Park Forest Village, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Park Forest Village
|
|
|---|---|
Location within Centre County
|
|
 Park Forest Village
Location in Pennsylvania
Park Forest Village
Location in the United States
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Centre |
| Townships | Patton, Ferguson |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.49 sq mi (6.46 km2) |
| • Land | 2.49 sq mi (6.46 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,350 ft (410 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 8,831 |
| • Density | 3,543.74/sq mi (1,368.08/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes |
16803
|
| Area code(s) | 814 |
| FIPS code | 42-58036 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1183297 |
Park Forest Village is a community in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It's known as a "census-designated place" (CDP), which is a special area defined for counting people by the government. Park Forest Village is part of the larger State College, Pennsylvania area. In 2020, about 8,831 people lived there.
Contents
History of Park Forest Village
Park Forest Village was built in 1956. It was the first large neighborhood like this near State College. This community won several national awards for its special design. Instead of straight streets and cutting down all the trees, it used gently curved streets and kept many trees. This design became a model for other neighborhoods built later.
How Park Forest Village Was Developed
The neighborhood was built on about 1,000 acres (4 square kilometers) of land. This land was in Patton Township, Pennsylvania. J. Alvin Hawbaker, a well-known real estate developer, started the project. His assistant, Carl W. Wild, was an architect and landscape designer. He made sure that trees were planted along the streets and that as many natural trees as possible were saved.
Their company, Park Forest Enterprises, designed the community with curved streets and "cul-de-sacs." A cul-de-sac is a street that is closed at one end, usually with a round turn-around area. This design allowed for more homes in the same amount of space than traditional city grids. Park Forest Village also included many small parks. This meant that common play areas were easy for everyone in the neighborhood to reach.
Special Features of the Design
When homes were built, they tried to keep as many native trees as possible on each property. This made the homes look mature and lived-in right away. In most other neighborhoods, new trees were just small saplings that took many years to grow. As the community grew, utility lines for phones and electricity were buried underground. This made the streets look cleaner because there were no tall poles. J. Alvin Hawbaker also used a new way to sell homes called "Gallery of Homes." This helped sell many houses in Park Forest Village.
Geography of Park Forest Village
Park Forest Village is located in the southern part of Centre County. Its eastern side touches the northwestern part of the borough of State College. The northern edge of the community is along U.S. Route 322 Business. The entire community is part of the State College Area School District.
Size of the Area
According to the United States Census Bureau, Park Forest Village covers a total area of about 6.35 square kilometers (2.45 square miles). All of this area is land, with no large bodies of water.
Population and People
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2020 | 8,831 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, about 9,660 people lived in Park Forest Village. There were 3,923 households, which are groups of people living together in one home. About 2,092 of these were families. The population density was about 1,533 people per square kilometer (3,971 people per square mile).
Diversity in the Community
The people living in Park Forest Village come from different backgrounds. In 2010, about 78.5% of the people were White, 3.8% were Black or African American, and 10.8% were Asian. About 3.2% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.
Age Groups
The community has a mix of different age groups. In 2010:
- 17.0% of the people were under 18 years old.
- 25.0% were between 18 and 24 years old.
- 26.0% were between 25 and 44 years old.
- 21.4% were between 45 and 64 years old.
- 10.6% were 65 years or older.
The average age of people in Park Forest Village was 29 years.
Household Income
In 2010, the average income for a household in Park Forest Village was about $51,587 per year. For families, the average income was about $74,675 per year. It's important to remember that many students from Penn State University live in Park Forest Village. This can affect how income numbers look for the community.
See also
In Spanish: Park Forest Village para niños
