Alliance is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 21,672 at the 2020 census. It was established in 1854 by the merger of three smaller communities and was a manufacturing and railroad hub in the 20th century. Alliance is associated with the state flower of Ohio, the scarlet carnation, and is known as the "Carnation City". The University of Mount Union, a private liberal arts college established in 1846, is located in the city. Partially extending into Mahoning County, Alliance is part of the Canton, Massillon metropolitan area.
At a Glance
- Counties: Stark County and Mahoning County
- State: Ohio
History of Alliance
Alliance was founded in 1854 by the merger of three smaller communities called Williamsport, formed in 1827, Freedom, formed in 1838, and Liberty, formed in 1850 to act as a station and support hub for the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad. A fourth community, Mount Union, was added in 1888. Alliance was incorporated as a city in 1889.
There are two popular theories regarding the origin of the city’s name. One holds that it was chosen because of the "alliance" of three small settlements into a larger entity. The other theory says the name reflects the fact that two major railroad lines, the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad and the Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad, intersected at Alliance, once known as "The Crossing".
On April 12, 1856, Alliance was directly struck by a tornado, causing extensive damage. A roof of a church was removed, and another church was moved off its foundation. A train that stopped at the Alliance Station was pushed off its rails. The destruction was estimated to be $15,000 to $20,000 (in 1856 dollars, equivalent to $716,667 in 2025). A few injuries and one fatality were confirmed.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Alliance, Ohio, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.