The Allegheny Portage Railroad was the first railroad constructed through the Allegheny Mountains in central Pennsylvania, United States; it operated from 1834 to 1854 as the first transportation infrastructure through the gaps of the Allegheny that connected the midwest to the eastern seaboard across the barrier range of the Allegheny Front. Authorized as part of the Main Line of Public Works legislation in 1824, it was a series of ten inclines connecting to a branch of the Pennsylvania Canal at either end, approximately 36 miles (58 km) long overall. It had five inclines on either side of the drainage divide running athwart the ridge line from Blair Gap through along the kinked saddle at the summit into Cresson, Pennsylvania. The Portage Railroad utilized cleverly designed wheeled barges to ride a narrow-gauge rail track with steam-powered stationary engines lifting the vehicles. Except for peak moments of severe storms, it was an all-weather, all-seasons operation. Along with the rest of the Main Works, it cut transport time from Philadelphia to the Ohio River from weeks to just 3–5 days. The roadbed of the railroad did not incline monotonically upwards, but rose in relatively long, saw-toothed stretches of slightly-sloped flat terrain suitable to animal powered towing, alternating with steep cable railway inclined planes using static steam engine powered windlasses, similar to mechanisms of modern ski lifts.
Newry is a borough in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 270 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Altoona, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area and one of the communities comprising the Altoona Urban Area.
Lakemont is a census-designated place in Allegheny and Logan Townships in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is located to the east of I-99 and is located between Altoona and Hollidaysburg. Lakemont is the location of Lakemont Park, although the address is generally Altoona and part of the "Lakemont" area actually lies within the Altoona city boundaries. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,868 residents.
Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School is the midsized, suburban public high school for the Hollidaysburg Area School District. The Senior High School is located at 1510 North Montgomery Street in Hollidaysburg, Blair County. The high school serves the populations living in Hollidaysburg, Duncansville, Newry, and a small portion of Altoona (Eldorado).
Puzzletown (40°22′37″N 78°29′24″W) is an unincorporated community in Blair County, Pennsylvania.
Roaring Spring is a borough in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,585 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Altoona, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area
Logan Valley Mall is a regional shopping mall in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It is anchored by JCPenney, Macy's, Old Navy, and Sears and features over 90 stores and services on two levels. It is owned and managed by PREIT.
Tyrone Township is a township in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Altoona, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,885 at the 2010 census.
The Baker Mansion is a historic home located at Altoona in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was built between 1844 and 1848, and is a three story, dressed stone building in the Greek Revival style. The front facade is five bays wide and features six fluted Ionic order columns. The building houses the Blair County Historical Society.
Greenwood is a census-designated place in Logan Township, Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is located near I-99 and is adjacent in the northeast to the city of Altoona. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,458 residents. It is often considered a district of Altoona, as the addresses are listed as Altoona addresses and some of the avenues use Altoona's numbering system.
East Freedom is a census-designated place (CDP) in Freedom Township, Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is located near I-99 and is approximately 4 miles to the west of the borough of Roaring Spring. As of the 2010 census, the population was 972 residents.
Claysburg is a census-designated place (CDP) along Interstate 99 and the Allegheny Front near the base of Blue Knob (Pennsylvania). As of 2010 census, it had a population of 1,625.
Foot of Ten is a census-designated place in Allegheny and Juniata Townships in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is located about a mile west of the small borough Duncansville on Foot of Ten Road, and about 2.5 miles north of the even smaller borough Newry. As of the 2010 census, the population was 672 residents.
Blair County Courthouse is a historic courthouse building located at Hollidaysburg, Blair County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1875-1876, and is a "T" shaped stone building in the Gothic Revival style. The entrance is flanked by two square, three-story towers with truncated pyramidal roofs. The building generally features elaborate stonework and a five-story clock tower topped by a tall stone spire. A three-story rear addition was built in 1906.
Martinsburg is a borough in the Morrisons Cove section of Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,958 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Altoona, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Duncansville is a borough in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Altoona, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Duncansville is one of the communities that comprises the Altoona Urban Area. The population was 1,233 at the 2010 census.
Altoona Area High School is the public high school for the Altoona Area School District in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The high school serves the communities of Altoona, Logan Township, and a small portion of Tyrone Township. The school is located at 1415 Sixth Avenue, in the downtown section of Altoona, PA 16602.
Tunnelhill is a borough that is located in both Cambria and Blair counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. The population was 363 at the 2010 census. Of this, 245 were in Cambria County, and 118 were in Blair County. It is part of the Altoona, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Tunnelhill is named after the many railroad tunnels of the Pennsylvania Railroad near here known as the Gallitzin Tunnels.
Leap-The-Dips is a wooden roller coaster located at Lakemont Park in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Constructed in 1902 by the Federal Construction Company and designed by E. Joy Morris, it is the oldest operating roller coaster in the world and believed to be the last surviving side friction roller coaster of the figure-eight variety. Leap-the-Dips operated continuously until 1985, when it closed after falling into disrepair. A fund-raising campaign led to its restoration, with refurbishment efforts beginning in 1997 and ending with a grand-reopening in 1999. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1996 and received the Coaster Classic and Coaster Landmark awards from American Coaster Enthusiasts.
Ritchey Knob is a summit located on the Blue Knob massif. This mountain is connected to Pine Knob and forms the northern most summits of the massif.
Blair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 127,089. Its county seat is Hollidaysburg. The county was created on February 26, 1846, from parts of Huntingdon and Bedford Counties.
Curryville is an unincorporated community in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. The community is located along Pennsylvania Route 866 2.6 miles (4.2 km) south-southwest of Martinsburg. Curryville has a post office with ZIP code 16631.
UPMC Altoona, located in downtown Altoona, Pennsylvania, is a 380-bed, non-profit, private community hospital system that contains more than 20 affiliated health care companies and functions as the regional referral center and tertiary hub of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Founded in 1883 as to serve the needs of the area and the Pennsylvania Railroad, the hospital was known for most of its history simply as Altoona Hospital. It became part of the Altoona Regional Health System which was created in 2004 by the merger of Altoona Hospital with Bon Secours-Holy Family Hospital, previously Mercy Hospital of Altoona. Today as part of UPMC, it is an Adult Level II trauma center for a 20 county region in central Pennsylvania and is served by 300 physicians and 4,000 care givers that help it to provide a variety of medical services and specialties.
Schaefer Head is a 2,950 feet (899 m) mountain in the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania. It is one of the peaks that make up the Blue Knob massif, an isolated group of mountains that stand apart from the Allegheny Front. Schaefer Head is the third highest of these peaks behind Blue Knob 3,146 feet (959 m),and Herman Point 3,034 feet (925 m). Schaefer Head is also the highest point in Blair County.
Temple Beth Israel is a Reform synagogue located at 3004 Union Avenue in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It was found in 1874 as the Orthodox Ahavath Achim (brotherly love in Hebrew). The congregation moved to adopt Reform liturgy in 1877. In 1890 the congregation reorganized and was renamed Mountain City Hebrew Reformed Congregation. The congregation changed its name to Temple Beth Israel in 1922, and moved to its current location in 1924.
Sproul is an unincorporated community in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. The community is located along U.S. Route 220 Business 10.5 miles (16.9 km) south of Duncansville. Sproul had a post office until September 28, 2002; it still has its own ZIP code, 16682.
Northwood is a census-designated place in Snyder Township, Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is located near I-99 and is very close to the borough of Tyrone. As of the 2010 census, the population was 296 residents.
Tyrone is a borough in Blair County, Pennsylvania, 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Altoona, on the Little Juniata River. Tyrone was of considerable commercial importance in the twentieth century. It was an outlet for the Clearfield coal fields, and it was noted for the manufacture of paper products. There were planing mills, and chemical and candy factories. In 1900, 5,847 people lived here; in 1910, 7,176; and in 1940, 8,845 people resided here. The population was 5,477 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Altoona, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was named for County Tyrone in Ireland.
Peoples Natural Gas Field is a 7,210-seat baseball-only stadium in Altoona, Pennsylvania, that opened in 1999. It is the home ballpark of the Double-A Eastern League's Altoona Curve Minor League Baseball team.
Williamsburg in Morrisons Cove, is a borough in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,254 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Altoona, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Penn State Altoona is a commonwealth campus of The Pennsylvania State University. It is located in Logan Township, Pennsylvania, just outside Altoona, although some of its buildings are located in the heart of Altoona's downtown. It is one of four full-fledged four year institutions in the Commonwealth Campus network.
Tipton is a census-designated place (CDP) in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,083 at the 2010 census. It is well known for its amusement park, DelGrosso's, formerly known as Bland's Park. It was a stop on the former Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line between Tyrone and Altoona.
Bellwood is a borough in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Altoona, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,828 at the 2010 census.
Tytoona Cave is located approximately 1-mile (1.6 km) from Arch Springs, Pennsylvania in Sinking Valley, near Tyrone and Altoona, in the United States.
Altoona–Blair County Airport (IATA: AOO, ICAO: KAOO, FAA LID: AOO) is in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania, 14 miles south of Altoona, in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is owned by the Blair County Airport Authority. The airport has a few airline flights, subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.
Lakemont Park, located in Altoona, Pennsylvania, houses the world's oldest-surviving roller coaster, the Leap-The-Dips. On June 19, 1996, the roller coaster was added to the list of National Historic Landmarks by the National Park Service. The park opened in 1894 as a trolley park and became an amusement park in the summer of 1899. It is the 8th oldest in the United States. The park was owned by the Boyer Candy Company from May 23, 1986 until July 1, 1988, when it was called Boyertown USA.
Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The population was 46,320 at the time of the 2010 Census, making it the eleventh most populous city in Pennsylvania. The Altoona MSA includes all of Blair County and was recorded as having a population of 127,089 at the 2010 Census, around 100,000 of whom live within a 5-mile (8.0 km) radius of the Altoona city center according to U.S. Census ZIP Code population data. This includes the adjacent boroughs of Hollidaysburg and Duncansville, adjacent townships of Logan, Allegheny, Blair, Frankstown, Antis, and Tyrone, as well as nearby boroughs of Bellwood and Newry.
Hollidaysburg is a borough and the county seat of Blair County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is located on the Juniata River, 5 miles (8 km) south of Altoona and is part of the Altoona, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1900, 2,998 people lived in the borough, in 1910, 3,734 lived there, and in 1940, 5,910 residents were counted. The population was 5,791 at the 2010 census. Coal, iron ore, ganister, and limestone are found in the vicinity. In the past, the borough had foundries and machine shops, a silk mill, car works and classification yards.
The Railroaders Memorial Museum is a railroad museum in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The museum is dedicated to revealing, interpreting, commemorating and celebrating the significant contributions of railroaders and their families to American life and industry. The museum also operates the visitor center at Horseshoe Curve National Historic Site.
Central High School in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania is the smallest of the three Central High Schools in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania with 674 students in four grades (9-12). Central High opened in 1960 with the merging of Roaring Spring High School, Morrison Cove High School, and Martinsburg High School; becoming the first and only high school in Spring Cove School District history.
Canoe Creek is an unincorporated community in Frankstown Township, Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is located on U.S. Route 22.
Bald Eagle is an unincorporated populated place in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Bald Eagle Valley at the foot of the Bald Eagle Mountain ridge, along the Big Fill Run near its confluence with the headwaters of the Bald Eagle Creek tributary of the Little Juniata River. Originally a stop on the Pennsylvania Railroad Tyrone Division, it is now exit 52 off of Interstate 99, and was the former northern terminus of the unfinished highway. The Bald Eagle post office zip code is 16686.
Pine Knob is a peak in the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania. This mountain is a satellite peak of its larger neighbor Blue Knob. At 2,704 ft (824 m) above sea level it is the lesser in elevation when compared to Schaefer Head (2,950 ft), Round Knob (2,791 ft), Cattle Knob (2,842 ft) and Ritchey Knob (2,865 ft). The latter mountain is connected to Pine Knob, the saddle elevation between the peaks is 2,597 ft (792 m)