Posted September 7, 200618 yr Johnsonburg (pop. 3000) is a small industrial town located in the north-central Pennsylvania county of Elk (34,000) about 9 miles northwest of my hometown of St. Marys (pop. 14,000). It is about 2 1/2 hours south of Buffalo and 2 1/2 hours northeast of Pittsburgh. Buffalonians and Ontarionians may recognize Johnsonburg because it's located on US219, a critical north-south highway connecting those regions to points south. The defining feature of Johnsonburg is the Weyerhaeuser paper mill located in the center of town, one of the biggest employers in Elk County. If you've ever read a Harry Potter book... you thumbed through Johnsonburg paper. Nicknamed the Paper City... Johnsonburg is frequently the butt of jokes by those in neighboring towns due to the distinctive stench produced by the mill... something like rotten cabbage. Located along the Clarion River (a national scenic and recreation river), the town has virtually no interaction with it... as it flows through the mill area. Johnsonburg's is nestled in a narrow valley with its neighborhoods climbing the steep hillsides... surrounded by the dense forests of northern Pennsylvania. Despite a healthy and productive paper mill, the town itself is rapidly losing population, has a high poverty rate and has become quite gritty. The town was frequently visited by Ulysses S. Grant, who enjoyed fishing in the area. Johnsonburg has an Italian plurality, and was a center of mafia activity in the 1920s and 30s... earning the nickname "Little Chicago". Meco, who did a famous disco remix of the Star Wars theme in the late 70s, hails from Johnsonburg. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAps4xZkkww The paper mill from the Deckertown neighborhood Deckertown housing The main part of town south of the mill... from Deckertown (there is another major part of town north of the mill) Downtown... Market St. The Armstrong Brick Block... built in 1890... stands as the centerpiece of the downtown business district a portion of the paper mill the former Armstrong Opera House at right climbing the hill into the residential sections Deckertown in the distance I couldn't help think that Johnsonburg reminds me a lot of Altoona... the dense frame housing.... the extreme topography... the dead downtown... US219 Centre Ave / US219 ... quite trashy one of the few remaining businesses The ugly backs of Market St. buildings are what you get to see from the main through route... US219 fin
September 7, 200618 yr It reminds me of Malta, Ohio. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
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