Johnstown, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
City | |
 View of Johnstown from theInclined Plane | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: Flood City | |
 Location of Johnstown inCambria County, Pennsylvania | |
  Johnstown  Johnstown | |
| Coordinates:40°19′34″N78°55′10″W / 40.32611°N 78.91944°W /40.32611; -78.91944 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Cambria |
| Founded | 1800 |
| Incorporated (borough) | 1831 (as Conemaugh) |
| Incorporated (city) | December 18, 1889 |
| Government | |
| • Type | City Council |
| • Mayor | Megan Cole (D) |
| • Deputy mayor | Michael Capriotti |
| • Council Member | Rev. Sylvia King Charles Arnone Laura Huchel Marie Mock Richard Britt |
| Area | |
• City | 6.111 sq mi (15.827 km2) |
| • Land | 5.913 sq mi (15.315 km2) |
| • Water | 0.198 sq mi (0.514 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,161 ft (354 m) |
| Population | |
• City | 18,411 |
• Estimate (2023)[6] | 17,950 |
| • Density | 3,040/sq mi (1,172/km2) |
| • Urban | 61,521 (US:444th)[3] |
| • Metro | 130,668 (US:313rd) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 15901–15902, 15904–15907, 15909, 15915, 15945 |
| Area codes | 814 and 582 |
| FIPS code | 42-38288 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1215025[4] |
| Sales tax | 6.0%[7] |
| Website | johnstownpa |
| Designated | October 1, 1947[8] |
Johnstown is the largestcity inCambria County, Pennsylvania, United States.[9] The population was 18,411 as of the2020 census.[5] Located 57 miles (92 km) east ofPittsburgh, it is the principal city of theJohnstown metropolitan area, which had 133,472 residents in 2020. It is also part of the Johnstown–Somerset combined statistical area, which includes both Cambria andSomerset Counties.[10] Once a bustling industrial center, like many cities in theRust Belt Johnstown was severely affected by the loss of jobs due to globalization and the movement of American manufacturing to overseas markets.
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Johnstown was settled in 1770. The city has experienced three majorfloods in its history. TheJohnstown Flood of May 31, 1889, occurred after theSouth Fork Dam collapsed 14.1 miles (22.7 km) upstream from the city during heavyrains. At least 2,209 people died as a result of the flood and subsequentfire that raged through the debris. Another major flood occurred in 1936. Despite a pledge by PresidentFranklin Delano Roosevelt to make the city flood free, and despite subsequent work to do so, another major flood occurred in 1977.
Before becoming an independent town,Windber, Pennsylvania, was considered a part of the city.
The city is home to five nationalhistoric districts: theDowntown Johnstown Historic District,Cambria City Historic District,Minersville Historic District,Moxham Historic District, andOld Conemaugh Borough Historic District. Individual listings on theNational Register of Historic Places are theGrand Army of the Republic Hall,Cambria Iron Company,Cambria Public Library Building,Bridge in Johnstown City,Nathan's Department Store, andJohnstown Inclined Railway.[11]
Johnstown was formally platted as Conemaugh Old Town in 1800 by theSwissGerman immigrant Joseph Johns (born Josef Schantz). The settlement was initially known as "Schantzstadt", but was soon anglicized to Johnstown. An African-American settlement was established on Laurel Hill northwest of Johnstown by the 1820s, within what is today Laurel Ridge State Park. The Laurel Hill settlement remained an important part of the Johnstown African American community into the 20th Century.[12] The Johnstown community incorporated as Conemaugh borough January 12, 1831,[13] but renamed Johnstown on April 14, 1834.[14] From 1834 to 1854, the city was a port and key transfer point along thePennsylvania Main Line Canal. Johnstown was at the head of the canal's western branch, with canal boats having been transported over the mountains via theAllegheny Portage Railroad and refloated here, to continue the trip by water to Pittsburgh and theOhio Valley. Perhaps the most famous passenger who traveled via the canal to visit Johnstown briefly wasCharles Dickens in 1842. By 1854, canal transport became redundant with the completion of thePennsylvania Railroad, which now spanned the state. With the coming of the railroads, the city's growth improved. Johnstown became a stop on the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad and was connected with theBaltimore & Ohio. The railroads provided large-scale development of the region's mineral wealth.
Iron,coal, andsteel quickly became central to the town of Johnstown. By 1860, theCambria Iron Company of Johnstown was the leading steel producer in the United States, outproducing steel giants in Pittsburgh andCleveland. Through the second half of the 19th century, Johnstown made much of the nation'sbarbed wire. Johnstown prospered from skyrocketing demand in the western United States for barbed wire. Twenty years after its founding, the Cambria Works was a huge enterprise sprawling over 60 acres (24 ha) in Johnstown and employing 7,000. It owned 40,000 acres (160 km2) of valuable mineral lands in a region with a ready supply of iron, coal andlimestone.
Floods were almost a yearly event in the valley during the 1880s. On the afternoon of May 30, 1889, following a quietMemorial Day ceremony and a parade, it began raining in the valley. The next day water filled the streets, and rumors began that a dam holding an artificial lake in the mountains to the northeast might give way. It did, and an estimated 20 million tons of water began spilling into the winding gorge that led to Johnstown some 14 miles (23 km) away. The destruction in Johnstown occurred in only about 10 minutes. What had been a thriving steel town with homes, churches, saloons, a library, a railroad station, electric street lights, aroller rink, and twoopera houses was buried under mud and debris. Out of a population of approximately 30,000 at the time, at least 2,209 people are known to have perished in the disaster. An infamous site of a major fire during the flood was the old stone Pennsylvania Railroad bridge located where theStonycreek andLittle Conemaugh rivers join to form theConemaugh River. The bridge still stands today.[15]
TheJohnstown flood of 1889 established theAmerican Red Cross as the pre-eminent emergency relief organization in the United States. FounderClara Barton, then 67, came to Johnstown with 50 doctors and nurses and set up tent hospitals as well as temporary "hotels" for the homeless, and stayed on for five months to coordinate relief efforts.[16]
The mills were back in operation within a month. The Cambria Works grew, and Johnstown became more prosperous than ever. The disaster had not destroyed the community but strengthened it. Later generations would draw on lessons learned in 1889. After the successful merger of six surrounding boroughs,[citation needed] Johnstown became a city on April 7, 1890.[17]
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In 1923, Johnstown Mayor Joseph Cauffiel ordered the expulsion of all African-Americans and Mexicans in Johnstown who had lived in Johnstown for less than seven years. The edict was in response to a deadly shootout between Robert Young, a black man, and Johnstown police officers. African-Americans had settled in the Rosedale neighborhood during theGreat Migration. Although Cauffiel's edict of expulsion was without legal force, some 500 African-Americans fled the city. TheKu Klux Klan burned 12 crosses outside Johnstown in an attempt to intimidate Rosedale's Black population. PennsylvaniaGovernorGifford Pinchot intervened to prevent Cauffiel from enforcing the edict.[18][19]
In the early 20th century, the population reached 67,000 people. The city's first commercial radio station,WJAC, began broadcasts in 1925. The downtown boasted at least five major department stores, including Glosser Brothers, which in the 1950s gave birth to theGee Bee chain of department stores. However, theSt Patrick's Dayflood of 1936 combined with the gnawing effects of theGreat Depression left Johnstown struggling again. Seeking a permanent solution to the flooding problem, Johnstown's citizens wrote to PresidentFranklin Roosevelt pleading for federal aid. In August 1938, theU. S. Army Corps of Engineers launched a five-year project that gouged, widened, deepened, and moved 9.2 miles (14.8 km) of river channel in the city, and encased the river banks in concrete and reinforced steel. In a campaign organized by the Chamber of Commerce, thousands of Johnstown's citizens wrote to friends and relatives across the country hoping to bring new business to the town.
Professionalice hockey found a home in Johnstown, starting in 1941 with theJohnstown Blue Birds for one season and returning in 1950 with theJohnstown Jets. The Jets later hosted an exhibition game againstMaurice Richard and theMontreal Canadiens on November 20, 1951. Newcomers to the town heard little about the tragic past. Johnstown proclaimed itself "flood-free", a feeling reinforced when Johnstown was virtually the only riverside city in Pennsylvania not to flood duringHurricane Agnes in 1972.
The immediate post-World War II years marked Johnstown's peak as asteel maker and fabricator. At its peak, steel provided Johnstowners with more than 13,000 full-time, well-paying jobs. However, increased domestic and foreign competition, coupled with Johnstown's relative distance from its primaryiron ore source in the westernGreat Lakes, led to a steady decline in profitability. New capital investment waned. Johnstown's mountainous terrain, and the resulting poor layout for the mills' physical plant strung along 11 miles (18 km) of river bottom lands, compounded the problem.
New regulations ordered by theEPA in the 1970s also hit Johnstown, with the aging Cambria plant (nowBethlehem Steel) hit especially hard. However, with encouragement from the steel company, city leaders organized an association called Johnstown Area Regional Industries (JARI) and, within a year, raised $3 million for industrial development in the area. Bethlehem Steel, which was the major contributor to the fund, committed itself to bringing new steelmaking technologies to Johnstown because they were impressed by the city's own efforts to diversify.
Extensive damage from the1977 flood was heavy and there was talk of the company pulling out. Again, the city won a reprieve from the company's top management, which had always regarded the Johnstown works with special affection because of its history and reputation. As the increasing amount of federal environmental regulations became more difficult to comply with and the issues with the aging manufacturing facilities grew more significant, and as steel companies began closing down plants all over the country, by 1982 it looked as if Johnstown had exhausted its appeals. By the early 1990s, Johnstown abandoned most of its steel production, although some limited fabrication work continues.
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In 2003, U.S. Census data showed that Johnstown was the least likely city in the United States to attract newcomers; however, what were previously relatively weak opportunities provided by the localmanufacturing andservice economies have more recently begun to burgeon, attracting outsiders.Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica, a Spanishwind energy company, opened its first U.S.wind turbine blade manufacturing facility near here in 2006 which subsequently closed in 2014.[20] Several wind turbines are sited on Babcock Ridge, the "Eastern Continental Divide", along the eastern edge of Cambria andSomerset counties.Lockheed Martin relocated a facility fromGreenville, South Carolina, to Johnstown in 2008. Höganäs AB, a Swedish powdered metals manufacturer operates two plants in the region, one in the Moxham section of the city and also in nearby Hollsopple in Somerset County. Companies like Concurrent Technologies Corporation, DRS Laurel Technologies, ITSI Biosciences, Kongsberg Defense and more throughout the region are thriving businesses. Recent construction in the surrounding region, the downtown, and adjacent Kernville neighborhood—including a new 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) Regional Technology Complex that will house a division ofNorthrop Grumman, among other tenants—signal the increasing dependence of Johnstown's economy on the U.S. government's defense budget. The high-techdefense industry is now the main non-health-care staple of the Johnstown economy, with the region pulling in well over $100M annually in federal government contracts, punctuated by one of the premier defense trade shows in the U.S., the annual Showcase for Commerce.[citation needed]
Johnstown remains a regional medical, educational, cultural, and communications center. As in many other locales,health care provides a significant percentage of the employment opportunities in the city. The region is located right in the middle of the "Health Belt", an area stretching from theMidwest toNew England and down theEast Coast that has had massive growth in the health care industry. Major health care centers include Memorial Medical Center and Windber Medical Center, the Laurel Highlands Neuro-Rehabilitation Center, and the John P. Murtha Neuroscience and Pain Institute, with its advances in treating wounded veterans, and the Joyce Murtha Breast Care Center's focus on early diagnosis and advanced treatment.[21]
TheUniversity of Pittsburgh at Johnstown andPennsylvania Highlands Community College attract thousands of students to their contiguous campuses inRichland, 5 miles (8 km) east of Johnstown. Cambria-Rowe Business College, located in theMoxham section of Johnstown, which offered concentrated career training and had continuously served Johnstown since 1891 closed in 2016 after loss of accreditation.[22] The Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, a concert/theatrical venue at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, attracts high-quality performers. TheJohnstown Symphony Orchestra and the recently formed Johnstown Symphony Chamber Players provide classical music. The Johnstown Concert Ballet, centered in the Historic Cambria City District, provides classical ballet performances and training to the area. The Pasquerilla Convention Center was recently constructed downtown, adjacent to the historicCambria County War Memorial Arena at 326 Napoleon Street.Point Stadium, a baseball park whereBabe Ruth once played, was razed and rebuilt. A zoning ordinance created an artist zone and a traditional neighborhood zone to encourage both artistic endeavors and the old-fashioned "Mom and Pop" enterprises that had difficulty thriving under the previous code. The Bottleworks Ethnic Arts Center offers many exhibitions, events, performances, and classes that celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the area.
TheJohnstown Chiefs ice hockey team played for 22 seasons, the longest period a franchise of the league stayed in one city. The Chiefs were a member team of theECHL, and played their home games in theCambria County War Memorial Arena. The Chiefs' decision to relocate caused a flood of public interest in the sport of hockey. As many as four leagues were interested in having a team in the War Memorial. In the end the city landed a deal with another ECHL team, theWheeling Nailers, who played parts of two seasons at the War Memorial. A full-time tenant arrived in 2012, when theJohnstown Tomahawks of the juniorNorth American Hockey League began play.
The recently established ART WORKS in Johnstown! houses artist studios in some of the area's architecturally significant but underused industrial buildings. The ART WORKS in Johnstown project is projected to be a non-profit LEED-certified green building. The Frank & Sylvia Pasquerilla Heritage Discovery Center opened in 2001 with the permanent exhibit "America: Through Immigrant Eyes", which tells the story ofimmigration to the area during theIndustrial Revolution. In June 2009, the Heritage Discovery Center opened the Johnstown Children's Museum and premiered "The Mystery of Steel", a film detailing the history of steel in Johnstown. The Bottleworks Ethnic Arts Center, ART WORKS, and the Heritage Discovery Center are located in the historic Cambria City section of town, which boasts a variety of eastern European ethnicchurches and social halls. This neighborhood hosted theNational Folk Festival for three years in the early 1990s, which expanded into theFlood City Music Festival. Johnstown also hosts the annual Thunder in the Valley motorcycle rally during the fourth week of June; the event has attracted motorcyclists from across theNortheast to the city of Johnstown since 1998. Well over 200,000 participants enjoyed the 2008 edition of Thunder in the Valley, and the event continues to grow in size.
Significant efforts have been made to deal with deteriorating housing,brownfields, drug problems, and other issues as population leaves the city limits and concentrates in suburban boroughs and townships. The Johnstown Fire Department has become a leader in developing intercommunication systems amongfirst responders, and is now a national model for ways to avoid the communications problems which faced many first responders during theSeptember 11, 2001 attacks.[citation needed]
Johnstown is located in southwesternCambria County at40°19′34″N78°55′10″W / 40.32611°N 78.91944°W /40.32611; -78.91944 (40.3260031, -78.9193066).[4]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.111 square miles (15.83 km2), of which 5.913 square miles (15.31 km2) is land and 0.198 square miles (0.51 km2) is water.[2] TheConemaugh River forms at Johnstown at theconfluence of its tributaries, theStonycreek River and theLittle Conemaugh.
Johnstown is divided into many neighborhoods, each with its own unique, ethnic feel. These include the Downtown Business District, Kernville, Hornerstown, Roxbury, Old Conemaugh Borough, Prospect, Woodvale, Minersville, Cambria City, Morrellville (West End), Oakhurst, Coopersdale, Walnut Grove, Moxham and the 8th Ward. Before 1900, the town ofWindber, Pennsylvania, was a neighborhood of Johnstown, until its incorporation.
The borough of Dale is anenclave surrounded by the city of Johnstown, situated on the southeast side of the city between Hornerstown and Walnut Grove.
| Climate data for Johnstown, Pennsylvania (Cambria County Airport) (1991-2020 normals, extremes 2000-present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18) | 73 (23) | 76 (24) | 83 (28) | 87 (31) | 90 (32) | 94 (34) | 90 (32) | 88 (31) | 84 (29) | 76 (24) | 71 (22) | 94 (34) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 56.7 (13.7) | 56.6 (13.7) | 66.5 (19.2) | 77.8 (25.4) | 82.6 (28.1) | 85.0 (29.4) | 86.4 (30.2) | 85.2 (29.6) | 83.2 (28.4) | 76.1 (24.5) | 68.0 (20.0) | 58.5 (14.7) | 87.7 (30.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 33.4 (0.8) | 36.3 (2.4) | 44.7 (7.1) | 57.9 (14.4) | 68.2 (20.1) | 74.9 (23.8) | 78.6 (25.9) | 77.1 (25.1) | 70.5 (21.4) | 59.4 (15.2) | 47.4 (8.6) | 37.8 (3.2) | 57.2 (14.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 26.3 (−3.2) | 28.7 (−1.8) | 36.4 (2.4) | 48.1 (8.9) | 58.5 (14.7) | 66.0 (18.9) | 69.9 (21.1) | 68.6 (20.3) | 61.6 (16.4) | 51.1 (10.6) | 40.1 (4.5) | 31.2 (−0.4) | 48.9 (9.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 19.2 (−7.1) | 21.2 (−6.0) | 28.0 (−2.2) | 38.4 (3.6) | 48.8 (9.3) | 57.2 (14.0) | 61.2 (16.2) | 60.0 (15.6) | 52.7 (11.5) | 42.7 (5.9) | 32.8 (0.4) | 24.6 (−4.1) | 40.6 (4.8) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 0.1 (−17.7) | 2.3 (−16.5) | 9.2 (−12.7) | 23.2 (−4.9) | 33.4 (0.8) | 43.4 (6.3) | 50.6 (10.3) | 49.9 (9.9) | 40.3 (4.6) | 29.0 (−1.7) | 17.1 (−8.3) | 7.3 (−13.7) | −2.4 (−19.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −14 (−26) | −11 (−24) | −2 (−19) | 14 (−10) | 23 (−5) | 38 (3) | 42 (6) | 45 (7) | 32 (0) | 26 (−3) | 6 (−14) | −8 (−22) | −14 (−26) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.54 (65) | 2.53 (64) | 3.12 (79) | 3.54 (90) | 4.12 (105) | 4.40 (112) | 4.22 (107) | 3.95 (100) | 3.99 (101) | 3.06 (78) | 3.11 (79) | 2.68 (68) | 41.26 (1,048) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 15.2 | 14.0 | 13.8 | 14.1 | 16.7 | 14.6 | 14.6 | 13.5 | 12.2 | 14.5 | 12.7 | 14.6 | 170.5 |
| Source: NOAA[23][24] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 949 | — | |
| 1850 | 1,269 | 33.7% | |
| 1860 | 4,185 | 229.8% | |
| 1870 | 6,028 | 44.0% | |
| 1880 | 8,380 | 39.0% | |
| 1890 | 21,805 | 160.2% | |
| 1900 | 35,936 | 64.8% | |
| 1910 | 55,482 | 54.4% | |
| 1920 | 67,327 | 21.3% | |
| 1930 | 66,993 | −0.5% | |
| 1940 | 66,668 | −0.5% | |
| 1950 | 63,232 | −5.2% | |
| 1960 | 53,949 | −14.7% | |
| 1970 | 42,476 | −21.3% | |
| 1980 | 35,496 | −16.4% | |
| 1990 | 28,134 | −20.7% | |
| 2000 | 23,906 | −15.0% | |
| 2010 | 20,978 | −12.2% | |
| 2020 | 18,411 | −12.2% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 17,950 | [6] | −2.5% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[25] 2020 Census[5] | |||
| Race | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 12,295 | 66.8% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 3,747 | 20.4% |
| Native American (NH) | 27 | 0.1% |
| Asian (NH) | 78 | 0.4% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 9 | 0.0% |
| Some Other Race (NH) | 88 | 0.5% |
| Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) | 1,394 | 7.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 773 | 4.2% |
| Total | 18,411 | 100.0% |
As of the2020 census, there were 18,411 people, 8,574 households, and 4,399 families residing in the city.[27] Thepopulation density was 3,104.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,198.7/km2). There were 11,133 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 68.1%White, 20.9%African American, 0.2%Native American, 0.4%Asian, 0.0%Pacific Islander, 1.2% from some other races and 9.0% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.2% of the population.[28] 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18, 4.9% were under 5 years of age, and 19.5% were 65 and older.
As of the2010 census, there were 20,978 people, 9,917 households, and 5,086 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,559.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,374.4/km2). There were 11,978 housing units at an average density of 2,030.2 per square mile (783.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 80.0%White, 14.6%African American, 0.2%Native American, 0.2%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.7%some other race, and 4.3% fromtwo or more races.Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.1% of the population. In the three-year period ending in 2010, it was estimated that 22.3% of the population were ofGerman, 15.8%Irish, 12.9%Italian, 7.7%Slovak, 6.7%English, 5.6%Polish, and 6.1%American ancestry.
At the 2010 census, there were 9,917 households, of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.5% were headed bymarried couples living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.7% were non-families. Of all households, 43.0% were made up of individuals, and 17.9% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.87.
The age distribution was 21.7% under 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 or older. The median age was 41.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.
For the period 2011–2013, the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $23,785, and the median income for a family was $32,221. Male full-time workers had a median income of $31,026 versus $28,858 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $15,511. 34.2% of the population and 26.9% of families were below thepoverty line. Of the total population, 55.0% of those under the age of 18 and 18.4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
The unemployment average is reported at 9%. Most of the jobs center around health care, defense, telemarketing and retail.[citation needed]
A reduction in steel production also reduced coal mining in Pennsylvania, which was important to the Johnstown economy. In 1982, Johnstown's longest-serving mayor,Herbert Pfuhl Jr., said that, as a result of the decline, city revenues had fallen approximately 35 percent.[29] In recent years, Johnstown has focused on diversifying its economy beyond steel, with growth in healthcare, education, and small business development.[30]
The Johnstown economy later recovered somewhat, largely due to industry around health care and high-tech defense,[31] but was reported to be the third-fastest shrinking city in the U.S. in 2017.[32] Nonetheless, in 2018, Johnstown was ranked 169th among "The Best Small Places For Business And Careers" in the U.S., byForbes.[33]
Major employers in the area include:
Johnstown hosts a number of events each year. "Thunder in the Valley" was a motorcycle rally with weekend crowds ranging from 150,000 to 200,000.[38] Thunder in the Valley held its last event in 2023, but the inaugural "Rumble Through the Valley" will host its first rally in June 2025.[39]
The AAABA amateur baseball tournament is held at the Point Stadium in downtown Johnstown.[40]
TheFlood City Music Festival is held at Peoples Natural Gas Park,[41] which has hosted national acts ranging fromBoz Scaggs,Gregg Allman (of theAllman Brothers),Spin Doctors, andJerry Harrison andAdrian Belew (formerly ofTalking Heads).
The Sunnehanna Amateur golf tournament is held once a year at Sunnehanna Country Club. Professional golfers have played in this tournament as amateurs such asTiger Woods andArnold Palmer.[42]
| Club | League | Venue | Established | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnstown Mill Rats | Prospect League (baseball) | Point Stadium | 2021 | 0 |
| Johnstown Tomahawks | NAHL (ice hockey) | Cambria County War Memorial Arena | 2012 | 0 |
Johnstown has been home to a long succession of minor leaguehockeyfranchises dating back to 1940. One of the more recent manifestations, theJohnstown Chiefs, were named for theirSlap Shot counterparts. The team made their debut in January 1988 with theAll-American Hockey League, joining the league midway through the season. After one season in the AAHL, the Chiefs became one of five teams to join the newly foundedEast Coast Hockey League (now ECHL). The team announced in February 2010 that they would be leaving Johnstown for a location inSouth Carolina. In April 2010 it was announced that theWheeling Nailers of the ECHL would call Johnstown home for 10 games during the regular season and for one of their preseason games. They returned once again for the 2011–12 season. After the 2011-2012NAHL hockey season, the Alaska Avalanche relocated to Johnstown and became theJohnstown Tomahawks and have remained in Johnstown ever since.
The city has history in amateur and professional baseball. Since 1944, Johnstown has been the host city for the AAABA Baseball Tournament held each summer. SeveralMajor League Baseball players have played on AAABA teams over the years, including Hall-of FamersAl Kaline andReggie Jackson and former Major League managersJoe Torre andBruce Bochy. The organization also has its own Hall of Fame instituted in its 50th anniversary year of 1994.
In addition, the city has hosted several incarnations of a minor-league baseball team, theJohnstown Johnnies, beginning in 1884. The last team to play as the Johnnies, as a part of theFrontier League, left the city in 2002. TheJohnstown Mill Rats, a member of the summer collegiateProspect League, have played at the Point Stadium since 2021.
Johnstown also hosts the annualSunnehanna Amateur golf tournament at its Sunnehanna Country Club. The invitational tournament hosts top amateur golfers from around the United States.
Johnstown is home to the Flood City Water Polo team. Established in 2005 by Zachary Puhala, the team takes its name from the history of floods in the area. FCWP is part of the American Water Polo Organization.
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On May 2, 2015, Johnstown was announced as the winner of the 2015Kraft Hockeyville USA contest and was awarded $150,000 toward improvements of theCambria County War Memorial Arena. The contest was sponsored through a partnership betweenKraft Foods, theNational Hockey League (NHL), andNational Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA). In addition to the cash prize, the arena won the opportunity to host the September 29, 2015, NHL pre-season game between thePittsburgh Penguins andTampa Bay Lightning. The Penguins defeated the Lightning 4-2 with goals fromSergei Plotnikov,Ian Cole,Adam Clendening, and a game winning goal fromEvgeni Malkin.[43]
Per WJAC; in the year 2022, Johnstown has had 12 homicides as of August. Statistics have not been updated since 2018 — The chances of becoming a victim of a violent crime in Johnstown are 1 in 184; whereas, the average for Pennsylvania is 1 in 316.”[44][needs update]
The Johnstown City Hall is located at 401 Main Street. The mayor of Johnstown is Frank Janakovic, and the Deputy Mayor is Marie Mock.[45]
Colleges:
Secondary education:
Technology schools:
Libraries:
Johnstown's television market is part of the Johnstown/Altoona/State College market.NBC affiliateWJAC-TV 6 (which also operates the market'sCW affiliate throughThe CW Plus on its DT4 subchannel) andFox affiliateWWCP-TV 8 are licensed in the city. Johnstown is also served byCBS affiliateWTAJ-TV 10 andABC affiliateWATM-TV 23, both based in Altoona, and State College-basedPBS member stationWPSU-TV 3, licensed toClearfield but based on thePennsylvania State University campus. Several other low-power stations, includingWHVL-LD 29 (MyNetworkTV) in State College, also transmit to Johnstown.WPKD-TV 19, the CW's affiliate inPittsburgh licensed toJeannette, began operations in Johnstown and later moved to serve the Pittsburgh area, but would continue to be available in Johnstown until September 2019 as the market's default CW affiliate.
The city is home to three print publications,The Tribune-Democrat,Johnstown Magazine, andOur Town Johnstown.
The Johnstown broadcast marketradio stations in the area includeWNTJ,WKGE,WJHT, and others.
The main highway connecting Johnstown to thePennsylvania Turnpike isU.S. Route 219. There is alsoPA Route 56, which is an expressway from 219 until Walnut Street. From there, it provides a connection toU.S. Route 22 to the north of Johnstown, which connects toPittsburgh andAltoona.
The local airport is theJohn Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport, served by United Express, with flights to Washington-Dulles and Chicago-O'Hare.
Passenger rail service is provided byAmtrak's dailyPennsylvanian at theJohnstown Amtrak station. The city is located on the former mainline of thePennsylvania Railroad.Norfolk Southern operates 60–80 trains daily on these rails.CSX also has a branch into the city.
CamTran operates the local bus service and theJohnstown Inclined Plane (funicular). Until 1976, local transit service was operated by a private company,Johnstown Traction Company.Streetcars (or "trolleys") operated in Johnstown until 1960, andtrolley buses from 1951 until 1967.[47]
The Johnstown Fire Department has available response teams for Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) and a boat in which they are able to perform water and ice rescues. Along with the fire department is part of the Special Emergency Response Team (SERT). The fire department also provides on-site classes on fire safety.[48]
The Johnstown Police Department (JPD) has 35 full-time officers and the chief of police is Richard Pritchard.[49]
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The 2021 bookSmalltime: The Story of My Family and the Mob, byRussell Shorto, is the story of organized crime in and around Johnstown, and the connections Shorto's family had to theAmerican Mafia.[53]
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