Midland, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Midland, Pennsylvania
Borough
Carnegie Library
Location in Beaver County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Beaver
Incorporated	1906
Government
• Type	Borough Council
Area
• Total	1.99 sq mi (5.16 km2)
• Land	1.81 sq mi (4.69 km2)
• Water	0.18 sq mi (0.47 km2)
Elevation	797 ft (243 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,433
• Density	1,344.94/sq mi (519.28/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Zip code	15059
Area code(s)	724
FIPS code	42-49184

Midland is a small town, called a borough, located in western Beaver County, Pennsylvania. It sits right along the Ohio River. In 2020, about 2,433 people lived there. Midland is part of the larger Pittsburgh metropolitan area.

The town was started in 1906. It was first built as a "company town." This means it was created by a large company, the Crucible Steel Company, to be near their factory. Most people in town worked for this steel company.

History of Midland

Downtown Midland

Long ago, Native American people lived in the area around Midland. You can still find ancient rock carvings, called petroglyphs, on Babbs Island, near the Little Beaver Creek, and by the Shippingport Bridge.

In 1905, some business leaders bought land to start a new steel company. They called it the Midland Steel Company. In 1906, they officially created the borough of Midland as a place for their workers to live. Other businesses also opened in the town.

By 1911, a bigger company, the Pittsburgh Crucible Steel Company, bought the Midland Steel Company. This factory grew very large. By the end of World War I, the Crucible plant employed about 2,700 people.

However, the steel industry in the U.S. started to shrink in the 1960s and 1970s. This meant fewer jobs at the Crucible plant. Many people lost their jobs, and the town's population began to get smaller. In the 1980s, over 200,000 steelworkers lost their jobs across the U.S. Many factories closed, including the Crucible plant in Midland.

Later, the Midland plant was bought by another company, but it eventually went out of business in 2001. This made the town's economy even weaker.

Midland's Location and Area

Midland is located in western Beaver County. Its exact coordinates are 40°38′18″N 80°27′9″W / 40.63833°N 80.45250°W / 40.63833; -80.45250.

The United States Census Bureau says that Midland covers about 5.2 square kilometers (about 2 square miles). Most of this area is land (4.7 square kilometers or 1.8 square miles). The rest is water (0.5 square kilometers or 0.2 square miles), which is about 9% of its total area.

Pennsylvania Route 68 is the main road that goes through Midland. It's called Midland Avenue. This road goes east towards Industry and west towards Glasgow and the Ohio state border. Pennsylvania Route 168 also runs through the center of town with PA-68. However, PA-168 then turns south to cross the Ohio River using the Shippingport Bridge. It also goes north out of the river valley on Fairview Road.

Neighboring Areas

Midland shares its land borders with two other places:

• Industry is to the northeast.
• Ohioville is to the northwest.

Across the Ohio River, to the southeast, Midland is mostly next to Greene Township. It also has a small border with Shippingport to the southwest.

Population Changes

St. George Serbian Orthodox Church

Midland's population has changed a lot over the years. Here's how it has grown and shrunk:

In 2000, there were 3,137 people living in Midland. About 23% of the population was under 18 years old. The median age was 40 years.

Education in Midland

Midland has its own school system, called the Midland Borough School District. Students in Midland attend different schools:

• Midland Elementary/Middle School (for grades K–8).
• For high school (grades 9–12), students can go to Beaver Area High School, which is part of the Beaver Area School District.
• Other options include Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School (grades 7–12) and Midland Innovation + Technology Charter School (grades 9-12).

Lincoln Park is a special kind of school called a charter school. It has its own rules for who can attend. Before 1985, Midland had its own high school called Lincoln High School. But it closed because there weren't enough students (only about 150 students in grades 7-12). The district tried to join with a nearby school district, but it didn't work out.

For a while, from 1990, Midland high school students were bused to East Liverpool High School in Ohio. This was unusual because they were Pennsylvania students going to a public school in another state! In 2015, this agreement ended. Now, high school students from Midland go to Beaver Area High School again.

The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, which is an online school, also has its main office in Midland.

Famous People from Midland

Midland has been home to several notable individuals:

• Ellis Cannon – A well-known talk show host and TV personality.
• John Hardon – A Jesuit priest, writer, and theologian.
• Simmie Hill – A professional basketball player in the American Basketball Association.
• Ralph Francis Scalera – A judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
• Norm Van Lier – A famous NBA player and All-Star guard for teams like the Chicago Bulls.
• Robert Zielinski – An American football player who played as an end.

See also

In Spanish: Midland (Pensilvania) para niños