built with revenue generated by the local oil and timber industry.
In recent years, Warren has struggled through hard economic times and a steady decline in population, but the city is attempting to bounce back with the Impact Warren project, a riverfront development project in downtown Warren. The completed project will include new townhouses and senior citizen housing, retail and commercial development, a parking garage, convention center and bus depot.
United Refining Company
The United Refining Company is an oil company in Warren, Pennsylvania. The company operates an oil refinery in Warren that can process 70,000 barrels of oil into gasoline, diesel fuel and other petroleum distillates per day. It distributes gasoline under the Kwik Fill, Citgo, and Keystone...
, who supplies Kwik Fill and Red Apple Food Mart gas stations, Allegheny National Forest, Northwest Savings Bank
Northwest Savings Bank
Northwest Savings Bank is an American commercial bank. It was founded in Warren, Pennsylvania in 1896. Today, Northwest has 171 branches in Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Ohio, and Florida. The parent company, Northwest Bancshares, has $7.0 billion dollars in assets. Northwest offers free...
, Whirley-Drinkworks, Superior Tire and Rubber Corporation, Pennsylvania General Energy, Betts Industries, Inc, Blair Corporation
Blair Corporation
Blair is one of America's largest direct marketing mail order retailers, selling clothing and household goods. Originally founded in 1910 as New Process Company by John Leo Blair, the company is celebrating its 100th year in business...
, and Interlectric.
Geography
Warren is located at 41°50′39"N 79°8′33"W (41.844133, -79.142443). The city is located at the confluence of the Allegheny RiverAllegheny River
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
and the Conewango Creek
Conewango Creek
Conewango Creek is a tributary of the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania and western New York in the United States.The creek's drainage covers much of southeastern Chautauqua County, New York and southwestern Cattaraugus County, New York. The creek's most notable tributary is the Chadakoin River,...
. The Conewango Creek
Conewango Creek
Conewango Creek is a tributary of the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania and western New York in the United States.The creek's drainage covers much of southeastern Chautauqua County, New York and southwestern Cattaraugus County, New York. The creek's most notable tributary is the Chadakoin River,...
flows between North Warren and Warren, and the Allegheny Reservoir
Allegheny Reservoir
The Allegheny Reservoir is a reservoir along the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania and New York, USA. It was created in 1965 by the construction of the Kinzua Dam along the river.-History:...
and Kinzua Dam
Kinzua Dam
The Kinzua Dam, in the Allegheny National Forest in Warren County, Pennsylvania, is one of the largest dams in the United States east of the Mississippi River....
are situated nearby.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8 km²), of which 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) (6.11%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 10,259 people, 4,565 households, and 2,606 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 3,508.3 people per square mile (1,356.5/km²). There were 5,046 housing units at an average density of 1,725.6 per square mile (667.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.53% White, 0.20% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.39% of the population.
There were 4,566 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.9% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,384, and the median income for a family was $41,986. Males had a median income of $32,049 versus $22,969 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $18,272. About 8.0% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.