Jerome

History

Jerome was built in 1904 as a company town for what became the Hillman Coal and Coke Company Company of Pittsburgh, and named for Jerome Coulson, the son of a coal company official. The town filled mostly with immigrants from Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Russia and Italy—particularly Italians from the Alpine province of Trentino and the town of San Lorenzo in Banale (part of the Dolomiti di Brenta area)[http://www.tr3ntino.it/en/trentinos-holiday-areas/dolomiti-di-brenta/san-lorenzo-in-banale.html][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZaDkzZjxn4]—in addition to local Scots-Irish, Welsh and German stock. Jerome was the largest single coal mine in the Cambria-Somerset district. Jerome's wood frame houses were primarily of two designs—two-story semi-detached houses and smaller single-family cottages. Most of these initial dwellings still stand today. These houses, especially in the period before 1970, typically were surrounded by large vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and grape arbors. Homemade wine was a local specialty. At its economic peak, Jerome boasted a 300-seat movie theatre, a bank, a hotel, an auto dealership, several dry goods and grocery stores, several taverns, an electrical appliance store, a YMCA, and a bowling alley. A local tavern maintained a popular bocce court. The mine employed over 1000 men. Residents from that period claim Jerome's population stood at about 3,000 at its peak, although this information is yet to be documented. However, Jerome's population certainly was sufficient to justify the capital investment to tie the town into the interurban transit system. Electric streetcar service from Jerome to the nearby city of Johnstown was proposed as early as 1908. In 1921, the project was financed through a public bond offering, construction was…

Geography

Jerome is located at (40.210047, -78.985652). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all land. The elevation of Jerome is 1796 feet (547 meters) above sea level.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Windber El Sch
  Elementary · Windber · 620 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• Conemaugh Twp Area MS/SHS
  High · Davidsville · 493 students · 13.7:1 ratio
• Conemaugh Twp Area El Sch
  Elementary · Johnstown · 389 students · 12.2:1 ratio
• North Star Central El Sch
  Elementary · Boswell · 376 students · 9.9:1 ratio
• North Star HS
  High · Boswell · 340 students · 13.1:1 ratio
• Windber Area HS
  High · Windber · 332 students · 12.3:1 ratio
• North Star East MS
  Middle · Stoystown · 271 students · 10.4:1 ratio
• Windber Area MS
  Middle · Windber · 255 students · 15:1 ratio