Mars

More prosaically, Mars is 18 miles north of Pittsburgh and 12 miles southwest of Butler.  Except for its uncommon name, Mars is typical of thousands of small towns strewn the length of and breadth of America; typical and also different – individual.

It has been at various times, a farming community, a railroad town, an oil boomtown, a shopping business center, a reasonably self-sufficient borough with its own industry, and a rural-suburban community.  It retains elements of all of these.

The borough of Mars is the principal town in Adams Township, and is also a business center, having stores  that supply entire family needs including groceries, clothing, hardware, jewelry, varieties, feed and farm supplies, garages, service stations, auto parts, beauty parlors, barber shops, restaurants, bank; also doctors, dentist, drugstore, insurance offices and mortuaries.  There are 176 business places in or near Mars, including manufacturers.

The largest employer is St. John Lutheran Home for the elderly.  Nearby are James Austin Co., Mine Safety, Carl Strutz & Co., Fey Steel, and the Mars Area School District.  Employment ranges from a high of 500 to self-operated businesses.

Located between Butler and Pittsburgh, Mars is ideally situated to numerous dining and shopping establishments and offers convenient access to I79, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, State Routes 19 and 8 within easy reach of the region's retail centers, world-class universities, hospitals, cultural and recreational facilities.