Pennsylvania State...
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Pennsylvania Counties
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Centre County, Pennsylvania
Centre County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Bellefonte
Year Organized: 1800
Square Miles: 1,108 |
Court House: 420 Holmes Street
County Courthouse
Bellefonte, PA 16823-1488
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
Its name, French for "beautiful spring," alludes to a large
spring there and is said to have been suggested by a visitor, the famous French
statesman Talleyrand.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts:
Census Bureau Quick Facts
History
Created on February 13, 1800, from
parts of Huntingdon, Lycoming, Mifflin, and Northumberland Counties. Its name
refers to its geographical location at the center of the state. Bellefonte, the
county seat, was incorporated as a borough on March 28, 1806. Its name, French
for "beautiful spring," alludes to a large spring there and is said to have been
suggested by a visitor, the famous French statesman Talleyrand.
Early settlements at Bald Eagle's Nest and Penns Valley occurred around 1770,
but the discovery of iron ore in 1784 led to iron manufacturing, and Bellefonte
was laid out in 1795. Iron making flourished until it was eclipsed by the high
quality of Lake Superior iron ore. Centre County's last furnace closed in 1921.
Much bituminous coal has been produced, and the northern section of the county
yielded abundant lumber that was used for charcoal and also floated southward.
Because of the coal production railroads were constructed into the county. Paper
manufacturing flourished in Bellefonte and Cerro Corporation opened a brass mill
in 1915. Today lime and gypsum are produced. Agriculture has flourished, and
Centre is now about fifteenth in the State in value of livestock and seventh in
alfalfa production. Farms occupy 21 percent of the land. The Pennsylvania State
University, which began as Farmer's High School in 1855, has influenced the
character of the county in many ways.
Underground Railroad stations were at Bellefonte and Half Moon. Since 1912 the
State Prison at Rockview has affected the county's economy. Publications and
electronic, clay, and glass products are manufactured in Centre County, and the
value added to the economy by manufacturing increased 46 percent between 1987 to
1992.
Governors Bigler, Packer, and Curtin were born here. Governor Beaver attended
school in Pine Grove, and Governor Hastings taught school in Bellefonte.
Neighboring Counties:
Cities and Towns:
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- Bellefonte
(County
Seat) |
borough |
Incorporated Area |
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- Benner |
township |
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- Boggs |
township |
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- Centre Hall |
borough |
Incorporated Area |
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- College |
township |
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- Curtin |
township |
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- Ferguson |
township |
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- Haines |
township |
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- Halfmoon |
township |
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- Harris |
township |
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- Howard |
borough |
Incorporated Area |
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- Huston |
township |
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- Miles |
township |
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- Milesburg |
borough |
Incorporated Area |
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- Millheim |
borough |
Incorporated Area |
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- Philipsburg |
borough |
Incorporated Area |
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- Port Matilda |
borough |
Incorporated Area |
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- Potter |
township |
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- Snow Shoe |
borough |
Incorporated Area |
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- South Philipsburg |
borough |
Incorporated Area |
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- Spring |
township |
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- State College |
borough |
Incorporated Area |
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- Union |
township |
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- Woodward |
township |
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- Worth |
township |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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Penn Foster High School
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