Johnstown, Pennsylvania

Infobox Settlement |official_name = Johnstown, Pennsylvania

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nickname=Flood City


image_

pushpin_

pushpin_label_position =
pushpin_map_caption =Johnstown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
pushpin_mapsize =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name = USA
subdivision_name1 = flag|Pennsylvania
subdivision_name2 = Cambria
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Tom Trigona
area_magnitude = 1 E8
area_total_km2 = 15.7
area_total_sq_mi = 6.1
area_land_km2 = 15.1
area_land_sq_mi = 5.8
area_water_km2 = 8.6
area_water_sq_mi =
elevation_ft =1800
elevation_m =
population_as_of = 2007
population_metro = 144995
population_urban = 76113
population_note = 2000 Urban figures
population_total = 21832
population_footnotes = [ [http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2007-04-42.csv Table 4: Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Pennsylvania, Listed Alphabetically: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007] , U.S. Census Bureau, 2007. Retrieved 13 July 2008.] [cite web | url = http://www.census.gov/popest/metro/tables/2007/CBSA-EST2007-01.csv | title = Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007 (CBSA-EST2007-01) | format = CSV | work = 2007 Population Estimates | publisher = United States Census Bureau, Population Division | date = 2007-03-27 | accessdate = 2008-08-21]
population_density_km2 =
population_density_sq_mi =
timezone = EST
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
latd = 40|19|31|N|78|55|15
latm = 19
lats = 31
latNS = N
longd = 78
longm = 55
longs = 15
longEW = W
website = http://www.cityofjohnstownPA.net
footnotes = Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, convert|60|mi|km miles east of Pittsburgh and convert|47|mi|km west-south west of Altoona, Pennsylvania. The population was 23,906 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County. As of 2007, the Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 144,995.

History

Johnstown, settled in 1770, is perhaps most famous for its three floods. The "Great Flood" of May 31, 1889 occurred after the South Fork Dam collapsed 14 miles (23 km) upstream from the city during heavy rains. At least 2,209 people died as a result of the flood and subsequent fire that raged through the debris. Other major floods occurred in 1936 and 1977. Johnstown was formally organized as a town in 1800 by the Swiss German immigrant Joseph Johns (ne Josef Schantz). The settlement was initially known as Schantzstadt, but was soon anglicized to Johnstown. From 1834 to 1854, the city was a port and key transfer point along the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal. Johnstown was at the head of the canal's western branch, with canal boats having been transported over the mountains via the Allegheny Portage Railroad and refloated here, to continue the trip by water to Pittsburgh and the Ohio Valley. Perhaps the most famous passenger via the canal to visit Johnstown briefly was Charles Dickens in 1842. By 1854, canal transport became redundant by the completion of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which took away the canal's cargo and passenger business. The canal was abandoned soon afterwards.

With the canal's demise, iron, coal, and steel quickly became central to the town of Johnstown. By 1860, the Cambria Iron Company of Johnstown was the leading steel producer in the United States, outproducing steel giants Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Through the second half of the 19th century, Johnstown made much of the nation's barbed wire. Johnstown prospered from skyrocketing demand in the western United States for barbed wire. By 1900, Johnstown primarily only produced and fabricated steel, with little other economic diversification, other than ancillary coal production to feed the mills. This singular focus caused significant problems for Johnstown later on.

Johnstown was a remarkably prosperous hard-working city during the inter-war years. In the early 1900s, the population reached 75,000 people. Its public transportation was considered the one of the best of any small city in the United States. The city's first commercial radio station, WJAC, began broadcasts in 1925. The downtown boasted at least five major department stores, including what would later become the Gee Bee chain of department stores. However, the St. Patrick's Day 1936 Flood combined with the gnawing effects of the Great Depression left Johnstown struggling temporarily. A federally-financed flood control project, completed in 1938 and dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, finally gave Johnstown temporary safety from its rivers. For the next 39 years, Johnstown proclaimed itself "flood-free," a feeling reinforced when Johnstown was virtually the only riverside city in Pennsylvania not to flood during Hurricane Agnes in 1972.

The immediate post-WWII years mark Johnstown's peak as a steel maker and fabricator. At its peak, steel provided Johnstowners with more than 13,000 full-time, well-paying jobs. However, increased domestic and foreign competition, coupled with Johnstown's relative distance from its primary iron ore source in the western Great Lakes, led to a steady decline in profitability. New capital investment waned. Johnstown's mountainous terrain, and the resulting poor layout for the mills' physical plant strung along convert|11|mi|km of river bottom lands, compounded the problem. Extensive damage from the 1977 flood sealed Johnstown's demise as a steelmaker. By the early 1990s, Johnstown abandoned most of its steel production, although some limited fabrication work continues. As a result of Johnstown's singular focus on steel for almost 150 years, little other large-scale economic activity existed. In 1992, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania designated Johnstown a financially distressed municipality. Johnstown has been revitalizing its economic footing for the 21st century. In 2003, U.S. Census data showed that Johnstown was the least likely city in the United States to attract newcomers; however, what were previously relatively weak opportunities provided by the local manufacturing and service economies have more recently begun to burgeon, attracting outsiders. Gamesa, a Spanish wind energy company, opened its first U.S. wind turbine blade manufacturing facility near here in 2006. Lockheed Martin is relocating a facility from Greenville, SC to Johnstown in fall of 2008. Recent construction in the surrounding region, the downtown, and adjacent Kernville neighborhood—including a new 100,000 square foot Regional Technology Complex that will house a division of Northrop Grumman, among other tenants—signal the increasing growth of Johnstown's economy. The high tech defense industry is now a primary staple of the Johnstown economy, with the region pulling in well over $100M annually in new contracts, punctuated by one of the premier defense trade shows in the U.S., the annual Showcase For Commerce.

Johnstown remains a regional medical, educational, and communications center. As in many other locales, healthcare provides significant employment opportunities within the city.

The Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center, a concert/theatrical venue at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, continues to attract high-quality performers. The Johnstown Symphony Orchestra and the recently-formed Johnstown Symphony Chamber Players provide high quality classical music. The Pasquerilla Convention Center was recently constructed downtown, adjacent to the Cambria County War Memorial Arena. Point Stadium, a baseball park where Babe Ruth once played, was razed and rebuilt. A recently-passed zoning ordinance created an artist zone and a traditional neighborhood zone to encourage both artistic endeavors and the old-fashioned "Mom and Pop" enterprises that had difficulty thriving under the previous code. The Bottleworks Ethnic Arts Center offers many exhibitions, events, performances, and classes that celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the Area. The recently-established ART WORKS In Johnstown! houses artist studios in some of the area's architecturally significant but underused industrial buildings. A pilot ART WORKS project underway will feature Johnstown's first fully LEED-certified green building. Both of these institutions are in the historic Cambria City section of town, which boasts a variety of ethnic churches and social halls. This neighborhood hosted the National Folk Festival for three years in the early 1990s. Johnstown also hosts the annual Thunder in the Valley motorcycle rally during the fourth week of June; the event has attracted motorcyclists from across the Northeast to the city of Johnstown since 1998. Well over 200,000 participants enjoyed the 2008 edition of Thunder.

Significant and largely successful efforts have been made to deal with deteriorating housing, brownfields, drug problems, and other issues. The Johnstown Fire Department has become a leader in developing intercommunication systems among first responders, and is now a national model for ways to avoid the communications problems which faced many first responders during the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Geography

Johnstown is located at coor dms|40|19|31|N|78|55|15|W|city (40.325174, -78.920954)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.1 square miles (16 km²), of which, 5.8 square miles (15 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (4.11%) is water. The Conemaugh River forms at Johnstown from its tributaries, the Stonycreek River and the Little Conemaugh.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 23,906 people, 11,134 households, and 6,045 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,097.0 people per square mile (1,583.2/km²). There were 12,802 housing units at an average density of 2,194.0/sq mi (847.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.28% White, 10.71% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.59% of the population. 23.8% were of German, 10.0% Italian, 9.2% Irish, 7.7% Polish, 7.2% Slovak and 5.7% American ancestry according to Census 2000.

There are 11,134 households of which 22.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.1% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.7% were non-families. 41.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.87.

Within the city, the population is spread with 21.3% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $20,595 and the median income for a family was $28,279. Males had a median income of $26,163 versus $19,791 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,236. 24.6% of the population and 18.9% of families were below the poverty line. Of the total population, 37.5% of those under the age of 18 and 12.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Neighborhoods

The City of Johnstown is divided into many neighborhoods, each with its own unique, ethnic feel. These are the Downtown Business District, Kernville, Hornerstown, Roxbury, Old Conemaugh Boro, Prospect, Woodvale, Minersville, Cambria City, Morrellville, Oakhurst, Coopersdale, Walnut Grove and Moxham.

Of the suburbs, Westmont Boro, Southmont Boro, Brownstown Boro, Ferndale Boro, Upper Yoder Twp, and Lower Yoder Twp form the West Hills. Richland, Geistown Boro, Lorain Boro and Stoneycreek Township are in the East Hills, while East Conemaugh Boro, Franklin Boro, Daisytown Boro, Conemaugh Township, and West, Middle, and East Taylor Townships lie to the north of the city.

Johnstown in the Arts and Literature

Two major motion pictures have been filmed in Johnstown, taking advantage of the city's atmosphere.

The first is 1977's "Slap Shot," directed by George Roy Hill and featuring Paul Newman as an aging hockey player/coach. The screenplay by Nancy Dowd was a parody loosely based on the real-life Johnstown Jets hockey team and its North American Hockey League championship in 1976. In the movie, Johnstown was rechristened "Charlestown" and the Jets as the Charlestown Chiefs. The film's premiere engendered some local controversy, as some thought Johnstown was portrayed in a less than flattering light. The name "Charlestown" itself is believed to be a reference to Charles Kunkle, an influential local businessman of the era. "Slap Shot" has since become the iconic movie about hockey and its foibles. Nancy Dowd would revive the fake town of "Charlestown" in her screenplay for the 1981 punk rock satire "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains", but the film itself was shot in Canada.

The second major film was "All the Right Moves", a high school football drama set in the fictional town of Ampipe and featuring Tom Cruise, Lea Thompson and Craig T. Nelson. Locations seen in the movie are the old Johnstown High School in Kernville, torn down shortly afterwards; the Carpatho-Russian Citizen's Club in East Conemaugh; the Franklin works of Behtlehem Steel; the Point Stadium; the Johnstown "Cochran" Junior High football practice field and the Johnstown Vo-Tech football locker room.

Historian David McCullough wrote what is widely regarded as the city's definitive history, "The Johnstown Flood", in 1968. McCullough completed his research with the aid of the remaining flood survivors.

The film "The Johnstown Flood", written and directed by Charles Guggenheim, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary, Short Subjects in 1989.

Mystery novel writer K.C. Constantine fictionalized many elements of Johnstown and its culture as "Rocksburg" in his novels, although the nearby city of Greensburg, Pennsylvania also provides some of the lore for Rocksburg.

In 2000, Kathleen Cambor published "In Sunlight, In A Beautiful Garden". The novel followed its characters through the events leading up to and including the 1889 flood. Although the protagonists in the novel were fictional, several historical figures, such as Andrew Mellon, Henry Clay Frick and Daniel Morrell were also depicted in the book.

The American Death Metal band, Incantation, currently call Johnstown their home.

Author James Patterson had his fictional serial kidnapper Gary Soneji from "Along Came A Spider" stopping at a convenience store on his way through Johnstown, Pennsylvania; and author David Morrell had his fictional character "Eliot" recruit two brothers from an orphanage in Johnstown to train as assassins in "Brotherhood Of The Rose".

In 1978's haunting film "Dawn of the Dead", a character mentions that they are flying over Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and quips that the people are actually entertained by the zombie outbreak. George Romero filmed the majority of the zombie movie at the Monroeville Mall, some 50 odd miles away.

Education

Colleges
*University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
*Pennsylvania Highlands Community College
*Cambria-Rowe Business CollegeSecondary Education

*The two schools located in the City of Johnstown are Greater Johnstown High School and Bishop McCort High School.
*Richland Senior High School, Westmont Hilltop High School,Conemaugh Valley High School, Ferndale Area Senior High School, and Forest Hills High School are high schools located in the Greater Johnstown area.

Business

Major Employers in the Area:
*American Red Cross
*Atlantic Broadband
*Berkshire Hathaway--Penn Machine Company
*Concurrent Technologies Corporation
*Conemaugh Health System
*DRS Technologies
*Galliker's
*Höganäs AB
*Intelligent Security Technologies
*JWF
*Johnstown Wire Technologies
*Kongsberg Gruppen
*Lockheed Martin
*Martin Baker
*Metropolitan Life
*NDIC
*Northrop Grumman
*Pepsi Bottling Group

Media

Newpapers and Magazines

*The Tribune-Democrat
*Johnstown Magazine
*Our Town Newspaper

Radio

The Johnstown market is the 191st largest radio market in the country. The following box contains a list of radio stations in the area.

Television

The Johnstown/Altoona/State College market is the 99th largest in the country. The following box contains a list of television stations in the area.

Transportation

Highways

The main highway connecting Johnstown to the Pennsylvania Turnpike is US 219. In addition, there is also State Route 56, which is an expressway from 219 until Walnut Street. From there, it provides a connection to US 22 to the north of Johnstown, which connects to Pittsburgh and Altoona.

Airport

The local airport is the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport and is served by United Airlines.

Rail

Passenger rail service is provided by Amtrak's daily "Amtrak lines|Pennsylvanian". The city is located on the former mainline of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Norfolk Southern operates (60-80) trains daily on these rails.

Mass Transit

CamTran operates the local bus service, and the Johnstown Inclined Plane.

ports

Johnstown has been home to a long succession of minor league hockey franchises dating back to 1940. The current team, the Johnstown Chiefs, were named for their Slap Shot counterparts. The team made their ECHL debut in 1988.

The city also has a rich history in amateur and professional baseball. Since 1944, Johnstown has been known as the host city for the [http://www.aaaba.us/ AAABA] Baseball Tournament held each summer. Several Major League Baseball Players have played on AAABA teams over the years, including Hall-of Famers Al Kaline and Reggie Jackson and current Major League managers Joe Torre and Bruce Bochy. The organization also has its own Hall of Fame instituted in its 50th anniversary year of 1994.

In addition, the city has hosted several incarnations of a Minor League Baseball team, the Johnstown Johnnies, beginning in 1884. The last team to play as the Johnnies, as a part of the Frontier League, left the city in 2002.

Johnstown also hosts the annual Sunnehanna Amateur golf tournament at its Sunnehanna Country Club. The invitational tournament hosts top amateur golfers from around the United States.

Johnstown is home to the Flood City Water Polo team. Established in 2005 by Zachary Puhala, the team takes its name from the history of floods in the area. FCWP is part of the American Water Polo Organization.

Landmarks

*The Johnstown Inclined Plane is the world's steepest vehicular inclined plane.

*Grandview Cemetery is one of Pennsylvania's largest cemeteries: With more than 65,000 interments, Grandview is home to over 47 burial sections and more than convert|235|acre|km2 of land. Grandview also holds the remains of the 777 victims of the 1889 Johnstown Flood who were not able to be identified.

*The Staple Bend Tunnel is the first railroad tunnel constructed in the United States, and a National Historic Landmark.

*The Cambria Iron Company is a National Historic Landmark located near the downtown area. Johnstown's city seal has an image of this facility.

*The Stone Bridge is a historic railroad bridge over the Conemaugh River.

People

Notable Johnstowners include:
*Carroll Baker -- actress, whose Hollywood movie career spanned five decades.
*Frank Benford -- (1887-1948) physicist
*D. C. Cooper -- Heavy metal singer
*Pat Cummings -- NBA Star, 79 through the late 80's.
*Steve Ditko -- American comic book artist and co-creator of Spider-Man.
*Pete Duranko -- Notre Dame and Denver Broncos football player, now battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
*Jim Gallagher, Jr.--PGA Tour golfer
*Jack Ham--Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker.
*Carlton Haselrig-- all pro offensive guard with Pittsburgh Steelers
*Artrell Hawkins--Former starting Strong Safety for the NFL's New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, and Cincinnati Bengals.
*Tim Kazurinsky -- comedian and actor, of television's Saturday Night Live, and the "Police Academy" movies.
*Natalia Livingston--"General Hospital" actress
*Terry McGovern--(1880-1918) Hall of Fame boxer
*Charles T. Menoher--(1862-1930) World War I General
*John Murtha--U.S. Congressman.
*Michael Novak -- author, philosopher, Roman Catholic theologian and United States diplomat. Novak is currently George Frederick Jewett Scholar in Religion, Philosophy, and Public Policy at the American Enterprise Institute. He was the 1994 recipient of the Templeton Prize.
*Joe O'Donnell -- (1922-2007) purported presidential photographer and documentary photographer of aftermath of atomic bomb devastation in Japan in 1945. O'Donnell was discovered after his death to have falsely claimed credit for many photographs by well-known photographers and the historical accuracy of his Japanese claims is disputed by some. The New York Times retracted its obituary of O'Donnell on September 15, 2007, "Known for Famous Photos, Not All of Them His." O'Donnell was a photographer, but it is impossible to ascertain the veracity of any of his claims due to false statements over nearly two decades.
*Joe Pass -- (1929-1994) jazz guitarist.
*Ray Scott (sportscaster)--(1920-1998) sportscaster.
*Geroy Simon-- Slotback for the CFL's British Columbia Lions. 2006 CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award
*Emil Sitka -- (1914 - 1998) actor, whose famous line "Hold hands, you lovebirds!" earned him the moniker as the fourth of the Three Stooges.
*Jeff Skowron-- stage and film actor [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0804805/]
*Frank Solich -- football coach.
*Michael Strank--(1919-1945) World War II hero and one of the six soldiers pictured in the famous Iwo Jima flag raising photo, from Johnstown suburb of Franklin.
*Luke Swank -- (1890 - 1944) photographer. [http://www.clpgh.org/exhibit/photog10.html Link to Swank biography]
*Kathy Voytko -- Broadway actor [http://www.broadwayworld.com/bios/viewstar.cfm?starid=305]
*Pete Vuckovich--Cy Young Award winning pitcher.
*John Walker (organist)
* Rudolph Weaver (1880-1944), architect and university administrator
*Ron "Unicorn Man" Oshersky - Johnstown local crazy guy

See also

*Ehrenfeld
*Richland
*Westmont
*Windber

References

* David McCullough, "The Johnstown Flood", ISBN 0-671-20714-8
* Karl Berger, M.D., editor, "Johnstown: Story of a Unique Valley," Published by the Johnstown Flood Museum, 1984
* [http://www.cityofjohnstown.net/]

External links

* [http://www.jari.com/ Johnstown Area Regional Industries]
* [http://www.gjkiz.com/ Greater Johnstown Keystone Innovation Zone]
* [http://www.jmsatoday.com/ Johnstown Market Statistical Areas]
* [http://www.johnstownchamber.com/ Greater Johnstown / Cambria County Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.visitjohnstownpa.com/ Johnstown & Cambria County Convention & Visitors Bureau]
* [http://www.jaha.org/FloodMuseum/history.html Johnstown Flood Museum, downtown Johnstown]
* [http://www.johnstownflood.com/ Johnstown Flood, public broadcasting documentary]
* [http://www.jaha.org/ Johnstown Area Heritage Association]
* [http://www.visitjohnstownpa.com/thunderinthevalley/history.php/ Thunder in the Valley]
* [http://www.tribune-democrat.com/ "Johnstown Tribune-Democrat" daily newspaper]
* [http://www.cclib.lib.pa.us/ Johnstown Cambria County Library]
* [http://www.upj.pitt.edu/ University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown]
* [http://www.myjohnstownpa.com/ Johnstown's Local Business Directory]