Massillon, Ohio
Massillon is a city in
Stark County,
Ohio,
United States. The population was 31,325 at the 2000 census.
The
Friendly Association for Mutual Interests founded Massillon, then called Kendal, on a 2,000 acre estate in response to
Robert Owen's success in
New Harmony, Indiana to create a
utopian society. The group of approximately 150 people, consisting of farmers, mill workers, and mechanics from the surrounding area, abandoned their
communitarian lifestyle. Massillon was named after Bishop Massillon, (French) a Catholic bishop.
SARTA provides bus service between Massillon and nearby
Canton.
In Ohio and elseswhere, the name Massillon is probably most associated with the
Massillon Washington High School football team, the Tigers – as well as the fanatical sense of pride the town has for it. Distinguished Massillon alumni include
Paul Brown and former
Ohio State Buckeyes graduate and
NFL veteran linebacker
Chris Spielman. The Tigers are historically one of the winningest high school football teams in the
United States, second only to the
Valdosta High School Wildcats, in
Valdosta, Georgia. Along with the
Canton McKinley High School Bulldogs, the Tigers represent one half of what many consider to be the greatest high school football rivalry in the nation. Both Massillon and their fierce rivalry with Canton are subjects of the documentary film
Go Tigers!.
Massillon is the site of one of the most tragic instances of labor violence in the history of the United States. The
Steel Workers Organizing Committee was attempting to organize workers at
Republic Steel in the spring and summer of
1937. When the company refused to recognize their union, the workers
struck.
A crowd of strikers and their familes had taken to gathering nightly for a rally and dance in front of the union's headquarters. On the night of
July 11,
1937, a citizen of the town failed to dim the headlights on his car as he approached the rally. City police assumed the worst and without warning opened fire with rifles and shotguns on the peaceful crowd. One auxiliary policeman shouted, 'Let them have it boys! Break them down!' Police pumped tear gas canisters into the feeling mob; one officer raked the street and local houses with submachinegun fire. Wounded people who attempted to seek medical attention were shot at. The wounded sought refuge in the union hall's kitchen, where the walls became smeared with blood. The police hunted down fleeing families throughout the night, sporadically firing on anyone they found. Three men were killed, and a large number of men, women and children wounded.
[Zieger, Robert H. The CIO, 1935-1955. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1995. ISBN 0807821829 p. 62-63.] |
Location of Massillon, Ohio |
Massillon is located at (40.795270, -81.522896).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 43.7
km² (16.9
mi²). 43.4 km² (16.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.83%) is water.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 31,325 people, 12,677 households, and 8,328 families residing in the city. The
population density was 722.1/km² (1,870.3/mi²). There were 13,567 housing units at an average density of 312.7/km² (810.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.18%
White, 9.39%
African American, 0.23%
Native American, 0.25%
Asian, 0.34% from
other races, and 1.60% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population.
There were 12,677 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were
married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,734, and the median income for a family was $41,058. Males had a median income of $32,021 versus $22,327 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $17,633. About 8.3% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.
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Home of the Massillon Washington (Ohio) Tigers! - Established in 1996, it's the Massillon Tigers one stop Internet source for your Massillon Tigers info.
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Official Football Guide and Players Profiles *
City of Massillon official website - Informative site with information on the politics and inner workings of Massillon
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The Tigers Lair - another Tigers fan site!
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Spring Hill - 1820's rural home once a stop on the Underground Railroad
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SARTA*
We're proud of our history!*
Eric Grohe Murals*
Best of Massillon 2005 Season Highlight DVD - a 2 hour review of the 2005 State Runner Up season
