Everything about Johnstown Pennsylvania totally explained
Johnstown is a city in
Cambria County,
Pennsylvania,
United States, miles east of
Pittsburgh and west-south west of
Altoona, Pennsylvania. The population was 23,906 at the
2000 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes
Cambria County and
Somerset County. As of July 1,2006, the
Metropolitan Statistical Area has a population of 146,967.
History
Johnstown, settled in 1770, is perhaps most famous for its three
floods. The
"Great Flood" of
May 31,
1889 occurred after the
South Fork Dam collapsed 14
miles (22.53
km) upstream from the city during heavy
rains. At least 2,209 people died as a result of the flood and subsequent
fire that raged through the debris. Other major floods occurred in
1936 and
1977.
Johnstown was formally organized as a town in
1800 by the
Swiss German immigrant Joseph Johns (ne Josef Schantz). The settlement was initially known as Schantzstadt, but was soon anglicized to Johnstown. From
1834 to
1854, the city was a port and key transfer point along the
Pennsylvania Main Line Canal. Johnstown was at the head of the canal's western branch, with canal boats having been transported over the mountains via the
Allegheny Portage Railroad and refloated here, to continue the trip by water to Pittsburgh and the Ohio Valley. Perhaps the most famous passenger via the canal to visit Johnstown briefly was
Charles Dickens in 1842. By 1854, canal transport became redundant by the completion of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which took away the canal's cargo and passenger business. The canal was abandoned soon afterwards.
With the canal's demise,
iron,
coal, and
steel quickly became central to the town of Johnstown. By
1860,the
Cambria Iron Company of Johnstown was the leading steel producer in the United States, outproducing steel giants Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Through the second half of the 19th century, Johnstown made much of the nation's barbed wire. Johnstown prospered from skyrocketing demand in the western United States for barbed wire. By
1900, Johnstown primarily only produced and fabricated
steel, with little other economic diversification, other than ancillary coal production to feed the mills. This singular focus caused significant problems for Johnstown later on.
Johnstown in the inter-war years was a remarkably prosperous hard-working city. In the early 1900s the population reached 75,000 people. Its public transportation was considered the one of the best of any small city in the United States. The city's first commercial radio station,
WJAC, began broadcasts in 1925. The downtown boasted at least five major department stores, including what would later become the
Gee Bee chain of department stores.. However, the St. Patrick's Day 1936 Flood combined with the gnawing effects of the Great Depression left Johnstown struggling temporarily. A federally-financed flood control project, completed in 1938 and dedicated by President Franklin Roosevelt, finally gave Johnstown temporary safety from its rivers. For the next 39 years, Johnstown proclaimed itself "Flood-free", a feeling reinforced when Johnstown was virtually the only riverside city in Pennsylvania not to flood during
Hurricane Agnes in 1972.
The immediate post-WWII years mark Johnstown's peak as a steel maker and fabricator. At its peak, steel provided Johnstowners with more than 13,000 full-time, well-paying jobs. However, increased domestic and foreign competition, coupled with Johnstown's relative distance from its primary iron ore source in the western Great Lakes, led to a steady decline in profitability. New capital investment waned. Johnstown's mountainous terrain, and the resulting poor layout for the mills' physical plant strung along 11 miles of river bottom lands, compounded the problem. Extensive damage from the 1977 flood sealed Johnstown's demise as a steelmaker. By the early
1990s, Johnstown abandoned its steel production entirely, although some limited fabrication work continues. As a result of Johnstown's singular focus on steel for almost 150 years, little other large-scale economic activity existed. In 1992, the state of Pennsylvania designated Johnstown a
financially distressed municipality.
Johnstown has yet to find its
economic footing for the
21st century. In
2003, US
Census data showed that Johnstown was the least likely city in the United States to attract newcomers, demonstrating the weak opportunities provided by the local
manufacturing and
service economies. At the same time, Johnstown does show signs of recovering from its decades-long slumber. New or recent construction in the downtown and adjacent Kernville neighborhoods signal the increasing potential for Johnstown's service economy. Johnstown remains a regional
medical,
educational, and
communications center. Healthcare now provides the bulk of employment opportunities within the city.
In recent years, the
Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, a concert/theatrical venue at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, continues to attract high-quality performers. The
Johnstown Symphony Orchestra and the recently-formed Johnstown Symphony Chamber Players provide high quality classical music. The
Pasquerilla Convention Center was recently constructed downtown, adjacent to the
Cambria County War Memorial Arena. Under construction in 2005 is a new multi-use facility to replace the aging
Point Stadium.
Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center is also ready to construct a major medical complex on the site of an abandoned industrial property very close to the downtown area. A recently-passed zoning ordinance created an artist zone and a traditional neighborhood zone to encourage both artistic endeavors and the old-fashioned "Mom and Pop" enterprises that had difficulty thriving under the previous code. The
Bottleworks Ethnic Arts Center offers many exhibitions, events, performances, and classes that celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the Area. The recently-established
ART WORKS In Johnstown! will house artist studios in some of the area's architecturally significant but underused industrial buildings. A pilot ART WORKS project underway will feature Johnstown's first fully LEED-certified green building. Both of these institutions are in the historic Cambria City section of town, which boasts a variety of ethnic
churches and social halls. This neighborhood hosted the
National Folk Festival for three years in the early 1990s. Johnstown also hosts the annual
Thunder in the Valley motorcycle rally during the fourth week of June; the event has attracted motorcyclists from across the Northeast to the city of Johnstown since 1998.
Significant and largely successful efforts have been made to deal with deteriorating housing,
brownfields, drug problems, and other issues. The Johnstown Fire Department has become a leader in developing intercommunication systems among
first responders, and is now a national model for ways to avoid the communications problems which faced many first responders during the
September 11, 2001 attacks.
Geography
Johnstown is located at (40.325174, -78.920954).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.1
square miles (15.7
km²), of which, 5.8 square miles (15.1 km²) of it's land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (4.11%) is water. The Conemaugh River forms at Johnstown from its tributaries, the Stonycreek River and the Little Conemaugh.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 23,906 people, 11,134 households, and 6,045 families residing in the city. The
population density was 4,097.0 people per square mile (1,583.2/km²). There were 12,802 housing units at an average density of 2,194.0/sq mi (847.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.28%
White, 10.71%
African American, 0.13%
Native American, 0.28%
Asian, 0.05%
Pacific Islander, 0.61% from
other races, and 1.92% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.59% of the population. 23.8% were of
German, 10.0%
Italian, 9.2%
Irish, 7.7%
Polish, 7.2%
Slovak and 5.7%
American ancestry according to
Census 2000.
There are 11,134 households of which 22.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.1% were
married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.7% were non-families. 41.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.87.
Within the city, the population is spread with 21.3% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $20,595 and the median income for a family was $28,279. Males had a median income of $26,163 versus $19,791 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $13,236. 24.6% of the population and 18.9% of families were below the
poverty line. Of the total population, 37.5% of those under the age of 18 and 12.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Neighborhoods
There are many neighborhoods in the Greater Johnstown Area. Each has its own unique, ethnic feel. The neighborhoods in the Johnstown Area are as follows:
Brownstown, Roxbury, Morrellville, Oakhurst, Coopersdale, Cambria City, Kernville, Hornerstown,
Franklin,
Daisytown,
East Conemaugh, Woodvale, Prospect, Moxham, 8th Ward and the Downtown Business District.
The suburbs of Johnstown,
Richland and
Westmont, are located on the East and West Hills respectively.
A main borough of Richland is
Geistown, where many residents reside. Richview Manor and Blue Moon are also located in
Richland Township.
Westmont is Johnstown's oldest suburb, dating back to post-1889 Flood. Many citizens of the town chose to live above the valley, thus creating Old Westmont. Today,
Westmont has expanded into numerous neighborhoods: Old Westmont,
Upper Yoder and
Southmont.
Johnstown in the Arts and Literature
Two major motion pictures have been filmed in Johnstown, taking advantage of the city's atmosphere.
The first is 1977's
Slap Shot, directed by
George Roy Hill and featuring
Paul Newman as an aging hockey player/coach. The screenplay by
Nancy Dowd was a parody loosely based on the real-life
Johnstown Jets hockey team and its
North American Hockey League championship in 1976. In the movie, Johnstown was rechristened "Charlestown" and the Jets as the
Charlestown Chiefs. The film's premiere engendered some local controversy, as some thought Johnstown was portrayed in a less than flattering light. The name "Charlestown" itself is believed to be a reference to Charles Kunkle, an influential local businessman of the era. Slap Shot has since become the iconic movie about hockey and its foibles. (See below for information on Johnstown's current professional hockey franchise.) Nancy Dowd would revive the fake town of "Charlestown" in her screenplay for the
1981 punk rock satire
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains, but the film itself was shot in Canada.
A portion of a second major film was shot in Johnstown. 1983's
All the Right Moves is a high school football drama set in the fictional town of Ampipe and featuring
Tom Cruise and
Lea Thompson.
Historian
David McCullough wrote what is widely regarded as the city's definitive history,
The Johnstown Flood, in 1968. McCullough completed his research with the aid of the remaining flood survivors.
The film
The Johnstown Flood, written and directed by
Charles Guggenheim, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary, Short Subjects in 1989.
Mystery novel writer
K.C. Constantine fictionalized many elements of Johnstown and its culture as "Rocksburg" in his novels, although the nearby city of
Greensburg, Pennsylvania also provides some of the lore for Rocksburg.
In
2000,
Kathleen Cambor published
In Sunlight, In A Beautiful Garden. The novel followed its characters through the events leading up to and including the
1889 flood. Although the protagonists in the novel were fictional, several historical figures, such as
Andrew Mellon,
Henry Clay Frick, and Daniel Morrell were also depicted in the book.
Author
James Patterson had his fictional serial kidnapper Gary Soneji from
Along Came A Spider stopping at a convenience store on his way through Johnstown, Pennsylvania; and author
David Morrell had his fictional character "Eliot" recruit two brothers from an orphanage in Johnstown to train as assassins in
Brotherhood Of The Rose.
In 1978's haunting film
Dawn of the Dead, a character mentions that they're flying over Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and quips that the people are actually entertained by the zombie outbreak.
George Romero filmed the majority of the zombie movie at the
Monroeville Mall, some 50 odd miles away.
Education
Colleges
The two schools located in the City of Johnstown are Greater Johnstown High School and Bishop McCort High School.
Richland Senior High School, Westmont Hilltop High School,Conemaugh Valley High School, Ferndale Area Senior High School, and Forest Hills High School are high schools located in the Greater Johnstown area.
Business
Major Employers in the Area:
American Red Cross
Atlantic Broadband
Concurrent Technologies Corporation
Conemaugh Health System
DRS Technologies
Freightcar America
Höganäs AB
Intelligent Security Technologies
J.C. Ehrlich Co.
JWF
Johnstown Wire Technologies
Lockheed Martin
Martin Baker
Metropolitan Life
NDIC
Northrop Grumman
Pepsi Bottling Group
Media
Newpapers and Magazines
The Tribune-Democrat
Johnstown Magazine
Our Town Newspaper
Radio
The Johnstown market is the 191st largest radio market in the country. The following box contains a list of radio stations in the area.
Television
The Johnstown/Altoona/State College market is the 99th largest in the country. The following box contains a list of television stations in the area.
Transportation
Highways
The main highway connecting Johnstown to the Pennsylvania Turnpike is US 219. In addition, there's also State Route 56, which is an expressway from 219 until Walnut Street. From there, it provides a connection to US 22 to the north of Johnstown, which connects to Pittsburgh and Altoona.
Airport
The local airport is the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport and is served by U.S. Airways.
Rail
Passenger rail service is provided by Amtrak onboard the . The city is located on the former mainline of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Norfolk Southern operates (60-80) trains daily on these rails.
Mass Transit
CamTran operates the local bus service, and the Johnstown Inclined Plane.
Sports
Johnstown has been home to a long succession of minor league hockey franchises dating back to 1940. The current team, the Johnstown Chiefs, were named for their Slap Shot counterparts. The team made their ECHL debut in 1988.
The city also has a rich history in amateur and professional baseball. Since 1944, Johnstown has been known as the host city for the AAABA Baseball Tournament held each summer. Several Major League Baseball Players have played on AAABA teams over the years, including Hall-of Famers Al Kaline and Reggie Jackson and current Major League managers Joe Torre and Bruce Bochy. The organization also has its own Hall of Fame instituted in its 50th anniversary year of 1994.
In addition, the city has hosted several incarnations of a Minor League Baseball team, the Johnstown Johnnies, beginning in 1884. The last team to play as the Johnnies, as a part of the Frontier League, left the city in 2002.
Johnstown also hosts the annual Sunnehanna Amateur golf tournament at its Sunnehanna Country Club. The invitational tournament hosts top amateur golfers from around the United States.
Johnstown is home to the Flood City Water Polo team. Established in 2005 by Zachary Puhala, the team takes its name from the history of floods in the area. FCWP is part of the American Water Polo Organization.
Landmarks
The Johnstown Inclined Plane is the world's steepest vehicular inclined plane.
Grandview Cemetery is one of Pennsylvania's largest cemeteries: With more than 65,000 interments, Grandview is home to over 47 burial sections and more than 235 acres of land. Grandview also holds the remains of the 777 victims of the 1889 Johnstown Flood who were not able to be identified.
The Staple Bend Tunnel is the first railroad tunnel constructed in the United States, and a National Historic Landmark.
The Cambria Iron Company is a National Historic Landmark located near the downtown area. Johnstown's city seal has an image of this facility.
The Stone Bridge is a historic railroad bridge over the Conemaugh River.
People
Notable Johnstowners include:
Carroll Baker -- actress, whose Hollywood movie career spanned five decades.
Frank Benford -- (1887-1948) physicist
D. C. Cooper -- Heavy Metal singer
Pat Cummings -- NBA Star, 79 through the late 80's.
Steve Ditko -- American comic book artist and co-creator of Spider-Man.
Pete Duranko -- Notre Dame and Denver Broncos football player, now battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Jack Ham--Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker.
Carlton Haselrig-- all pro offensive guard with Pittsburgh Steelers
Artrell Hawkins--Former starting Strong Safety for the NFL's New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, and Cincinnati Bengals.
Tim Kazurinsky -- comedian and actor, of television's Saturday Night Live, and the Police Academy movies.
Natalia Livingston--General Hospital actress
Terry McGovern--(1880-1918) Hall of Fame boxer
Charles T. Menoher--(1862-1930) World War I General
John Murtha--U.S. Congressman.
Michael Novak -- author, philosopher, Roman Catholic theologian and United States diplomat. Novak is currently George Frederick Jewett Scholar in Religion, Philosophy, and Public Policy at the American Enterprise Institute. He was the 1994 recipient of the Templeton Prize.
Joe O'Donnell -- (1922-2007) purported presidential photographer and documentary photographer of aftermath of atomic bomb devastation in Japan in 1945. O'Donnell was discovered after his death to have falsely claimed credit for many photographs by well-known photographers and the historical accuracy of his Japanese claims is disputed by some. The New York Times retracted its obituary of O'Donnell on September 15, 2007, "Known for Famous Photos, Not All of Them His." O'Donnell was a photographer, but it's impossible to ascertain the veracity of any of his claims due to false statements over nearly two decades.
Joe Pass -- (1929-1994) jazz guitarist.
Ray Scott (sportscaster)--(1920-1998) sportscaster.
Geroy Simon-- Slotback for the CFL's British Columbia Lions. 2006 CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award
Emil Sitka -- (1914 - 1998) actor, whose famous line "Hold hands, you lovebirds!" earned him the moniker as the fourth of the Three Stooges.
Jeff Skowron-- stage and film actor (External Link)
Frank Solich -- football coach.
Michael Strank--(1919-1945) World War II hero and one of the six soldiers pictured in the famous Iwo Jima flag raising photo, from Johnstown suburb of Franklin.
Luke Swank -- (1890 - 1944) photographer. Link to Swank biography
Kathy Voytko -- Broadway actor (External Link)
Pete Vuckovich--Cy Young Award winning pitcher.
John Walker (organist)
Rudolph Weaver (1880-1944), architect and university administrator
Ian Williams -- Guitarist and member of Don Caballero, Storm & Stress, and Battles (band).Further Information
Get more info on 'Johnstown Pennsylvania'.
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