Parkway Plaza State College: A History of Growth and Transformation

State College, Pennsylvania, a borough and home rule municipality in Centre County, boasts a rich history intertwined with the growth of Pennsylvania State University and the evolution of its surrounding community. With a population of 40,501 at the 2020 census, State College has transformed from a small, isolated area into a bustling nexus of education, culture, and commerce.

The Origins: From Farmers' High School to State College

The story of State College begins with the founding of the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania in 1855. The school was established on 400 acres of land in what was then Harris Township. The Nittany Valley was chosen due to its affordable land and fertile soil, rich in limestone. The area, though initially isolated, possessed exceptional soil fertility, ideal for agricultural education. The name of the Nittany Valley and its most prominent feature, Mount Nittany, comes from either Shawnee, Iroquois, or Lenape. It is thought to be a place name roughly translating to "single mountain." A common myth suggests the name comes from princess Nita-Nee, who led her people to the fertile valleys of central Pennsylvania. The land was clear-cut for charcoal, powering the adjacent Centre Furnace.

In 1875, College Township was formed, encompassing much of what is now State College. The Pennsylvania Railroad opened a train station in Lemont, two miles from campus, in 1885. Passengers relied on an autobus or hack to complete their journey to State College from the new station. In 1892, a train station was finally completed on West College Avenue, connecting State College to the Bellefonte Central Railroad (BCRR) via Struble. This connection significantly improved accessibility and spurred further development.

Early 20th Century: Expansion and Development

The early 20th century saw significant expansion and development in State College. In 1909, the hilly area south of Downtown began to be developed under the name Highland Park. The borough began expanding in 1916 with annexations from Ferguson and College Township. In 1917 the borough added the Hamilton, Highland Park, and South Side additions to its boundary.

Social and Political Activity

State College has been a site of social and political activity, particularly related to the Pennsylvania State University. On January 21, 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1970 attempts were made by university students to divest money from the Applied Research Laboratory, which produces torpedoes. A sit-in at Old Main led to the arrest of at least 30 people. Protests against the ARL escalated in 1972 when about 2,000 protesters blocking College Avenue and North Atherton Street were met with police in riot gear.

Geography and Climate

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 4.5 square miles (12 km2), all land. It is surrounded by large tracts of farmland and an expanse of Appalachian Mountain ranges and forests. Its location within a valley makes it prone to frequent rain, snowfall, and flooding. State College is in the Susquehanna watershed. The borough is the nexus, and most populous municipality in Happy Valley. State College is also a part of the larger Nittany Valley. The Nittany Valley is part of the geologic ridge-and-valley province of the Appalachian Mountains. It is located at the approximate geographic center of Pennsylvania.

State College has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). Weather in State College is strongly influenced by the mountain and valley topology of the area. The surrounding mountains cause significantly lower temperatures in the winter, and make summer heat waves much rarer than in the rest of the state. Precipitation is about 20% lower than areas at comparable elevations, again due to the surrounding mountains.

Demographics

According to the 2010 census, there were 42,034 people, 12,610 households, and 3,069 families residing in the borough. The population density was 9,258.6 inhabitants per square mile (3,574.8/km2). There were 13,007 housing units at an average density of 2,865.0 per square mile (1,106.2/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 83.2% White, 3.8% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 9.8% Asian, 1.0% Other, and 2.0% from two or more races. 3.9% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. A 2014 estimate had the racial makeup of the borough as 78.9% Non-Hispanic White, 5.6% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American and Alaska Native, 11.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 0.8% Some other race, and 2.2% two or more races.

Of the 12,610 households, 9.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 18.2% were married couples living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 75.6% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The age distribution of the borough was overwhelmingly influenced by its student population: 5.1% of the population was under the age of 18, 70.6% from 18 to 24, 13.1% from 25 to 44, 6.5% from 45 to 64, and 4.7% was 65 years of age or older. The median income for a household in the borough was $23,513, and the median income for a family was $58,953. The per capita income for the borough was $13,336. 46.9% of the population and 9.8% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.6% of those under the age of 18 and 2.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Neighborhoods of State College

The Borough of State College has twelve neighborhoods and half of University Park. The Highlands have around ten thousand people, making it the largest neighborhood in the borough, followed by Downtown and Orchard Park. The Highlands are a mix of apartments, townhouses, single-family homes, businesses, and parks. The neighborhood features working class areas like Lytle Hill and Marvin Gardens, and student areas like Frat Row.

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The Holmes-Foster-Highlands Historic District includes parts of Holmes-Foster, the Highlands, and the West End. Holmes-Foster and the West End were two of the first neighborhoods to be developed due to their proximity to Downtown, University Park, and the Bellefonte Central Railroad. Part of College Heights makes up the College Heights Historic District which was created in 1935 and features the College Heights Service Station. It took six annexations from College Township from 1930 to 1968 to officially bring the South End and Nittany Hills (also Penfield) neighborhoods in the borough. Vallamont and Penfield are the least populated neighborhoods, both of which are in the foothills of Mount Nittany on the east side of town.

Parkway, short for Westerly Parkway Plaza, is home to State High, the Delta Program, the Westerly Parkway Wetlands, and the Parkway Plaza Apartments, which were built in the 1960s. Orchard Park is home to the South Hills School of Business & Technology.

Recent Developments: The 2010s and Beyond

The 2010s saw a construction boom downtown, with several mixed-use towers developed, including Rise, Metropolitan, Fraser Centre, and Here State College, and others. The Downtown area has seen large protests over past the couple of decades, particularly at the Allen Street Gates and the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza.

Westerly Parkway Plaza: A Case Study in Change

Westerly Parkway Plaza, often referred to as Parkway, exemplifies the ongoing changes within State College. Recent developments include plans for The Retreat at Westerly Parkway, a student housing development at 560 Westerly Parkway. This project involves razing two dilapidated commercial buildings and constructing 21 residential buildings, offering a mix of two- to five-bedroom townhomes and flats for a total of 546 beds.

The development has raised concerns about increased traffic, particularly during State High's school sessions. A traffic impact study is underway to assess the potential effects. The developers plan to establish a landscape buffer to shield homes on Oneida Street from the new buildings.

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The Retreat at Westerly Parkway is located in the CP-3 Planned Commercial District zone, but the developers have argued that the zoning does not require mixed-use on the site because residential is a permitted use in the zone. This has led to disappointment among some planning commission members who would prefer to see a commercial component included.

Changes are coming to Westerly Parkway Plaza, but it is unclear how long it will take to come to fruition due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the meantime, longtime tenant Goodwill Thrift Store will be moving to 387 Benner Pike, which was the home of Office Depot until it closed in early 2016. Kandy Weader of Keystone Commercial Real Estate, manages the Westerly Parkway Plaza, and she said the property owners plan to demolish the two older buildings on the northeast side of the property that are in disrepair to make way for a development with student housing in its upper floors and commercial space below. Bill Ebken has owned The Frame Factory and Gallery, located in the same building as Goodwill, since 1975. Ebken said he plans to move to the other end of the plaza between Rite Aid and Weis Market at some point before the demolition, but he said everything is still “up in the air” at this point. Fuji & Jade Garden and My Thai moved together from the plaza to a new location in Northland Center in Ferguson Township in February. Goodwill has been operating in State College since 1992. The move to a new location, a 35,700-square-foot building in College Township, will include a new service to the region with on-site mission services employment specialists. Goodwill Industries of North Central Pennsylvania employs nearly 700 associates and provides job training to people throughout its 13-county area. “We would like to thank the people of State College for their support and for helping us to make people self-sufficient.

Arts, Culture, and Recreation

State College offers a variety of cultural and recreational opportunities. The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, usually referred to as "Arts Fest", is held downtown every July. The five-day festival features artists from around the country and draws more than 125,000 visitors. Streets are closed off and lined with booths where people can buy paintings, pottery, jewelry, and other hand-made goods. On Saturday, February 4, 2017, State College set a Guinness World Record holder with Light Up State College organizing 5,226 lighted ice luminaries that were displayed across South Allen Street in Downtown State College. This is the most ice luminaries in any one location to date.

Rec Hall is a field house located on the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University. It was opened on January 15, 1929, and remains in use. It is home to the Penn State Nittany Lions women's and men's volleyball teams, and Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling. Pegula Ice Arena is a 6,014-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, on the campus of Penn State University, which opened October 11, 2013, to replace the 1,350-seat Penn State Ice Pavilion.

In 1914, the State College School Board purchased a sinkhole along Fraser and Nittany avenues to build a football field and track in the “natural amphitheater.” During the Great Depression the project received a $40,000 grant from the Works Progress Administration, $5,000 from the school district, and additional federal funds. The sinkhole was originally nicknamed "The Hollow", though it would later be named Memorial Field in dedication to State College High School graduates killed in both World Wars. In September 1937, the stadium hosted its first football game between State College and Yeagertown. State College would win 52-7 in front of an audience of 3,000 spectators. $500,000 was spent on drainage to protect against flooding in the former sinkhole. In 1966 the area between Memorial Field and the post office was turned into a parklet.

Sunset Park in College Heights is connected to Gerhold Wildflower Trail; Walnut Springs in Vallamont and Lederer Park in Penfield are largely forested; South Hills Park, Tussey View Park, and Nittany Village Park are in Tusseyview; Orchard Park is split between the Orchard Park neighborhood and Greentree; High Point Park is also in Orchard Park and is the proposed site of a skate park; Holmes-Foster Park is in Holmes-Foster and Greentree; Community Field is in Parkway; East Fairmount Park is in the Highlands; and Smithfield Park is in the South End. Additionally half of the Arboretum including the H.O.

Government and Education

State College Borough falls under the jurisdiction of the following district courts. The jurisdictions include civil claims and summary offenses. The State College Area School District operates eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school in and around State College, enrolling 6,712 students. The borough is home to three out of the eight elementary schools: Coral Street, Radio Park, and Easterly Parkway. The school district began in 1896 in the two-story Frazier Street school. In 1914 the State College High School, now known as the Fairmount Building, opened on Fraser Street. In 1957 high school students began moving into a new school on Westerly Parkway.

Media and Transportation

State College's daily newspaper is Centre Daily Times, first published in 1898. Originally published under the name State College Times, the paper would change its name in 1932 to the Centre Daily Times. The Times is now part of the McClatchy Company newspaper chain. The paper had a daily circulation of 9,279, a Sunday circulation of 11,521, and over four million average monthly page views in 2020. There is also a weekly version published as Centre Weekly.

State College is part of the Johnstown/Altoona/State College television market, which is ranked as the 102nd largest in the nation as of 2016. Television stations broadcasting out of State College include WPSU 3 (PBS), WHVL-LD 29 (MyNetworkTV), and C-NET Centre County's government and education access television network, which broadcasts on two cable channels: CGTV (Government Access TV) on Comcast and Windstream Channel 7 and CETV (Educational Access TV) on Channel 98. WATM-TV 23 (ABC) produces a Centre County focused newscast, anchored from a studio on West College Avenue.

In 2013, the State College MSA ranked as the fifteenth lowest in the United States for percentage of workers who commuted by private automobile (79.2 percent). In 1892, the Bellefonte Central Railroad extended its tracks from Struble to a new station in the West End of State College. State College was initially connected to Bellefonte via Waddle through the Scotia Barrens and Buffalo Run Valley. In 1896, State College would be connected to Pine Grove Mills via Struble and Bloomsdorf. In 1930, the Fairbrook Branch was finished connecting State College to Fairbrook, Tyrone, and Altoona.

Utilities and Healthcare

Electricity in State College is provided by West Penn Power, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy. Natural gas service in the borough is provided by Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, a division of NiSource. The State College Borough Water Authority provides water service to State College and Patton, Ferguson, college, Harris, and Benner townships.

Healthcare providers for the area include Mount Nittany Health, Geisinger, and Penn State Health. Mount Nittany Medical Center is a 260-bed hospital with an emergency department.

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