Huntingdon, Pennsylvania

For other places in Pennsylvania with similar names, see Huntingdon, Pennsylvania (disambiguation).
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Standing Stone Village (historical)
Borough

Presbyterian Church
Nickname(s): Ye Ancient Borough (historical)
Motto: "Our Home, Our Town"
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Coordinates: 40°29′43″N 78°0′47″W / 40.49528°N 78.01306°W / 40.49528; -78.01306Coordinates: 40°29′43″N 78°0′47″W / 40.49528°N 78.01306°W / 40.49528; -78.01306
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
County Huntingdon
Plat drawn of streets and lots 1767
Incorporated 1796
Government
 • Type Borough Council
 • Mayor Dee Dee Brown (R), elected 2009
Area
 • Total 3.5 sq mi (9.1 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation 643 ft (196 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 7,093
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Zip code 16652, 16654
Area code(s) 814
School district: Huntingdon Area School District
Website Huntingdon Borough

Huntingdon is a borough in (and the county seat of) Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located along the Juniata River, approximately 32 miles (51 km) east of Altoona and 98 miles (158 km) west of Harrisburg. It is the largest population center near Raystown Lake, a winding, 28 miles (45 km) long flood-control reservoir managed by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. The borough is located on the main line of the Norfolk Southern (formerly Pennsylvania) Railroad, in an agricultural and outdoor recreational region with extensive forests and scattered deposits of ganister rock, coal, fire clay, and limestone. Historically, the region surrounding Huntingdon was dotted with iron furnaces and forges, consuming limestone, iron ore and wood (for charcoal production) throughout the 19th century. Dairy farms dominate the local agriculture. The town is a regular stop for the Amtrak passenger service which connects Harrisburg with Pittsburgh.

Huntingdon is home to Juniata College, a private liberal arts college founded by members of the Church of the Brethren in 1876, and branch campuses of DuBois Business College and Penn Highlands Community College. In adjoining Smithfield Township (across the Juniata River) are the regional headquarters of the Pennsylvania Game Commission (Southcentral Division) and the Bureau of Forestry (Rothrock State Forest). State Game Lands 322 extends north from Huntingdon Borough in the direction of Petersburg. Public parks are the George N. Weaver Memorial Park (ball field and playground) at the end of 16th Street, Portstown Park along the Juniata River, and Blair Field bordering Standing Stone Creek. Historic Blair Park, directly across the same stream, is owned and managed by a nonprofit group; it contains a gazebo, and a level hiking and biking trail. A vintage chapel within the park is used by the congregation of Epiphany of Our Lord Orthodox Church.

In 2009, Huntingdon was named by Budget Travel magazine's readers as the 5th Coolest Small Town in the United States. Results were announced on The Early Show on April 15, 2009 by Budget Travel's editor in chief Nina Willdorf and show host Harry Smith.[1]

In 2015, Huntingdon was chosen by Niche.com as the 7th Best City to Retire in Pennsylvania.[2]

Huntingdon is the nearest town to the Allegrippis Trail system, currently ranked #15 on the list of "The BEST Mountain Bike Trails in the World."[3]

History

Standing Stone Monument

In 1768, Rev. Dr. William Smith began selling lots on the Standing Stone Tract along the Juniata, land he had recently acquired. The tract's two prior owners had not attempted to lay out a town, so Dr. Smith is considered the founder. Huntingdon (the name by which he eventually called his town) sits at the site of corn fields that had been cultivated at a date now unknown, next to where Standing Stone Creek flows into the Juniata River. The 100th anniversary of its incorporation was marked by the erection of a “Standing Stone Monument” on Third Street, modeled on a tall, narrow shaft known to have existed before 1750, whose purpose is unclear but may have served as a trail marker. It may be significant that natural sandstone formations (popularly called Pulpit Rocks), which "stand erect," are on a nearby ridge. A story surfaced during the early 19th century that Smith had renamed Standing Stone Settlement to honor an Englishwoman, Selina, the Countess of Huntingdon, England. Smith's descendants vehemently denied the story, and there exists no evidence to support it, despite a wide circulation in published sources. More likely, the Anglican cleric named it after the town of the same name in England; doing so had become a pattern for naming Pennsylvania settlements, Bedford, Carlisle and York being nearby examples of the trend. In 1796, the little village was incorporated as a borough.

Huntingdon long served as the junction of the Huntingdon and Broad Top Mountain Railroad with the Pennsylvania Railroad, and as an important port on the Main Line of Public Works of the Pennsylvania Canal. In past years, Huntingdon boasted of manufacturers of flour, heavy machinery, radiators, furniture, stationery, woolen goods, shirts, shoes, electronic components, finished lumber, fiberglass yarn, matting and underground storage tanks. In the 19th century, J. C. Blair, a native of Shade Gap and a stationer and businessman, popularized the writing tablet and began marketing it nationwide. His factory in downtown Huntingdon was later relocated to nearby Alexandria. The vicinity (but not much of the town proper) has been the subject of repeated flooding, in 1889, in 1936, and again in 1972. More recently in 2004, Hurricane Ivan resulted in major flooding close to Huntingdon, the worst since the remnants of Hurricane Agnes stalled over the region in July 1972.

The Huntingdon Borough Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.[4]

Geography

Huntingdon is located at 40°29′43″N 78°0′47″W / 40.49528°N 78.01306°W / 40.49528; -78.01306 (40.495187, -78.013147).[5]

 Tyrone State College Lewistown
Altoona McVeytown
   Huntingdon  
Johnstown Hollidaysburg Harrisburg

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.1 km2), of which only 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (2.55%) is water.

Adjacent Municipalities

The following municipalities are also located in Huntingdon County, bordering on the Borough:

Climate

Climate data for Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 79
(26)		 77
(25)		 85
(29)		 95
(35)		 98
(37)		 100
(38)		 105
(41)		 105
(41)		 102
(39)		 97
(36)		 79
(26)		 73
(23)		 105
(41)
Average high °F (°C) 38
(3)		 39
(4)		 50
(10)		 62
(17)		 74
(23)		 82
(28)		 85
(29)		 83
(28)		 78
(26)		 66
(19)		 52
(11)		 40
(4)		 62.4
(16.8)
Average low °F (°C) 19
(−7)		 19
(−7)		 27
(−3)		 36
(2)		 46
(8)		 55
(13)		 59
(15)		 58
(14)		 51
(11)		 39
(4)		 31
(−1)		 22
(−6)		 38.5
(3.6)
Record low °F (°C) −29
(−34)		 −23
(−31)		 −10
(−23)		 6
(−14)		 21
(−6)		 29
(−2)		 8
(−13)		 36
(2)		 24
(−4)		 13
(−11)		 −10
(−23)		 −22
(−30)		 −29
(−34)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.8
(71)		 2.5
(64)		 3.5
(89)		 3.3
(84)		 3.8
(97)		 3.9
(99)		 3.9
(99)		 3.7
(94)		 3.0
(76)		 2.8
(71)		 2.6
(66)		 2.7
(69)		 38.5
(979)
Source: Weatherbase [6]

Demographics

As of the census[7] of 2010, there were 7,093 people, 2,674 households, and 1,461 families residing in the borough.

Historical Population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1800688—    
1810676−0.18%
1820848+2.29%
18401,145+1.51%
18501,470+2.53%
18601,890+2.54%
18703,634+6.76%
18804,125+1.28%
18905,729+3.34%
19006,053+0.55%
19106,861+1.26%
19207,051+0.27%
19307,558+0.70%
19407,170−0.53%
19507,330+0.22%
19607,234−0.13%
19706,987−0.35%
19807,042+0.08%
19906,843−0.29%
20006,918+0.11%
20107,093+0.25%
20157,029−0.18%
Sources:[8][7][9]
Source:
U.S. Decennial Census[10]

The population density was 2,026.6 people per square mile (779.5/km²). There were 2,911 housing units at an average density of 831.7 per square mile (319.9/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 94.61% White, 1.93% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 1.51% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.49% of the population.

There were 2,674 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.4% were non-families. 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% 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 2.82.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 17.7% under the age of 18, 24.4% from 18 to 24, 19.1% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $35,057, and the median income for a family was $54,621. The per capita income for the borough was $19,070. About 6.3% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Higher Education

Vocational/Technical Education

Public Education

Private Education

Public Services

Emergency Services

Health Care

Postal Services

Public Library

Transportation

Water Source

The source of the city water for Huntingdon borough and Smithfield Township is Standing Stone Creek, with the water treatment facility being located in the east end of the borough.[11]

Media

Newspapers

Magazines

Radio

Huntingdon's only radio stations are WHUN Hunny 106.3FM, Bigfoot Country, ESPN Radio AM 1150, and the Juniata College station WKVR 92.3FM, but radio broadcasts from other markets can also be heard:

Television

Huntingdon receives all television programming from the Johnstown-Altoona-State College, PA media market.

Annual Events

Non-Profit Organizations

Residents and former residents

See also

References

  1. ↑ America's Coolest Small Towns, Circa 2009
  2. ↑
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  5. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  6. ↑ "Weatherbase: Weather for Huntingdon, Pennsynlvania". Weatherbase. 2016. Retrieved on February 19, 2016.
  7. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  8. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  9. ↑ "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  10. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  11. ↑ Source Water Assessment Public Summary. Elibrary.dep.state.pa.us. Retrieved on 2013-07-23.
  12. ↑ "Mayfest of Huntingdon". Mayfest of Huntingdon. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  13. ↑ "Hauntingdon, Pa". Hauntingdon, Pa. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
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