East Liverpool, Ohio

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

East Liverpool is a city in Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,089 at the 2000 census. It is located along the Ohio River and borders the states of Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Long known as the "Pottery Capital of the World," East Liverpool and the immediate area are still home to three major potteries. The city is perhaps best known as the hometown of former University of Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz, and as the city to which the body of slain bank robber Pretty Boy Floyd was taken for embalming. The Point of Beginning is just east of the city, on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.

Contents 1 History 2 Other Happenings 3 Geography 4 Demographics 5 See also 6 External links

[edit] History

East Liverpool was originally named St. Clair by Thomas Fawcett, one of the earliest land owners, in 1800 after Arthur St. Clair, who at that time was Governor of the Northwest Territory. It was called Fawcettstown for a time by the local residents. It was incorporated as East Liverpool in 1834 when a Liverpool in western Ohio (now defunct) protested the use of its name by this newer eastern town.

James Bennett, an English potter, established the pottery industry in East Liverpool, and it became the community's leading employer. East Liverpool became known as "The Crockery City." East Liverpool once produced more than half of the United States's annual ceramics output. Throughout East Liverpool's famed ceramics history, there were more than 300 potteries. Of these, just three remain: The Hall China Company, the Homer Laughlin China Company (located across the Ohio River in Newell, W.Va.) and Pioneer Pottery.

Among the most famous of East Liverpool's ceramics output was the porcelain known as Lotus Ware. Produced by Knowles, Taylor & Knowles in the 1890s, this Moorish- and Persian-influenced artware swept the competition at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. It is generally considered to be the finest porcelain ever produced in the United States. The Museum of Ceramics in downtown East Liverpool has the country's largest public display of Lotus Ware.

Since the mid-1960s or so, East Liverpool's pottery industry has steadily declined. This has been due mostly to the fact that pottery workers in less-developed countries--among them China, South Korea and Taiwan--are paid a small fraction of the hourly wage expected by American workers.

In the mid-1990s, the city renovated its downtown district, with Great Depression-era lightposts, a new center of town called Devon's Diamond, and the reconstruction of the old High School's clocktower, which is now home of the East Liverpool High School Alumni Association.

[edit] Other Happenings

• The establishment of the Waste Technologies Industries (WTI, later VonRoll WTI) waste disposal plant, near a public school and a flood plain in the city's East End, was a controversial environmental issue during the 1992 U.S. presidential campaign. Al Gore, then the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President of the United States, pledged that he would stop the plant's opening if elected, but failed to do so. Gore was occasionally picketed by East Liverpool opponents of the plant for several years thereafter.

• The Blue Lady is a local folklore story about a young girl who died in the city's Thompson Park and is now said to haunt the park at night as a blue glowing ghost. There have been several alleged sightings of the Blue Lady over the years.

• Jay Leno once said on his late night tv show that "If you want to get away with murder, go to East Liverpool Ohio."^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Geography

East Liverpool is located at 40°37′43″N, 80°34′9″W (40.628510, -80.569063)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.7 km² (4.5 mi²). 11.3 km² (4.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (3.97%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 13,089 people, 5,261 households, and 3,424 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,161.8/km² (3,010.3/mi²). There were 5,743 housing units at an average density of 509.7/km² (1,320.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.85% White, 4.81% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 1.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population.

There were 5,261 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 86.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,138, and the median income for a family was $27,500. Males had a median income of $27,346 versus $18,990 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,656. About 21.5% of families and 25.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.2% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] See also

• List of cities and towns along the Ohio River

[edit] External links

• City of East Liverpool
• Museum of Ceramics
• East Liverpool Area Chamber of Commerce
• East Liverpool Tourism
• East Liverpool Review
• East Liverpool High School Alumni Association
• East Liverpool Potter Sports Online
• Carnegie Public Library
• East Liverpool City Schools
• Kent State East Liverpool Campus
• Thompson Park
• East Liverpool City Hospital
• East Liverpool Area YMCA
• VonRoll WTI
• Hall China
• Homer Laughlin China
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 40.62851° -80.569063°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

	Columbiana County, Ohio Lisbon, county seat
Municipalities	Columbiana | East Liverpool | East Palestine | Hanoverton | Leetonia | Lisbon | Minerva | New Waterford | Rogers | Salem | Salineville | Summitville | Washingtonville | Wellsville
Townships	Butler | Center | Elkrun | Fairfield | Franklin | Hanover | Knox | Liverpool | Madison | Middleton | Perry | Salem | St. Clair | Unity | Washington | Wayne | West | Yellow Creek
Other localities	Calcutta | East Rochester | Elkton | Glenmoor | Homeworth | Kensington | La Croft | Negley | North Georgetown | West Point | Winona