kids encyclopedia robot

Uniontown, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Uniontown, Pennsylvania
City of Uniontown
From top left: Uniontown Area High School, Morgantown Street, Fayette Building, Fayette County Courthouse, White Swan Apartments, First Niagara Building, Central School, skyline of Uniontown.
From top left: Uniontown Area High School, Morgantown Street, Fayette Building, Fayette County Courthouse, White Swan Apartments, First Niagara Building, Central School, skyline of Uniontown.
Location of Uniontown in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.
Location of Uniontown in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.
Uniontown, Pennsylvania is located in Pennsylvania
Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Location in Pennsylvania
Uniontown, Pennsylvania is located in the United States
Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
County Fayette
Established July 4, 1776
Area
 • Total 2.05 sq mi (5.32 km2)
 • Land 2.05 sq mi (5.32 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
999 ft (304 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 10,372
 • Estimate 
(2019)
9,719
 • Density 4,731.74/sq mi (1,827.24/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Code
15401
Area code(s) 724, 878
FIPS code 42-78528

Uniontown is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, 46 miles (74 km) southeast of Pittsburgh and part of the Greater Pittsburgh Region. The population was 10,372 at the 2010 census, down from 12,422 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat and largest city of Fayette County.

History

Popularly known as "Beesontown", the "town of Union" was founded by Henry Beeson on July 4, 1776, coincidentally the same date the United States Declaration of Independence was ratified. The National Road, also known as the Cumberland Road, was routed through Uniontown in the early 19th century, and the town grew along with the road (now US 40). 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Uniontown is Fort Necessity, built by George Washington during the French and Indian War (part of the international Seven Years' War) as well as the site of the Battle of Jumonville Glen, where the North American branch of the war began.

Uniontown's role in the Underground Railroad in the antebellum years is commemorated by a marker on the corner of East Main Street and Baker Alley. Residents helped slaves escaping from the South to freedom.

In the late nineteenth century, the town grew based on the development of coal mines and the steel industry. Uniontown was the site of violent clashes between striking coal miners and guards at the local coke works during the bituminous coal miners' strike of 1894. Fifteen guards armed with carbines and machine guns held off an attack by 1,500 strikers, killing five and wounding eight.

The Columbia Rolling Mill, an iron and steel works, was located in Uniontown from 1887 to 1895. The mill was the town's top industry at that time. During the Coal Boom of the early part of the 20th century, Uniontown was home to at least 13 millionaires, the most (per capita) of any city in the United States. "Coal barons" and Carl Laemmle, the president of Universal Films, sponsored the famous Uniontown Speedway board track from 1916 to 1922. It was a mile and a quarter raceway.

As with most of Western Pennsylvania, Uniontown's economy waned during the region's deindustrialization of the late 20th century, when the steel industry restructured and many jobs went elsewhere, including offshore. This decline continued into the 21st century, and the population is about half its peak of 1940.

The USS Uniontown (PF-65), a Tacoma-class frigate, was named for the city by the United States Navy on August 16, 1944, the only ship to be so named.

In 1967 Uniontown was the birthplace of the McDonald's Big Mac sandwich. In 2007 the Big Mac Museum was opened in North Huntingdon Township in Westmoreland County, to the disappointment of some Uniontown residents. According to a McDonald's spokesperson, the decision was based on logistics and access, but Uniontown residents complained in an article that was published in the Herald-Standard.

The Uniontown Downtown Historic District, Gallatin School, John S. Douglas House, John P. Conn House, and Adam Clarke Nutt Mansion are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Uniontown is located slightly west of the center of Fayette County at 39°54'0" North, 79°43'28" West (39.900040, -79.724478).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.04 square miles (5.29 km2), all of it land. The city is 999 feet (304 m) above sea level and rests at the base of Chestnut Ridge, the westernmost ridge of the Appalachian Mountains to the east. The National Pike or Cumberland Road crossed over the mountains and passed through the area which became the center of Uniontown. The route is now Business Route 40, as the mainline of US 40 bypasses the city center to the south and west as a freeway loop called the George Marshall Parkway.

Climate

Uniontown has a humid continental climate with very cold winters, owing its location near the mountains with temperatures running in the 20s to 30s degrees and warm summers with temperatures then in the upper 70s to the lower 80s.

Climate data for Uniontown, Pennsylvania (1981-2010; Extremes 1974-present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 79
(26)
77
(25)
88
(31)
93
(34)
93
(34)
97
(36)
102
(39)
102
(39)
99
(37)
95
(35)
88
(31)
77
(25)
102
(39)
Average high °F (°C) 39
(4)
43
(6)
51
(11)
63
(17)
72
(22)
81
(27)
84
(29)
83
(28)
76
(24)
65
(18)
54
(12)
43
(6)
63
(17)
Average low °F (°C) 20
(−7)
22
(−6)
28
(−2)
37
(3)
46
(8)
56
(13)
60
(16)
59
(15)
51
(11)
40
(4)
32
(0)
24
(−4)
40
(4)
Record low °F (°C) −22
(−30)
−16
(−27)
−3
(−19)
15
(−9)
23
(−5)
33
(1)
37
(3)
34
(1)
29
(−2)
16
(−9)
−1
(−18)
−14
(−26)
−22
(−30)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.8
(71)
2.7
(69)
3.8
(97)
4.0
(100)
4.4
(110)
4.3
(110)
4.8
(120)
3.9
(99)
3.6
(91)
2.9
(74)
3.5
(89)
3.2
(81)
43.9
(1,111)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 8.4
(21)
7.2
(18)
4.6
(12)
0.4
(1.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.9
(2.3)
4.4
(11)
25.9
(65.3)

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1800 624
1810 999 60.1%
1820 1,058 5.9%
1840 1,710
1850 2,333 36.4%
1870 2,503
1880 3,265 30.4%
1890 6,359 94.8%
1900 7,344 15.5%
1910 13,344 81.7%
1920 15,692 17.6%
1930 19,544 24.5%
1940 21,819 11.6%
1950 20,471 −6.2%
1960 17,942 −12.4%
1970 16,282 −9.3%
1980 14,510 −10.9%
1990 12,034 −17.1%
2000 12,422 3.2%
2010 10,372 −16.5%
2020 9,984 −3.7%
Sources:

As of the census of 2010, there were 10,372 people, 5,423 households, and 3,031 families residing in the city. The population density was 5136 people per square mile (2,351.1/km2). There were 6,320 housing units at an average density of 3,103.0 per square mile (1,196.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 75.16% White, 18.90% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.93% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 3.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.59% of the population.

The largest white ethnic groups in Uniontown: 15.4% German, 13.4% Irish, 9% Italian, 6% Dutch, 5.6% English, 5.5% Polish.

There were 5,423 households, out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18.2 living with them, 35.8% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.1% were non-families. 39.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 75 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.791.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.9% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males.

In 2012 the median income for a household in the city was $31,760, and the median income for a family was $37,841. The per capita income for the city was $22,457.

Fayette Building Uniontown Pennsylvania
Fayette Building

Services

Fayette County Courthouse, Uniontown
Fayette County Courthouse
  • Uniontown Hospital, the larger of two hospitals in the county, is the city's and Fayette County's largest employer.
  • The City of Uniontown operates a full-time police department. The city police station houses a booking center used by all police agencies within Fayette County, including the Pennsylvania State Police.

Transportation

Uniontown is an important crossroads in Fayette County. The main route around town is a stretch of freeway bypass, the George Marshall Parkway, which is composed of parts of US 40 and US 119. US 119 enters the area as a two-lane route from Morgantown, West Virginia, and provides the northern half of the bypass before becoming a four-lane route to Connellsville. US 40 enters the region as a two-lane route from Brownsville. It serves as the southern half of the freeway before becoming a mountainous route through rural parts of the county and enters Maryland and reaches Interstate 68. The old portions of US 40, now signed as Business 40, serve the downtown area.

PA 51, a main four-lane route to Pittsburgh, and PA 21, which connects Fayette County with Greene County and Waynesburg, both terminate in Uniontown. PA 43, part of the Mon-Fayette Expressway project to connect Pittsburgh with Morgantown, West Virginia is complete around the Uniontown area.

Local bus service is provided by Fayette Area Coordinated Transportation.

Education

K-12

  • Uniontown Area School District
  • Laurel Highlands School District
  • St. John the Evangelist Regional Catholic School
  • Chestnut Ridge School (non- denominational)

Higher education

  • Westmoreland County Community College, Uniontown Education Center
  • Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus
  • Laurel Business Institute
  • United Career Institute, formerly West Virginia Career Institute and Pennsylvania Institute of Health and Technology
  • Madison College (Pennsylvania), a former school operated by the Methodist Episcopal Church

Notable people

  • Professional wrestler Bruiser Brody (1946-1988), known as Frank Donald Goodish outside the ring.
  • Henry Bidleman Bascom (1796-1850), religious circuit rider, U.S. congressional chaplain, Methodist bishop, first president of Madison College
  • Henry White Beeson (1791-1863), former member of the U.S. House of Representatives
  • John Dickson Carr, mystery writer born in Uniontown
  • Robert J. Cenker, engineer and RCA astronaut born in Uniontown
  • William E. Crow (1870-1922), former United States Senator
  • Ernie Davis (1939-1963), first African-American Heisman Trophy winner, lived in Uniontown for most of his early life
  • John Littleton Dawson (1813-1870), former member of the U.S. House of Representatives
  • Jim Delligatti (1918-2016), Big Mac Inventor, born in Uniontown
  • Tory Epps (1976-2005), former NFL Defensive Lineman
  • Dr. Mark Esper (1964-), 27th United States Secretary of Defense under President Donald Trump, born in Uniontown
  • George Bird Evans, noted illustrator, mystery novelist, gunning and bird dog writer, and dog breeder
  • Ronne Froman (RADM, USN, Ret.), born in Uniontown
  • Gus Gerard, former ABA and NBA player
  • Thomas Irwin (1785-1870), former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and former U.S. District Court judge
  • William James, former NFL cornerback born and raised in Uniontown
  • Stu Lantz, former NBA player and color commentator for the Los Angeles Lakers, played basketball for Uniontown High School and led them to a PIAA state championship in 1964
  • James Lawson, civil rights leader born in Uniontown in 1928
  • General of the Army George C. Marshall, American military leader, Secretary of State, and the third Secretary of Defense, born in Uniontown
  • Terry Mulholland, former Major League baseball player, born and raised in Uniontown
  • Chuck Muncie, former NFL star running back for the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers, originally from Uniontown
  • Nelson Munsey, former NFL cornerback for the Baltimore Colts and Minnesota Vikings, originally from Uniontown
  • David Nehls, actor, singer, composer and lyricist
  • Larry Pennell, actor of film and television, born in Uniontown in 1928
  • Kaleb Ramsey, former NFL player
  • Wil Robinson former NBA/ABA player, also a West Virginia University all-time great
  • Sandy Stephens, first African-American quarterback for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, born in Uniontown
  • Andrew Stewart (1791-1872), former member of the U.S. House of Representatives
  • Daniel Sturgeon (1789-1878), former United States Senator
  • Tom Wilson, cartoonist, noted for the comic strip Ziggy.
  • Gene Steratore, former NFL football and NCAA basketball referee and current a rules analyst for CBS Sports, born and raised in Uniontown

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Uniontown (Pensilvania) para niños

kids search engine
Uniontown, Pennsylvania Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.