Forest City, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Forest City, Pennsylvania
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Borough
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436 Main Street
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| Motto(s):
One Mile Of Hospitality
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Location of Forest City in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.
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 Forest City, Pennsylvania
Location in Pennsylvania
Forest City, Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Susquehanna |
| Settled | 1871 |
| Incorporated | 1888 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.94 sq mi (2.44 km2) |
| • Land | 0.92 sq mi (2.37 km2) |
| • Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.07 km2) |
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 1,911 |
| • Estimate
(2019)
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1,741 |
| • Density | 1,902.73/sq mi (735.01/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Zip code |
18421
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| Area code(s) | 570 Exchange: 785 |
| FIPS code | 42-26560 |
Forest City is a borough in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, situated at the corner of Susquehanna County, Lackawanna County and Wayne County and is designated by a marker which is located in the Forest City Industrial Park.
Forest City is 4 avenues by 10 blocks as the 'main city' with a small surrounding suburb housing 1,911 in the 2010 census, with 87% of the population living 'in town'.
At its height in the early twentieth century, between the timber, silk, lumber and coal industries, the population was close to 6,000—a booming town with a busy Main Street.
Contents
History
The land that would become Forest City had been known as "Forest Mills" since the 1850s. From 1879-1886, the post office was called "Pentecost". It was named after one of the first local settlers, William Pentecost, who had started the lumbering and milling industries in the area. The post office was renamed Forest City in 1886, and the Forest City borough was formed in 1888.
Between 1866 and 1871, the Jefferson Branch, a railroad spur of the D & H Canal Company, was built in Forest Mills. It ran between Susquehanna Depot and Carbondale, transporting the harvested lumber. Lumbering was the only industry of this area, with the exception of a small mining operation run by William Pentecost, which supplied only sufficient coal to neighboring farmers for winter fuel.
In 1871, an outcropping of coal was discovered. The Hillside Coal and Iron Company bought large tracts of land in the area, and by 1872 the first commercially profitable coal mining enterprise was established at North Railroad Street. A small breaker erected on Railroad Street processed the 75 ton daily output from this operation until 1883.
In 1886, another shaft, Shaft No. 2, was opened. This brought an influx of miners, mostly Welsh, into the area. There were now 300 men and boys employed in the production of coal.
"The 1922 Breaker #2 collapse"
On April 1, 1916 there was a mine collapse at Shaft #2 that most notably killed 7 Welsh mining-boys between the ages of 6 and 11. This event was the basis for the song "Crugybar o frynian caersalem" performed by the Wilkes-Barre Quartet in 1922, which commemorates the event, as the boys were "fresh off the boat" from the Salem's Hills area of Northeast Wales.
Coal mining continued until The Great Depression hit this town hard, as primary sector of the economy products as lumber and coal were hardest hit. The population slowly dwindled as the coal mining came to a halt. Today, the Forest City Area Historical Society serves as a reminder of this once flourishing coal town.
There are important agricultural interests in the region. At the onset of the twentieth century, coal-mining and silk manufacturing were the chief industries, but they have declined to the vanishing point.
Geography
Forest City is 23 miles (37 km) north by east of Scranton.
Forest City is located at 41°39′3″N 75°28′5″W / 41.65083°N 75.46806°W (41.650907, -75.468180).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km2), of which, 0.9 square miles (2.3 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (3.23%) is water.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 993 | — | |
| 1880 | 990 | −0.3% | |
| 1890 | 2,319 | 134.2% | |
| 1900 | 4,279 | 84.5% | |
| 1910 | 5,749 | 34.4% | |
| 1920 | 6,004 | 4.4% | |
| 1930 | 5,209 | −13.2% | |
| 1940 | 4,266 | −18.1% | |
| 1950 | 3,122 | −26.8% | |
| 1960 | 2,651 | −15.1% | |
| 1970 | 2,322 | −12.4% | |
| 1980 | 1,924 | −17.1% | |
| 1990 | 1,846 | −4.1% | |
| 2000 | 1,855 | 0.5% | |
| 2010 | 1,911 | 3.0% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 1,741 | −8.9% | |
| Sources: | |||
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,911 people, 817 households, and 462 families residing in the borough.
The entire village is only .9034 square miles or 2.33 km2.
There were 817 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.6% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.5% were non-families. 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.91.
The median age was 47. For every 100 females, there were 84.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.0 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $33,618, and the median income for a family was $41,985. The per capita income for the borough was $19,245. About 6.4% of families and 21.3% of the population were living below the poverty line, including 28.4% of those under age 18 and 17.4% of those age 65 or over.
Senior Care
The William Penn apartment complex for seniors is on Main Street and the Forest City Nursing and Rehab Center is on Delaware Street. This represents up to 7% of the population of Forest City.
Government and Government Services
Forest City has its own police department which serves some surrounding municipalities on a contractual basis. The police department consists of a Police Chief, Assistant Police Chief and several Patrol Officers. The police department is located on the second floor of Forest City's Boro Hall, which also is the office for town's mayor. Boro Hall also houses the Forest City Library.
Forest City has two parks: John F. Kennedy Park and Babe Ruth Park. Kennedy Park, located on Pennsylvania Route 247, five blocks from Main Street, has a lake, baseball fields, tennis and basketball courts, frisbee golf course, playground, and nature trail. Babe Ruth Park is located on Railroad Street and features a playground, playing field, and a basketball court.
Forest City holds an annual festival every year called "Old Home Week". What was once a week long celebration is now a one-day event. Economics, and the donations of the few Forest City businesses has made it unsustainable as a week-long event.
Forest City is the starting point to the Steamtown Marathon, which is held the Sunday before Columbus Day.
Economy
Forest City is a small town that has "One of everything": a Pharmacy, convenience store, supermarket, Chinese food, a Dollar General, two banks, a gas station and so on. Many residents also shop in the larger towns closer to Carbondale, Pennsylvania which is referred to as "Going down the line" (Route 6).
Education
Forest City Regional School District is a Preschool-12th grade public school district serving residents of Forest City.
According to the 2010 census, there are at least 17 students per grade living in Forest City.
Notable residents
- Samuel Rothafel, founder of Radio City Music Hall
- Patrick H. O'Malley, Jr., vaudevillian and film actor
See also
In Spanish: Forest City (Pensilvania) para niños
