Home of the State Flower : The Scarlet Carnation Toni E. Middleton, Mayor
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Mission Statement
The City of Alliance was founded in the year 1850. The function and purpose of the City of Alliance is to provide governmental services such as fire and police protection, water and sewer services, street maintenance and repair, parks and recreation, zoning and building functions, health services and all the other services which contribute to the health, safety and well-being of our citizens.
History of Alliance
The City of Alliance is located in northeast Ohio in Stark County. Alliance is situated in the northeast corner of the county, approximately 20 miles from the county seat of Canton, Ohio. The population of Alliance is approximately 24,000.
Alliance was formed in 1850 by the merger of three small settlements, Williamsport, Freedom, and Liberty. A fourth settlement, Mount Union, was added to the city in 1888. The name "Alliance" was chosen because of the "alliance" of the small settlements into a larger entity. It also reflected the soon to come junction of two major railroads of the time, the Ohio and Pennsylvania and the Cleveland and Wellsville.
Partly because of the railroads, Alliance quickly gained an industrial base, and the city was generally known as a railroad town. Several large industrial facilities located in Alliance, including Morgan Engineering. After many decades in the city, Morgan Engineering burned to the ground in August, 2001.
The selection of the Scarlet Carnation as Ohio's state flower is rooted in Alliance history. In 1886, local green thumb and politician, Dr. Levi Lamborn propagated the flower from French seedlings, calling it "Lamborn Red." Opposing William McKinley for the 18th Congressional District a year later, Lamborn presented the future president with a Lamborn Red boutonniere before each debate. As McKinley's political star rose, he spoke of the scarlet carnation as a good luck charm. When he became president, he began wearing one at all times and presenting flowers from a bouquet on his desk to guests.
On September 14, 1901, moments after removing the flower from his lapel and giving it to a young admirer at the Buffalo Exposition, McKinley was struck down by an assasin's bullet. Following years of lobbying by Lamborn, the Ohio General Assembly passed a joint resolution naming the scarlet carnation the state flower on February 3, 1904. On April 1, 1959, the Ohio Legislature recognized Alliance as the "Carnation City". The Greater Alliance Carnation Festival is a weeklong family event for every age level, filled with parades, food, and games to honor the Carnation City.
The city offers a variety of incentives to those who wish to locate their business or industry in the city. With a new industrial park and many new businesses coming to our city, we look forward to a prosperous future. For information on the many incentives being offered to new business and industry, please call Vincent Marion, Director of Planning and Development, at 330-829-2265.
2009 Comprehensive Annual Final Report Released
2010 Water Consumer Confidence Report Released
The Blue Ribbon Committee was formed by Mayor Middleton in July 2004 to examine the City of Alliance's finances through a study of all areas of the city's operations.