Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Huntingdon, Pennsylvania | |
| Nickname(s): Standing Stone | |
| Motto: "Our Home, Our Town" | |
  Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
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| Coordinates: 40°29′43″N 78°0′47″W / 40.49528°N 78.01306°W | |
| Country | United States |
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| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Huntingdon |
| Settled | 1767 |
| Incorporated | 1796 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Borough Council |
| - Mayor | Dee Dee Brown |
| Area | |
| - Total | 3.5 sq mi (9.1 km2) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 643 ft (196 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 6,918 |
| 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 |
| Local phone exchanges: 641, 643, 644 | |
| Website | Huntingdon Borough |
Huntingdon is a borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Huntingdon County. It is located along the Juniata River, 98 miles (158 km) west of Harrisburg, in an agricultural and fruit-growing region, with valuable forests and deposits of iron, coal, fire clay, and limestone. In the past, Huntingdon had manufactures of flour, machinery, radiators, furniture, stationery, woolen goods, lumber, etc. It also was the junction of the Huntingdon & Broad Top Mountain RR with the Pennsylvania Railroad, and a port on the Main Line of Public Works of the Pennsylvania Canal. Huntingdon is home to Juniata College, originally founded by the Church of the Brethren in 1876. It is also the largest borough located closest to Raystown Lake. Its population was 6,918 people at the 2000 census.
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[edit] History
Huntingdon was settled in 1767 by the Rev. Dr. William Smith on the site of a famous Indian council ground, near the spot where Standing Stone Creek flows into the Juniata River. The spot was marked by the erection of a "Standing Stone Monument" erected at the borough centenary and rumored to exist before the founding of the original village which was called Standing Stone. The original charter of incorporation to a borough was adopted in 1796. In 1900, Huntingdon was the home of 6,053 people; in 1910, 6,861 people; and in 1940, 7,170 people.
[edit] Hurricane Ivan
During Hurricane Ivan in 2004, the borough was hit hard with flooding. The high school football field, Route 26 underpass under the railroad tracks, and many other areas in and around Huntingdon were flooded. The only way in an out of the borough was a township-owned road located in Oneida Township that goes up on top of Stone Creek Ridge. It was the worst flooding since Hurricane Agnes in 1972.
[edit] 2009 America's Coolest Small Towns
Huntingdon was named by Budget Travel magazine's readers as 5th Coolest Small Town in the United States in a poll conducted by them. Results were announced on The Early Show, April 15, 2009 with Budget Travel's editor in chief, Nina Willdorf with Harry Smith.[1]
[edit] Geography
Huntingdon is located at 40°29′43″N 78°0′47″W / 40.49528°N 78.01306°W (40.495187, -78.013147)[2].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²), of which, 3.5 square miles (8.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (2.55%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 6,918 people, 2,626 households, and 1,491 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,006.2 people per square mile (774.2/km²). There were 2,817 housing units at an average density of 816.9/sq mi (315.3/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.41% White, 1.40% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population. The dominant religion in Huntingdon is Christianity, with a very low Jewish population, one of the lowest for a town the size of Huntingdon. Religions such as Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism are basically nonexistent in Huntingdon, with very little or no people practicing these religions being permanent residents of Huntingdon.
There were 2,626 households out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the borough the population was spread out with 18.5% under the age of 18, 22.5% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.0 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $31,261, and the median income for a family was $42,684. Males had a median income of $33,269 versus $21,327 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $15,744. About 10.1% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.5% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Media
[edit] Newspapers
- The Daily News
[edit] Radio
Even though Huntingdon does not have its own radio market, stations from the following markets can be heard in Huntingdon:
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[edit] Television
Huntingdon receives television programming from the Johnstown-Altoona-State College, PA media market.
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[edit] Education
[edit] Higher Education
[edit] Colleges and Universities
- Juniata College- founded 1876
- DuBois Business College - Huntingdon Campus
[edit] Public Education
[edit] School District
Huntingdon is served by Huntingdon Area School District, home of the Bearcats.
[edit] High Schools
- Huntingdon Area High School- opened in 1960 (renovated 2004)- Grades 9-12
[edit] Middle Schools
- Huntingdon Area Middle School- opened in 1971- Grades 6-8
[edit] Elementary Schools
- Standing Stone Elementary School- opened in 1999- Grades K-5
- Southside Elementary School- opened in 1997 - Grade K-5
- Brady-Henderson Elementary School- Grades K-5
- Jackson-Miller Elementary School- Grades K-5
[edit] Private Education
- Calvary Christian Academy- Grades K-12
- Huntingdon Christian Academy- Grades K-12
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Notable people
- Dylan Lane (born 1977), game show host (currently hosts Chain Reaction and the National Vocabulary Championship) (born in Tyrone, spent whole childhood in Huntingdon)
- Robert Elliott Speer (1867–1947), American religious leader
- Horace Porter (1837-1921), Civil War General and US Diplomat
- Chuck Knox (born 1932), American football coach with the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Seattle Seahawks; attended Juniata College and married a Huntingdon native
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ America's Coolest Small Towns, Circa 2009
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau Website
- Huntingdon Borough Website
- Huntingdon County Government Website
- Huntingdon County Chamber of Commerce
- Huntingdon Area School District
- Huntingdon, Pennylvania (PA) Detailed Profile at City-Data.com
- Huntingdon, Pennsylvania is at coordinates 40°29′43″N 78°00′47″W / 40.495187°N 78.013147°WCoordinates: 40°29′43″N 78°00′47″W / 40.495187°N 78.013147°W
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