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Blair County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 122,822.[2] Its county seat is Hollidaysburg, and its largest city is Altoona.[3] The county was created on February 26, 1846, from parts of Huntingdon and Bedford counties. The county is part of the Southwest Pennsylvania region of the state.[a]
Blair County | |
|---|---|
 Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania | |
 Pennsylvania's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 40°28′N 78°21′W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Pennsylvania |
| Founded | February 26, 1846 |
| Seat | Hollidaysburg |
| Largest city | Altoona |
| Area | |
• Total | 527 sq mi (1,360 km2) |
| • Land | 526 sq mi (1,360 km2) |
| • Water | 1.3 sq mi (3 km2) 0.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 122,822 |
| • Density | 234/sq mi (90/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 13th |
| Website | www |
| Designated | April 13, 1982[1] |
Blair County comprises the Altoona, PA metropolitan statistical area. It is also part of the Altoona-Huntingdon, PA Combined Statistical Area, which includes Blair and Huntingdon counties.[4]
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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 527 square miles (1,360 km2), of which 526 square miles (1,360 km2) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2) (0.2%) is water.[5] Blair County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission,[6] and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.[7]
Features
Adjacent counties
- Centre County (north)
- Huntingdon County (east)
- Bedford County (south)
- Cambria County (west)
- Clearfield County (northwest)
National protected area
Major highways
Climate
Blair has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb).
| Climate data for Altoona | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 78 (26) |
76 (24) |
85 (29) |
91 (33) |
94 (34) |
97 (36) |
103 (39) |
102 (39) |
96 (36) |
90 (32) |
82 (28) |
12 (−11) |
103 (39) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 31.9 (−0.1) |
34.6 (1.4) |
44.7 (7.1) |
57.8 (14.3) |
67.6 (19.8) |
77.1 (25.1) |
81.4 (27.4) |
80.3 (26.8) |
72.3 (22.4) |
61.3 (16.3) |
49.4 (9.7) |
37.1 (2.8) |
57.9 (14.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 15.6 (−9.1) |
17.7 (−7.9) |
25.5 (−3.6) |
36.6 (2.6) |
46.8 (8.2) |
54.9 (12.7) |
60.2 (15.7) |
58.4 (14.7) |
51.3 (10.7) |
41.4 (5.2) |
32.1 (0.1) |
21.9 (−5.6) |
38.5 (3.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −29 (−34) |
−25 (−32) |
−7 (−22) |
8 (−13) |
20 (−7) |
32 (0) |
38 (3) |
34 (1) |
26 (−3) |
15 (−9) |
0 (−18) |
−13 (−25) |
−29 (−34) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.64 (67) |
2.43 (62) |
3.48 (88) |
3.63 (92) |
4.30 (109) |
4.08 (104) |
4.14 (105) |
3.50 (89) |
3.85 (98) |
3.43 (87) |
3.71 (94) |
3.11 (79) |
42.64 (1,083) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 11.2 (28) |
14.3 (36) |
16.9 (43) |
2.5 (6.4) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
3.3 (8.4) |
12.1 (31) |
60.6 (154) |
| Source: Pennsylvania State Climatologist[8] | |||||||||||||
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| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 21,777 | — | |
| 1860 | 27,829 | 27.8% | |
| 1870 | 38,051 | 36.7% | |
| 1880 | 52,740 | 38.6% | |
| 1890 | 70,866 | 34.4% | |
| 1900 | 85,099 | 20.1% | |
| 1910 | 108,858 | 27.9% | |
| 1920 | 128,334 | 17.9% | |
| 1930 | 139,840 | 9.0% | |
| 1940 | 140,358 | 0.4% | |
| 1950 | 139,519 | −0.6% | |
| 1960 | 137,270 | −1.6% | |
| 1970 | 135,356 | −1.4% | |
| 1980 | 136,621 | 0.9% | |
| 1990 | 130,542 | −4.4% | |
| 2000 | 129,144 | −1.1% | |
| 2010 | 127,089 | −1.6% | |
| 2020 | 122,822 | −3.4% | |
| [9] | |||
As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 127,089 people and 52,159 households within the county. The population density was 246 people per square mile (95 people/km2). There were 55,061 housing units at an average density of 105 units per square mile (41/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.18% White, 1.68% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. 0.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 40.0% were of German, 12.2% Irish, 10.7% Italian, 9.9% American, and 6.0% English ancestry.
There were 52,159 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.60% were married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.30% were non-families. 27.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 19, 5.9% from 20 to 24, 11.1% from 25 to 34, 19.3% from 35 to 49, 21.4% from 50 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. The population was 48.55% male and 51.45% female.
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 113,016 | 92% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 2,463 | 2% |
| Native American (NH) | 134 | 0.1% |
| Asian (NH) | 868 | 0.7% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 12 | 0.01% |
| Other/Mixed (NH) | 4,621 | 3.76% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,708 | 1.4% |
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Blair County has been a Republican Party stronghold since the party was founded. Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936 and Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 are the only Democratic presidential candidates to date to win the county (with neither taking more than 52% of the county's vote), although Theodore Roosevelt won it as the candidate of the Progressive Party in 1912.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 46,352 | 71.16% | 18,127 | 27.83% | 661 | 1.01% |
| 2020 | 45,306 | 71.07% | 17,636 | 27.67% | 806 | 1.26% |
| 2016 | 39,135 | 70.72% | 13,958 | 25.22% | 2,248 | 4.06% |
| 2012 | 33,319 | 66.16% | 16,276 | 32.32% | 770 | 1.53% |
| 2008 | 32,708 | 61.37% | 19,813 | 37.17% | 777 | 1.46% |
| 2004 | 35,751 | 65.99% | 18,105 | 33.42% | 322 | 0.59% |
| 2000 | 28,376 | 62.86% | 15,774 | 34.94% | 990 | 2.19% |
| 1996 | 21,282 | 52.30% | 15,036 | 36.95% | 4,373 | 10.75% |
| 1992 | 21,447 | 47.92% | 14,857 | 33.19% | 8,454 | 18.89% |
| 1988 | 25,623 | 61.50% | 15,588 | 37.42% | 451 | 1.08% |
| 1984 | 30,104 | 65.52% | 15,651 | 34.06% | 190 | 0.41% |
| 1980 | 28,931 | 62.41% | 15,014 | 32.39% | 2,414 | 5.21% |
| 1976 | 28,290 | 59.73% | 18,397 | 38.84% | 679 | 1.43% |
| 1972 | 33,126 | 75.10% | 10,023 | 22.72% | 961 | 2.18% |
| 1968 | 28,780 | 59.59% | 15,803 | 32.72% | 3,713 | 7.69% |
| 1964 | 24,301 | 48.09% | 26,157 | 51.76% | 73 | 0.14% |
| 1960 | 35,297 | 64.40% | 19,445 | 35.48% | 67 | 0.12% |
| 1956 | 33,623 | 65.68% | 17,503 | 34.19% | 65 | 0.13% |
| 1952 | 32,113 | 65.44% | 16,851 | 34.34% | 106 | 0.22% |
| 1948 | 22,382 | 60.68% | 14,050 | 38.09% | 454 | 1.23% |
| 1944 | 24,925 | 57.82% | 18,003 | 41.76% | 178 | 0.41% |
| 1940 | 26,639 | 55.11% | 21,573 | 44.63% | 125 | 0.26% |
| 1936 | 24,711 | 46.98% | 27,038 | 51.41% | 848 | 1.61% |
| 1932 | 19,553 | 56.95% | 13,709 | 39.93% | 1,073 | 3.13% |
| 1928 | 34,356 | 73.53% | 12,104 | 25.90% | 266 | 0.57% |
| 1924 | 20,313 | 65.93% | 4,244 | 13.78% | 6,251 | 20.29% |
| 1920 | 15,035 | 56.97% | 5,668 | 21.48% | 5,689 | 21.56% |
| 1916 | 9,893 | 55.16% | 7,002 | 39.04% | 1,040 | 5.80% |
| 1912 | 3,138 | 18.16% | 4,108 | 23.78% | 10,030 | 58.06% |
| 1908 | 10,583 | 63.01% | 4,981 | 29.66% | 1,232 | 7.34% |
| 1904 | 12,482 | 73.46% | 3,675 | 21.63% | 835 | 4.91% |
| 1900 | 9,749 | 65.81% | 4,528 | 30.57% | 537 | 3.62% |
| 1896 | 10,382 | 65.50% | 4,840 | 30.53% | 629 | 3.97% |
| 1892 | 7,407 | 56.75% | 5,265 | 40.34% | 380 | 2.91% |
| 1888 | 7,311 | 56.95% | 5,175 | 40.31% | 351 | 2.73% |
| 1884 | 6,396 | 55.96% | 4,649 | 40.67% | 385 | 3.37% |
| 1880 | 5,808 | 53.95% | 4,728 | 43.92% | 230 | 2.14% |
County commissioners
- David Kessling, chair, Republican
- Laura Burke, Vice-chair, Democrat
- Amy Webster, Secretary, Republican
Other county offices
- Clerk of Courts and Prothonotary, Robin Patton, Republican
- Controller, A.C. Stickel, Republican
- Coroner, Patricia Ross, Republican
- District Attorney, Pete Weeks, Republican
- Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds, Anita Terchanik, Republican
- Sheriff, James Ott, Republican
- Treasurer, James Carothers, Republican
Police agencies
- Allegheny Township Police
- Altoona City Police
- Altoona Area School District Police
- Amtrak Police Department
- Bellwood Borough Police
- Blair County District Attorneys Office
- Blair County Parole & Probation Office
- Blair County Sheriff's Office
- Blair Township Police
- Central Pennsylvania Humane Society Police
- Duncansville Borough Police
- Freedom Township Police
- Greenfield Township Police
- Hollidaysburg Borough Police
- Logan Township Police
- Martinsburg Borough Police
- Norfolk Southern Railroad Police
- North Woodbury Township Police
- Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
- Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
- Pennsylvania Game Commission
- Pennsylvania State Police
- Pennsylvania State University Altoona Police
- Roaring Spring Borough Police
- Spring Cove School District Police
- Tyrone Borough Police
- Tyrone Area School District Police
- United States Postal Inspection Service
- UPMC Altoona Hospital Police
- Van Zandt VA Hospital Police
- Williamsburg Borough Police
State senate
State House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
United States Senate
Politics
Voter registration
Chart of Voter Registration
As of April 29, 2024, there are 77,491 registered voters in Blair County.[14]
- Republican: 47,947 (61.87%)
- Democratic: 19,679 (25.40%)
- Independent: 7,067 (9.12%)
- Third party: 2,798 (3.61%)
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Colleges and universities
Community, junior and technical colleges
- South Hills School of Business and Technology
- YTI Career Institute
- Pennsylvania Highlands Community College
Public school districts
School districts include:[15]
- Altoona Area School District
- Bellwood-Antis School District
- Claysburg-Kimmel School District (also in Bedford County)
- Hollidaysburg Area School District
- Penn Cambria School District (also in Cambria County)
- Spring Cove School District
- Tyrone Area School District (also in Centre and Huntingdon Counties)
- Williamsburg Community School District
Charter schools
- Agora Cyber Charter School
- Central Pennsylvania Digital Learning Foundation Charter School (K-12). Altoona.
Technology school
Private schools
- Alternative Education Program - Hollidaysburg
- Holy Trinity Middle School - Altoona
- Holy Trinity Elementary School - Altoona Campus
- Holy Trinity Elementary School - Hollidaysburg Campus
- Altoona Hospital School of Nursing
- Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School - Altoona
- Blair County Christian School - Duncansville
- Champion Life Christian Academy - Altoona
- Cove Lane Parochial School - Martinsburg
- Crawford Elementary at Adelphoi Village
- Emmanuel Baptist Christian School - Claysburg
- Faith Tabernacle School - Altoona
- Great Commission Schools - Altoona
- Harbor House Center Early Academy - Altoona
- Heritage Christian School - Martinsburg
- Hollidaysburg Catholic School - Hollidaysburg
- Living Water Christian Academy - Williamsburg
- Northwestern Human Services Autism School
- Penn Mont Academy - Hollidaysburg
- Penn Mont at Penn State Altoona
- Piney Creek Parochial School - New Enterprise
- Shady Grove School - Martinsburg
- Shady Pond School - Altoona
- St John Evangelist School - Altoona
- St Matthew School - Tyrone
- St Patrick School - Newry
- Sylvan Learning Center - Hollidaysburg
- Tender Love for Children - Altoona
- The Nehemiah Project - Altoona
- Training & Development Tech - Hollidaysburg
- White Oak School - Tyrone
Data taken from Pennsylvania EdNA - PDE database of public private schools 2012
Libraries
Blair County hosts a system of nine libraries that can be accessed with one library card. Resource sharing exists between the eight libraries. Books from any of the eight system libraries can be placed on hold and delivered to a patron's home library and then returned to any of the eight libraries in the system.
- Altoona Area Public Library - Altoona
- Bellwood Antis Public Library - Bellwood
- Blair County Library System - Altoona
- Claysburg Area Public Library - Claysburg
- Hollidaysburg Area Public Library - Hollidaysburg
- Martinsburg Community Library - Martinsburg
- Roaring Spring Community Library - Roaring Spring
- Tyrone-Snyder Twnshp Pub Library - Tyrone
- Williamsburg Public Library - Williamsburg
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There is one Pennsylvania state park in Blair County, Canoe Creek State Park in Frankstown Township.
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Blair County:
City
Boroughs
- Bellwood
- Duncansville
- Hollidaysburg (county seat)
- Martinsburg
- Newry
- Roaring Spring
- Tunnelhill (mostly in Cambria County)
- Tyrone
- Williamsburg
Townships
Census-designated places
Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are unincorporated communities and not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law.
- Bald Eagle
- Beavertown
- Blue Knob
- Brooks Mill
- Canan Station
- Canoe Creek
- Carson Valley
- Charlottsville
- Clappertown
- Claysburg
- Cotton Town
- Cove Forge
- Cross Keys
- Culp
- Curryville
- Dumb Hundred
- East Altoona
- East Freedom
- East Sharpsburg
- Elberta
- Eldorado
- Fisherville
- Foot of Ten
- Fort Fetter
- Fostoria
- Franklin Forge
- Frankstown
- Fredericksburg
- Friesville
- Ganister
- Geeseytown
- Gray
- Grazierville
- Greenwood
- Henrietta
- Homewood at Martinsburg
- Ironville
- Jugtown
- Juniata Gap
- Klahr
- Lakemont
- Larke
- Leamersville
- Linds Crossing
- Loop
- Martinsburg Junction
- McKee
- Mill Run
- Millerstown
- Moores Mill
- Nealmont
- Newburg
- Northwood
- Olivia
- Ore Hill
- Oreminea
- Penn Farms
- Pinecroft
- Point View
- Puzzletown
- Red Hill
- Reese
- Reightown
- Reservoir
- Robeson Extension
- Roots
- Royer
- Shelltown
- Shellytown
- Sickles Corner
- Skelp
- Ski Gap
- Smith Corner
- Spring Drive Mobile Home Park
- Sproul
- St. Clair
- Sunbrook
- Sylvan Hills
- Tipton
- Tyrone Forge
- Vail
- Vicksburg
- Wopsononock
- Yellow Springs
Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Blair County.[16]
† county seat
| Rank | City/Town/etc. | Population (2010 Census) | Municipal type | Incorporated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Altoona | 46,320 | City | 1854 (borough) 1868 (city) |
| 2 | † Hollidaysburg | 5,791 | Borough | 1836 |
| 3 | Tyrone | 5,477 | Borough | 1857 |
| 4 | Bellwood | 3,564 | Borough | 1898 |
| 5 | Roaring Spring | 2,585 | Borough | 1888 |
| 6 | Greenwood | 2,458 | CDP | |
| 7 | Martinsburg | 1,958 | Borough | 1832 |
| 8 | Lakemont | 1,868 | CDP | |
| 9 | Claysburg | 1,625 | CDP | |
| 10 | Williamsburg | 1,254 | Borough | 1827 |
| 11 | Duncansville | 1,233 | Borough | 1891 |
| 12 | Tipton | 1,083 | CDP | |
| 13 | East Freedom | 972 | CDP | |
| 14 | Foot of Ten | 672 | CDP | |
| 15 | Grazierville | 665 | CDP | |
| 16 | Tunnelhill (mostly in Cambria County) | 363 | Borough | 1876 |
| 17 | Northwood | 296 | CDP | |
| 18 | Newry | 270 | Borough | 1876 |
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