College Township, Pennsylvania

Not to be confused with Collegeville, Pennsylvania.

College Township is a township in Centre County, Pennsylvania. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania metropolitan statistical area. The population was 10,762 at the 2020 census, which was a 13% increase from the 2010 census.^[5] College Township was formed on November 25, 1875,^[6] from Harris Township. The most notable feature of the township is Mount Nittany, the southwestern (and iconic) portion of which is located within the township's northeastern section near the village of Lemont.

College Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania
Township
Mount Nittany and College Township seen from the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State
Motto:  "Gateway to the Centre Region"[1]
Location of College Township in Centre County, Pennsylvania
Location of Centre County in Pennsylvania
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Centre
Settled	1800
Incorporated	1875
Government
• Type	Township Council
• Council Chair	L. Eric Bernier
• Vice-Chair	Susan Trainor
• Council Member	D. Richard (Rich) Francke
• Council Member	Tracey Mariner
• Council Member	Dustin Best
Area [2]
• Total	18.55 sq mi (48.05 km2)
• Land	18.55 sq mi (48.05 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	10,762
• Estimate  (2021)[4]	10,695
• Density	554.63/sq mi (214.15/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
FIPS code	42-027-15136
Website	www.collegetownship.org

History

Two major Native American archaeological sites are located in College Township. Known as the Tudek and Houserville sites, they were used during the Archaic period for the quarrying and reduction of stone tools made of jasper. Both sites are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[7][8]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 18.6 square miles (48.1 km²), all land.^[9] Mount Nittany is a prominent and well-known feature in the township.

College Township is bordered by Ferguson Township to the west, Patton Township to the northwest, Benner Township to the north, Harris Township to the south, and east, and the borough of State College to the south and west.

Neighborhoods

• Houserville (census-designated place)
• Lemont (census-designated place)
• Millbrook
• Oak Hall
• Panorama

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2000	8,489		—
2010	9,521		12.2%
2020	10,762		13.0%
2021 (est.)	10,695	[4]	−0.6%
[3]

As of a 2015 census estimate, the township was 89.9% Non-Hispanic White, 4.3% Black or African American, 1.2% Native American Alaska Native, 4.8% Asian, 0.3% Some other race, and 2.1% were Two or More Races. Hispanics and Latinos (of any race) were 1.1% of the population. ^{[dead link]}

Government

College Township is part of Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district, represented by Republican Fred Keller, elected in 2019.

Public Safety

College Township contracts police service from the State College Police Department, while Penn State University Police provides coverage to University Park campus.^[10][11]

It is served by the Alpha Fire Company for fire protection, which maintains one of its two substations in the College Township Municipal Building. Centre Lifelink EMS is based in College Township, as is Mount Nittany Medical Center which also provides emergency medical services.^[12][13]

A portion of State Correctional Institution – Rockview, a prison of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, is in College Township.^[14]

Education

College Township is served by the State College Area School District for K-12 education.^[15]

Pennsylvania State University is partially in College Township.^[14]