Alliance, Ohio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alliance, Ohio
City
Glamorgan Castle
Flag
Nickname(s):  Carnation City
Location of Alliance in Stark County
Alliance, Ohio Location in Ohio Show map of Ohio Alliance, Ohio Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Counties	Stark, Mahoning
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
Area
• Total	9.06 sq mi (23.46 km2)
• Land	9.01 sq mi (23.34 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.12 km2)
Elevation	1,181 ft (360 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	21,672
• Estimate  (2023)	21,525
• Density	2,404.79/sq mi (928.52/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	44601
Area code(s)	330, 234
FIPS code	39-01420
GNIS feature ID	1086972

Alliance is a city located in eastern Stark County, Ohio, United States. In 2020, about 21,672 people lived there. The city was created in 1854 when three smaller towns joined together. For much of the 20th century, Alliance was an important center for factories and railroads.

Alliance is often called the "Carnation City." This is because it is connected to Ohio's state flower, the scarlet carnation. The University of Mount Union, a private college started in 1846, is also located in Alliance. A small part of the city reaches into Mahoning County. Alliance is part of the larger Canton–Massillon metropolitan area.

History of Alliance

Chapman Hall, University of Mount Union campus (1864)

Alliance was formed in 1854. It was created when three smaller communities decided to merge. These communities were Williamsport (started in 1827), Freedom (started in 1838), and Liberty (started in 1850). They merged to become a station and support center for the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad. Later, in 1888, a fourth community called Mount Union was added. Alliance officially became a city in 1889.

There are two main ideas about how the city got its name. One idea is that it was named "Alliance" because the three small towns formed an "alliance" to become one larger city. The other idea is that the name shows how two major railroad lines met in Alliance. These were the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad and the Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad. Because of this, Alliance was once known as "The Crossing."

On April 12, 1856, a tornado hit Alliance directly. It caused a lot of damage. For example, the roof of one church was torn off, and another church was moved from its foundation. A train that had stopped at the Alliance Station was even pushed off its tracks. The damage cost about $15,000 to $20,000 at that time. A few people were hurt, and one person died.

In 1923, the Alliance Rubber Company was started in Alliance. This company made rubber bands by cutting them from old rubber rings.

Alliance's Main Street was originally designed to lead traffic to the train station. The train station was the heart of the city's transportation. Railroads were very important for businesses and for people traveling. They brought raw materials to factories and sent out finished products. Because of this, Alliance is sometimes called "the town where Main Street is a dead end."

In 1982, Alliance became a qualified Tree City USA. This honor is given by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

Geography of Alliance

Alliance is located about 16 miles (26 km) northeast of Canton. It is also about 27 miles (43 km) southwest of Youngstown and 51 miles (82 km) southeast of Cleveland.

The city covers a total area of about 8.96 square miles (23.21 km²). Most of this area, 8.92 square miles (23.10 km²), is land. Only a small part, 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²), is water. There are no lakes inside the city limits. However, the Mahoning River flows through the northeastern part of the city.

Population and People

How Many People Live Here?

In 2010, there were 22,322 people living in Alliance. There were 8,631 households, which are groups of people living together in one home. About 5,232 of these were families.

The population density was about 2,502 people per square mile (966 people per km²). Most people living in Alliance were White (84.6%). About 10.5% were African American. Other groups included Native American, Asian, and people of two or more races. About 1.9% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

About 29.8% of households had children under 18 living with them. The average household had 2.38 people, and the average family had 2.96 people. The median age in the city was 35.3 years old. This means half the people were younger than 35.3, and half were older.

Arts and Culture in Alliance

Alliance has a rich history, especially with its industries and railroads. You can visit several interesting places:

• The restored Glamorgan Castle was once the home of the owner of Morgan Engineering.
• The Haines House is a restored home that was part of the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom.
• The Mabel Hartzell historic home is another important historical house.

All three of these properties are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

You can still see the name of Levi L. Lamborn on a building in the old downtown area. He was the person who grew the scarlet carnation, which is Ohio's state flower. The historic downtown area is slowly becoming lively again. There is now a Saturday Farmers' Market on Main Street near the old Caboose. An art gallery and live performance space have also opened.

The Cat Fanciers' Association moved to Alliance in 2011. They opened the Feline Historical Museum, which is the first museum of its kind in the United States. It's all about the history of cats!

Alliance was also home to the World War History & Art Museum (WWHAM). This museum had many exhibits, including a large collection of original paintings and drawings by soldiers from World War I. It closed in 2014, but its exhibits now travel to different places.

The Carnation City Story

Alliance is famously known as the "Carnation City." The state of Ohio officially gave it this name in 1959. Alliance is special because it gave Ohio its official state flower, the scarlet carnation.

The connection between Alliance and the carnation began in 1866. An Alliance doctor named Levi L. Lamborn bought six potted carnation plants. He grew them in a greenhouse at his house. At that time, this flower was not very common in the United States.

In 1876, Dr. Lamborn ran for a seat in the U.S. Congress against William McKinley. Even though they were political rivals, they were also friends. McKinley admired Dr. Lamborn's carnations. So, before each of their political debates, Dr. Lamborn would give McKinley a carnation to wear on his jacket. McKinley won the election. He then started to connect the carnation with his success. He continued to wear carnations during his successful campaigns to become Governor of Ohio and later President of the United States.

In 1884, Dr. Lamborn suggested that Ohio should make the carnation a state symbol. In 1904, three years after President McKinley's death, the Ohio General Assembly made the scarlet carnation the official state flower. They did this as a "token of love and respect to the memory of William McKinley." Every year on January 29 (President McKinley's birthday), a bouquet of red carnations is placed on McKinley's statue at the Capitol building in Columbus.

Since 1960, Alliance has held an annual Carnation Festival every August. It's a big celebration of the city's special flower!

Education in Alliance

Schools for Kids

Alliance has public schools managed by the Alliance City School District. These schools serve students in the city:

• Alliance Early Learning School – for grades Pre-Kindergarten to 1st grade.
• Alliance Elementary School at Rockhill – for grades 2nd to 3rd grade.
• Alliance Intermediate School – for grades 4th to 5th grade.
• Alliance Middle School – for grades 6th to 8th grade.
• Alliance High School – for grades 9th to 12th grade.
• Parkway Learning and Development Center – offers alternative and online education.

There is also a local Catholic school, Holy Cross Academy – Regina Coelli Campus. It is overseen by the Diocese of Youngstown and teaches students from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade.

Colleges and Universities

The University of Mount Union was founded in 1846. It is located near the intersection of Union Avenue and State Street.

Media

Alliance is home to WNEO, which is a PBS TV station (channel 45). Its studios are in Kent. Alliance also has two radio stations: WDJQ (92.5 FM) and WDPN (1310 AM).

Transportation

Alliance Station

Alliance has an Amtrak train station, located at 820 East Main Street. You can catch the Capitol Limited train here, which travels between Chicago and Washington, D.C.. The city also has a bus system called the Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA).

Barber Airport is a private airport that is open to the public. It is located about 10.5 miles (16.9 km) north of Alliance. This airport used to host the Ohio Aeronca Aviators Fly-In event.

Notable People

Many interesting people have come from Alliance, Ohio. Here are a few:

• Charles Armstrong, a doctor who studied viruses.
• Ken Blackwell, a former Mayor of Cincinnati.
• Kierstan Bell, a WNBA basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces.
• Herman Carr, a physicist who helped create magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
• Len Dawson, a famous football player who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• Allan Funk, a professional wrestler.
• William Miller Jenkins, the 5th Governor of Oklahoma Territory.
• Gertrude Alice Kay, a children's book illustrator and author.
• Perry King, an actor who starred in the TV show Riptide.
• Levi L. Lamborn, the doctor, gardener, and politician connected to the carnation story.
• Yuri Lowenthal, a well-known American voice actor.
• Don Panoz, a business owner in medicine and motorsports.
• Dymonte Thomas, an NFL football player.
• Gertrude Tressel Rider, a librarian who worked with Braille books.
• Ivan Sag, a linguist and cognitive scientist.
• Lorin B. Sebrell, a chemist who worked with rubber.
• Hugh Wilson, a botanist and professor.

See also

In Spanish: Alliance (Ohio) para niños