Small Town

We appreciate our close-knit, friendly, small-town vibe and the unique special places, businesses and events that create a sense of community identity, pride and togetherness.

Faith & Family
Things to do
Places to meet & interact with each other
Diversity
Local tradition
Historical Landmarks (Baldwin Reynolds, Diamond Park, Market House, the Academy)
Anchor Institutions (Allegheny College, Meadville Medical Center, Meadville Public Library, Courthouse)
Tradition based events (Halloween Parade, Thurston Classic, Bulldog athletics)
Locally owned unique businesses (Creative Crust, Pizza Villa, Tattered Corners, Eddie's, Hanks)

What are the characteristics of housing stock in Meadville?

Percentage of houses built before 1950: 55.3% (6)
Home ownership:
- 43.6% of houses are owned (6)
- 56.4% of houses are rented (6)
- 16.4% houses are vacant (6)

What type of sustainable development is in place?

The City of Meadville is among a select group of high performing municipalities to become certified through the Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification program. Meadville is recognized at the Gold level of certification for meeting the program's rigorous performance criteria which tracks 131 policies and practices that define a sustainable community. (2)
Meadville has a municipal stormwater fee to provide the funds to properly maintain and upgrade stormwater infrastructure so it functions as intended. (3)

What investments have gone into infrastructure?

Meadville has been awarded grants totaling $155,750 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for an electrical upgrade of the Market House. The projected cost of the entire project is $226,300, leaving the city to pay $70,550. (4)
The Porter Street footbridge rehabilitation project is projected to cost $242,170. A grant from the state Department of Transportation could cover construction costs of $219,940, leaving the city to pay $20,600 for design and permitting costs. (4)

How does Meadville’s budget compared to other similar communities?

The City of Meadville's operating budget is 33.7% lower than the average operating budget of similar communities. Meadville's per capita budget is 46.6% lower than the average per capita budget of similar communities.

Table 1. Budget Comparison with Similar Communities (1)

What measures are taken to improve resilience/sustainability in Meadville?

In June 2011, the Meadville City Building implemented energy efficiency improvements such as new lighting/heating, ventilation and air conditioning. The previous systems had been untouched since 1973 (2)
With Allegheny College and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Meadville completed a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Climate Change Action Plan in December 2010, addressing only those emissions generated by Meadville’s own buildings, facilities and operations. The Climate Change Action plan details how Meadville can further reduce its emissions by 208 tons within five years (2)
Meadville replaced outdated traffic signals with stop signs and installed temporary pedestrian islands in Diamond Park improving traffic flow, and winning the 28th Annual Road and Bridge Safety Improvement Award, given by the Pennsylvania Highway Information Association, PennnDOT and the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities. Additional renovations in Diamond Park were narrowed roads and newly aligned sidewalks to increase accessibility and safety for drivers and pedestrians (2)
‘“Meadville PA: Not Your Run of the Mill Community” is an initiative that places Meadville’s natural assets at the heart of community and economic development efforts. Mill Run initiatives include environmental assessments, Shadybrook Park restoration, Market Alley development, and public art installations (2)
Meadville is the only Crawford County municipality to be recognized with a Gold-level certification of sustainability by the Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification program (3). Certification points are awarded based on the criteria: Governance and Community Engagement, Healthy Communities, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Education, Energy Use, Conservation and Green Building, Environmental Stewardship, Housing, Local Economy and any Additional Sustainability Initiatives (4).

What is the proportion of the Meadville population that are federally defined as low to moderate income?

56.13% are federally defined as low to moderate income (5)
The median household income in Meadville is $34,826 (6) which is 36.5% lower than the Pennsylvania median household income of $54,895(7), and 37% lower than the national median household income of $55,322 (8).

What percentage of homes are owned and rented in Meadville?

57.67% of homes are owned, 31.73% of homes are rented, 10.59% of homes are vacant (9)
In the U.S., 56.34% of homes are owned, 31.21% of homes are rented, 12.45% of homes are vacant (9)

Are Crawford County residents engaged in elections?

In the 2016 presidential election, residents of Crawford County were registered at a higher rate than statewide or nationally, but voted at a lower rate.

Table 1. Percent of total Voting Age population registered and voting in the 2016 presidential election (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)

In the 2017 local election, turnout was estimated at just 26.48%. (6)

How accessible are local officials to the public?

The Meadville City Board holds two meetings every month, which are open to public comment during certain periods of each meeting. This provides for accessible officials, and open communication.
The police station in Meadville is located at the center of the city next to Diamond Park, making it easily accessible in a physical sense.
The fire station is located in downtown Meadville on Park Avenue.

Is the Meadville Police Department accredited through the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association?

No, the Meadville Police Department does not participate. In fact, there are no accredited agencies in Crawford County. The accreditation seeks to provide a consistent process, standards, and professional objectives with which to evaluate and improve overall performance. Some of the benefits of the accreditation process are reduction in risk and liability and an improvement in community relations and agency confidence. (7)

What are the currently existing social networks in Meadville?

Social Networks in Meadville: This document lists 225 organizations and businesses in Meadville.

The recorded organization types are, 48 nonprofits,12 religious, 16 grassroots, and 20 private with 128 uncategorized.
Sub organized as 4 Arts/Culture, 18 social services, 16 Businesses, 14 Education, 5 Trade Organization, 8 Civil/Social Clubs, 2 Cooperative, and 5 Government. [1]

Who are the major networking groups in Meadville and what are they doing?

My Meadville is a local organization that aims to help the community express what they value most to help influence local decision making. They have 8 values that are important to Meadville. [2]
City of Meadville is the local governments web page where contact information can be found. The city also regularly collaborates with Allegheny College to help improve community resilience. [4]
The City of Meadville also has a entrepreneur accelerator grant with the goal to help start local business and help expand existing ones. It also now has the Facade loan program that gives currently existing local business loans to help improve the visual appeal of their storefronts. [5]

What is the history of Meadville’s founding?

Founded by David Mead in 1788
Proximity to Cussewago, Mill Run and French Creek provided transportation routes

Notable community developments

My Meadville- connecting Meadvillians through common values (1)
Common Roots- grassroots model for community development and sustainable housing (2)
Northwest Pennsylvania Investment Cooperative - encouraging entrepreneurial spirit and economic health in Meadville by providing commercial spaces at an affordable price (3)

Outdoor recreational activities

Ernst Trail- from the Park Avenue Plaza in Meadville to Route 19, a distance of five miles, built from 1880-1892 by a group of Meadville entrepreneurs to gain access to the Pennsylvania Railroad (4)
French Creek- 117 miles through the Pennsylvania counties of Erie, Crawford, Mercer and Venango. Was a waterway for the French and British in the 1750s, and a battleground through the French & Indian War as well as the American Revolution. (5)
Woodcock Lake Park- walking/biking/skating across the dam, hiking/boating/camping/picnicking in the water/on either side of the land. (6)

Overview of arts

Community theatre- Events communicated via Meadville Calendar/Facebook, super active in encouraging people to audition/attend. Seems more community-involving and hosts parties/small-scale productions. Located in Oddfellows building at Allegheny. (7) (8)
Meadville Academy Theatre- Members of the American Association of Community Theatre and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, seems more ‘flashy’ than the Community Theatre with larger scale productions and more community hype (9) (10)
’Read Between the Signs’ Art- Colourful and aesthetically pleasing way of recycling old PennDOT signs in the forms of flowers/hot air balloons/roller coasters/etc. On Route 322 (11)
Meadville Council of the Arts- space for local artists to showcase works, organise events, lead workshops & lectures, host fundraisers, etc. (12)

Cultural event series

Diamond Park- hosts summer concert series, winter celebrations, and has open space and seating for picnics and other recreation.
Meadville Calendar- Compilation of local events happening in Meadville, ultimate source to know what is going on in town (13)

6. Selected Housing Characteristics 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. (n.d.) United States Census Bureau. Retrieved from https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF

Sustainable Pittsburg (2017) Meadville City - Gold Certification, Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification. Retrieved from; http://www.sustainablepacommunitycertification.org/assessments/view_muni/168
City of Meadville (2012) Frequently Asked Questions, Storm Water Management Program and User Fee. Retrieved from; http://www.cityofmeadville.org/vertical/Sites/%7B256E8AF9-2CF3-4525-A3F2-7B08979EFAAB%7D/uploads/Meadville_SWU_FAQ(1).pdf
Deloitte, Datawheel, Hidalgo (2014) “Meadville PA .” DataUSA, DataUSA. Retrieved from; https://datausa.io/profile/geo/meadville-pa/#economy

Niedermeyer, Janet L. (February 2016), Comprehensive Recreation, Open Space, and Greenways Plan <http://meadvillepa.govoffice3.com/vertical/sites/%7B256E8AF9-2CF3-4525-A3F2-7B08979EFAAB%7D/uploads/Final_Parks_Plan_Feb_2016.pdf>
Diana, Zoie (December 2011), Sustainable Meadville, <http://www.cityofmeadville.org/vertical/Sites/%7B256E8AF9-2CF3-4525-A3F2-7B08979EFAAB%7D/uploads/Sustainable_Meadville.pdf>
Crowley, Mike (February 22, 2018), Gold certification could help Meadville with funding applications, <http://www.meadvilletribune.com/news/gold-certification-could-help-meadville-with-funding-applications/article_85412272-1776-11e8-8dce-5fed93a0728c.html>
Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Cerification, <http://www.sustainablepacommunitycertification.org/pdfs/Criteria_Sus_Comm_PA_Cert.pdf>
HUD FY 2014 LMI Summary Data, <https://services.arcgis.com/VTyQ9soqVukalItT/ArcGIS/rest/services/CDBG_Low_Moderate_Income_Area_Data_ACS_Based/FeatureServer?token=MDdOU16uQaQ1NOuuNlP0FRx24a8Tg0oALgH_WkfnmVyDfe1FyKSGbIO0YuZhQa6bKPUhh-WlbDMtJf8SFCcIrUngJAzjiQlTRAW7cw1lIdhepop0z-BNXvFIiEhbcBBO4fSgjPVrqIIRbe6FNaOZq30weYSc1uCDAPkeMjPu0mZn7gfo_CtSeoWuqQBj9PxFX24gvZd7BJkMXaiRp78-K0sMHZdOG53euQBOfTNDcEw
Meadville city, Pennsylvania Selected Economic Characteristics 2016: https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/16_5YR/DP03/1600000US4248360
Pennsylvania Selected Economic Characteristics 2016: https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/16_5YR/DP03/0400000US42
United States Selected Economic Characteristics 2016: https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/16_5YR/B17020/0100000US
Meadville Pennsylvania Housing, https://www.bestplaces.net/housing/zip-code/pennsylvania/meadville/16335

Social Networks in Meadville https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11HaqyKfR1uLW16o4Z2yQiV7BT81N9W4mxnlPsNFnBvY/edit#gid=1885309606
My Meadville | Meadville starts with ME! (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from https://www.mymeadville.org/
My Meadville | Values (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from https://www.mymeadville.org/values
Welcome to Meadville, PA! (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from http://www.cityofmeadville.org/
Entrepreneur Accelerator Grant. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from http://www.cityofmeadville.org/entrepreneur

(2017), My Meadville <https://www.mymeadville.org/>
Welcome to Common Roots!, <https://commonrootspa.com/>
Northwest Pennsylvania Investment Cooperative, <http://nwpic.coop/>
(2016), Welcome to Ernst Trail, <http://ernsttrail.org/>
Creek Connections, <https://sites.allegheny.edu/creekconnections/northwest-pennsylvania/>
(2013-2016), Woodcock Lake Park <http://www.woodcocklakepark.com/>
Meadville Community Theatre, <https://www.facebook.com/MCT1967/>
Meadville Community Theatre, <http://meadvillecalendar.com/organizer/meadville-community-theatre/>
Academy Theatre, <https://www.facebook.com/AcademyTheatrePA/>
(2016), The Academy Theatre, <https://www.theacademytheatre.org/>
Meadville, Pennsylvania: PennDot Road Sign Sculpture Garden, <https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/12120>
Meadville Council on the Arts- About the Council, <http://www.artsmeadville.org/history/>
Meadville Calendar, <http://meadvillecalendar.com/events/>

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