State College is a home rule municipality in

Centre County Centre County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,172. Its county seat is Bellefonte. Centre County comprises the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The lan ...

in the Commonwealth of

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, ...

. It is a

college town A college town or university town is a community (often a separate town or city, but in some cases a town/city neighborhood or a district) that is dominated by its university population. The university may be large, or there may be several sma ...

, dominated economically, culturally and demographically by the presence of the University Park campus of the

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State becam ...

(Penn State). State College is the largest designated borough in Pennsylvania. It is the principal borough of the six municipalities that make up the State College area, the largest settlement in

and one of the principal cities of the greater State College-DuBois Combined Statistical Area with a combined population of 236,577 as of the 2010 U.S. census. In the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034 with approximately 105,000 living in the borough plus the surrounding townships often referred to locally as the "Centre Region". Many of these Centre Region communities also carry a "State College, PA" address although they are not part of the borough of State College. "Happy Valley" and "Lion Country" are other terms used to identify the State College area including the borough as well as the townships of

College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

, Harris,

Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...

, and Ferguson.

History

State College evolved from a village to a town to serve the needs of the Pennsylvania State College, founded as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania in 1855. State College was incorporated as a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

on August 29, 1896, and has grown with the college, which was renamed The Pennsylvania State University in 1953. In 1973, State College adopted a home rule charter which took effect in 1976; since then, it has not been governed by the state's Borough Code, although it retains "Borough of State College" as its official name. The university has a post office address

University Park, Pennsylvania University Park (also referred to as Penn State University Park) is the name given to the Pennsylvania State University's main campus located in both State College and College Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The campus post office was ...

. When Penn State changed its name from university to college in 1953, its president,

Milton S. Eisenhower Milton Stover Eisenhower (September 15, 1899 – May 2, 1985) was an American academic administrator. He served as president of three major American universities: Kansas State University, Pennsylvania State University, and Johns Hopkins Universit ...

, sought to persuade the town to change its name as well. A referendum failed to yield a majority for any of the choices for a new name, and so the town remains State College. After this, Penn State requested a new name for its on-campus post office in the HUB-Robeson Center from the U.S. Post Office Department. The post office, which has since moved across an alley to the McAllister Building, is the official home of ZIP code 16802 (University Park).

Geography

Location

State College is situated at an elevation of approximately above sea level. 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 has a total area of , all of it land. It is surrounded by large tracts of farmland, and an expanse of

Appalachian Mountain The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

ranges and forests. Its location within a valley makes it prone to frequent rain and snowfall.

Nittany Mountain Mount Nittany is the common name for Nittany Mountain, a prominent geographic feature in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. The mountain is part of a ridge that separates Nittany Valley from Penns Valley, with the enclosed Sugar Valley be ...

is part of Pennsylvania's geologic ridge-and-valley province of the Appalachian Mountains. It is (approximately) the geographic center of Pennsylvania.

Neighborhoods

Two major sections in State College include the Downtown Improvement District and University Park. Some significant neighborhoods include Highlands, Orchard Park, West End, College Heights, Holmes Foster, South State College, Tusseyview, Greentree, Nittany Hills and Penfield, and Vallamont. Four of these neighborhoods, Orchard Park, Greentree, Tusseyview, and South State College, are included as one area called "Suburban" State College under the National Citizen's Survey.

Downtown

Downtown State College, also known as the Downtown Improvement District, is the commercial and cultural center of the Borough. The area receives approximately 1.5 to 2 million annual visitors and boasts major festivals such as the Central Pennsylvania Festival for the Arts. Downtown State College has a population of around 4,417 people. PA26StateCollege

Urban composition

State College is one of the densest cities of its population in the United States, primarily aided by the presence of numerous high-rises downtown along Beaver and College Avenues. The 2010s saw a construction boom downtown, with several mixed-use towers being developed, including the Rise, Metropolitan, Fraser Centre, and Here State College (a 15-floor tower on Garner Street), among other projects. Unlike most older towers, many of the newer buildings are mixed-use, with retail on the ground floor, offices on the next couple floors up, and apartments on the top floors. This high rise building boom has drawn debate in the local area. Some residents see it as a boon to increase foot traffic downtown and reduce congestion on the arterial roads leading into the town. Others, however, are skeptical of the developments as they replace historical buildings in the area, in their view losing some of the borough's character. In 2022, the State College Borough Council repealed changed the zoning regulations in State College to deter dense housing developments. Critics of the change said that it would lead to

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

and make housing less affordable, whereas proponents of the zoning change said that high-rise student housing was inconsistent with the "character" of the college town. Penn state old main summer

University Park

University Park is the largest Penn State campus and the postal address for the university. Notable sites include Old Main, a landmark of the Farmers' High School Historic District,

Rec Hall Recreation Building, or Rec Hall as it is more commonly known, is a field house located on the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University. It was opened on January 15, 1929, and is still in use. Previously, Penn State's indoor s ...

, the Nittany Lion Shrine, the

Palmer Museum of Art The Palmer Museum of Art is the art museum of Pennsylvania State University, located on the University Park, Pennsylvania, University Park campus in State College, Pennsylvania. Collections The museum has an increasing permanent collection of mo ...

, Penn State Creamery, Beaver Stadium, and the

Bryce Jordan Center The Bryce Jordan Center is a 15,261-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, Pennsylvania, United States, on the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University. The arena opened in 1996 and is the largest such venue between ...

, the latter two being on the College Township half of University Park.

Highlands

From 1909 to 1932,

annexation Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...

for the Highlands took place. The area was acclaimed for its plots of land in proximity to the post office. Twenty mansions were built between 1925 and 1933 to attract fraternities, while smaller houses were also constructed. The neighborhood terminated around Irvin Avenue, but after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

expansion was necessary to accommodate for returning soldiers. Today, the Highlands sits as the most populous neighborhood in the borough with a population of 9,726 people, 77% of whom are in the age range of 18-24 years old. The neighborhood also includes a section of the Holmes–Foster–Highlands Historic District.

Orchard Park

Orchard Park is a multi-family residential area, and mostly populated by college-aged residents and young professionals. Expansion for the area began in the late 20th century with the population sitting around 4,000 people. The neighborhood is home to two parks and sits adjacent to the Westerly Parkway Plaza which houses many businesses. Orchard Park also houses the South Hills Business School, a

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

, and the Cedar Heights Church, which is used as a location for voters in State College.

West End

The West End, also referred to as the Urban Village, is an extension of the Downtown and Holmes–Foster areas. Being adjacent to west campus, the West End has a high population of renters, approximately 96.3% of the population. The neighborhood had a population of 2,324 people as of the 2010 U.S. census. The West End also makes up a third of the Holmes–Foster–Highlands Historic District.

College Heights

College Heights is a neighborhood and historic district north of campus. The College Heights Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 and makes up the majority of the area. College Heights is dominated by families of professionals or other Penn State faculty as well as Penn State students due to their proximity to campus. From 1852 to 1920 the neighborhood consisted of 15 homes just north of Penn State, but over the next decade the number of houses more than quadrupled to 69. Development continued throughout the later decades to the 2010s where College Heights sat at a population of 1,839 people. The neighborhood also has a park that partly spills into Ferguson Township. Holmes-Foster-Highlands Historic District

Holmes–Foster

Holmes–Foster makes up half of the Holmes–Foster–Highlands Historic District which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. Holmes–Foster had a population of 1,597 during the 2010 census.

South State College

South State College, also referred to as the South Neighborhood, is shaped by Easterly Parkway, University Dr and Atherton St forming a triangular shape. The area began expansion around

. The neighborhood has a population of 1,313.

Tusseyview

Tusseyview is south of South State College and has a population of 995. The neighborhood has three parks: Tussey View Park, South Hills Park and Nittany Village Park. The area is also home to the State College Friends School, a Quaker school that serves the local school districts.

Greentree

Greentree is a neighborhood between Holmes–Foster to the north, Orchard Park to the south, and Ferguson Township to the west. The population was 923 people.

Nittany Hills and Penfield

Nittany Hills and Penfield are two sections of the same neighborhood. Nittany Hills constitutes the eastern half while Penfield makes up the western half. The neighborhood is sandwiched between State College South and College Township. The population was 353 people as of the 2010 census.

Vallamont

Vallamont is a small neighborhood East of the Highlands, West of College Township, and North Nittany Hills. The population was 124 people as of the 2010 census. The high number of residents is attributed to an apartment building being contained with the census borders.

Climate

State College has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

( Köppen ''Dfa''). Temperatures average in January and in July. Annual precipitation averages , with of annual snowfall on average. With a period of record dating back to 1893, the lowest temperature recorded was on February 10, 1899 and the highest was on July 17, 1988, and July 9, 1936. Weather in State College is strongly influenced by the mountain and valley topology of the area. The surrounding mountains cause significantly lower temperatures in the winter, and make summer heat waves much rarer than in the rest of the state. Precipitation is about 20% lower than areas at comparable elevations, again due to the surrounding mountains. Snowfall typically occurs between October and April, but has happened as late as June.

Demographics

According to the 2010 census, there were 42,034 people, 12,610 households, and 3,069 families residing in the borough. The population density was 9,258.6 people per square mile (3,574.3/km²). There were 13,007 housing units at an average density of 2,865.0 per square mile (1,106.0/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 83.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 3.8% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 9.8% Asian, 1.0% Other, and 2.0% from two or more races. 3.9% of the population were of

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino ancestry. 22,681 or 54.0% of borough residents were males and 19,353 or 46.0% were females. A 2014 estimate had the racial makeup of the borough as 78.9% Non-Hispanic White, 5.6% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American and Alaska Native, 11.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 0.8% Some other race, and 2.2% two or more races. 4.4% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). Of the 12,610 households, 9.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 18.2% were married couples living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 75.6% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.71. The age distribution of the borough, overwhelmingly influenced by its student population, was 5.1% under the age of 18, 70.6% from 18 to 24, 13.1% from 25 to 44, 6.5% from 45 to 64, and 4.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. The median income for a household in the borough was $23,513, and the median income for a family was $58,953. The per capita income for the borough was $13,336. 46.9% of the population and 9.8% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.6% of those under the age of 18 and 2.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. However, traditional measures of income and poverty can be very misleading when applied to a community like State College that is dominated by students. The population of the State College

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 as a city or tow ...

was 153,990 in the 2010 U.S. census.

Economy

is the largest single employer in the region, employing over 27,000 full- and part-time workers in 2016. In addition to higher education, other industries in the area include health care, retail, hospitality services, construction, and government. Other notable employers include the

Federal Government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-gover ...

(452 employees),

(446 employees),

Wegmans Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a privately held American supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Gates, New York, and was founded in 1916 in Rochester. As of , Wegmans has 110 stores, mostly in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions. T ...

(430 employees), Shaner Corporation (380 employees),

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...

(263 employees),

Giant Food Stores The Giant Company (formerly known as Giant Food Stores) is an American regional supermarket chain that operates stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia and provides online shopping and delivery to New Jersey through G ...

(255 employees), Hotel State College & Company (251 employees),

Raytheon Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitali ...

(251 employees), Sheetz (251 employees), Foxdale Village (250 employees), State College Borough Government (213 employees), Minitab (211 employees), and Penn State Hershey Medical Group (200 employees).

Arts and culture

Events

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, usually referred to as "Arts Fest", is held downtown every July. The five-day festival features artists from around the country and draws more than 125,000 visitors. Streets are closed off and lined with booths where people can buy paintings, pottery, jewelry, and other hand-made goods. There are also numerous musical performances and plays to take in, and food vendors selling everything from funnel cakes to Indian cuisine. The

Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon Penn State Health Children's Hospital (PSCH) is a nationally ranked women's and pediatric acute care teaching hospital located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The hospital has 134 pediatric beds. PSCH is affiliated with the Penn State College of Medicin ...

, commonly referred to as THON, is a 46-hour Dance Marathon that takes place every February on the University Park campus with the purpose of raising money for the Four Diamonds Foundation. A number of events throughout the year pave the way to February's THON weekend. Blue-White Football Weekend occurs in April and includes a carnival, fireworks, food vendors, the student entertainment stage, live music, a parade, and more. On game day, an autograph session with the football student-athletes is held in Beaver Stadium, prior to kickoff of the Blue-White football intrasquad scrimmage game. Some of the other popular annual events in the area include "First Night State College", a New Year's Eve celebration with carved ice sculptures and musical performances that takes place in downtown State College and "Central PA 4th Fest", a day-long event which includes Fourth of July fireworks, crafts, food vendors and entertainers. On Saturday, February 4, 2017, State College became a Guinness World Record holder. Light Up State College organized 5,226 lighted ice luminaries that were displayed across South Allen Street in downtown State College. This is the most ice luminaries in any one location to date. The previous record was held by Vuollerim, Sweden, with 2,652 ice luminaries.

Sports

State College is most known for

Penn State Nittany Lions football The Penn State Nittany Lions team represents the Pennsylvania State University in college football. The Nittany Lions compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference, which they joined in 1993 a ...

which draws over 100,000 fans to Beaver Stadium on home games. The borough itself is home to the State College Spikes, a minor league baseball team. The team is part of the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

and has played in Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, also home to Penn State baseball, since 2006.

Jeffrey Field

Jeffrey Field is a soccer specific stadium in State College, Pennsylvania that is home to both the Penn State Nittany Lions women's soccer and Penn State Nittany Lions men's soccer programs. Address is University Drive at East Park Avenue.

Rec Hall

is a field house located on the University Park campus of the

. It was opened on January 15, 1929, and is still in use. It is home to the Penn State Nittany Lions

women's A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...

and men's volleyball teams, and

Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling The Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling program is an NCAA Division I Wrestling team competing as members of the Big Ten Conference. The team is coached by Olympic Champion Cael Sanderson (Athens 2004) and have maintained status as one of the t ...

. Rec Hall has a banked indoor track that of approximately 257 yards around or roughly 6.85 laps/mile.

Pegula Ice Arena

The

Pegula Ice Arena The Pegula Ice Arena is a 6,014-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, Pennsylvania on the campus of Penn State University. The facility is located on the corner of Curtin Road and University Drive near the Bryce Jordan Center. The arena is ...

is a 6,014-seat multi-purpose arena in

, on the campus of

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

, opened on October 11, 2013, it replaced the 1,350-seat Penn State Ice Pavilion. The facility is located on the corner of Curtin Road and University Drive near the

Beaver Stadium

Beaver Stadium is an outdoor

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

stadium in

, on the campus of

. It is home to the

Penn State Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The inte ...

of the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

since 1960. Beaver Stadium has an official

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile tha ...

of 106,572, making it currently the second largest stadium in the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...

and the fourth largest in the world.

Rothrock State Forest

The Nittany Mountain Biking Association (NMBA) is active at maintaining and adding trails throughout the local state forest. There are miles of trails through Rothrock State Forest for the purposes of mountain biking and hiking.

Government

Federal

At the federal level, State College is in

Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, which includes Pittsburgh and much of Allegheny County. It has been represented since January 3, 2023 by Summer Lee. Prior to 2018, the 12th district was locate ...

, represented by Republican Fred Keller.

State

Republican

Jake Corman Jacob Doyle Corman III (born September 9, 1964) is an American politician and former President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Senate 1999 to 2022, holding the same seat his father, Doyle Corman, pre ...

represents Pennsylvania Senate, District 34, and Democrat Scott Conklin represents Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 77.

County

At the county level,

Centre County, Pennsylvania Centre County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,172. Its county seat is Bellefonte. Centre County comprises the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The lan ...

's county seat is in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. There are three county-level district courts within State College, with the others being Philipsburg, Bellefonte, and Centre Hall. The current county-level districts are divided as follows, all of which are common pleas courts. The jurisdictions include civil claims and summary offenses. Higher level courts are located in neighboring Bellefonte. * District 49-1-01, District Judge Carmine W. Prestia * District 49-2-01, District Judge Casey McClain * District 49-3-02, District Judge Kelley Gillette-Walker * District 49-3-03, District Judge Allen Sinclair * District 49-3-04, District Judge Thomas Jordan * District 49-3-05, District Judge Steven F. Lachman

Regional

The Borough of State College is a member of the Centre Region Council of Governments (CRCOG). Other members are * College Township * Ferguson Township * Halfmoon Township * Harris Township * Patton Township

Local

At the local level, the Borough of State College government is currently run by the following elected officials: * Mayor: Ezra Nanes * President of Council: Jesse L. Barlow * Council members: :* Jesse L. Barlow :* Deanna M. Behring :* Janet P. Engeman :* Gopal Balachandran :* Peter S. Marshall :* Nalini Krishnankutty :* Divine Lipscomb

Education

Public schools

State College is served by the State College Area School District which operates nine elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school in and around State College.

Charter schools

*Centre Learning Community Charter School * Nittany Valley Charter School * State College Area Delta Program * Wonderland Charter School * Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania Charter School

Private schools

* Children's House Montessori School * The Goddard School * Grace Prep High School * Kinder Station * Nittany Christian School * Our Children's Center Montessori School * Our Lady of Victory Catholic School * Park Forest Montessori School * St. John Catholic School * Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy * State College Friends School

Higher and post-secondary education

is located partially in the borough of State College. * South Hills School of Business & Technology

Libraries

State College is served by the following libraries: * American Philatelic Research Library * Centre County Library & Historical Museum * Centre County Library Bookmobile * Centre Hall Area Branch Library * Holt Memorial Library (Philipsburg) *

Pennsylvania State University Libraries The Penn State University Libraries consists of 36 libraries at 22 locations in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The two main buildings on Penn State's University Park campus are the Pattee and Paterno libraries. History The library's first ...

** Davey Library (physical and mathematical sciences) ** Deike Library (earth and mineral sciences) ** Hammond Library (engineering) ** Pattee and Paterno Libraries (main library) ** Pollock Library (study library) ** Stuckeman Library (architecture and landscape architecture) * Schlow Centre Region Library

Media

State College's daily newspaper is the '' Centre Daily Times'', part of the McClatchy Company chain. There is also a weekly version published as ''Centre Weekly''. An alternative town newspaper is the ''Centre County Gazette'' Newspapers of

's main campus include ''The Forum'', the student-run ''Daily Collegian'', and ''Onward State'', a student-run digital media blog. Numerous magazines are published in State College, including ''State College Magazine'', ''Blue White Illustrated'', ''Centered Magazine'', ''Pennsylvania Business Central'', ''Provisions Magazine'', ''Town & Gown Magazine'', and ''Valley Magazine''. State College is part of the Johnstown/Altoona/State College television market, which is ranked No. 102 in the nation. Television stations broadcasting out of State College include WPSU 3 ( PBS) and WHVL-LD 29 (

MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV (unofficially abbreviated MyTV, MyNet, MNT or MNTV, and sometimes referred to as My Network) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its ...

) as well as C-NET, Centre County's Government and Education Access Television Network, which broadcasts on two cable channels: CGTV (Government Access TV) on Comcast and Windstream Channel 7 and CETV (Educational Access TV) on Channel 98. WATM-TV 23 ( ABC) produces a Centre County focused newscast, anchored from a studio on West College Avenue. WJAC-TV 6 ( NBC),

WTAJ-TV WTAJ-TV (channel 10) is a television station licensed to Altoona, Pennsylvania, United States, serving the Johnstown–Altoona–State College market as an affiliate of CBS. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station maintains studios on 6th Ave ...

10 ( CBS), and WWCP-TV 8 ( FOX) also maintain satellite studios and offices here.

Infrastructure

Transportation

State College is located at the junction of Interstate 99/ U.S. Route 220 and

U.S. Route 322 U.S. Route 322 (US 322) is a long, east–west United States Highway, traversing Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The road is a spur of U.S. Route 22 and one of the original highways from 1926. A portion of it at one time was concurrent with ...

. I-99/US 220 head north to an interchange with

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one ...

and south towards Altoona. US 322 heads west along with I-99/US 220 and east towards

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in ...

. U.S. Route 322 Business passes east–west through State College on Atherton Street. Pennsylvania Route 26 passes north–south through State College, following the

one-way pair A one-way pair, one-way couple, or couplet refers to that portion of a bi-directional traffic facilitysuch as a road, bus, streetcar, or light rail linewhere its opposing flows exist as two independent and roughly parallel facilities. Descript ...

of Beaver Avenue northbound and College Avenue southbound. Parking in the downtown area of State College is regulated by on-street

parking meter A parking meter is a device used to collect money in exchange for the right to park a vehicle in a particular place for a limited amount of time. Parking meters can be used by municipalities as a tool for enforcing their integrated on-street par ...

s, two off-street parking lots, and four

parking garage A multistorey car park ( British and Singapore English) or parking garage (American English), also called a multistory, parking building, parking structure, parkade (mainly Canadian), parking ramp, parking deck or indoor parking, is a bui ...

s. The off-street parking lots offer parking with hourly rates while the parking garages offer parking with both hourly rates and monthly permits. Parking in residential areas is regulated by residential parking permits, allowing holders of such permits to park beyond the posted time limits. Some streets near the downtown area allow holders of commuter parking permits to park beyond the posted time limits. In 2009, the State College metropolitan statistical area (MSA) ranked as the tenth highest in the United States for percentage of commuters who walked to work (8 percent). In 2013, the State College MSA ranked as the fifteenth lowest in the United States for percentage of workers who commuted by private automobile (79.2 percent). During the same year, 9.9 percent of State College area commuters walked to work. The borough is served by the

Centre Area Transportation Authority The Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) is a mass transit agency that provides bus transportation within State College, Pennsylvania and the surrounding areas, as well as Pennsylvania State University. In , the system had a ridership of , ...

for local bus service and the University Park Airport for commercial air traffic. Intercity bus service to New York City,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, and other points across the state is provided by

Fullington Trailways The Trailways Transportation System is an American network of approximately 70 independent bus companies that have entered into a brand licensing agreement. The company is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia. History The predecessor to Trailwa ...

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. (commonly known as simply Greyhound) operates the largest intercity bus service in North America, including Greyhound Mexico. It also operates charter bus services, Amtrak Thruway services, commuter bus services, and ...

Megabus Megabus may refer to: * Megabus (Europe), a low-cost coach service with services in Europe owned by ComfortDelGro. * Megabus (North America), a low-cost bus service in the United States and Canada owned by Variant Equity Advisors. * Megabús, a ...

, and OurBus. The State College Bus Station serving Fullington Trailways and Greyhound Lines is located adjacent to downtown and the Pennsylvania State University campus. Megabus stops in the parking lot of the

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

along North Atherton Street. State College does not have passenger train service, with the nearest

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...

stations located in Tyrone (approximately 26 miles away),

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cr ...

(approximately 31 miles away) and Lewistown (approximately 32 miles away) serving Amtrak's '' Pennsylvanian'' train between Pittsburgh and New York City. Amtrak Thruway service is available via Fullington Trailways from State College to Pittsburgh.

Utilities

Electricity in State College is provided by West Penn Power, a subsidiary of

FirstEnergy FirstEnergy Corp is an electric utility headquartered in Akron, Ohio. It was established when Ohio Edison acquired Centerior Energy in 1997. Its subsidiaries and affiliates are involved in the distribution, transmission, and generation of electri ...

. Natural gas service in the borough is provided by Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, a division of

NiSource NiSource Inc. is one of the largest fully regulated utility companies in the United States, serving approximately 3.5 million natural gas customers and 500,000 electric customers across six states through its local Columbia Gas and NIPSCO brands ...

. The State College Borough Water Authority provides water service to State College along with Patton, Ferguson, College, Harris, and Benner townships. Sewer service in State College is provided by the University Area Joint Authority. Trash and recycling collection is provided by the borough's Public Works department.

Health care

The Mount Nittany Medical Center, which has 260 beds and offers emergency, medical, surgical, diagnostic and community services, is located in State College.

Notable people

The following individuals were born and/or raised in State College: Sport figures: * Chris Bahr – former NFL placekicker and NASL soccer player * Stan Belinda – former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

pitcher *

Channing Crowder Randolph Channing Crowder Jr. (born December 2, 1983) is an American former college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons during the 2000s. He played college football for Flor ...

– former NFL linebacker, played six seasons with the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

* Ron Dickerson Jr. – former head football coach at

Gardner–Webb University Gardner–Webb University (Gardner–Webb, GWU, or GW) is a private Baptist university in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina ( Southern Baptist Convention). It was founded as Boi ...

, former NFL football player * Ryan Gruhn –

martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

and

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...

coach * Larry Johnson – NFL running back, most recently played for the

* Rob Krimmel –

Saint Francis University Saint Francis University (SFU) is a private Catholic university in Loretto, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1847 and conducted under the tradition of the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular. The university is situated on in the fore ...

men's basketball head coach * Butch Leitzinger – professional racecar driver * Jordan Norwood – NFL wide receiver for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

, broke the super bowl record for longest punt return in 2016 * Barry Parkhill – former

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, leading to four A ...

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

Bruce Parkhill Bruce Parkhill (born June 16, 1949) is a former head college men's basketball coach whose stops included William & Mary (1977–1983) and Penn State (1983–1995). His 1990–91 Nittany Lions won the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament and stunned ...

– former men's basketball head coach * Jay Paterno – author, former football coach * Matt Rhule – football coach, currently head coach of the

Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...

Jonathan Stupar Jonathan Stupar (born July 27, 1984) is a former American football tight end. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Virginia. He has also been a member of the Buffalo Bills a ...

– NFL tight end, most recently played for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

* Matt Suhey – former NFL fullback, played ten seasons with the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

Myles Thomas Myles Lewis Thomas (October 22, 1897 – December 12, 1963) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He was born in State College, Pennsylvania. He threw and batted right-handed, and he was also tall and 170 pounds. He was ...

(1897–1963) – former

pitcher *

Guard Young Guard Wayne Young (born June 3, 1977 in State College, Pennsylvania) is a retired American gymnast. He is a three-time member of the U.S. gymnastics team at the World Championships, and contributed to a silver medal in the men's team competition ...

– gymnast, three-time member of the U.S.

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

team Others: * Michael Anesko –

literary critic Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. ...

, author, and professor * Kerry Benninghoff – member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

Brian Blanchard Brian Blanchard (born November 7, 1958) is an American attorney, judge, and Democratic politician. He currently serves as a judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in Madison-based District IV. Biography Born in State College, Pennsylvania, J ...

– Judge of the

Wisconsin Court of Appeals The Wisconsin Court of Appeals is an intermediate appellate court that reviews contested decisions of the Wisconsin circuit courts. The Court of Appeals was created in August 1978 to alleviate the Wisconsin Supreme Court's rising number of appe ...

* Galen Dreibelbis – real estate developer, former member of the

* Ian Hendrickson-Smith – jazz saxophonist with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings and

The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...

* Si Kahn – singer-songwriter, political activist, founder of Grassroots Leadership * Fraser Kershaw – activist and actor in ''

Behind the Water ''Behind the Water'' is a 2016 Latin American televised drama documentary based on the live interactions within the world water crisis. Fraser Kershaw stars in the film. The film captures live footage while combining fictional elements. The fil ...

'' *

Joshua Leonard Joshua Granville Leonard (born June 17, 1975) is an American actor, writer, and director, known for his role in '' The Blair Witch Project'' (1999). He has since starred in films such as '' Madhouse'' (2004), '' The Shaggy Dog'' (2006), '' Higher ...

– film actor, star of '' The Blair Witch Project'' and '' Madhouse'' * Carol Mansell – television and film actress * Caitlin Moeller – television and film actress * Gretchen Morgenson –

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

-winning journalist for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' * Charles Myers (1913–2000) – former labor economist, author, and professor * Vance Packard (1914–1996) – former journalist, social critic, and author * Kelly Perine – television actor and comedian *

Adam Ragusea Adam Ragusea ( ; born March 22, 1982) is an American YouTuber who creates videos about food recipes, food science, and culinary culture. Until 2020, Ragusea was a professor of journalism at Mercer University. Personal life Ragusea grew up in Sta ...

– YouTuber who creates videos about food * Arron Scott – dancer, member of the

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...

''corps de ballet'' *

Tom Shear Tom Shear is an American musician and music producer, and is the sole member of the electronic act Assemblage 23. He was born on November 12, 1971 in State College, Pennsylvania, where he lived until he was about age six. After that, he lived ...

– industrial/EBM musician, founder of

Assemblage 23 Assemblage 23 is an electronic act from the United States, currently based in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1988 by Tom Shear who writes the music and lyrics and does the recording himself. Live performances are supported by Paul ...

* Doug Sweetland – animator for

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...

and

Sony Pictures Animation Sony Pictures Animation Inc. is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and founded on May 9, 2002. The studio's films are distributed worldwide by So ...

* John Taylor – lead guitarist and musical director for the

Jonas Brothers The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band. Formed in 2005, they gained popularity from their appearances on the Disney Channel television network. They consist of three brothers: Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in ...

* Mary Louisa Willard (1898–1993) – former professor of chemistry at Penn State ''The following were/are residents of State College:'' Sport figures: * Walter Bahr (1927–2018) – former professional soccer player, ASL and Penn State soccer coach;

National Soccer Hall of Fame The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 and currently located in Toyota Stadium (Texas), Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The Hall of Fame honors Association football, soccer ...

inductee *

Joe Bedenk Fred Joseph Bedenk (July 14, 1897 – May 2, 1978) was an American football and baseball player and coach. He served as the head baseball coach at Rice University from 1925 to 1926 and at Pennsylvania State University from 1931 to 1962. Bedenk was ...

(1897–1978) – former Penn State football and baseball head coach *

Pat Chambers Patrick Brian Chambers (born December 13, 1970) is an American college basketball coach and is the current head coach at Florida Gulf Coast University. He is formerly the head men's basketball coach at Penn State and Boston University. Biograph ...

– former Penn State men's basketball head coach * George Daniel – champion

fly fisherman Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly differ ...

, member of

Fly Fishing TeamUSA TeamUSA – is an organization that represents the American athletes as participants at the World Fly Fishing Championships each year. Fishing U.S. Top 20 World Championship Finishes: * Jeff Currier—Bronze Medalist, Jaca, Spain, 2003 * George ...

Guy Gadowsky Guy Gadowsky (born August 10, 1967) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former professional ice hockey player. Gadowsky is currently the head coach of the Penn State University men's ice hockey team. Early life Gadowsky attended Strathcona Hi ...

– Penn State men's hockey head coach, former IHL right wing hockey player * David Kimball – former NFL and

NFL Europe NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally ...

placekicker *

Jim O'Hora James Joseph O’Hora (February 16, 1915 – August 5, 2005) was an American college football coach for over 30 years. Biography Early years O’Hora was born in Dunmore, Pennsylvania. His father, Michael, was an immigrant from Ballina, County M ...

(1915–2005) – former

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

coach, associate professor at Penn State * Joe Paterno (1926–2012) – former Penn State football head coach *

Russ Rose Russell David Rose (born November 29, 1953) is an American author, professor and was the women's volleyball coach at Penn State University (1979–2021). His lifetime head coaching record is 1330–229, which ranks first in NCAA Division I hi ...

– Penn State volleyball coach and author * Steve Suhey (1922–1977) – former NFL guard, played two seasons with the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

Others: *

Abhay Ashtekar Abhay Vasant Ashtekar (born 5 July 1949) is an Indian theoretical physicist. He is the Eberly Professor of Physics and the Director of the Institute for Gravitational Physics and Geometry at Pennsylvania State University. As the creator of Ash ...

– Professor of Physics at Penn State, noted for his contributions in

general relativity General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity and Einstein's theory of gravity, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915 and is the current description of gravitation in modern physics ...

and

quantum gravity Quantum gravity (QG) is a field of theoretical physics that seeks to describe gravity according to the principles of quantum mechanics; it deals with environments in which neither gravitational nor quantum effects can be ignored, such as in the vi ...

Rodney Erickson Rodney Allen Erickson (born 1946) is an American academic administrator who served as the 17th president of Pennsylvania State University from 2011 to 2014. Formerly executive vice president and provost (chief academic officer), he was named inte ...

– former Penn State president * A. William Hajjar (1917–2000) – former architect, designed several properties in the State College area * Lloyd Huck (1922–2012) – former chairman of Merck & Co. and three-term Penn State trustees president * Sarah Koenig – journalist, host and executive producer of the crime podcast '' Serial'' * Thomas Larson (1928–2006) – former Federal Highway Administrator, Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, professor at Penn State *

Michael Mann Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television who is best known for his distinctive style of crime drama. His most acclaimed works include the films '' Thief'' (1981) ...

– climatologist,

geophysicist Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...

, director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State * James Morrow – science-fiction author * Barry Myers – USCOA nominee, former CEO of

AccuWeather AccuWeather Inc. is an American media company that provides commercial weather forecasting services worldwide. AccuWeather was founded in 1962 by Joel N. Myers, then a Pennsylvania State University graduate student working on a master's degree ...

* Joel Myers – founder, CEO and chairman of

* Tawni O'Dell – novelist, author of '' Back Roads'' which was an Oprah's Book Club selection in 2000 * Sue Paterno – philanthropist, widow of Joe Paterno *

C. R. Rao Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao FRS (born 10 September 1920), commonly known as C. R. Rao, is an Indian-American mathematician and statistician. He is currently professor emeritus at Pennsylvania State University and Research Professor at the ...

– statistician and professor emeritus at Penn State * Rustum Roy (1924–2010) – former professor at Penn State, founder of Materials Science Laboratory * Henry Sahakian (1937–2021) – former businessman, founder of Uni-Mart *

Graham Spanier Graham Basil Spanier (born July 18, 1948) is a South African-born American sociologist and university administrator who became the 16th president of Pennsylvania State University on September 1, 1995. On November 9, 2011, in the wake of the Penn ...

– former Penn State president * Eric Walker (1910–1995) – former Penn State president * Fred Waring (1900–1984) – former musician/bandleader and radio-television personality * Bill Welch (1941–2009) – former mayor of State College

References

External links

Borough of State College Government website

StateCollege.com
– news and information website
Centre Daily Times

Central Pennsylvania Convention & Visitors Bureau

Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County

Downtown State College Improvement District
{{Authority control 1855 establishments in Pennsylvania Academic enclaves Home Rule Municipalities in Centre County, Pennsylvania Home Rule Municipalities in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania State University Populated places established in 1855