McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania
Borough
View of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania
Etymology: Alexander McKee
Nickname(s): The Rocks
Location in Allegheny County and the state of Pennsylvania.
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Allegheny
Settled in 1764	Incorporated in 1892
Area
• Total	1.12 sq mi (2.90 km²)
• Land	1.06 sq mi (2.73 km²)
• Water	0.06 sq mi (0.16 km²)
Population (2020)
• Total	5,920
• Density	5,606.06/sq mi (2,164.60/km²)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	15136
Area code(s)	412
Exchanges	331, 771, 777, 778
FIPS code	42-46264
School district	Sto-Rox
Website	McKees Rocks

McKees Rocks, also known as "The Rocks", is a borough in Allegheny County in Western Pennsylvania, United States, along the south bank of the Ohio River. Part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, its population was 5,920 at the time of the 2020 census.

The borough is within the Sto-Rox School District, which serves McKees Rocks and neighboring Stowe Township. The local high school is Sto-Rox High School.

The Pittsburgh, Allegheny and McKees Rocks Railroad is located in an area along the river known as the "Bottoms".

The McKees Rocks Bridge, which carries traffic between McKees Rocks and Pittsburgh, is the longest bridge in Allegheny County, at 7,293 feet (2,223 m). McKees Rocks has one of the largest Indian mounds in the state, built by the Adena and Hopewell peoples a thousand years before Europeans entered the area.

In the past, the city was known for its extensive iron and steel interests. There were large railroad machine shops and manufacturers of locomotives and freight and passenger cars. Other factories produced springs, enamel ware, lumber, wall materials, plaster, nuts and bolts, malleable castings, chains and forgings, tin ware, concrete, and cigars.

McKees Rocks is also known as the birthplace of former Ohio Governor John Kasich and late television salesperson Billy Mays.

History
Geography
Demographics
Notable people
In popular culture
Gallery
See also

History

For thousands of years, Native Americans inhabited the region. The Adena culture built a large earthwork mound here, which was a burial site. It was augmented in later years by members of the Hopewell culture. This is the largest mound in the state. Exploration by people in the area in the late 19th century found that it contained the remains of 33 people. The mound is located on a promontory near the Ohio River; as a result, erosion has taken away some of the mound's property.

This site was considered by George Washington as a possible location for Fort Pitt, which he eventually ordered built on the site of the destroyed French Fort Duquesne in what is now Pittsburgh's Point State Park.

The borough derives its name from trader Alexander McKee, who also served as an Indian agent. He was given a 1,300-acre (530 ha) tract of land in 1764 for his services during the French and Indian War. The name also related to a rocky projection into the river at this site. In 1769, the name McKees Rocks was placed on an official deed, and that year is considered to be its founding date. In 1892, it was incorporated as a borough. In 1900, 6,353 people resided in the borough; in 1910, 14,702; in 1920, 16,713; and in 1940, 17,021 people inhabited McKees Rocks. After industrial restructuring caused a loss of jobs in the city, the population declined, to 6,104 at the 2010 census.

Mann's Hotel, which was possibly one of the oldest buildings in the Pittsburgh area, was located at 23 Singer Avenue in McKees Rocks. It was believed to have been built around 1803, although some sources put the construction in the 18th century. It is rumored that George Washington stayed there when he was surveying the Indian mound. On October 12, 2009, Mann's Hotel was condemned due to neglect and had to be demolished because of its deteriorating condition.

McKees Rocks was the site of one of the pivotal labor conflicts of the early 20th century, the 1909 McKees Rocks Strike. In the summer and early fall of 1909, some 5,000 workers of the Pressed Steel Car Company's plant at McKees Rocks went on strike, joined by 3,000 others who worked for the Standard Steel Car Company of Butler and others in New Castle. The strike, led by organizers of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), was repressed by armed security guards and the state militia, resulting in at least a dozen deaths. The conflict involved participants on both sides.

The city hit its peak of population in 1930. After that, there was population decline due to the Great Depression, industrial restructuring and suburbanization after World War II.

Geography

McKees Rocks is located at 40°28′13″N 80°3′49″W / 40.47028°N 80.06361°W / 40.47028; -80.06361 (40.470218, -80.063674).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), of which 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²), or 6.31%, is water. McKees Rocks is made up of several neighborhoods, such as West Park, Meyers Ridge, and "The Bottoms".

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	1,687	—
1900	6,352	276.5%
1910	14,702	131.5%
1920	16,713	13.7%
1930	18,116	8.4%
1940	17,021	−6.0%
1950	16,241	−4.6%
1960	13,185	−18.8%
1970	11,901	−9.7%
1980	8,742	−26.5%
1990	7,691	−12.0%
2000	6,622	−13.9%
2010	6,104	−7.8%
2020	5,920	−3.0%
Sources:

**Presidential election results**
Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2020	32% 726	65% 1,462	1% 35
2016	31% 703	66% 1,504	3% 61
2012	23% 524	76% 1,724	1% 20

As of the 2000 census, there were 6,622 people, 2,905 households, and 1,652 families residing in the borough. The population density was 6,377.5 inhabitants per square mile (2,462.4/km²). There were 3,402 housing units at an average density of 3,276.4 per square mile (1,265.0/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 82.71% White, 14.06% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.09% of the population.

The 2010 census revealed there were 6,104 residents. The population density was 6003.25 people per square mile. The racial makeup was 62.17% White, 35.26% African American, 0.57% Asian, and 0.34% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.

There were 2,905 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.4% were married couples living together, 21.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were non-families. 37.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.96.

The population included 24.1% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38. For every 100 females, there were 89.1 males; for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.2 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $22,278, and the median income for a family was $29,063. Males had a median income of $25,872 versus $23,402 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $13,858. About 20.5% of families and 25.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.8% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Late advertisement spokesperson Billy Mays, Ohio Governor John Kasich and Pro-Wrestler Luca Crusifino are notable people from McKees Rocks.

Myron Brown, Slippery Rock University basketball star and NBA player
Tom Clements, quarterbacks coach of the Green Bay Packers
Merle Fainsod (1907-1972), Harvard University political scientist
Chuck Fusina, Penn State, USFL, and NFL football player
Damar Hamlin, NFL player for the Buffalo Bills
John Kasich, 69th Governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019, former Congressman, and presidential candidate in 2000 and 2016
Catherine Baker Knoll, 30th Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania (2003–2008)
Carl Kosak, author
Al Kozar, Major League Baseball infielder
Ted Kwalick, Penn State all-America football player and San Francisco 49ers all-Pro tight end; member of the College Football Hall of Fame
Bob Ligashesky, special teams coordinator for the Syracuse Orange
Billy Mays, television pitchman and Oxi-Clean spokesman, known for his bearded face and distinct voice.
Roman Macek, former American football player and pro wrestler under the ring name Luca Crusifino
Alex Sandusky (1932–2020), professional football player
Jeff Smith, cartoonist, best known as the creator of the self-published comic book series Bone
Paul Spadafora, former IBF world lightweight boxing champion, known as the "Pittsburgh Kid"
Olive Thomas, silent film actress, and the original flapper

In popular culture

McKees Rocks is the fictional setting of the novels Duffy's Rocks by Edward Fenton, Riot by William Trautmann, and more than a dozen novels by the crime writer K.C. Constantine.