Donora

History

In 1794, the Whiskey Insurrectionists held several meetings at Fells Church, approximately east of Donora. A trolley line opened in Donora on December 15, 1901, linking First and McKean, and Fifteenth Street and Meldon. It was extended in 1911 to Black Diamond to connect to the Charleroi to Pittsburgh interurban trolley. The line was abandoned on May 5, 1953. The town was the scene of the infamous Donora Smog of 1948. Between October 26 and October 31, 1948, an air inversion trapped industrial effluent (air pollution) from the American Steel and Wire plant and Donora Zinc Works. During this spike in air pollution, 6,000 people suffered respiratory problems and extreme discomfort. "In three days, 20 people died... After the inversion lifted, another 50 died, including Lukasz Musial, the father of baseball great Stan Musial. Hundreds more finished the rest of their lives with damaged lungs and hearts." The incident made national headlines. Today, the town is home to the Donora Smog Museum, which tells the impact of the Donora Smog on the air quality standards enacted by the federal government in subsequent years. Donora is home to "Cement City", 80 "poured in place" concrete homes built in the early 1900s as employee housing for the Donora Wire and Steel Mill using a modular method championed by Thomas Edison. The world's second largest such housing tract, the Cement City Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with the Webster Donora Bridge. The Borough of Donora and surrounding areas have also been utilized as the filming location for several films and television shows, including most recently the American television drama series American Rust in 2021.

Geography

Donora is located at (40.175879, −79.861264). According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , of which is land and (7.32%) is water. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Donora has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. Donora is only bordered by land, with Carroll Township to the north, south and west. Donora sits across the Monongahela River to the east from Rostraver Township in Westmoreland County.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Ringgold SHS
  High · Monongahela · 852 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• Ringgold MS
  Middle · Monongahela · 787 students · 14.1:1 ratio
• Charleroi Area El Ctr
  Elementary · Charleroi · 584 students · 12.4:1 ratio
• Ringgold El Sch South
  Elementary · Monongahela · 580 students · 14.5:1 ratio
• California Area El Sch
  Elementary · Coal Center · 490 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• Charleroi Area HS
  High · Charleroi · 476 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• Bentworth El Ctr
  Elementary · Bentleyville · 378 students · 12.6:1 ratio
• Ringgold El Sch North
  Elementary · Finleyville · 360 students · 12.4:1 ratio