Huntingdon, Pennsylvania | |
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— Borough — | |
Nickname(s): Standing Stone | |
Motto: "Our Home, Our Town" | |
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
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Coordinates: | |
Country | United States |
State | Pennsylvania |
County | Huntingdon |
Settled | 1767 |
Incorporated | 1796 |
Government | |
• Type | Borough Council |
• Mayor | Dee Dee Brown, 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 |
Local phone exchanges: 506, 641, 643, 644 |
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, about halfway between Pittsburgh and 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 Huntington & 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 7,093 people at the 2010 census.
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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 land was purchased by Dr. Smith in 1766 for 300 British Pounds. He later renamed the settlement in honor of Selina, the Countess of Huntingdon, England. 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.
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.
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]
The Huntingdon Borough Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.[2]
Huntingdon is located at (40.495187, -78.013147)[3].
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 (9.1 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (2.55%) is water.
As of the census[4] of 2010, there were 7,093 people, 2,674 households, and 1,461 families residing in the borough. 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 94.6% White, 1.9% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% 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.
Huntingdon's only radio stations are WHUN Hunny 106.3FM and WLLI Willy 1150AM, and the college station 92.3 but radio broadcasts from other markets can also be heard:
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Huntingdon receives all television programming from the Johnstown-Altoona-State College, PA media market.
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Huntingdon is served by Huntingdon Area School District, home of the Bearcats.
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