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Boalsburg

PennsylvaniaCDP

Photograph of Boalsburg
Featured view

Boalsburg

Total population

4,582

Median home value

$413,000

71.3%

Bachelor's+

Median income

$100,958

Boalsburg$101k
National$74k
Elevation1105 m
Land area15 km²
Weather65°F · Chance Rain Showers
Coordinates40.78°, -77.77°

Demographic figures from US Census Bureau · ACS 5-year estimates. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.

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City facts

Elevation
1105 m
Area
15 km²

Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

Overview

Boalsburg is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Harris Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a small portion of its northwest corner extending into College Township. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,722 at the 2010 census. The village claims to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. However, that claim was brought into question by Bellware and Gardiner in their book, The Genesis of the Memorial Day Holiday in America, in 2014. In their book, Bellware and Gardiner point out that the Boalsburg story was first published in 1904, forty years after the fact with no indication that General Logan drew inspiration from any activities in Boalsburg and no evidence that it started the holiday.

Read more on Wikipedia

History & geography

History

The name "Boalsburg" comes from the Boal family who settled the region after emigrating from County Londonderry, Ireland. The fourth generation of the Boal family, Col. Theodore Davis Boal, married Mathilde de Lagarde whose mother's sister Victoria married Diego Santiago Colón, a descendant of Christopher Columbus. Mathilde inherited a portion of her aunt Victoria's estate in 1908 and brought the Columbus Chapel to the Boal Mansion from Spain in 1919 This inheritance included an admiral's desk that family tradition says belonged to Columbus himself. The Columbus Chapel and Boal Mansion Museum are open to the public. Boalsburg originally was on the main road for travelers from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, with the David Boal tavern that housed travelers still standing today. Boalsburg is home to the Pennsylvania Military Museum, as well as the headquarters of the Civil War reenacting unit, 3rd Pennsylvania Light Artillery Battery B. The Boalsburg Historic District and Hill House were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The Boal Mansion was added the following year. The town has a market square design known as 'the Diamond', a common design feature of towns in the northern province of Ulster in Ireland, the style of which was imported by emigrants from Ulster to Pennsylvania.

Geography

Boalsburg is located in southern Centre County at (40.782670, -77.786899). It occupies the central and northern sections of Harris Township and extends northwest barely into College Township. It borders Rothrock State Forest. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all land. It is centered upon Pennsylvania Route 45 and Business U.S. Route 322. 322 begins as the Mount Nittany Expressway in the CDP and travels northwest from Boalsburg, bypassing State College to the east and north, while Business 322 begins as Boal Avenue and proceeds into the center of State College, northwest of Boalsburg, as Atherton Street. In the other direction US 322 leads east and then south to Lewistown. Spring Creek flows northward through Boalsburg towards Bald Eagle Creek, a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River. The Tussey Mountain Ski Area is located on the eastern edge of Boalsburg.

Read full article on Wikipedia

Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).

Demographics & economy

Median age
43.1
Median home value
$413,000
Housing units
2,117
Poverty rate
11.3%
Unemployment
4.8%

Race & ethnicity

White
95.3%
Black
2.4%
Asian
1.5%
Hispanic
1.5%

Source: US Census Bureau — American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

Geography

Latitude
40.7780
Longitude
-77.7744
Water area
0.01 mi²
View on OpenStreetMap

Coordinates & boundaries from the US Census TIGER/Line shapefiles.

Climate

Current forecast

This Afternoon
65°F
Chance Rain Showers
Tonight
50°F
Rain Showers
Tuesday
60°F
Rain Showers
Tuesday Night
47°F
Chance Rain Showers
Wednesday
62°F
Chance Rain Showers
Wednesday Night
45°F
Slight Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Cloudy

Forecast for Boalsburg, PA from NOAA NWS API.

Air quality

Industrial & pollution facilities

Natural hazard risk

Health (adults)

Walkability

Amenities nearby

Wildlife & biodiversity

Observations (last 5 yrs, 10 mi)
856,962
Distinct species (top 10)
10

Most-observed species

  • American Robin
    Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
    33,197
  • Northern Cardinal
    Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
    32,184
  • American Crow
    Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
    30,377
  • Blue Jay
    Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
    28,456
  • American Goldfinch
    Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
    26,223
  • Black-capped Chickadee
    Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
    23,414
  • Mourning Dove
    Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
    22,922
  • Song Sparrow
    Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
    22,444

Citizen-science & research observations from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

Schools

Total
21
Elementary
14
Middle
4
High
3
Other
0

Largest nearby schools

  • State College Area HS
    High · State College · 2,410 students · 11.9:1 ratio
  • Bellefonte Area HS
    High · Bellefonte · 847 students · 14.1:1 ratio
  • Park Forest MS
    Middle · State College · 815 students · 13.4:1 ratio
  • Mount Nittany MS
    Middle · State College · 695 students · 11.2:1 ratio
  • Bellefonte Area MS
    Middle · Bellefonte · 576 students · 12.3:1 ratio
  • Mount Nittany El Sch
    Elementary · State College · 430 students · 13.4:1 ratio
  • Park Forest El Sch
    Elementary · State College · 430 students · 14.3:1 ratio
  • Radio Park El Sch
    Elementary · State College · 396 students · 13.2:1 ratio

Public K–12 schools within ~10 mi from Urban Institute Education Data Portal (NCES Common Core of Data, 2022).

Earthquake history

Quakes ≥ 2.5 (25 yrs, 62 mi)
2
Largest magnitude
3.44
Largest event
2019-06-13

Most recent

Events from the USGS Earthquake Catalog (global) (FDSN Event Web Service).

Photos

Sights & places nearby

Notable people from here

People born within ~10 km, from Wikidata (CC0). Click any name for their Wikipedia article.

Nearby places in Pennsylvania

Browse all places in Pennsylvania →

Geography & sun

Avg solar (kWh/m²/day)
3.8
Annual solar (kWh/m²)
1,387

Elevation, sunrise/sunset and daylight from Open-Meteo. Solar climatology from NASA POWER.

Nearby airports

Public attention

Wikipedia views (last 30 days)
465
Avg daily Wikipedia views
16
Attention level
Obscure

Pageview totals from the Wikimedia Pageviews API.

Books about Boalsburg

Search results from Open Library.

Recent natural events nearby

Ground air-quality sensors

Recently spotted species

Research-grade observations from iNaturalist (within ~15 mi).

Nearest stream gauge

Events

Sources

  • • Wikipedia
  • • US Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates)
  • • NOAA National Weather Service
  • • Wikidata
  • • USGS Earthquake Catalog (global feed)
  • • NCES via Urban Institute Education Data Portal
  • • GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)
  • • iNaturalist
  • • Open-Meteo / sunrise-sunset.org
  • • Wikipedia Pageviews API
  • • Open Library