Centre Hall is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, 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 ...

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

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, United States. It is located in

Penns Valley Penns Valley is an eroded anticlinal valley of the Pennsylvania ridge and valley geologic region of the Appalachian Mountain range. The valley is located in southern Centre County, Pennsylvania. Along with the Nittany Valley to the north an ...

and is part of the

State College, Pennsylvania State College is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough and Home rule municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule municipality in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a college town, home to the University Park, Pennsylvania, University Park ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,265 at the 2010 census, which is a 17.2% increase from the 2000 censu

Centre Hall was so named on account of its location near the

geographical center In geography, the centroid of the two-dimensional shape of a region of the Earth's surface (projected radially to sea level or onto a geoid surface) is known as its geographic centre or geographical centre or (less commonly) gravitational centre. I ...

Geography

Centre Hall is located at (40.844287, -77.684615), surrounded by Potter Township. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the borough has a total area of , all land.

Events

Centre Hall hosts the Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair, known to most as the " Grange Fair". The Fair attracts tens of thousands of people during its run, and takes place during the last full Thursday-to-Thursday week in August annually. It is one of the few remaining tenting fairs in the United States, with nearly a thousand "army-style" tents laid in rows throughout the grounds. In 1874, Leonard Rhone, a local farmer and activist, urged that members of the local Granges that he had founded to invite their neighbors to a one-day Pic-Nic to introduce the Patrons of Husbandry organization for farm and rural families. With the exception of 1943, the Fair has been held every year since.

Demographics

At the 2010 census there were 1,265 people, 548 households, and 372 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 574 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 99.0% White, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% other, and 0.5% from two or more races. There were 548 households, 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 27.7% of households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.81. In the borough the population was spread out, with 20.1% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.0% 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males. The median household income was $50,556 and the median family income was $64,141. The per capita income for the borough was $25,298. About 4.7% of families and 6.0% 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 ...

, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Rail

In 1884, the Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad was constructed through Centre Hall. Rail service ended due to damage from

Hurricane Agnes Hurricane Agnes was the List of costliest Atlantic hurricanes, costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, ...

in June 1972, and the line was formally abandoned by the

Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals, the Pennsylvania, New York Central and the ...

in May 1973.

Roads

Highways include: *

Pennsylvania Route 144 Pennsylvania Route 144 (PA 144) is a state highway located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering a distance of about . The southern terminus is located near an interchange with U.S. Route 322 (US 322) at State Route 2015 (SR ...

Pennsylvania Route 192 Pennsylvania Route 192 (PA 192) is a state highway located in central Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at PA 144 in Centre Hall. The eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 15 (US 15) in Lewisburg. Route description PA 192 begins ...

Air

Centre Airpark is a small airport with a 3100 ft grass runway just southeast of Centre Hall. Its use includes

ultralight aircraft Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and Aircraft flight control system, conventional three-a ...

Education

Centre Hall is in the Penns Valley Area School District.

References

External links

Borough Web siteGrange Fair - Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair, Centre Hall, PA
{{authority control Populated places established in 1847 Boroughs in Centre County, Pennsylvania 1847 establishments in Pennsylvania