Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

Geography

Bellefonte is located in the Nittany Valley of the Ridge and Valley Appalachians at 40°54′53″N 77°46′29″W (40.914684, -77.774756).
It lies 12 miles northeast of State College, Pennsylvania.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), all of it land.

Bellefonte is in the northwestern corner of and is surrounded by Spring Township.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the borough had 6,187 people, 2,837 households, and 1,496 families. The borough was 96.3% White, 1.5% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% other, and 1.3% were two or more races. 1.4% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. The population density was 3,510.1 people per square mile (1,356.7/km²). There were 3,038 housing units at an average density of 1,669.2 per square mile (644.5/km²).

Of the 2,837 households, 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.2% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 18.4% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $48,211, and the median income for a family was $62,292. The per capita income for the borough was $26,938. About 4.4% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.

History

William Lamb sold his mill to John Dunlop and the next year James Dunlop, John's father, and his son-in-law James Harris laid out block by block the town that became known as Bellefonte. As the years went by, Bellefonte boomed and soon became the most influential town between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. Bellefonte was a frequent stop in the transcontinental airmail route. The route ran from New York to San Francisco and opened August 20, 1920.

Currently Bellefonte is home to the Red Raiders, the Bellefonte School District's mascot. The school colors are red and white.

The Bellefonte Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Other buildings on the National Register of Historic Places are: Bellefonte Armory, Brockerhoff Hotel, Centre County Courthouse, Gamble Mill, McAllister-Beaver House, Miles-Humes House, Pennsylvania Match Company, South Ward School, and the William Thomas House. The Bellefonte Academy was listed until 2008, after having been destroyed by fire in 2004.

The Bush House

The Bush House Hotel was financed by Daniel G. Bush and built in 1868. It was one of the first hotels in the country to have electric lights. A man would stand at the train station and call out to the passengers, "Walk ya' to the Bush House." The Bush House, the Brockerhoff House, the Haag House, and some other hotels were competitors. Thomas Edison stayed at the Bush House.

In the recent years, the Bush House had several businesses in it including Schnitzels Restaurant and it held receptions of various kinds. The Bush House burned down on February 8, 2006.

Cadillac Building

Another fire heavily damaged one of the borough's other landmark buildings less than four years later. The Cadillac Building, so named because it was originally built as a Cadillac dealership in 1916, was a mix use commercial and residential property hit by a devastating fire on December 22, 2009. Christmas tree lights in one of the apartment units were determined to be the cause.

Cadillac Building is being rebuilt to hold 11 housing units, an office building to maintain properties, and a floor of community space with a completion of Fall 2016. It will remain a part of the Bellefonte Historic District.

Garman Opera House

The Garman Opera House was originally built in 1890 and hosted many notable stars of the day including George Burns and Gracie Allen, Western performer Tom Mix, and illusionist/escape artist Harry Houdini. The popular song "After the Ball" was said to have been first sung in public here. It was eventually also used as a movie theater, first showing silent films and then "talkies." By the early 1960s, the property was converted to primarily commercial/warehouse use. In the 1990s, the building was restored and returned to its roots as a live performance venue and cinema.

The opera house was severely damaged by a fire on September 9, 2012 that also destroyed the Garman House Hotel. The cause of the fire has been ruled as arson. Preservationist groups' attempts to save the Garman were unsuccessful and the building was razed in January 2014.

Garman House is being constructed to house 21 housing units with completion of Fall 2016.

Victorian era

The first-time visitors who walk along the Victorian streets of Bellefonte see primarily Victorian houses. One of many examples is the Hastings Mansion, which was owned by Mrs. John Lane and was bought and remodeled by Governor Daniel H. Hastings.

In the 1800s the first jail was built. It had an 8-foot underground dungeon, which was located on the rear of the lot of the present YMCA. A second jail was on East High Street.

Renaissance

One of the town's historic sections experienced a renaissance in 2004. The Match Factory (officially the Pennsylvania Match Company), after standing vacant since 1947, was being renovated by the American Philatelic Society as their new home, one building at a time. The site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 and the town was anxious to find an appropriate owner for the historic property.

Economy

The Bellefonte area, as part of Centre County, typically enjoys one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state. The primary industries are education, health care, construction, retail, and government.

Federal level

Bellefonte forms part of Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district. The current representative is Glenn "G.T." Thompson.

County level

Bellefonte is the county seat of Centre County and home to the Centre County Courthouse.

Local level

The Borough of Bellefonte government is currently run by the following elected officials:

Law enforcement

The law enforcement arm of the Borough of Bellefonte is the Bellefonte Police Department, served by Chief Shawn P. Weaver.

Prisons

The County Prison - Centre County Correctional Facility at 700 Rishel Hill Road, Bellefonte, PA, is in Benner Township just outside Bellefonte. It is county-run and houses between 250 - 300 inmates.

State Correctional Institution – Rockview, is a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections prison located in Benner Township, Pennsylvania, 5 miles (8.0 km) away from Bellefonte. The prison houses Pennsylvania's execution chamber.

State Correctional Institution – Benner, a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections facility, is a new, 2,000 bed prison located adjacent to SCI Rockview.

Education

Bellefonte Area School District operates public schools in the borough and wider area. Centre County Christian Academy is a private school located in Bellefonte. Since 1890, Catholic Education has been present in the Bellefonte community and vicinity through Saint John Parochial School. Saint John the Evangelist Roman Catholic School provides 3 and 4 year-old Pre-Kindergarten classes, as well as full-day instruction in Kindergarten through grade 5.[2]

Bellefonte is in proximity to Pennsylvania State University. Joel Rose of National Public Radio said "But these days, it seems everyone in Bellefonte has ties to Penn State, or knows someone who does."