Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania



Hollidaysburg is a borough in Blair County, Pennsylvania, on the Juniata River, 7 mi south of Altoona. It is the county seat of Blair County. It is part of the Altoona, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area and is one of the communities that comprises the Altoona Urban Area. In 1910, 3,734 lived there, and in 1940, 5,910 residents were counted. The population was 5,368 at the 2000 census. On the outskirts of Hollidaysburg are the Ant Hill Woods, famous for their colony of ants. Coal, iron ore, ganister, and limestone are found in the vicinity. In the past, the borough had foundries and machine shops, a silk mill, car works and classification yards. In 1900, 2,998 people lived in the borough.

From 1834 to 1854, the borough was an important port on Pennsylvania Main Line Canal, where the Juniata Division Canal connected to the Allegheny Portage Railroad.

The famous toy known as the Slinky is manufactured within Hollidaysburg by Poof-Slinky, Inc. (formerly James Industries, Inc.). More than a quarter billion Slinkys have been manufactured in the toy's history.

The center of Hollidaysburg is frequently referred to as "The Diamond," where the buildings and parking spaces form a diamond. This area serves as the hub for parades, festivals and other town celebrations.

History
The borough of Hollidaysburg was first laid out in 1796 and was named after Adam and William Holliday, Irish immigrants who founded the settlement ; by 1814 it consisted of several houses and a tavern. Hollidaysburg became the main transfer point between the Pennsylvania Canal and the Portage Railroad, a gateway to western Pennsylvania. The canal and Portage Railroad spurred industrial and commercial development in Hollidaysburg in the 1830s. In 1836, Hollidaysburg was established as a borough.

When Blair County was organized in 1846, the Borough of Hollidaysburg was designated the county seat. This designation allowed the borough to prosper when politicians and attorneys became attracted to the borough.

In 1903, the Pennsylvania Railroad constructed a large switching yard and US Route 22 was directed through the borough.

Government
The Borough of Hollidaysburg has a Council-Manager form of government. Voters elect a seven member Borough Council who serve four-year terms. The Borough Council is responsible for formulating policies, enacting ordinances, setting tax rates, approving the annual budget, and appointing the Borough Manager.

Council is a policy making board and the Manager is Chief Administrative Officer. The Mayor has limited powers. The roles of a Council are to adopt goals and objectives, establish priorities, approve programs, approve expenditures, approve contracts.

HCP Scandal
The Hollidaysburg Borough Council voted to freeze spending to the Hollidaysburg Community Partnership (HCP) after an audit in June uncovered that over the previous 6 years at least $158,000 of Hollidaysburg taxpayer funds have been used to pay HCP bills without knowledge of the Hollidaysburg Borough Council or the public. The HCP has been under investigation since March of 2010 regarding these misappropriated funds linked to the Financial Manager, Bob Kuntz, who was later fired by the Borough Manager and Council at the time. Kuntz worked under the direction of former Borough Manager, Diane Meling, who resigned early in the beginning of these investigations. Diane Meling later ran for Commissioner of Blair County, Pennsylvania where she voted to hire Kuntz as an accountant for Blair County.

Historic district
The Borough of Hollidaysburg established a local Historic District in 1989 and implemented a historic district ordinance. The purpose of the ordinance is to preserve the unique architectural and historical qualities of the borough. This ordinance regulates alterations, additions, new construction and demolition in the district. The Hollidaysburg Historic District encompasses the central part of the Borough. There are roughly 400 structures in the District. These structures are classified as Significant, Contributing, and Non-Contributing.

The Historical and Architectural Review Board is responsible for the review and regulation of changes within the district. This advisory board consists of seven members. The process involves making an application to get a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA). HARB Application. This application is then reviewed by the Board at its regular monthly meeting. HARB/HPC Meeting Agenda The HARB makes a recommendation to the Borough Council, who reviews the request and makes a final decision at its regular monthly meeting. If approved, a Certificate of Appropriateness is awarded and a zoning permit will be issued for the work. The charge for a COA is $10.00. There can be additional charges per the zoning permit, depending upon the type of project.

Geography
Hollidaysburg is located at °N, °W (40.431772, -78.392085). According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,368 people, 2,224 households, and 1,349 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,261.0 people per square mile (874.5/km²). There were 2,392 housing units at an average density of 1,007.5/sq mi (389.7/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.19% White, 0.82% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.48% of the population.

There were 2,224 households out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.3% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the borough the population was spread out with 20.5% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $36,758, and the median income for a family was $43,209. Males had a median income of $33,315 versus $24,627 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $20,634. About 5.5% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.9% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

 * Harry J. Anslinger -- widely considered to be the first United States "drug czar"
 * Charlie Brenneman -- mixed martial arts fighter
 * Hedda Hopper -- gossip columnist
 * Samuel Rea -- president of the Pennsylvania Railroad from 1913-1925
 * Red Whittaker -- roboticist
 * Daniel Hale Williams -- pioneering black surgeon