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Altoona, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
 Altoona seen fromBrush Mountain in September 2011 | |
 Seal  | |
| Nicknames: The Mountain City, Railroad City[1] | |
 Location of Altoona in Blair County, Pennsylvania | |
  Altoona  Altoona | |
| Coordinates:40°31′N78°24′W / 40.51°N 78.40°W /40.51; -78.40 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Pennsylvania |
| County | Blair County |
| Founded | 1849 |
| Incorporated (borough) | February 6, 1854 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1868 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Matt Pacifico (R)[2][3][4] |
| Area | |
• City | 9.79 sq mi (25.36 km2) |
| • Land | 9.79 sq mi (25.36 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,161 ft (354 m) |
| Population | |
• City | 43,963 |
| • Density | 4,490.2/sq mi (1,733.67/km2) |
| • Urban | 79,930 |
| • Metro | 121,829 |
| • Demonym | Altoonian |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 16601–16603 |
| Area code | 814 |
| FIPS code | 42-02184 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1214939[6] |
| Website | altoonapa.gov |
| Designated | April 01, 1947[8] |
Altoona (/ælˈtuːnə/al-TOO-nə)[9] is acity inBlair County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 43,963 at the time of the2020 census.[10] It is the principal city of the Altoonametropolitan area, which includes all of Blair County and was recorded as having a population of 122,823.[11]
Altoona was established in 1849 by thePennsylvania Railroad.[12] Having grown around the railroad industry, the city has worked to recover fromindustrial decline andurban decentralization experienced in recent decades. The city is home to theAltoona Curve baseball team of theEastern League, which is the AA affiliate of thePittsburgh PiratesMajor League Baseball team. They play at Peoples Natural Gas Field in Altoona.[13] The Altoona Symphony Orchestra has called Altoona home since 1928.[14] Prominent landmarks include theHorseshoe Curve, theRailroaders Memorial Museum, theJuniata Shops of theAltoona Works, theMishler Theatre, theCathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, and theJaffa Shrine Center.
One explanation of the city's name is that the word Altoona is a derivative of the Latin wordaltus, meaning high.[15]
An alternate theory is given inPennsylvania Place Names, a compendium published in 1925.[16] It suggests that Colonel Beverly Mayer ofColumbia, Pennsylvania, a civil engineer of the Pennsylvania Central Railway, was the person who named Altoona after the city ofAltona in theDuchy of Holstein, which became part of theKingdom of Prussia in1864 and of Germany in 1871.[16] The German Altona, which is today a district ofHamburg, lies on the right bank of theElbe and is an important railway and manufacturing center.
Popular belief has it that the Hamburg district ofAltona owes its name to its close vicinity to Hamburg. Supposedly, Hamburg's merchants considered their rival to the west 'all zu nah' ('far too close'), which over time became Altona.[17]
In 1849, David Robinson sold his farm to Archibald Wright ofPhiladelphia, who transferred the property to his son, John A. Wright. The son laid out the property into building lots, and became one of the founders of Altoona. John A. Wright is considered another person who may have named the city. According to his own statement, he had spent considerable time inCherokee country inGeorgia. He was attracted to the name of the Georgia townAllatoona, which he believed meant "the high lands of great worth." An 1883 publication favored the Cherokee derivation, stating that "Its name is not derived from the Latin word altus nor from the French word alto, as has frequently been asserted and published, but from the beautiful, liquid, and expressive Cherokee word Allatoona."[18]
For 60 days in 2011, the city officially changed its name to "POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" in exchange for $25,000 as part of a marketing gimmick for themovie of the same name.[19]
Prior to European settlement, the Altoona area was inhabited by theIroquois Confederacy.[20] Altoona was founded by thePennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1849 as the site for a shop and maintenance complex. Altoona was incorporated as aborough on February 6, 1854, and as a city under legislation approved on April 3, 1867, and February 8, 1868.[21]
In late September 1862, Altoona was home to theWar Governors' Conference which brought together 13 governors of Union states. This body gave early approval to theEmancipation Proclamation. The town grew rapidly in the late 19th century, its population approximately 2,000 in 1854, 10,000 in 1870, and 20,000 in 1880. The demand forlocomotives during theCivil War stimulated much of this growth, and by the later years of the war, Altoona was known as a valuable city for the North. Altoona was also the site of the first Interstate Commission meeting to create and design theGettysburg National Cemetery following the devastatingBattle of Gettysburg. The centrality and convenience of the town's rail transportation brought these two important gatherings to the city during the war.[citation needed]
Horseshoe Curve, a curved section of track built by the Pennsylvania Railroad, located at MP 242 on the NS Pittsburgh line, has become atourist attraction andNational Historic Landmark. Theengineered curve was built to help trains cross the Allegheny Ridge, a barrier to westward trade. Construction of theErie Canal in New York 20 years earlier had diverted much port traffic from Philadelphia to New York City, feeding that city's commercial dominance. Because the curve was an industrial link to the western United States, Horseshoe Curve was a primary target of eightNazisaboteurs who had landed duringWorld War II fromU-boats ofNazi Germany'sKriegsmarine duringOperation Pastorius.[22]
At its peak in the early 20th century, PRR'sAltoona Works complex employed about 15,000 people and covered three miles (5 km) in length, 218 acres (88 ha) of yards and 37 acres (15 ha) of indoor workshop floor space in 122 buildings. The PRR built 7,873 of its own locomotives at the Works, the last in 1946.[23] PRR shaped the city, creating the city's fire departments and moving the hospital to a site nearer to the shop's gates. Today, thefire department employs 65 people and is the largest career department between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.[24] PRR sponsored a city band and constructed Cricket Field, a sports complex. In 1853, the PRR built the Mechanic's Library, the first industrial library in the nation, which exists today as the Altoona Area Public Library.[25] With the decline in railroad demand after World War II, things began to decline. Many treasures of the city's history disappeared, including the Logan House Hotel and railroad shops.[23]
Horseshoe Curve is a popular tourist attraction, particularly for train aficionados. There is afunicular that takes visitors to a viewing area, or it can be reached by climbing 194 steps to the top.[26]
On May 22, 1949, at about 6 pm, atornado moved through the southern part of Altoona. According to theAltoona Mirror, the tornado touched down near Sugar Run Road in theCanan Station area ofAllegheny Township and cut a 100-yard (91 m) swath of destruction through the southwestern portion of Altoona. Houses lost shingles and there was extensive tree damage in theEldorado and Llyswen sections of town.
Another tornado touched down inMorrisons Cove, 20 miles (32 km) south of Altoona. Houses were unroofed and barns were destroyed in theHenrietta andMillerstown area. A 17-year-old girl was injured in Henrietta. The damage done by these tornadoes is consistent with winds of 105–110 miles per hour (169–177 km/h).[27]
A map made byTed Fujita in 1974 of all of the tornadoes in the U.S. between 1930 and 1974 shows these two tornadoes mapped as F1 tornadoes on theFujita Scale.[28]
Altoona is one of the dual seats of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown. TheCathedral of the Blessed Sacrament was made acathedral and rechristened from St. John's Church in 1851.
TheAltoona Mirror newspaper,[29] founded in 1876 by Harry Slep, is Altoona's oldest media outlet. Today, the newspaper has a daily circulation of 32,000 and a Sunday circulation of 39,000. Approximately 13,000 people read the online edition of the newspaper each day.
Altoona is home to the world's oldest wooden roller coaster, theLeap-The-Dips, located inLakemont Park.
Altoona lies at the base ofBrush Mountain within Logan Valley and Pleasant Valley. According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.8 square miles (25.4 km2), all land. Altoona is situated in theAllegheny Mountains.
The main sections of Altoona are Downtown Altoona, Center City, Logantown, Fairview, Juniata, Wehnwood, Calvert Hills, 5th Ward, Westmont, Eldorado, East End, Dutch Hill, Pleasant Valley, Hileman Heights, 6th Ward, Mansion Park, Llyswen, Garden Heights, and Highland Park. Some significant neighborhoods are Little Italy, Gospel Hill, Toy Town, Columbia Park, Knickerbockers, and Curtin. Some areas within Logan Township, outside the city limits but still considered sections of Altoona, areLakemont,Greenwood, Bellmeade, Westfall,Newburg, andRed Hill. Many of the older districts consist of a mix ofrowhouses and individual homes, which were a common building style in railroad towns in order to provide for worker and manager housing, respectively.
The downtown is the cultural and commercial center of Altoona and straddles the famous railroads. As is typical of a traditional city layout, the downtown is centrally located and contains significant development in all directions. Much of the area is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places as theDowntown Altoona Historic District.[30] Popular landmarks include theMishler Theatre, thePenn Alto Building (formerly the Penn Alto Hotel), the Gable's Building, City Hall, the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, and Eleventh Avenue itself.
Altoona has several notable churches, including the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament at the corner of 13th Street and 13th Avenue, the building on the corner of 12th Street and 14th Avenue that previously housed the FirstPresbyterian Church, and the FirstLutheran Church on the corner of 14th Street and 12th Avenue. The Station Medical Center, formerly known as the Station Mall, was a downtown mall built during the 1970s in place of many old railroad shops. The downtown contains most of what is known as Altoona'sLittle Italy district.
Because of the geography of the area, exact or natural boundaries for Downtown are not present. Therefore, Downtown is generally defined by what the city has zoned as Central Business: between 13th Avenue and the PRR Expressway, and from 7th Street to 16th Street. However, it is common for areas within Logantown and Center City to be expressed locally as "downtown".
TheTexas Hot Dog was originally created in downtown Altoona in 1918; however, thePaterson, New Jersey Texas Hot Dog location, which opened in 1924, is more famous.[citation needed]
The commercial core of the downtown includes many multistory residential, commercial, and mixed-use facilities designed at the turn of the 20th century in a mix ofVictorian,Edwardian Baroque, andNeo-Romanesque styles. This style features high ceilings, resulting in taller buildings than is typical for the number of floors. The high ceilings are typically made of eithertin orplaster, although sometimes adrop ceiling is utilized.
Individual homes originally provided housing to managers and executives of the PRR and have structural similarities to Victorian or Edwardian mansions, but built very narrow and tall. These are sometimes used as double or triple family apartments or even converted into commercial space. Outside of the commercial core is a mosaic of multistory commercial structures, mixed-use facilities, single story commercial structures, apartment buildings, multiunit housing, and single-family homes.
The U.S. post office in Altoona contains two oil-on-canvasWPA-commissioned murals painted byLorin Thompson in 1938, titledPioneers of Altoona andGrowth of the Road.[31] Murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the United States through theSection of Painting and Sculpture, later called theSection of Fine Arts, of theTreasury Department.
Under theKöppen climate classification, Altoona falls within either ahot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) if the 0 °C (32 °F) isotherm is used or ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa) if the −3 °C (27 °F) isotherm is used. Summers are hot and winters are moderately cold with wide variations in temperature. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 28.4 °F (−2.0 °C) in January to 72.4 °F (22.4 °C) in July, although extremes in temperature have ranged from −25 °F (−32 °C) in 1904 to 103 °F (39 °C) in 2011. Total precipitation is greatest in September and least in February.
| Climate data for Altoona, Pennsylvania (Blair County Airport) 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1926–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 78 (26) | 76 (24) | 85 (29) | 91 (33) | 94 (34) | 97 (36) | 103 (39) | 102 (39) | 97 (36) | 90 (32) | 82 (28) | 74 (23) | 103 (39) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 35.5 (1.9) | 38.6 (3.7) | 47.7 (8.7) | 61.0 (16.1) | 70.9 (21.6) | 78.6 (25.9) | 82.9 (28.3) | 81.1 (27.3) | 74.2 (23.4) | 62.7 (17.1) | 50.5 (10.3) | 39.9 (4.4) | 60.3 (15.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 28.4 (−2.0) | 30.7 (−0.7) | 38.7 (3.7) | 50.4 (10.2) | 60.3 (15.7) | 68.5 (20.3) | 72.4 (22.4) | 70.6 (21.4) | 63.7 (17.6) | 53.0 (11.7) | 42.3 (5.7) | 33.1 (0.6) | 51.0 (10.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 21.3 (−5.9) | 22.7 (−5.2) | 29.8 (−1.2) | 39.8 (4.3) | 49.7 (9.8) | 58.4 (14.7) | 61.8 (16.6) | 60.0 (15.6) | 53.2 (11.8) | 43.2 (6.2) | 34.1 (1.2) | 26.2 (−3.2) | 41.7 (5.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −25 (−32) | −20 (−29) | −4 (−20) | 8 (−13) | 25 (−4) | 32 (0) | 38 (3) | 34 (1) | 26 (−3) | 15 (−9) | 0 (−18) | −12 (−24) | −25 (−32) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.23 (57) | 1.95 (50) | 3.01 (76) | 3.28 (83) | 3.72 (94) | 3.42 (87) | 3.48 (88) | 3.26 (83) | 3.96 (101) | 2.92 (74) | 2.85 (72) | 2.57 (65) | 36.65 (931) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 11.2 | 9.7 | 12.0 | 12.7 | 13.6 | 12.3 | 12.1 | 10.8 | 10.3 | 10.8 | 9.9 | 10.3 | 135.7 |
| Source 1:NOAA[32][33] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: PA State Climateologist[34] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 3,591 | — | |
| 1870 | 10,610 | 195.5% | |
| 1880 | 19,710 | 85.8% | |
| 1890 | 30,337 | 53.9% | |
| 1900 | 38,973 | 28.5% | |
| 1910 | 52,127 | 33.8% | |
| 1920 | 60,331 | 15.7% | |
| 1930 | 82,054 | 36.0% | |
| 1940 | 80,214 | −2.2% | |
| 1950 | 77,177 | −3.8% | |
| 1960 | 69,407 | −10.1% | |
| 1970 | 63,115 | −9.1% | |
| 1980 | 57,078 | −9.6% | |
| 1990 | 51,881 | −9.1% | |
| 2000 | 49,523 | −4.5% | |
| 2010 | 46,320 | −6.5% | |
| 2020 | 43,963 | −5.1% | |
| Sources:[35][36][37][7] | |||
As of the 2010 census, the city was 93.8% White, 3.3% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, and 2.0% were two or more races. 1.3% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.[38] The 2000 Census reported the following predominate ancestry/ethnicities: German (35%), Irish (17%), Italian (12%), English (7%), Polish (4%), Black or African American (2%), Dutch (2%), Scotch-Irish (2%), French (2%), Scottish (1%), Pennsylvania German (1%), Welsh (1%), Swedish (1%), Slovak (1%).
As of thecensus[39] of 2000, there were 49,523 people, 20,059 households, and 12,576 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,069.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,957.4/km2). There were 21,681 housing units at an average density of 2,219.5 per square mile (857.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.01%White, 2.49%African American, 0.10%Native American, 0.32%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.24% fromother races, and 0.83% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.74% of the population.
There were 20,059 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% weremarried couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,248, and the median income for a family was $36,758. Males had a median income of $28,851 versus $21,242 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $15,213. About 12.9% of families and 17.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
Historically, the sole economic force driving the growth of Altoona into a City was thePennsylvania Railroad (PRR). While the various local railroad shops still employ over a thousand people, they are no longer the driving economic engine of the area as they once were.
The top field of employment in Altoona and the metro area is the healthcare industry. Facilities include:UPMC Altoona with its many local facilities that employ thousands,Healthsouth Rehabilitation Hospital and its several local facilities,James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center, dozens of doctors offices, and over 20 nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Altoona serves as the corporate home toSheetz, a rapidly growingconvenience store and gasoline chain with over 600 locations in the Northeast.[40]
Altoona also serves as the headquarters to the candy companyBoyer. Famous for theirMallo Cup, the company was founded in 1936, 42 years after the founding ofThe Hershey Company inHershey.
Another massive employer is the retail and service industries. Altoona is the linchpin of the Tri-City Region. Its location alongI-99 draws from a large trade area over a wide geographic area that extends toState College andJohnstown and over 40 miles (64 km) south along I-99 pastI-70.
Altoona draws the retail customers into the region because of its centralized location. Retail areas include:
As is typical in manyRust Belt cities, the economic downturn of the railroad resulted in the closure of many of the downtown's landmark stores and industries. The simultaneous rise in prominence of the automobile shifted commercial development to the suburbs of Altoona. However, through recent revitalization efforts, Altoona's downtown maintains a significant level of economic vitality and hosts few office and residential vacancies.[citation needed] The downtown maintains a significant focus onpedestrian-oriented development, as evidenced by the presence of more pedestrian bridges and underpasses across the railroad tracks (connecting the two parts of downtown) than automobile crossings.
Penn State Altoona has purchased several downtown buildings, including the former Playhouse Theater building, the six-story Penn Furniture building, and the formerWRTA building. The university has turned them into the Devorris Downtown Center, the Aaron Building and the Kazmaier Family Building. Recently,Sheetz has added another building to Penn State Altoona called The Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence on the former site of a department store behind the Amtrak Station. The university provides a flow of resources into the downtown, aiding in revitalization efforts. As an example of the university's value to the downtown's economy, the installation of the Blue Lot near the Wolf Court Building has improved the economic attraction of downtown by offering up to three hours of free parking. A bike path connecting the Campus to Downtown Altoona has also been built.
The city is home to theAltoona Curve, aMinor League Baseball franchise. The Curve began play in 1999 and are theDouble-A affiliate of thePittsburgh Pirates. The team plays in theEastern League atPeoples Natural Gas Field.[41]
TheAltoona Mountain Citys were aMajor League Baseball franchise that played in Altoona in 1884. They folded after 25 games with a 6–19 record.[42]
In the early 20th century, the Pennsylvania Railroad constructed a large sports complex at the intersection of Chestnut Avenue and Seventh Street.[43] It was named Cricket Field in an attempt to appeal toCricket-loving Britishinvestors. Cricket did not catch on with the Altoona populace, so its close relative baseball became the choice for Cricket Field. Well known baseball players asBabe Ruth andJosh Gibson played at Cricket Field, and the stadium was also the venue for numerous other sporting events, musical competitions, marching units, and activities.[25] A commercial plaza and the Pennsylvania State Parole & Probation stands today on the site of the former Cricket Field.
Altoona was the site of a 1.25-mile (2.01 km)board track called Altoona Speedway from 1923 to 1931.[44] The track was the site of the fatal injuries of threeIndianapolis 500 winners during the 1920s, claiming the lives ofHowdy Wilcox (1919 winner) on September 4, 1923;Joe Boyer (1924 winner) on September 2, 1924; andRay Keech (1929 winner) on June 15, 1929.
Altoona Area School District's Mansion Park Stadium fields sporting events for both its constituents schools,Bishop Guilfoyle High School and various amateur athletic district events. Mansion Park has also been the site of a 1992Pittsburgh Steeler intrasquad scrimmage, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference men's and women's college soccer championships,University of Pittsburgh preseason football practices and the 1995 PIAA Soccer Championships.[citation needed] Musical events have includedthe Beach Boys,Up With People, the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, thePenn State Blue Band, theOhio State Pride of the Buckeyes Band, theUniversity of Notre DameBand of the Fighting Irish, theUniversity of IllinoisMarching Illini and theIndiana University of Pennsylvania Marching Band[citation needed] In early 2010, a new scoreboard featuring a video display board with an improved stadium sound system was erected thanks to the generosity of local sponsors.[45]
Altoona has three high schools, one public and two parochial.
The public school district for all of the city limits is theAltoona Area School District.[46]Altoona Area High School[47] houses grades 9–12. D.S. Keith Junior High and Theodore Roosevelt Junior High merged in 2008 to become the Altoona Area Junior High School. Roosevelt was torn down and the ground on which it stood was constructed into the new field for the new junior high. D. S. Keith was turned into residential apartments.[citation needed]
Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown operates and/or sponsors area Catholic schools.Bishop Guilfoyle High School is one of the private parochial schools serving grades 9–12. Great Commission Schools is the second private parochial school having grades K–12.
Altoona High is much larger than Bishop Guilfoyle, graduating around 500 students annually, while Guilfoyle graduates around 70.[citation needed]
Altoona is the location of thePennsylvania State University, Ivyside Park campus, also known asPenn State Altoona. This is the third largest of thePennsylvania State University Commonwealth campuses. The college has approximately 3,903 students as of the 2014–15 school year.[48]
Altoona also has several technical schools. TheGreater Altoona Career and Technology Center (GACTC) is located on 16th Street next to the high school and offers a variety of technical classes for both Junior High and High School students throughout Blair County, as well as high school graduates seeking a technical degree.YTI Career Institute has a campus in Logan Hills on Fairway Drive. South Hills Business School has a campus located on 58th Street.
The character Harry Monk who was played byGlenn Ford in the 1964 movieDear Heart comes from Altoona.[49]
Altoona is served by the dailyAltoona Mirror, which has been in print since 1874.[50]
The Altoona television market is part of the regionalJohnstown/Altoona/State College market.
| FM stations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| call letters | frequency | format | location | Owner |
| WHHN | 88.1 | Religious | Hollidaysburg | Radio Maria, Inc. |
| WRXV | 89.1 | Christian contemporary | State College | Invisible Allies Ministries |
| WUFR | 91.1 | Religious | Bedford | Family Radio |
| WJSM | 92.7 | Religious | Martinsburg | Martinsburg Broadcasting |
| WLKE | 93.5 | Christian Contemporary | Gallitzin | Educational Media Foundation |
| WBXQ | 94.3 | Classic Rock | Patton | Lightner Communications |
| WBRX | 94.7 | Adult contemporary | Cresson | Lightner Communications |
| WKMC | 96.1 | Classic Country | Altoona | Lightner Communications |
| WTRN | 96.9 | Easy Favorites | Altoona | Lightner Communications |
| WFGY | 98.1 | Country | Altoona | Seven Mountains Media |
| WRTA (AM) | 98.5 | News/Talk | Altoona | Lightner Communications |
| WTNA | 99.7 | Oldies | Altoona | Seven Mountains Media |
| WALY | 100.1 | Adult Contemporary | Altoona | Seven Mountains Media |
| WTRN | 100.7 | Easy Favorites | Tryonea | Lightner Communications |
| WRXV | 102.7 | Christian contemporary | Altoona | Invisibile Allies Ministries |
| WQWY | 103.9 | Classic Hits | Bellwood | Seven Mountains Media |
| WFBG | 104.5 | Hot Adult Contemporary | Altoona | Seven Mountains Media |
| WRKY-FM | 104.9 | Classic Rock | Hollidaysburg | Seven Mountains Media |
| WPSU-FM | 106.7 | Public Radio | Altoona | Pennsylvania State University |
| WYUP | 107.7 | Adult Hits | Altoona | Lightner Communications |
| WMES | 107.7 | Religious | Altoona | Lay Stewardship Educational Association |
| AM stations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| call letters | frequency | format | location | Owner |
| WJSM | 1110 | Religious | Martinsburg | Martinsburg Broadcasting |
| WRTA (AM) | 1240 | News/Talk | Altoona | Lightner Communications |
| WFBG | 1290 | News/Talk | Altoona | Forever Media |
| WTRN | 1340 | Easy Favorites | Tyrone | Lightner Communications |
| WKMC | 1370 | Classic Country | Roaring Spring | Lightner Communications |
| WYUP | 1400 | Adult Hits | Loretto | Lightner Communications |
| WTNA | 1430 | Oldies | Altoona | Forever Media |
Altoona is a major center on theNorfolk Southern Railway's (NS)Pittsburgh Line. In Altoona, helper engines are added to heavy trains to give them extra power up and over Horseshoe Curve west of town. TheJuniata Heavy Repair Shop Complex, originally built by the Pennsylvania Railroad, is the primary repair and maintenance facility on NS. On an average day, 60 to 80 trains pass through Altoona. The historical importance to the railroad industry and the current high level of railroad activity has made Altoona a mecca forrailfans for over 60 years, with the Railroaders Memorial Museum and theHorseshoe Curve being popular spots.Amtrak'sPennsylvanian stops atAltoona station once daily in each direction.[51]
Local bus service in the city is provided byAMTRAN. In 2007, AMTRAN customers suffered a major loss in service due to cuts in state funding. In May of that year,Governor Rendell visited Altoona to discuss plans intended to rectify this situation.
Roadway service primarily consists ofI-99, which provides access to thePennsylvania Turnpike to the south andI-80 to the north; andUS 22, which provides east–west service and direct access toPittsburgh to the west andHarrisburg to the east. Local roadways in Altoona tend to be given numerical names, andStreets are aligned northwest–southeast andAvenues are aligned northeast–southwest.
TheAltoona–Blair County Airport provides commercial air service for Altoona, offering daily flights toCharlotte Douglas International Airport.
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Altoona and the Altoona Area are serviced by several companies for emergency services. Given that Altoona is entirely encompassed by Logan Township, and some small areas within the city are belonging to the Township, City and Township services often intermingle. Given the close proximity to Hollidaysburg and Duncansville Boroughs as well as Allegheny and Blair Townships, City, borough and township services will often assist or be called in place of each other.
The Altoona Police Department services the city. The department has about 66 employees and officers, and the precinct is located on 16th St downtown. The Logan Township Police Department services all areas of Logan Township. However, since the township encompasses the city, in order to be centrally located the precinct is in the city on 7th Avenue. The department has 16 members.
The Altoona Fire Department supplies fire andQuick Response Service to the city, as well asHaz-Mat response for Blair County. The department is also a part of theIAFF, local 299. There are also several Volunteer Companies located just outside the city limits on all sides.
AMED or the Altoona Mobile Emergency Department provides EMS services for both Altoona and Logan Township as well as many surrounding areas in Blair County including Bellwood, Tyrone, and Roaring Spring. AMED has several online and several offline ambulances on duty at the main station 430 on 7th Avenue and 10th Street as well as an additional online ambulance at 480 in Lakemont.
Altoona is asister city with:
St. Pölten, Austria[52]Two political newcomers – and Altoona natives – are vying for the city mayor's chair in Tuesday's election: Republican Matt Pacifico and Democrat John Pentland.
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