Oil City, PA
| Oil City, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 |
|
| Motto(s): "A Special Blend of People" | |
 Location of Oil City in Venango County, Pennsylvania. |
|
 Oil City, Pennsylvania
Location of Oil City in Venango County, Pennsylvania.
|
|
| Coordinates: 41°25′42″N 79°42′26″W / 41.42833°N 79.70722°WCoordinates: 41°25′42″N 79°42′26″W / 41.42833°N 79.70722°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Venango |
| Settled | 1824 |
| Incorporated (borough) | 1862 |
| Incorporated (borough) | 1868 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1871 |
| Government | |
| • Type | City council |
| • Mayor | Bill Moon |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.84 sq mi (12.53 km2) |
| • Land | 4.49 sq mi (11.64 km2) |
| • Water | 0.34 sq mi (0.89 km2) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 10,557 |
| • Estimate (2016) | 10,017 |
| • Density | 2,229.47/sq mi (860.89/km2) |
| • Demonym | Oil Citizen |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 16301 |
| FIPS code | 42-56456 |
| Website | www.oilcity.org |
Oil City is a city in Venango County, Pennsylvania, that is known in the initial exploration and development of the petroleum industry. Initial settlement of the town was sporadic, and tied to the iron industry. After the first oil wells were drilled in 1861, Oil City became central in the petroleum industry while hosting headquarters for the Pennzoil, Quaker State, and Wolf's Head motor oil companies. Tourism plays a prominent role in the region by promoting oil heritage sites, nature trails, and Victorian architecture. The population was 10,557 at the 2010 census, and is the principal city of the Oil City, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area.
In 1796, the state of Pennsylvania gave Cornplanter, chief of the Wolf Band of the Seneca nation, 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) of land along the west bank of the Allegheny River in Warren County, Pennsylvania, as well as a small tract on both sides of the mouth of Oil Creek, in compensation for his services during the American Revolutionary War. The first white settler in what became Oil City was an unknown individual who cleared and farmed about 400 acres (1.6 km2) on the west side of Oil Creek upstream from Cornplanter's land. Francis Halyday (or Holliday) purchased this land in 1803, and Holliday settled there with his family. The first white child known to be born in what became Oil City was James Halyday, born January 13, 1809. Three or four other families soon settled on the east side of the creek above the "Cornplanter Tract". Cornplanter sold the eastern half of his tract to two white settlers, William Connely and William Kinnear, in May 1818. Connely sold his quarter of the original tract back to Cornplanter in October 1818, but the land was seized by the county for nonpayment of taxes and sold at auction in November 1819 to Alexander McCalmont. McCalmont sold his land to Mathias Stockberger in the spring of 1824.
...
Wikipedia