State College, Pennsylvania

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Coordinates: 40°47′29″N, 77°51′31″W
State College, Pennsylvania
Downtown State College, during 2005 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Centre
Incorporated	1896
Government
- Mayor	Bill Welch
Area
- City	4.5 sq mi (11.8 km²)
Elevation	1,200 ft (365 m)
Population (2000)
- City	38,420
- Density	8,537/sq mi (3,256/km²)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Website: http://www.statecollegepa.us/

“State College” redirects here. For other uses, see State College (disambiguation).

State College, Pennsylvania, is a borough — and more generally used, the borough and surrounding townships — 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. (Source: City Data retrieved 2006 from http://www.city-data.com/city/State-College-Pennsylvania.html).

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.

[edit] 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 .

[edit] Geography

State College is located at 40°47′29″N, 77°51′31″W (40.791261, -77.858740). The elevation is approximately 1200 feet above sea level.^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 11.8 km² (4.5 mi²), all land.

[edit] Culture

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[edit] 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.

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]." Even more statistics about State College are available at: http://www.bestplaces.net/zip-code/?zip=16801&city=State_College_PA [3].

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 [4], Cootie Brown, The Earthtones, Emily's Toybox, Katsu, The Nightcrawlers, Blasting Trout Overbite and Queen Bee and the Blue Hornet Band.

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.[5] 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.

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.

[edit] Famous people from State College

Rake Yohn (chemist/actor) - actor, "Viva La Bam"
Larry Johnson - NFL running back for the Kansas City Chiefs, born in La Plata, Maryland.
Paul Posluszny - Outside linebacker (inside linebacker '06 season) who is headed to the NFL in '07. Had one of the best career tackles at PSU. Won the Chuck Bednarik Award and Butkus Award.
Joe Paterno - legendary college football coach; born in Brooklyn, New York
Rene Portland - former Penn State women's basketball coach
James Morrow - science-fiction author; wrote City of Truth
Joel N. Myers - Founder of AccuWeather.com
Eric Milton- baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds
Jesse Fritsch - professional skateboarder
Kerry Collins - NFL quarterback who played for the Carolina Panthers, played in Super Bowl XXXV for the New York Giants, also played for the Oakland Raiders and New Orleans Saints, and now plays for the Tennessee Titans; born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
Matt Suhey- Won a Super Bowl with the Chicago Bears
Leah Rozen nationally recognized film critic.
Tristan N. Aitken, Captain, United States Army KIA Iraq
Jim O'Hora - football coach, associate professor PSU.
Jerry Sandusky- football coach, founder Second Mile.
Warren Mack- Master wood engraver, Associate of the National Academy of Design, horticulturalist at Penn State
Si Kahn- Folksinger, political activist
Vance Packard- Muckraker, social critic
Butch Leitzinger - professional racecar driver
Harry Groves - legendary and oft-quoted track and field coach, and a USTCA Hall of Fame Inductee

[edit] Notable political visitors to State College

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George H. W. Bush visited Penn State to campaign for re-election in 1991. Due to logistical issues with flying into the University Park Airport, Bush's campaign was forced to fly into Harrisburg International Airport and then drive a convoy up U.S. 322 into State College. Metal detectors were installed at checkpoints across the campus, causing damage to the Old Main lawn. The checkpoints impeded the flow of pedestrian traffic. He revisited again in 2004 along with first daughters Jenna Welch Bush and Barbara Pierce Bush while campaigning for his son, President George W. Bush.

William Jefferson Clinton visited during the National Governors Association annual meeting in July 2000 and is the only person to be allowed to mix flavors at the famous Penn State University Creamery.

Teresa Heinz Kerry visited in 2004 as a campaign stop for her husband, former presidential candidate, John Kerry.

President Dwight Eisenhower often visited campus, as his brother Milton Eisenhower was president of the University.

[edit] 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
Phyrst
All American Rathskeller
Friday Farmers' Market (During summer and fall only)

[edit] Media

[edit] Newspapers

The Centre Daily Times
Voices
The Daily Collegian (Pennsylvania) (PSU student run)

[edit] Magazines

[edit] Web Media

[edit] Television

State College is part of the Johnstown/Altoona/State College television market, which is currently ranked #98 in the nation.

v • d • e

Broadcast television in the Johnstown / Altoona / State College market (Nielsen DMA #98)

Local television stations WPSU 3 (PBS) - WJAC 6 (NBC) - WWCP 8 (FOX) - WTAJ 10 (CBS) - W13BY 13 {IND} - WPCW 19 (The CW)¹ - WATM 23 (ABC) - WHVL 29 (MNTV) - W36BE 36 / W39BE 39 (ABC) - WKBS 47 (CSTV) - WLLS 49 (A1) ¹ Technically a Pittsburgh market station. See article.
Local cable television channels WIUP 20 (Ind)
Significantly Viewed Out-of-Market Broadcast Stations Reception may vary by geographical location Pittsburgh: KDKA 2 (CBS) - WTAE 4 (ABC, The AccuWeather Channel on DT2) - WPXI 11 (NBC) - WPMY 22 (MNTV) - WPGH 53 (FOX) Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: WNEP 16 (ABC) - WSWB 38 (The CW) Harrisburg: WLYH 15 (The CW) New York City: WPIX 11 (The CW)

[edit] Radio

The State College, PA radio market is ranked #254 in the nation. The following box contains a list of public radio stations in State College.

Radio stations in the State College, Pennsylvania market (Arbitron #254)

By frequency

FM Stations: 87.7¹ | 89.1 | 89.9 | 90.7 | 91.5 | 93.7 | 94.5 | 95.3 | 97.1 | 98.1 | 98.7 | 99.5 | 101.1 | 103.1 | 105.9 | 107.9

AM Stations: 670 | 970 | 1390 | 1450

¹ Audio for TV channel 6 (NBC)

By callsign

Past stations: WDFM | WEHR | WIKN | WUBZ

Other

See also: List of AM stations in State College and List of FM stations in State College

Arbitron-Ranked Pennsylvania Radio Markets:

Non-Arbitron-Ranked Pennsylvania Radio Markets:
Northern Pennsylvania (includes DuBois, Kane, Punxsutawney, and St. Marys)

Markets that transcend New York and Pennsylvania:
Olean NY/Bradford PA | Jamestown NY/Warren PA

See also: List of radio stations in Pennsylvania and List of United States radio markets

[edit] Entertainment

The Phyrst, an Irish pub.

[edit] Sports

[edit] Collegiate Sports/NCAA

See Pennsylvania State University Athletics and Penn State Nittany Lions football.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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: [6], reference to "state pen" being near Penn State).

[edit] Economy

[edit] Major Employers

The Pennsylvania State University
State College Area School District
Mount Nittany Medical Center
AccuWeather- the world's largest private weather forecasting service, originated and based in State College, PA
Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems - formerly E-Systems and HRB Singer
Jostens Printing and Publishing
Wegmans
Brookline Village
Hotel State College & Co.
SRI International
Minitab
General Dynamics
Centre Area Transportation Authority
Walmart
C-COR

[edit] Shopping

[edit] 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.

[edit] Supermarkets

State College is served by:

[edit] Government and Politics

At the state and national levels, State College is served by Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district. The current incumbent is John E. Peterson.

At the county level, Centre County, Pennsylvania's county seat is in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.

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)

The law enforcement arm of the Borough of State College is the State College Police Department, served by Chief Thomas R. King.

[edit] Education

[edit] Public Schools

State College is served by the State College Area School District. [7]

[edit] Private Schools

There are also a variety of private schools, including the State College Friends School[8], Nittany Christian School[9], and Our Lady of Victory Catholic school.

[edit] Higher Education

See Penn State University.

[edit] Other Colleges Near State College

[edit] Libraries

State College is served by the following libraries:

Pennsylvania State University Libraries
- Pattee Library (main library)
- Hammond Library
- Pollock Library (study library)
Schlow Centre Region Library (http://schlowlibrary.org/)
Aaronsburg Public Library
American Philatelic Research Library
Centre County Book Mobile
Centre Hall Area Branch Library
Holt Memorial Library
The Centre County Library

(Source: http://www.statecollege.com/business/directory.phtml?cat_id=349&Index=L)

[edit] Hospitals

HealthSouth
HealthSouth Spine & Rehabilitation Center
Mount Nittany Medical Center
University Park Nursing Center

[edit] Infrastructure

[edit] Roads