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EspañolSTATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA
'State College, Pennsylvania', is a borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre county. As of the 2000 census, the borough population was 38,420, (estimated 38,720 in 2007) and roughly double that total lived in the borough plus the surrounding townships. Of that population, 20,011 or 52.1% are males and 18,409 or 47.9% are females.City Data.
The town is dominated economically and demographically by the presence of the main campus of the Pennsylvania State University, more often referred to as Penn State. 'Happy Valley' is an often-used term to refer to the State College area, including the borough and the townships of College, Harris, Patton, and Ferguson.
The area is served by University Park Airport.
History
State College evolved from village to town to serve the needs of the fledgling Pennsylvania State College, founded as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania in 1855. Since then, the school has grown into a major university, renamed in 1953 The Pennsylvania State University, also known as Penn State. State College was incorporated as a borough on August 29, 1896 and has since grown with the university. Borough and university share a symbiotic relationship. In 1973 State College adopted a home rule charter which took effect in 1976. The areas outside of State College are filled with historic towns and villages, immense tracts of farmland, and an expanse of mountains and forests.
The university has a post office address of University Park, PA, which is sometimes a cause for confusion. When Penn State changed its name from College to University in 1953, its president, Milton S. Eisenhower, 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 Hetzel Union Building from the U.S. Post Office Department. The post office, which has since moved across a street to the McAllister Building, is the official home of zip code 16802 (University Park). The new zip code was granted directly by President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the request of his younger brother Milton S. Eisenhower .
General Information
★ ZIP Codes: State College: 16801, 16803; Penn State University: 16802
★ Area Code: 814
★ Local Phone Exchanges: 231, 234, 235, 237, 238, 272, 278, 861, 863, 865, 867
Geography
State College is located at (40.791261, -77.858740). The elevation is approximately above sea level..
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 11.8 km² (4.5 mi²), all land.
Culture
Happy Valley
"Happy Valley" is sometimes used as shorthand for State College, Pennsylvania. Commentators referring to Penn State athletic events often give the location as "Happy Valley" rather than mentioning State College or the specific campus facility.
The Corner of College Avenue and Allen Street in downtown State College, taken from the gates of Campus.
In a survey conducted in the late 1980s by Psychology Today, State College was ranked as one of the least stressful places in the United States. A more recent rating put State College 19th among "50 Smart Places to Live[1]." The same source states: "Sperling's BestPlaces research group has previously ranked State College the No.1 safest small city in America, and Forbes, thanks in large part to the tremendous amount of research conducted at the University, listed State College among the top 10 smaller metro areas in which to start a career or business[2]." In 2007, CNN Money said State College was the number one "single" city based on percentage of unmarried people living there. [3] Even more statistics about State College are available at: http://www.bestplaces.net/zip-code/?zip=16801&city=State_College_PA[4].
In the August issue of Rolling Stone Magazine, State College received honorable mention in best music scenes throughout the country. Bands formed in State College include Axum, The Bullet Parade [5], Cootie Brown, The Earthtones, Emily's Toybox, Katsu, The Nightcrawlers, Blasting Trout Overbite, Queen Bee and the Blue Hornet Band, and The Rustlanders.
Otto's Pub & Brewery, located in State College, was voted #37 on the "Top 50 Places to Have A Pint" in the United States in 2003 by BeerAdvocate.com.[6] In addition to this, the 2006 survey listed Zeno's Pub, a local bar, in the top 50 as well.
Ye Olde College Diner, located in State College, was voted #3 on the "Best Places to Eat a Sticky Bun" in the United States in 2005 by Pastrypoll.com. It is a place of Penn State tradition that dates back to 1929. The diner serves grilled stickeys. Many alumni come back here well after they have graduated from Penn State. The Diner was recently closed by Centre County due to health code violations.
Baby's Burgers & Shakes is a 50's style diner located down town, and was once featured in a Visa commercial, saying that they don't accept American Express. There are dozens more interesting restaurants and bars unique to State College, most of which are concentrated in the down town area.
The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, usually referred to simply as Arts Fest, is held down town every July. The 5 day long festival features artists from around the country and draws more than 125,000 visitors. Many streets are closed off and lined with booths where people can buy paintings, pottery, jewelry, and a variety of 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.
Famous people from State College
★ Tyler H Walk - film editor, currently resides in Astoria, NY.
★ Joshua Leonard - film actor, star of The Blair Witch Project and Madhouse (2004)
★ Jesse Fritsch - professional skateboarder
★ Si Kahn - Folksinger, political activist
★ Harry Groves - legendary and oft-quoted track and field coach, and a USTCA Hall of Fame Inductee
★ Larry Johnson - NFL running back for the Kansas City Chiefs, born in La Plata, Maryland
★ Tony Johnson - a top football player at Penn State, brother of Larry Johnson
★ Butch Leitzinger - professional racecar driver
★ Eric Milton - baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds
★ James Morrow - science-fiction author; wrote ''City of Truth''
★ Joel N. Myers - Founder of AccuWeather.com
★ Jim O'Hora - football coach, associate professor at PSU
★ Vance Packard - Muckraker, social critic
★ Joe Paterno - legendary college football coach; born in Brooklyn, New York
★ Rene Portland - former Penn State women's basketball coach
★ C. R. Rao - World-renouned statistician and Professor Emeritus at Penn State
★ Leah Rozen nationally recognized film critic
★ Jerry Sandusky - football coach, founder of Second Mile
★ Matt Suhey- Fullback at Penn State and for the Chicago Bears, where he was Walter Payton's lead blocker
★ James Mattern- Owner of Open Grave Records
Points of interest
★ The HUB
★ Old Main
★ The Arboretum at Penn State
★ American Philatelic Society
★ Pennsylvania State University
★ The Creamery
★ Beaver Stadium - football venue
★ Bryce Jordan Center - basketball and other indoor sports venue
★ Downtown State College
★ Schlow Centre Region Library
★ Nittany Mall
★ Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, home of the State College Spikes baseball
★ Mount Nittany - skiing and hiking
★ Mount Nittany Medical Center
★ Friday Farmers' Market (During summer and fall only)
Media
Newspapers
★ The Centre Daily Times
★ Voices
★ The Daily Collegian (Pennsylvania) (PSU student run)
Magazines
★ Town & Gown
★ State College Magazine
★ Phroth
Web Media
★ StateCollege.com
★ HappyValley.com
Television
State College is part of the Johnstown/Altoona/State College television market, which is currently ranked #98 in the nation.
Radio
The State College, PA radio market is ranked #255 in the nation. The following box contains a list of radio stations in State College.
★ WPSU-FM Public Radio (Classical, Folk, Jazz, Blues, NPR)
★ WPSU2-FM HD Radio - Jazz, News, Public Affairs
★ WFGY-FM Country
★ WZWW-FM Hot Adult Contemporary
★ WBUS-FM Classic Rock
★ WQWK-FM Active Rock
★ WOWY-FM Oldies
★ WJOW-FM New Country
★ WRSC-AM News Talk Information
★ WLTS-FM Soft Adult Contemporary
★ WMAJ-AM All Sports
★ WBHV-FM Pop Contemporary Hit Radio
★ WBLF-AM News Talk Information
★ WGMR-FM Pop Contemporary Hit Radio
★ WALY-FM Oldies
★ WIEZ-AM News Talk Information
★ WPHB-AM Country
★ WQBR-FM Country
★ WSGY-FM Country
★ WWOT-FM Pop Contemporary Hit Radio
(Source: http://www.arbitron.com/home/ratings.htm, State College market)
Entertainment
BARS INCLUDE:
★ Allen Street Grill, an upscale restaurant featuring a piano bar
★ Bill Pickles Tap Room
★ Chumleys, State College's only alternative lifestyle (gay) bar
★ Players Nite Club, playing top 40 and dance.
★ The Phyrst, an Irish pub.
★ The University Resident Theatre Company (URTC). The School of Theatre at Penn State.
★ Zenos Pub, voted in Playboy magazine as one of the United States top 50 places to have a beer
Sports
Collegiate Sports/NCAA
★ See Pennsylvania State University Athletics and Penn State Nittany Lions football.
Minor League Baseball
★ State College Spikes
★
★ Besides Penn State sports, State College has a Minor League Baseball team named the State College Spikes, a short season class A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the New York Penn League.
Correctional facility
State College is located not far from the State Correctional Institution - Rockview, which is known as the state penitentiary, or the "state pen" (Source: [7], reference to "state pen" being near Penn State).
Economy
Major Employers
★ AccuWeather- the world's largest private weather forecasting service, originated and based in State College, PA
★ Bestbuy
★ Brookline Village
★ C-COR
★ Centre Area Transportation Authority
★ Circuit City
★ General Dynamics
★ Giants
★ Hotel State College & Co.
★ Jostens Printing and Publishing
★ Minitab
★ Mount Nittany Medical Center
★ PNCBank
★ Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems - formerly E-Systems and HRB Singer
★ SRI International
★ State College Area School District
★ Target
★ The Pennsylvania State University
★ Walmart
★ Wegmans
Shopping
Retail
State College has many shopping areas, most notably:
★ Downtown State College
★ Nittany Mall
★ Various Shopping plazas, including Colonnade Shopping Center, Hills Plaza, and Walmart Plaza.
Government and Politics
State and National Level
At the state and national levels, State College is served by Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district. The current incumbent is John E. Peterson.
County Level
At the county level, Centre County, Pennsylvania's county seat is in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.
Local Level
At the local level, the Borough of State College Government is currently run by the following elected officials:
★ Mayor: Bill Welch
★ President of Council: Catherine G. Dauler
★ Council Members:
★
★ Thomas E. Daubert
★
★ Ronald Filippelli
★
★ Elizabeth A. Goreham
★
★ Donald M. Hahn
★
★ Craig R. Humphrey
★
★ Jeffrey R. Kern
(Source: http://www.statecollegepa.us/)
(Source: http://www.statecollegepa.us/index.asp?NID=31)
Law Enforcement
The law enforcement arm of the Borough of State College is the State College Police Department, served by Chief Thomas R. King.
The Alpha Fire Department operates out of 3 houses and responds with 5 engines, 2 trucks, 1 heavy rescue and 2 tankers. The Departments annual run total is 1000.
Education
Public Schools
State College is served by the State College Area School District. [8]
Private Schools
There are also a variety of private schools, including the State College Friends School[9], Nittany Christian School[10], and Our Lady of Victory Catholic school.
Higher Education
See Penn State University.
Other Colleges Near State College
★ Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
★ Clarion University of Pennsylvania
★ Indiana University of Pennsylvania
★ Juniata College
★ Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania
★ Mansfield University of Pennsylvania
Libraries
State College is served by the following libraries:
★ Aaronsburg Public Library
★ American Philatelic Research Library
★ Centre County Book Mobile
★ Centre Hall Area Branch Library
★ Holt Memorial Library
★ Pennsylvania State University Libraries
★
★ Pattee Library (main library)
★
★ Hammond Library (engineering)
★
★ Pollock Library (study library)
★
★ Paterno Library
★ Schlow Centre Region Library (http://schlowlibrary.org/)
★ The Centre County Library
(Source: http://www.statecollege.com/business/directory.phtml?cat_id=349&Index=L)
Hospitals
★ HealthSouth
★ HealthSouth Spine & Rehabilitation Center
★ Mount Nittany Medical Center
★ University Park Nursing Center
Infrastructure
Roads
State College is served by:
★ I-80 (to the north)
★ U.S. Route 220, (I-99)
★ U.S. Route 322 (Atherton Street)
★ PA 26 (College and Beaver Avenues)
★ PA 45 (to the south, passes through Boalsburg and Pine Grove Mills)
Airport
The closest airport is the University Park Airport.
Mass Transportation
★ Centre Area Transportation Authority provides buses that run within the greater State College area
★ Greyhound Lines, located right next to the university, provide transportation to 2,200 locations in North America
★ Dragon Deluxe Bus Line provides daily, non-stop service between New York City and State College at discounted rates.
See also
★ Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts
★ State College Area High School
References
External links
★ Borough of State College Government website
★ CATABus.com, the bus company serving State College, PA.
★ Central Pennsylvania Convention & Visitors Bureau
★ Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts
★ Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County
★ City Data on State College,PA
★ Downtown State College Improvement District
★ Map 536
★ Augmented by Wood, C. R. (1980), Summary groundwater resources of Centre County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Geological Survey, 4th ser., Water Resource Report 48, 60 p.
★ Scasd.org, the Web site of the State College Area School District Scasd
★ StateCollegeKids.com, Original Online Family Guide for State College, PA
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