Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Downtown Bellefonte
Motto: Central Pennsylvania's Victorian Secret
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Coordinates: 40°54′53″N 77°46′29″W / 40.91472, -77.77472
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Centre
Settled	1795
Incorporated (borough)	1806
Area
- Total	1.8 sq mi (4.7 km²)
Elevation	919 ft (280 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	6,395
- Density	3,510.1/sq mi (1,356.7/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC)
Zip	16823
Area code(s)	814
Website: Bellefonte

Bellefonte is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population in 2007 is approximately 7,000 [1] . It is the county seat of Centre County^[1] with the courthouse located downtown on the square. The town features many examples of Victorian architecture, as well as a natural spring, from which the town gets its name (bestowed by Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord during a land-speculation visit to central Pennsylvania in the 1790s). However the spring, which serves as the town's water supply, has been covered to comply with DEP water purity laws (not, as is commonly believed, for fear of its being poisoned). One of the town's historic sections experienced a renaissance in 2004. The Match Factory (officially the Pennsylvania Match Company), after standing vacant since 1996, was being renovated by the American Philatelic Society as their new home, one building at a time. The site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 and the town was anxious to find an appropriate owner for the historic property. ^[2]

Geography

Bellefonte is located in the Nittany Valley of the Ridge and Valley Appalachians at 40°54′53″N 77°46′29″W / 40.91472, -77.77472 (40.914684, -77.774756).^[3]
It lies 10 miles northeast of State College, Pennsylvania.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), all of it land.

Bellefonte is in the northwestern corner of and is surrounded by Spring Township.

Aerial photo of Bellefonte looking east

Demographics

As of the 2000 census^[4], there were 6,395 people, 2,796 households, and 1,602 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,510.1 people per square mile (1,356.7/km²). There were 2,953 housing units at an average density of 1,620.8/sq mi (626.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.25% White, 0.91% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population.

There were 2,796 households out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.84.

Courthouse at night

In the borough the population was spread out with 21.1% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $33,216, and the median income for a family was $42,378. Males had a median income of $31,221 versus $23,442 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,659. About 8.6% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable natives and residents

Tallyrand Park along Spring Creek

• George Grey Barnard, famous sculptor
• Clifford Carlson men's college basketball coach
• Andrew Gregg Curtin, Governor of Pennsylvania (1861-1867)
• Jonathan Frakes, actor
• Eric Milton, Major League Baseball player
• Thomas M. Reynolds, U.S. Congressman
• Jeremy Rose, horse jockey
• John Montgomery Ward, Hall of Fame baseball player^[5]
• Stewart Sampsel, football quarterback, Buffalo Bulls

See also

• Bellefonte and Snow Shoe Railroad
• Bellefonte Central Railroad
• Bellefonte Forge House

References

External links

• Bellefonte.com Community Website
• Images of Bellefonte
• Bellefonte Chamber of Commerce
• Borough of Bellefonte (municipal offices)
• MAC Champions, Bellefonte Soccer homepage (high school athletics)
• [2]

• Bellefonte, Pennsylvania is at coordinates 40°54′53″N 77°46′29″W / 40.914684, -77.774756 (Bellefonte, Pennsylvania)Coordinates: 40°54′53″N 77°46′29″W / 40.914684, -77.774756 (Bellefonte, Pennsylvania)

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