Clearfield, Pennsylvania
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Clearfield 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 ...
and the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 5,962 people, making it the second most populous community in Clearfield County, behind DuBois. The borough is part of the DuBois, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, as well as the larger State College-DuBois, PA Combined Statistical Area. The settled area surrounding the borough consists of the nearby
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
s of Hyde and Plymptonville, which combined with Clearfield have a population of approximately 8,237 people.


Consolidation

In October 2015, a Clearfield/Lawrence Township Consolidation Committee first convened to discuss a potential merger between Lawrence Township and Clearfield. However, on August 1, 2017, Lawrence Township supervisors voted 2 to 1 against consolidation with Clearfield. The population of the new municipality would have been approximately 13,800, surpassing DuBois as the most populous community in the county.


History

There were many trade routes and paths for Native Americans living and passing through Clearfield County up to the 1600s. One major Indian path at the time was the Great Shamokin Path, which started near the Indian village of Shamokin (now Sunbury) on the
Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...
and continued west past Lock Haven, to Chinklacamoose, now the borough of Clearfield. Finally the path ended at the village of Kittanning on the
Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ; ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River that is located in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border, nor ...
, which is now the modern town of the same name.


National Register of Historic Places

Clearfield is home to four of Clearfield County's list of twenty National Registered Historic Places. * Clearfield County Courthouse * Dimeling Hotel * Old Town Historic District * Thomas Murray House


All-America City

In 1966, Clearfield was one of the winners of the All-America City Award, given annually to the top ten cities in the United States. The other nine cities included in the top ten list in 1966 were
Pinellas County, Florida Pinellas County (, ) is located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 959,107, making it the seventh-most populous county in the state. It is also the most d ...
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.


Geography

Clearfield is located near the center of Clearfield County along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. Clearfield Creek joins the West Branch to the east (downstream) of town.
U.S. Route 322 U.S. Route 322 (US 322) is a , east–west United States Highway, traversing Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The road is a spur route, spur of U.S. Route 22, US 22 and one of the original highways from 1926. A portion of it at one time was c ...
passes through the borough, and
Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...
passes just to the north, with access from Exit 120 ( Pennsylvania Route 879). Via US-322 and I-80, it is northwest to the city of DuBois. US-322 leads southeast to State College.


Adjacent counties

* Elk County (North) * Cameron County (Northeast) * Clinton County (Northeast) * Cambria County (South) * Blair County (Southeast) * Indiana County (Southwest) * Centre County (East) * Jefferson County (West)


Neighborhoods

* East End is a neighborhood within the borough of Clearfield. The area is located in the northeastern portion of the borough. The northern portion of East End is
U.S. Route 322 U.S. Route 322 (US 322) is a , east–west United States Highway, traversing Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The road is a spur route, spur of U.S. Route 22, US 22 and one of the original highways from 1926. A portion of it at one time was c ...
. The southern part is made up of Woodland Road and Cemetery Road ending at the old Hillcrest Cemetery. The former Bionol
ethanol Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the ps ...
plant, now a grain processing plant, is in the East End. Just to the north of the plant is the Pennsylvania Lines Headquarters of the R.J. Corman Railroad. * Golden Rod, sometimes referred to as Golden Rod Farms, is located along U.S. 322 to the east about a mile from Clearfield and very close to
Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania Commonwealth University-Lock Haven (LHU) is a public university in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The main campus covers and the branch campus in Clearfield, Pe ...
Clearfield Campus, and is not with the borough boundary. The neighborhood is near the confluence of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and Clearfield Creek. Clearfield Square is located between East End and Golden Rod. * Hillsdale is located to the east of Clearfield, just outside the borough limits. The neighborhood is on a hill overlooking the borough. The boundary for this area is roughly from High Street (the borough boundary) to the west, to the Hillcrest Cemetery to the north, to Pennsylvania Route 879 to the east. Lock Haven University's Clearfield branch campus was once located in Hillsdale, but relocated to its current location along U.S. Route 322, about east of downtown. * Kerr or more commonly known as Kerr Addition is located outside the borough limits on the north side of the
West Branch Susquehanna River The West Branch Susquehanna River is one of the two principal branches, along with the North Branch, of the Susquehanna River in the Northeastern United States. The North Branch, which rises in upstate New York, is generally regarded as the ex ...
when the river makes a turn to the east. It is across the river from the East End neighborhood. The Clearfield County Career and Technology Center is located in Kerr Addition as well as major retail businesses. Kerr Addition is east of the
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
of Plymptonville. * South Park or sometimes South Side is located mainly in the southern portion of the borough of Clearfield. It covers an area from the east bank of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River to Pennsylvania Route 879 to the south and east, and to Pennsylvania Route 153 to the north. Many old smaller
mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...
-style houses are located in the neighborhood which overlooks the river. * West Side is located inside the borough boundary to the west of the
West Branch Susquehanna River The West Branch Susquehanna River is one of the two principal branches, along with the North Branch, of the Susquehanna River in the Northeastern United States. The North Branch, which rises in upstate New York, is generally regarded as the ex ...
, north to U.S. Route 322. It is made up of many mid 19th-century homes, and it is the location of many businesses and churches, some of which use "West Side" in their names. One of the bigger churches, West Side
United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...
is located in the neighborhood. Clearfield Hospital is in the West Side near the northern boundary of the borough. The Clearfield County Fair occurs at the Clearfield County Fairgrounds, located in this area within the borough limits.


Schools

* Clearfield Area School District **Clearfield Area Elementary School ** Clearfield Area Junior/Senior High School ** * Clearfield Alliance Christian School *St. Francis School


Library

*Joseph and Elizabeth Shaw Public Library, founded in 1940.


Demographics

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 6,215 people, a drop of 6.3% from the 2000 census.3,070 households, and 1,740 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 3,326 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 93.1%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 2.6%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.08% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population. There were 3,070 households, out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.3% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.83. In the borough the population was spread out, with 20.4% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $27,414, and the median income for a family was $40,095. Males had a median income of $29,972 versus $22,607 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the borough was $17,374. About 8.3% of families and 13.4% 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 14.6% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over. 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 , of which, of it is land and of it (3.70%) is water.


Notable people

* Willie Adams, major league baseball pitcher (1912-1919) * Howie Bedell, major league baseball player * William Bigler (January 1, 1814 – August 9, 1880), American politician, 12th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1852 to 1855, later U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania from 1856 until 1861 * Earl Caldwell, former reporter and columnist for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''; first African-American to have a regular column in a major national newspaper; central figure in a major Supreme Court case about the protection of journalists' sources, hosts Pacifica's
WBAI WBAI (99.5 FM) is a non-commercial, listener-supported radio station licensed to New York, New York. Its programming is a mixture of political news, talk and opinion from a left-leaning, liberal or progressive viewpoint, and eclectic musi ...
radio (New York City) * Skip Cleaver, New Hampshire state legislator * Otto Eppers, cartoonist/illustrator who as part of a stunt successfully jumped off the
Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a cable-stayed suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River. It w ...
at 17 years of age * Howard Fargo, former 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 ...
(1981-2000) * Anthony A. Mitchell, clarinetist, composer and conductor; led the United States Navy Band from 1962-1968 * Rembrandt Cecil Robinson (1924-1972) was a United States Navy officer (Rear admiral) * Edward Scofield, governor of Wisconsin (1897–1901) * William Irvin Swoope, Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1923–27) * William A. Wallace, Democratic U.S. senator who served from 1875–81 * Powell Weaver, composer and organist


Media


Television

Clearfield receives television programming from the Johnstown- Altoona-
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 ...
media market. Public television station WPSU-TV is licensed to Clearfield.


Movies

Three feature films were shot on location in Clearfield County and downtown Clearfield by native Spencer Folmar. First in 2009 for the feature film, "Guilt & Sentence" (2010), and again in 2016 for the feature film "Generational Sins" (2017) starring the Australian actor, Daniel MacPherson. Recently the film Shooting Heroin also made by Folmar debuted and is a film inspired by true events about the opioid epidemic.


Newspaper

Clearfield is covered by ''The Progress'', published daily since 1913, and ''Gant Daily'', published online since 2006.


Radio

* WOKW 102.9 MHz in Curwensville, PA with Offices located in Clearfield, PA *
WPQP WPQP (93.1 FM, "Pop 92.7-93.1-95.9") is a radio station licensed to Clearfield, Pennsylvania. Owned by Seven Mountains Media, it broadcasts a Top 40 format. The station is also simulcast with WCCR-FM (92.7) in Clarion and WQQP (95.9 FM) in ...
* WIFT * WCPA-AM 900 kHz *
WQQP WQQP (95.9 FM broadcasting, FM, "Pop 92.7-93.1-95.9") is a radio station city of license, licensed to Sykesville, Pennsylvania. Owned by Seven Mountains Media, it broadcasts a Top 40 radio format, format simulcast with sister stations WCCR-FM (92 ...
95.9 MHz


References


External links

*
Clearfield Borough official website


{{authority control County seats in Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1805 Boroughs in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania 1840 establishments in Pennsylvania