Huntingdon, Pennsylvania

History

In 1768, Rev. Dr. William Smith began selling lots on the Standing Stone Tract along the Juniata, land he had recently acquired. The tract's two prior owners had not attempted to lay out a town, so Dr. Smith is considered the founder. Huntingdon (the name by which he eventually called his town) sits at the site of corn fields that had been cultivated at a date now unknown, next to where Standing Stone Creek flows into the Juniata River. The 100th anniversary of its incorporation was marked by the erection of a “Standing Stone Monument” on Third Street, modeled on a tall, narrow shaft known to have existed before 1750, whose purpose is unclear but may have served as a trail marker. It may be significant that natural sandstone formations (popularly called Pulpit Rocks), which "stand erect," are on a nearby ridge. A story surfaced during the early 19th century that Smith had renamed Standing Stone Settlement to honor an Englishwoman, Selina, the Countess of Huntingdon, England. Smith's descendants vehemently denied the story, and there exists no evidence to support it, despite a wide circulation in published sources. More likely, the Anglican cleric named it after the town of the same name in England; doing so had become a pattern for naming Pennsylvania settlements, Bedford, Carlisle and York being nearby examples of the trend. In 1796, the little village was incorporated as a borough.

Huntingdon long served as the junction of the Huntingdon and Broad Top Mountain Railroad with the Pennsylvania Railroad, and as an important port on the Main Line of Public Works of the Pennsylvania Canal. In past years, Huntingdon boasted of manufacturers of flour, heavy machinery, radiators, furniture, stationery, woolen goods, shirts, shoes, electronic components, finished lumber, fiberglass yarn, matting and underground storage tanks. In the 19th century, J. C. Blair, a native of Shade Gap and a stationer and businessman, popularized the writing tablet and began marketing it nationwide. His factory in downtown Huntingdon was later relocated to nearby Alexandria. The vicinity (but not much of the town proper) has been the subject of repeated flooding, in 1889, in 1936, and again in 1972. More recently in 2004, Hurricane Ivan resulted in major flooding close to Huntingdon, the worst since the remnants of Hurricane Agnes stalled over the region in July 1972.

The Huntingdon Borough Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Geography

Huntingdon is located at 40°29′43″N 78°0′47″W (40.495187, -78.013147).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²), of which only 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (2.55%) is water.

Adjacent Municipalities

The following municipalities are also located in Huntingdon County, bordering on the Borough:

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 7,093 people, 2,674 households, and 1,461 families residing in the borough.

The population density was 2,026.6 people per square mile (779.5/km²). There were 2,911 housing units at an average density of 831.7 per square mile (319.9/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 94.61% White, 1.93% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 1.51% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.49% of the population.

There were 2,674 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.4% were non-families. 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 17.7% under the age of 18, 24.4% from 18 to 24, 19.1% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $35,057, and the median income for a family was $54,621. The per capita income for the borough was $19,070. About 6.3% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.

Higher Education

Vocational/Technical Education

Public Education

Private Education

Emergency Services

Health Care

Postal Services

Public Library

Transportation

Water Source

The source of the city water for Huntingdon borough and Smithfield Township is Standing Stone Creek, with the water treatment facility being located in the east end of the borough.

Newspapers

Magazines

Radio

Huntingdon's only radio stations are WHUN Hunny 103.5FM, Bigfoot Country, and the Juniata College station WKVR 92.3FM, but radio broadcasts from other markets can also be heard:

Television

Huntingdon receives all television programming from the Johnstown-Altoona-State College, PA media market.

Annual Events

Non-Profit Organizations

Residents and former residents