Loretto is a borough in Cambria County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,302. Like the rest of Cambria County, it is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

. Loretto is the home of Saint Francis University.

Geography

Loretto is located in east-central Cambria County at (40.506355, -78.636066). It is east of

Ebensburg Ebensburg is a borough and the county seat of Cambria County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is located west of Altoona and surrounded by Cambria Township. It is situated in the Allegheny Mountains at about above sea level. Ebensburg is ...

, the Cambria County seat, and west of Altoona. Johnstown is to the southwest. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the borough of Loretto has a total area of , all of it land. Saint Francis University, an institute of higher learning with an enrollment of 2,210, occupies the southwest quadrant of the borough.

History

Loretto was founded in 1799 by

Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin (December 22, 1770 – May 6, 1840) was an emigre Russian nobility, Russian aristocrat and Catholic Church, Catholic priest known as The Apostle of the Alleghenies and also in the United States as Prince Galitzin. He ...

as the first English-speaking

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

settlement west of the

Allegheny Front The Allegheny Front is the major southeast- or east-facing escarpment in the Allegheny Mountains in southern Pennsylvania, western Maryland, eastern West Virginia, and western Virginia, USA. The Allegheny Front forms the boundary between the Rid ...

. He named it after the town of Loreto, Italy, site of a Catholic

place of pilgrimage Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Oft ...

. Loretto was built adjoining the original settlement founded by Captain Michael McGuire, a Revolutionary War veteran, in 1788. In his will, Captain McGuire donated land to the Catholic Church on which Prince Gallitzin built St. Michael's Church in 1799.

Federal Correctional Institution, Loretto The Federal Correctional Institution, Loretto (FCI Loretto) is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Pennsylvania. An adjacent satellite prison camp houses minimum-security male offenders. It is operated by the Federal Bu ...

, is a

U.S. federal prison The Federal Bureau of Prisons classifies prisons into seven categories: * United States penitentiaries * Federal correctional institutions * Private correctional institutions * Federal prison camps * Administrative facilities * Federal correctio ...

located southeast of Loretto, on the site of a former Catholic seminary.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 1,190 people, 133 households, and 82 families living in the borough. The population density was 1,167.3 people per square mile (450.5/km²). There were 153 housing units at an average density of 150.1 per square mile (57.9/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the borough was 96.39% White, 2.52% African American, 0.50% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.26%. There were 133 households, 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 27.8% of households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.20. The age distribution was 5.5% under the age of 18, 71.6% from 18 to 24, 8.7% from 25 to 44, 7.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% 65 or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females there were 70.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.8 males. The median household income was $30,357 and the median family income was $40,750. Males had a median income of $30,417 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $7,125. About 2.7% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including none of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

, Apostle of the Alleghenies *

Charles M. Schwab Charles Michael Schwab (February 18, 1862 – September 18, 1939) was an American steel magnate. Under his leadership, Bethlehem Steel became the second-largest steel maker in the United States, and one of the most important heavy manufacturer ...

, industrialist

References

External links

Saint Francis University
{{authority control Populated places established in 1816 Boroughs in Cambria County, Pennsylvania 1816 establishments in Pennsylvania