Profile for Altoona, Pennsylvania, PA

Altoona is at the base of the Allegheny Mountains.

The city began as a switching point for the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Public transportation: Amtran (See the transit and travel sections below.)

Crime: The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 156. The number of murders and homicides was 1. The violent crime rate was 3.2 per 1,000 people.

Performing arts: Altoona Symphony Orchestra

Nearby parks & recreation: Prince Gallitzin State Park, Canoe Creek State Park

Altoona attractions: Lakemont Park, Leap the Dips (a restored roller coaster designated as an historic site)

Sports teams: Curve (minor league baseball)

Historic sites and museums: Fort Roberdeau Historic Site, Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum, Baker Mansion Museum

Colleges and universities: Pennsylvania State University -- Altoona Campus, Altoona School of Commerce

Support for libraries: Local government funding for the local library system, in fiscal years 2001-2002, was below the national average. (See library links below.)

Gays & lesbians
National index: 100
Local index: 50

Quotes:
The enormous amount of railroad trackage has jumbled Altoona's streets.
-- WPA Guide to Pennsylvania, 1940

Listed places near Altoona

Attractions (1)

Cemeteries (25)

Colleges (1)

Communities (8)

Hotels (8)

Libraries (3)

Museums (1)

Parks (1)

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• Altoona population
• Ancestry of people in Altoona
• Housing in Altoona
• Income in Altoona
• Marital status of adults in Altoona
• Place of birth of people in Altoona
• Residence in 1995, of people in Altoona
• School enrollment & education levels in Altoona
• Transportation & commute times in Altoona
• Blair County data
• Fastest-growing counties in Pennsylvania
• State data - Pennsylvania
• Data by street address
• Historical census records (Ancestry.com)

Sections below provide additional information and links about Altoona demographics, travel and tourism, nearby airports, cemeteries, the Blair County economy, education, environment, genealogy, government, historic sites, Altoona area jobs, libraries, maps, museums, newspapers and other media, nonprofit groups, real estate, recreation, religion, transportation, and weather in the 16602 ZIP code.

(Also see local map below.)

• Altoona city government
• Blair County government
• Blair County Chamber of Commerce
• Blair County economic development agency

35% of Altoona residents report German ancestry, and 17% report Irish. For more info on local ancestry groups, see the Altoona ancestry & family history guide.

• Cemeteries in or near Altoona
• Cemeteries in Blair County
• Libraries in or near Altoona

Post a query on a message board:

• Blair County Ancestry forum
• GenForum

Records & databases:

• Ancestry.com - PA data
• Birth, marriage & death records
• Cemetery records
• County history catalog
• Census records (historic)
• Court, land & probate records
• Death index
• Family & local history
• Immigration records
• Military records (historic)
• Newspaper articles

Music

• Altoona Symphony Orchestra

• Altoona area attractions
• Altoona museums
• Altoona historic sites
• Altoona area parks
• Wineries near Altoona

• Altoona (Images of America)

• Add a local cemetery to our listings
• Altoona area cemeteries
• Cemeteries in Blair County
• Cemetery record compendium
• Pennsylvania cemetery message boards
• National database of cemetery records
• Veteran grave locator

• Communities near Altoona
• Nearby cities of 10,000 or more
• Nearby cities of 50,000 or more
• Communities in Blair County

• Altoona business guide
• Blair County Chamber of Commerce
• Better Business Bureau
• Business licenses
• Corporate records search

• Courts in Pennsylvania
• Local ordinances in Pennsylvania (Partial selection)

• Crime in Blair County
• Arrests in Blair County

• Obituaries - search nearby newspapers
• Obituary database - Ancestry.com
• Charitable donations

• Local information on disability access
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Independent living centers in Pennsylvania
• National Council on Independent Living

At the time of the 2000 census, the per capita income in Altoona was $15,213, compared with $21,587 nationally.

• Banks
• Building permits
• Current labor force
• Wage estimates
• Blair County economic census
• Blair County economic summary
• Blair County employment growth
• Blair County unemployment rate
• Pennsylvania economic data

12% of Altoona residents age 25 and older have a bachelor's or advanced college degree.

• Colleges in or near Altoona
• Colleges in Pennsylvania
• Learning Disabilities Association in Pennsylvania
• Schools in or near Altoona
• School districts in or near Altoona
• School report cards
• Yearbooks (old) of Pennsylvania high schools

• Movies playing in or near Altoona
• YouTube videos about Altoona

• Air pollution in Blair County
• Diesel soot in Blair County
• Land contamination in Blair County
• Nature Conservancy projects in Pennsylvania
• Ozone status & air pollution - American Lung Association
• Recycling info for Blair County
• Toxic chemical releases in Blair County
• Water levels & streamflow conditions in Pennsylvania

• ePodunk festival listings
• Pennsylvania county fairs
• Pennsylvania festivals (Pennsylvania tourism department)
• Send us festival info for Altoona

• Confluence of latitude & longitude near Altoona
• Geocaches in Pennsylvania

• Altoona items now on sale

• Altoona local government Web site
• Blair County government
• Pennsylvania state government
• Driver's licenses
• Motor vehicles
• Passports
• Social Security
• Veterans affairs
• Where to write for birth, death, marriage or divorce records

• Ancestry & family history
• Business
• Demographics
• Health
• Moving
• Nonprofit resources
• Sports & rec
• Travel

• Altoona medical services & health statistics

• State historical society

• Historic sites in or near Altoona
• Historic sites in Pennsylvania
• Museums in or near Altoona
• Museums in Pennsylvania
• Pennsylvania state archives
• National Historic Landmark search
• Search the Library of Congress
• Search the National Register for historic properties
• Post history questions in Blair County genealogy forum

Median rent in Altoona, at the time of the 2000 Census, was $308.   Monthly homeowner costs, for people with mortgages, were $683.

• Research Altoona Apartments
• Find Foreclosure in Altoona
• Homes for sale in Altoona
• Find a Altoona Realtor
• Get free moving quotes
• Free home valuation
• Check Pennsylvania mortgage rates
• Property and neighborhood reports
• Mortgage calculator

• Jobs in the Altoona area
• Job services in Pennsylvania
• Minimum wage laws by state

Libraries in Altoona include Altoona Area Public Library ... View libraries

• Pennsylvania library

• Pennsylvania statewide library catalog

• Get directions from Altoona
• Get directions to Altoona
• Census map of Altoona area
• Historic maps of PA cities - Library of Congress
• Historic maps of Pennsylvania
• Topographic map of Altoona

Newspapers in Altoona include Altoona Mirror

TV stations in Altoona include WATM, WKBS, WTAJ.

• Daily newspapers in or near Altoona
• AM radio stations in or near Altoona
• Commercial FM radio stations in or near Altoona
• Public & educational radio stations in or near Altoona
• TV stations in or near Altoona
• Media ownership in the Altoona area
• Search historic newspaper articles
• Search recent news archives in Pennsylvania

• Military bases in Pennsylvania
• American Legion post locator
• Veterans of Foreign Wars post locator

• Check daily newspapers in or near Altoona
• Search obituaries in Pennsylvania
• Recent death notices - selected PA newspapers

• Chambers of commerce in Pennsylvania
• Community foundations (by state)
• Foundations (by name)
• Kiwanis clubs in Pennsylvania
• Lions clubs in Pennsylvania
• Nonprofit groups
• Nonprofit guide for Altoona
• Rotary club search
• Volunteer opportunities in or near Altoona

• Parks near Altoona
• National forests in Pennsylvania
• Ski areas near Altoona
• Ski areas in Pennsylvania
• State parks in Pennsylvania

• Find friends & family
• Photos of people from Altoona

• Find a local animal shelter
• Report animal cruelty

• Aerial photo of Altoona
• Historic photos of U.S. cities
• Panoramic photos of Pennsylvania communities
• Photos of Pennsylvania places
• Post cards of Pennsylvania communities

Blair County supported George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election. For more information, see our Altoona political report.

• Pennsylvania Democratic party
• Pennsylvania Republican party
• Pennsylvania elections board

• ZIP codes (by street address)
• ZIP codes (by city)
• ZIP code reverse lookup (find cities in a ZIP code)

• Churches, other places of worship in or near Altoona
• Total membership by faith, in Blair County

• Chowhound message boards for PA

The average commute time for Altoona workers is 18 minutes, compared with 26 minutes nationwide.

A total of 6 fatal motor vehicle accidents occurred in Altoona between 2001 and 2003, according to reports gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This is a rate of 1.2 fatal crashes per 10,000 population, which was lower than the national norm.

• Altoona travel guide
• Airports near Altoona
• Amtrak station in Altoona
• Hotels near Altoona
• Pennsylvania tourism bureau

• Monthly averages & records
• Major storms (searchable by county)
• National weather map

• Audubon centers
• Birding spots in Pennsylvania
• Wildlife refuges in Pennsylvania

Browse list of Pennsylvania community profiles