Fayette City, Pennsylvania

Fayette City, Pennsylvania
Borough
300 block of Main Street
Location of Fayette City in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.
Fayette City Location in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Fayette City Fayette City (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 40°6′2″N79°50′20″W / 40.10056°N 79.83889°W / 40.10056; -79.83889
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Fayette
Established	1806
Government
• Type	Mayor–council government [1]
• Mayor	Herbert Vargo Jr. [2] [3]
Area [4]
• Total	0.28 sq mi (0.73 km2)
• Land	0.22 sq mi (0.57 km2)
• Water	0.06 sq mi (0.16 km2)
Elevation	770 ft (230 m)
Population  (2020) [5]
• Total	502
• Density	2,261.26/sq mi (873.84/km2)
Time zone	UTC-4 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (EDT)
Area code	724

Fayette City is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 502 at the 2020 census, ^[6] a decline from the figure of 596 tabulated in 2010. ^[7] It is served by the Belle Vernon Area School District. Some buildings in the town antedate 1820. ^[8]

Fayette City PA

Herbert Vargo Jr. is the current mayor. ^[3] His term ends in 2025. ^[1] He was first elected to the office in 1993. ^[9]

History

Fayette City was originally known as Freeport, founded in the 1794 by Colonel Edward Cook. ^{[10] [11] [12]} In 1825, Freeport was renamed Cookstown in honor of Colonel Cook who had passed away in 1812. ^[12] On April 11, 1854 the town's name was changed to Fayette City, in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette. ^[10]

In 1895 the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie railroad completed an extension to Fayette City. ^{[13] [10]}

In 2012, the mayor Herbert Vargo Jr. pled guilty to running a numbers scheme and was sentenced to a year of probation. ^{[14] [15] [16] [17]}

Coal Mining

Fayette City's mining history dates to 1830, when the Cardondelet, Furlong, and Snow Hill mines were sunk. ^[10]

The town received many European immigrants who came to work in local coal mines. ^[10] Like many towns in this area, Fayette City has been home to many coal miners supporting the coal industry in the region. ^[18] These immigrants included people from Italy, Poland, Austria-Hungary, and Rusyns. ^[10]

In the early 1900s, there were twenty mines operating around Fayette City: ^[10]

• Tremont
• Naomi
• Marine
• Arnold 1
• Arnold 2
• Arnold 3
• Hill Top
• Fayette City
• Apollo
• Little Redstone
• Cardondelet
• Turnbull
• Troytown/Alps
• Alice
• Snow Hill
• Vesta 1
• Vesta 2
• Vesta 3
• Vesta 4
• Clipper

Fayette City was the site of the Naomi Mine explosion, December 7, 1907. ^{[3] [19] [20]} All of the men killed in the Naomi disaster were immigrants from eastern Europe. ^[10]

Fayette City was also the location of an explosion in the Apollo Mine in January 1926. ^[21]

Churches

The town has been home to numerous churches since its founding. These include: ^[10]

Fayette City Churches

Church Name	Year Organized	Details
Free-Will Baptist Church	1820	Closed in 1870
The Church of Christ	1836
The Presbyterian Church	1871	Building built in 1901
The Reorganized Mormon Church	1886
St Edwards Slavish Church	1902	Greek Catholic, later combined with St Esubius in 1964 [22]
St Esubius Catholic Church	1905

Geography

Fayette City is located in northwestern Fayette County at 40°6′2″N79°50′20″W / 40.10056°N 79.83889°W / 40.10056; -79.83889 (40.100647, −79.838913). ^[23] It sits on the east bank of the Monongahela River, which forms the border with Washington County. The borough of Allenport is directly across the river, but the closest river crossing is the I-70 bridge, 3 miles (5 km) north at Belle Vernon. Pennsylvania Route 201 passes through Fayette City as Main Street (northbound) and Second Street (southbound). Uniontown, the Fayette County seat, is 17 miles (27 km) to the southeast via PA 201 and PA 51.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.25 square miles (0.66 km²), of which 0.19 square miles (0.50 km²) is land and 0.06 square miles (0.16 km²), or 24.33%, is water. ^[7]

Fayette City's low elevation and location along the Monongahela River make it susceptible to flooding after heavy rains. Lamb Lick Run and Downers Run enter the Monongahela within the borough's boundaries.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	411		—
1850	972		136.5%
1860	820		−15.6%
1870	889		8.4%
1880	867		−2.5%
1890	931		7.4%
1900	1,595		71.3%
1910	2,005		25.7%
1920	2,018		0.6%
1930	1,594		−21.0%
1940	1,598		0.3%
1950	1,404		−12.1%
1960	1,159		−17.5%
1970	968		−16.5%
1980	788		−18.6%
1990	713		−9.5%
2000	714		0.1%
2010	596		−16.5%
2020	502		−15.8%
2021 (est.)	495	[6]	−1.4%
Sources: [24] [25] [26] [5]

As of the 2000 census, ^[25] there were 714 people, 286 households, and 193 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,769.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,069.2/km²). There were 321 housing units at an average density of 1,245.0 per square mile (480.7/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.30% White, 0.14% African American, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.14% of the population.

There were 286 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

Election campaign poster from Fayette City, Pennsylvania promoting a slate of candidates for a primary held on Tuesday, September 17, 1929.

The median income for a household in the borough was $29,375, and the median income for a family was $38,542. Males had a median income of $35,357 versus $23,250 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $13,058. About 20.2% of families and 26.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.8% of those under age 18 and 17.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Jim Russell, baseball player. ^[27]
• Angelo Spagnolo, "World's Worst Avid Golfer." ^[28]

References

1. "Fayette County, Pennsylvania, Municipal Directory 3/30/2022". March 30, 2022.
2. "Fayette County, Pennsylvania, Municipal Directory" . Retrieved January 23, 2023.
3. Joyce Koballa (March 13, 2016). "Small Town Life: Fayette City works to revitalize town".
4. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
5. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
6. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020—2021". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
7. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001), Fayette City borough, Pennsylvania". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
8. "Mon Valley Photo Tour, Part I: Fayette City".
9. Joe Grata (November 26, 2014). "Fayette City in search of better times". Trib Live.
10. Moskala, Eric (2019). From Freeport to Fayette City: A History of a Small Town in Southwestern Pennsylvania from Its founding in 1800 to its Zenith in the 1920s. ISBN   978-1696421089.
11. "Fayette County Genealogy Project".
12. Burns, Marta. "Col. Edward Cook and Family of Washington Twp., Fayette Co".
13. "Guide to the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Company Records, 1860-1999 AIS.1982.23 | Digital Pitt". digital.library.pitt.edu. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
14. "Fayette City mayor gets first offender probation in numbers" . Retrieved October 31, 2012.
15. Pickels, Mary. "Embattled Fayette City mayor wants family money back". Trib Live. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
16. Harr, Jennifer. "Fayette City mayor admitted to ARD for running lottery". Herald Standard. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
17. Pierce, Paul. "Fayette City mayor to face trial for gaming". Trib Live. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
18. "Coal Miners Memorial Echo Mine, Fayette City, Fayette Co., PA, U.S.A." Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
19. Susa, Jenny (December 2, 2007). "Naomi Mine disaster recalled". Uniontown Herald Standard. Archived from the original on July 7, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
20. "Fayette City". SWPA History Historic This and That of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
21. "Fayette Co PA Disasters".
22. "St. Edwards Roman Catholic Church of Fayette City, Pa". Fayette County Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania.
23. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
24. "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
25. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
26. "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 11, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
27. "Jim Russell". Major League Baseball.
28. Peter Andrews (March 15, 2024). "Players Championship: Finding the worst avid golfer at TPC Sawgrass".