Northern Cambria, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Northern Cambria, Pennsylvania
|
|
|---|---|
|
Borough
|
|
Center part of Northern Cambria
|
|
Location of Northern Cambria in Cambria County, Pennsylvania.
|
|
 Northern Cambria, Pennsylvania
Location in Pennsylvania
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Cambria |
| Settled | 1893 |
| Incorporated | 2000 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Borough council |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.09 sq mi (8.00 km2) |
| • Land | 3.09 sq mi (8.00 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,601 ft (488 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 3,560 |
| • Density | 1,152.10/sq mi (444.89/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
15714
|
| Area code(s) | 814 |
| FIPS code | 42-55000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2086609 |
Northern Cambria is a borough located in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania area. In 2020, about 3,560 people lived there.
Contents
History of Northern Cambria
Northern Cambria became a borough on January 1, 2000. It was created by joining two smaller towns: Barnesboro and Spangler. People in both towns voted to combine them in 1997.
Europeans first settled in this area in the early to mid-1800s. The West Branch of the Susquehanna River helped loggers move wood downstream. Small farms grew, but everything changed in the 1890s. This is when mining for bituminous coal became the main industry.
Many skilled workers came from Great Britain and Eastern Europe to work in the mines. Railroads were built to carry the coal away, and the town grew quickly. However, in the 1980s, the coal industry started to slow down. This caused the population of Northern Cambria to decrease. In November 1922, a sad event happened at the Reilly Shaft No. 1 mine, where 78 coal miners lost their lives.
In 2005, a resident named Larry Checkon grew a giant pumpkin that weighed 1,469 pounds (666 kg). This was a world record at the time!
Geography of Northern Cambria
Northern Cambria is located in the northwest part of Cambria County. It sits in the valley of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. This is close to where the river begins.
U.S. Route 219 goes through the borough. This road leads south about 15 miles (24 km) to Ebensburg, which is the county seat. It goes north about 47 miles (76 km) to DuBois.
The United States Census Bureau says that Northern Cambria has a total area of 3.09 square miles (8.0 km²). All of this area is land.
Education in Northern Cambria
The local public schools are part of the Northern Cambria School District. This district has two schools right in the borough. The Northern Cambria Elementary/Middle School teaches students from Pre-K up to 8th grade. The Northern Cambria High School is for students in grades 9 through 12.
Other public school districts nearby include:
- Cambria Heights School District
- Central Cambria School District
- Blacklick Valley School District
- Penns Manor School District
- Purchase Line School District
- Harmony Area School District
Students in grades K-8 can also go to the private Northern Cambria Catholic School in Nicktown. This school is about 3 miles (5 km) south of Northern Cambria. Some older students (grades 9-12) attend the private Bishop Carroll High School in Ebensburg.
There are also several colleges nearby, such as Mount Aloysius College in Cresson and Saint Francis University in Loretto.
People of Northern Cambria
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2000 | 4,199 | — | |
| 2010 | 3,835 | −8.7% | |
| 2020 | 3,560 | −7.2% | |
| Sources: | |||
In 2019, there were about 3,588 people living in Northern Cambria. There were 1,763 households. Most of the people living in the borough were White.
About 22% of the population was under 18 years old. About 21% were 65 years old or older. The average age in the borough was 41 years.
Notable People from Northern Cambria
Many interesting people have come from Northern Cambria (or the towns it used to be, Barnesboro and Spangler):
- Frank Brazill, a baseball player.
- Chris Columbus, a famous director who made movies like Home Alone and the first two Harry Potter movies.
- Duffy Daugherty, a well-known football coach.
- Jennifer Haigh, a novelist (writer of books).
- Marcel Duriez, a novelist, artist, and musician.
- George Magulick, a player in the National Football League in 1944.
- Joe Maross, an actor.
- Nicola Paone, a singer and songwriter.
- Cheryl Strayed, a writer whose memoir was made into the movie Wild.
- J. Irving Whalley, a Republican who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania.
- David Wilkerson, a pastor.
Media in Northern Cambria
Three daily newspapers cover the Northern Cambria area: the Altoona Mirror, the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat, and the Indiana Gazette.
The town used to have its own radio station, 950 WNCC, which started in 1950 but stopped broadcasting in 2010. For TV, you can watch WJAC-6 (local NBC channel), WTAJ-10 (local CBS channel), WATM-23 (local ABC channel), WPSU-3 (local PBS station), and WWCP-8 (local Fox channel). Comcast provides cable TV services for the borough.
See also
In Spanish: Northern Cambria para niños
