Farrell, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Farrell, Pennsylvania
City
Mill on Pennsylvania Routes 718/760
Etymology: James A. Farrell
Location of Farrell in Mercer County, Pennsylvania.
Farrell, Pennsylvania Location in Pennsylvania
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Mercer
Established	1899
Incorporated (borough)	1916
Incorporated (city)	1932
Area
• Total	2.27 sq mi (5.89 km2)
• Land	2.26 sq mi (5.86 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,258
• Density	1,880.74/sq mi (726.12/km2)
Time zone	UTC-4 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (EDT)
Zip Code	16121
Area code(s)	724
FIPS code	42-25360
Website	www.cityoffarrell.com

Farrell is a city located in western Mercer County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It sits right next to the Shenango River. In 2020, about 4,258 people lived there. Farrell is part of a larger area called the Hermitage micropolitan area.

History of Farrell

Farrell was once known as "The Magic City." It grew very quickly around 1901. This happened when a large steel mill was built near the Shenango River, close to Sharon. This area was then part of Hickory Township, which is now Hermitage.

The community was first called South Sharon. By 1912, its population had grown to 10,000 people. The residents then decided to rename the city Farrell. They chose this name to honor a famous businessman named James A. Farrell.

In 1916, the community officially became a borough called South Sharon. Its population reached its highest point in 1920, with over 15,000 people. In 1932, it became a third-class city.

The steel mill, later known as the Roemer Works of Sharon Steel Corporation, was very important to Farrell. It was the main source of jobs until 1992. That year, the company went bankrupt and closed down. Parts of the mill were sold to other companies. Today, a Swiss steelmaker called Duferco operates the plant.

In 1987, the state of Pennsylvania declared Farrell a financially distressed municipality. This means the city was having serious money problems.

In 2004, some local leaders suggested combining Farrell with nearby towns. These towns included Hermitage, Sharpsville, Sharon, and Wheatland. This idea was put to a vote for the people to decide. The Governor of Pennsylvania at the time, Ed Rendell, supported the idea. He visited the area to encourage people to vote for the merger. The plan was to expand Hermitage's city government. However, the idea was voted down. Because of this, the merger idea could not be brought up again until 2009.

Even though Farrell has seen its population and industries decline over the years, it is now working to rebuild. New businesses are investing in the area, and new homes are being built.

Population Changes in Farrell

In 2000, Farrell had 6,050 people living there. There were 2,504 households, which are groups of people living together. The average household had about 2.37 people.

The population included people of different ages. About 25.6% were under 18 years old. About 22.6% were 65 years old or older. The average age in the city was 40 years.

The median income for a household was $22,659. This means half of the households earned more than this, and half earned less. About 26.4% of the people in Farrell lived below the poverty line. This includes many young people and some older adults.

Economy of Farrell

The city government of Farrell offers many reasons for new businesses to open there. Today, several important businesses contribute to Farrell's economy. These include:

• Duferco Farrell Corp. (steel processing)
• First General Services of Western PA. (Property Restoration)
• Kalco Metals Inc. (specialty alloys)
• NLMK Pennsylvania, a part of Novolipetsk Steel
• Precision Steel Services (roll forming)
• Premier Hydraulics Inc. (hydraulic parts manufacturing)
• Sharon Custom Metal Forming (roll forming and welding)
• Sharon Packing Co. (food processing)
• UPMC Horizon Hospital, Farrell Campus

On February 8, 2019, Farrell officially came out of "Act 47 provisions." This Act helps cities that are close to bankruptcy. Farrell had been under Act 47 since 1987. It was the first city in Pennsylvania to be in this financially distressed status.

Media in Farrell

Television

Farrell is close to the border between Pennsylvania and Ohio. Because of this, it gets television channels from nearby Youngstown, OH. These channels include:

• WKBN-TV (CBS)
• WFMJ-TV (NBC)
• WYTV (ABC)
• WYFX-LD (Fox)
• WBCB (CW)

Radio

Farrell is also served by several radio stations.

• AM radio stations include:
  • WLOA (1470 AM) (Farrell, PA)
  • WPIC (790 AM) (Sharon, PA)
  • WKBN (570 AM) (Youngstown, OH)
• FM radio stations include:
  • WYFM/"Y-103" (102.9 FM) (Sharon, PA)
  • WLLF/"The River" (96.7 FM) (Mercer, PA)
  • WYLE/"Willie 95.1" (95.1 FM) (Grove City, PA)
  • WMXY/"Mix 98.9" (98.9 FM) (Youngstown, OH)

Notable People from Farrell

Many interesting people have come from Farrell, including:

• Jack Marin - Born in 1944, he was a professional basketball player. He played for Duke University and was the top student in his high school class at Farrell High School.
• Russell L. Caldwell - A historian and college professor.
• Gravelle Craig - The head coach for the men's basketball team at Bethune-Cookman University.
• Randy Crowder - A former NFL football player for the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• Judson Flint - An NFL player.
• E. L. Konigsburg - An author who won the Newbery Medal for her books.
• Marc L. Marks - A politician and lawyer.
• Duke Mitchell - An actor and comedian.
• Neal Russo - A newspaper columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and The Sporting News.
• Willie Somerset - An ABA All-Star professional basketball player.
• Billy Soose - A Middleweight Boxing Champion.
• Lorenzo Styles - A former NFL football player for the Atlanta Falcons and St. Louis Rams.
• Leo Yankevich - A poet and editor.

See also

In Spanish: Farrell (Pensilvania) para niños