In 1873, Samuel Parks constructed a home and a water-powered gristmill along Breakneck Creek. Parks decided to have a post office placed in his home, so he received help from his friend Samuel Marshall to help establish it. The name of the post office became Overbrook.[3] In 1877, the Pittsburgh, New Castle and Lake Erie Railroad was constructed through Overbrook, and had a station built there. In 1882, the name of the community was changed to Mars since the railroad already had a stop with the name "Overbrook".[3] No one is sure how the name "Mars" came into being. Some say it was Parks's wife who enjoyed astronomy, while others believe it was shortened after Samuel Marshall's name.[4] On March 6, 1895, Mars was incorporated as a borough.
The USS Mars (AFS-1) was named after the borough. The ship became part of the United States Pacific Fleet in 1963, and was decommissioned in 1998. It was then sunk in 2006 as a target vessel. The bell of the USS Mars was loaned to the borough and has become a part of a memorial in the downtown park.
As of the 2000 census,[8] there were 1,746 people, 687 households, and 395 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,906.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,508.3/km2). There were 715 housing units at an average density of 1,599.7 per square mile (617.6/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.68% White, 0.46% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.40% of the population.
There were 687 households, out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.4% were non-families. 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 18.6% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 33.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 70.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 64.2 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $33,073, and the median income for a family was $46,136. Males had a median income of $34,083 versus $26,080 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $17,701. About 7.8% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.
Mars National Bank, founded in 1900, has its headquarters located in the borough, with seven branches located in Butler and Allegheny counties.
Culture
Because of its unique name, and proximity to Pittsburgh, Mars has on occasion received national media attention. In 2011, a representative from The Walt Disney Company invited students from Mars Elementary School to attend the Pittsburgh premiere of Mars Needs Moms, after reading a featured article on the town[dead link] by msnbc.com. Mars was the only school nationwide invited to the film's premiere.[12]
The borough has also been a location for films and television commercials. The 1988 comedy drama film The Prince of Pennsylvania and the 1996 comedy film Kingpin were filmed throughout the borough. In 2000, a Kraft salad dressing commercial was filmed in downtown.
Canadian musician John Southworth named his first album Mars, Pennsylvania after the town, which he had passed through many years earlier on a school trip.
Mars was the inspiration for the fictional town of Athena, Pennsylvania, the setting for the 2015 fictional trilogy, Benjamin's Field, by local author J. J. Knights.[13]
^"Contact Information." Diocese of Eastern America. Retrieved on February 26, 2011. "Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Eastern America 138 Carriage Hill Drive Mars, PA 16046"