Huntingdon, Pennsylvania Standing Stone Village (historical) | |
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 Aerial of downtown | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: Ye Ancient Borough (historical) | |
| Motto: "Our Home, Our Town" | |
 Location of Huntingdon inHuntingdon County, Pennsylvania | |
  Huntingdon  Huntingdon | |
| Coordinates:40°29′50″N78°00′04″W / 40.49722°N 78.00111°W /40.49722; -78.00111 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Huntingdon |
| Plat drawn of streets and lots | 1767 |
| Incorporated | 1796 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Borough Council |
| • Mayor | Thomas Yoder[citation needed] (R), elected 2021 |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.70 sq mi (9.59 km2) |
| • Land | 3.62 sq mi (9.37 km2) |
| • Water | 0.085 sq mi (0.22 km2) |
| Elevation | 751 ft (229 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 6,827 |
| • Density | 1,887/sq mi (728.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 16652, 16654 |
| Area code | 814 |
| FIPS code | 42-36368 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1215270[2] |
| Website | huntingdonboro |
Huntingdon is aborough in andcounty seat ofHuntingdon County, Pennsylvania, in theMiddle Atlantic states region of the Northeastern United States. It lies along theJuniata River about 32 miles (51 km) east of largerAltoona and 92 miles (148 km) west of the state capital ofHarrisburg on theSusquehanna River. With a population of 6,827 in the 2020U.S. Decennial Census, it is the largest population center nearRaystown Lake, a winding, 28-mile-long (45 km) flood-control reservoir managed by theUnited States Army Corps of Engineers.
The borough is on the main line of theNorfolk Southern freight railway (formerly the longtimePennsylvania Railroad) in an agricultural and outdoor recreational region with extensive forests and scattered deposits ofganister rock, coal,fire clay, andlimestone deposits. Historically, the region surrounding Huntingdon was dotted with iron furnaces and forges, consuming limestone, iron ore and wood (forcharcoal production) throughout the 19th century. Dairy farms dominate the local agriculture. The town is a regular stop for the daily east-westAmtrak passenger train service which connectsPittsburgh to the west withPhiladelphia and New York City to the east and northeast. Huntingdon is also home toJuniata College (founded 1876 by theChurch of the Brethren).
The original inhabitants of Huntingdon and neighboring counties were theSusquehannock. Through a combination of ongoing war with other indigenous nations, such as theHaudenosaunee, disease brought by Europeans, and violence from settlers, the Susquehannock are currently thought to have been entirely wiped out or subsumed by other tribes.[citation needed]
In 1768, Rev.William Smith began selling lots on the Standing Stone Tract along the Juniata, land he had recently acquired. The tracts' 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 whereStanding 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 Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon. 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 andYork being nearby examples of the trend. In 1796, the little village was incorporated as a borough.[citation needed]
Huntingdon long served as the junction of theHuntingdon and Broad Top Mountain Railroad with thePennsylvania Railroad, and as an important port on theMain Line of Public Works of thePennsylvania 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 ofShade Gap and a stationer and businessman, popularized the writing tablet and began marketing it nationwide. His factory in downtown Huntingdon was later relocated to nearbyAlexandria.[citation needed]
Huntingdon's Herncane Broom Factory was founded in 1863 by Benjamin F. Herncane. The 1897Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of the Juniata Valley reported that the factory's output was twenty-five dozens per day and furnished "all the brooms used by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company." The company employed 14 workers and 3 traveling salesman. The building stood on Fourteenth Street from number 1416 to 1422.[4] On 27 February 1903, the Everett Press reported that the "Herncane Broom Factory of Huntingdon was destroyed by fire last Saturday night. Loss about $1500." Brothers Walter S. and George B. Herncane, who worked with their father at the broom factory, went on to found the Herncane Bros. general store, which stood at the corner of 6th and Washington.[5]
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 ofHurricane Agnes stalled over the region in July 1972.
TheHuntingdon Borough Historic District was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1986.[6]
From June 8 to 11, 2017, Huntingdon celebrated its 250th anniversary.[7]
Huntingdon is located north of the center of Huntingdon County at40°29′43″N78°0′47″W / 40.49528°N 78.01306°W /40.49528; -78.01306 (40.495187, −78.013147),[8] on the northeast side of theJuniata River, an east-flowing major tributary of theSusquehanna River.
Places adjacent to Huntingdon, Pennsylvania | |
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According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.6 km2), of which 3.6 square miles (9.4 km2) are land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2), or 2.50%, are water.[citation needed]
The following municipalities are also located in Huntingdon County, bordering on the borough:
Huntingdon has ahumid continental climate (KöppenDfa), with warm summers and moderately cold winters.
| 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) |
| Mean daily maximum °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 (17) |
| Mean daily minimum °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) | 39 (4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −29 (−34) | −23 (−31) | −10 (−23) | 6 (−14) | 21 (−6) | 29 (−2) | 42 (6) | 36 (2) | 24 (−4) | 13 (−11) | −10 (−23) | −22 (−30) | −29 (−34) |
| Averageprecipitation 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[9] | |||||||||||||
As of the census[10] of 2010, there were 7,093 people, 2,674 households, and 1,461 families residing in the borough.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 688 | — |
| 1810 | 676 | −1.7% |
| 1820 | 848 | +25.4% |
| 1840 | 1,145 | +35.0% |
| 1850 | 1,470 | +28.4% |
| 1860 | 1,890 | +28.6% |
| 1870 | 3,634 | +92.3% |
| 1880 | 4,125 | +13.5% |
| 1890 | 5,729 | +38.9% |
| 1900 | 6,053 | +5.7% |
| 1910 | 6,861 | +13.3% |
| 1920 | 7,051 | +2.8% |
| 1930 | 7,558 | +7.2% |
| 1940 | 7,170 | −5.1% |
| 1950 | 7,330 | +2.2% |
| 1960 | 7,234 | −1.3% |
| 1970 | 6,987 | −3.4% |
| 1980 | 7,042 | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 6,843 | −2.8% |
| 2000 | 6,918 | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 7,093 | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 6,827 | −3.8% |
| Sources:[10][11][12] Source: U.S. Decennial Census[13] | ||
The population density was 2,026.6 inhabitants per square mile (782.5/km2). There were 2,911 housing units at an average density of 831.7 per square mile (321.1/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% fromother races, and 1.56% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino 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.
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.
Huntingdon is the nearest town to the Allegrippis Trail system, ranked 15th on the list of "The BEST Mountain Bike Trails in the World."[14]
In 2009, Huntingdon was named byBudget Travel magazine's readers as the 5th Coolest Small Town in the United States. Results were announced onThe Early Show on April 15, 2009, byBudget Travel's editor in chief Nina Willdorf and show hostHarry Smith.[15]
In 2015, Huntingdon was chosen byNiche.com as the 7th Best City to Retire in Pennsylvania.[16]
The source of the city water for Huntingdon borough andSmithfield Township isStanding Stone Creek, with the water treatment facility being located in the east end of the borough.[17]
Huntingdon's only radio stations areWHUN WOWY 103.5 FM,[20] Bigfoot Country 106.3 FM,[21] but radio broadcasts from other markets can also be heard:
Huntingdon receives all television programming from theJohnstown-Altoona-State College media market.
Municipalities and communities ofHuntingdon County, Pennsylvania,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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