kids encyclopedia robot

Karns City, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Karns City, Pennsylvania
Borough
Calumet Penreco oil refinery on Petrolia Street
Calumet Penreco oil refinery on Petrolia Street
Location of Karns City in Butler County, Pennsylvania.
Location of Karns City in Butler County, Pennsylvania.
Karns City, Pennsylvania is located in Pennsylvania
Karns City, Pennsylvania
Karns City, Pennsylvania
Location in Pennsylvania
Country  United States
State  Pennsylvania
County Butler
Settled 1874
Incorporated 1875
Government
 • Type Borough Council
Area
 • Total 0.36 sq mi (0.94 km2)
 • Land 0.36 sq mi (0.94 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 175
 • Density 482.09/sq mi (186.32/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
Zip code
16041
FIPS code 42-38768

Karns City is a small town, called a borough, located in Butler County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. In 2010, about 209 people lived there.

History of Karns City

Oil Discovery and Early Growth

In December 1871, two brothers named Cooper leased some land from Hugh P. McClymonds and Samuel L. Riddle. They planned to use it for farming. But then, they found a lot of oil underground! Soon after, the very first oil well, called "Shasta," was set up on McClymonds' farm.

On May 29, 1872, a man named S. D. Karns leased McClymonds' entire farm. He hoped to get even more oil from the ground. At that time, oil cost four dollars for each barrel. By June, Karns' well was pulling out 120 barrels of oil every day.

Town Development

Many people became interested in McClymonds' land because of the oil. To avoid problems between them, McClymonds sold most of his property for $60,000 on June 18, 1872. He sold it to Karns, O. G. Emery, John H. Haines, William Parker, and William Thompson.

More derricks (tall structures used for drilling oil) and other buildings were quickly built. Oil extraction increased even more. Soon, the few buildings grew into many. Business owners added hotels, stables, machine shops, homes, and restaurants. This small farming area quickly became a busy town known as Karns City. In 1872, a banking office opened, which stayed in business until 1880.

The borough of Karns City was officially created on January 4, 1875. It included all of McClymonds' land and about ten acres owned by Riddle.

Geography

Karns City is located in the eastern part of Butler County. It sits in the valley of the South Branch of Bear Creek. This creek flows into the Allegheny River.

Pennsylvania Route 268 is a main road that goes through Karns City. If you go north on this road, it's about 1.7 miles (2.7 km) to Petrolia. If you go south, it's about 3.7 miles (6.0 km) to Chicora.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Karns City covers a total area of 0.36 square miles (0.94 square kilometers). All of this area is land.

Population Information

Population Changes Over Time

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 701
1890 427 −39.1%
1900 265 −37.9%
1910 283 6.8%
1920 292 3.2%
1930 432 47.9%
1940 453 4.9%
1950 508 12.1%
1960 404 −20.5%
1970 379 −6.2%
1980 354 −6.6%
1990 226 −36.2%
2000 244 8.0%
2010 209 −14.3%
2020 175 −16.3%
Sources:

In the year 2000, there were 244 people living in Karns City. These people lived in 89 households, and 67 of these were families.

Who Lives in Karns City?

About 33.7% of the households had children under 18 years old living with them. Most households (62.9%) were married couples. About 16.9% of all households had only one person living there.

The average household had 2.74 people. The average family had 3.10 people.

Looking at ages, about 26.6% of the people were under 18. About 16.8% were 65 years old or older. The average age in Karns City was 36 years old.

Education

Students in Karns City attend schools in the Karns City Area School District. The local high school is Karns City High School.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Karns City para niños

kids search engine
Karns City, Pennsylvania Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.