Posted September 4, 200816 yr Oil City (pop. 11,504) is the largest city in Venango County and is located about 8 miles east of county seat Franklin at the confluence of the Allegheny River and Oil Creek. Oil City has an urban cluster population of 16,651. Oil City is famous for being one of the first oil boomtowns in the U.S., at one time hosting the headquarters of major oil companies Pennzoil, Quaker State and Wolf's Head. Oil City is known as the "Valley that changed the World". Oil City is a relatively new city by Pennsylvania standards, springing to life immediately after Col. Edwin Drake drilled the first commercially successful oil well in the U.S. in 1859, a few miles north near Titusville. Along with Petroleum Center and Pithole, Oil City exploded seemingly overnight as investment and workers flowed into the northwestern Pennsylvania oil fields. Oil City was a major transportation node in the oil network. Oil was transported by barge down Oil Creek and then transferred to steamboat for the trip down the Allegheny River to Pittsburgh. Monumental structures were built downtown and dazzling mansions were built in the neighborhoods. When oil production peaked in northwestern Pennsylvania around 1890, Petroleum Center and Pithole became ghost towns, but Oil City remained as an important business center well into the 20th century. Oil heritage tourism plays a major role in the modern Oil City economy. However, there has always remained some amount of oil drilling, and there has been renewed interest in this region's oil due to the escalating cost of oil making extraction here more economically feasible. Oil City is divided into two halves, the North Side (including Downtown) and the South Side... separated by the Allegheny River. Downtown has a somewhat "big city" feel to it structurally, but is unfortunately suffers from high vacancy and too many low-rent tenants. Residential neighborhoods are largely located on hillsides and hilltops, and range from very gritty to spectacularly beautiful. Oil City is celebrating 150 years of oil with a series of events beginning this month: http://www.oilcity.org/City_Docs/Schedule%20of%20Events%20-%20Oil%20150.pdf the main downtown street is quite narrow... and the taller buildings cast mighty shadows... creating somewhat of a "canyon" feel bridge spanning Oil Creek Drake Square seemed to be largely vacant... there's an enormous concrete parking garage near it that I assume was some grand vision of a downtown renaissance back in the 70s heading up to the hilltop neighborhoods of the city's North Side some gritty slope housing I love this church... perched above downtown and visible from everywhere this could be straight outta Pittsburgh useless fence blocking downtown view looking west down the Allegheny South Side viewed from North Side confluence of Oil Creek and Allegheny at downtown Oil City North Side from South Side Oil City's South Side has a small "downtown" of its own the Latonia is a 1500 seat, two balcony theater built in 1929... it was converted to retail use (with much of the theater closed off) for decades... but was purchased last year by a group that is returning it to theater use. detail I was just about to leave Oil City... but decided to try one last part of the South Side... on the western edge of the city.. and was rewarded with a large collection of spectacular mansions... strange all tuckered out farewell from the Hub of Oildom!
September 4, 200816 yr Plus you can get double miles to fly there from Cleveland: Valid Thu., Sep. 4, 2008 - Sun., Nov. 30, 2008 Beginning Sept. 3, 2008, Continental Airlines will offer new service between Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) and Franklin/Oil City, PA (FKL). Daily flights will be serviced by Gulfstream International Airlines (3M) Beech 1900 with 19 seats. To promote this new service, Continental will be offering double miles on these CLE-FKL flights through Nov. 30, 2008.
September 4, 200816 yr Me likes that little town. The neighborhoods remind me of the University of Daytons 'ghetto' student neighborhoods with the hills in the front yard and colorful houses. Thanks for posting!
September 4, 200816 yr Love that Latonia! "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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