Clarion, Pennsylvania


Clarion is a borough in Clarion County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 3,931 at the 2020 census. It is located north-northeast of Pittsburgh along the Clarion River and is part of the Pittsburgh DMA.
Clarion was settled in 1839 and incorporated in 1841. In the past, the surrounding area produced natural gas, oil, lumber and coal. It is home to the annual Autumn Leaf Festival and Pennsylvania [Western University, Clarion]. The Clarion [County Courthouse and Jail|county courthouse] was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Geography

Clarion is located slightly northeast of the center of Clarion County at , in the Allegheny Plateau region of western Pennsylvania. The main part of the borough sits at an elevation of above sea level, overlooking the valley of the Clarion River, a tributary of the Allegheny River.
U.S. Route 322 passes through the borough as Main Street, leading northwest to Franklin and southeast to Brookville. Pennsylvania Route 68 leads south from the center of Clarion, to Exit 62 of Interstate 80 and to Sligo.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of, of which is land and, or 2.70%, is water.

Climate

Clarion has a humid continental climate, with warm summers and cold to very cold, snowy winters. Precipitation is highest in the summer months, with an annual average of. Snow usually falls between October and April.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,185 people, 2,000 households, and 718 families residing in the borough. The population density was. There were 2,192 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the borough was 94.55% White, 3.48% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population.
There were 2,000 households, out of which 15.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.3% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 64.1% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.75. versus $20,214 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $10,832. About 18.8% of families and 41.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.1% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

, formerly Clarion University of Pennsylvania, is located in the borough. It is a campus of Pennsylvania Western University founded in 1867.

Notable people