Bald Eagle Mountain – once known locally as Muncy Mountain – is a stratigraphic ridge in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians of central Pennsylvania , United States, running east of the Allegheny Front and northwest of Mount Nittany . It lies along the southeast side of Bald Eagle Creek and south of the West Branch Susquehanna River , and is the westernmost ridge in its section of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians. The ridge line separates the West Branch Susquehanna Valley from the Nippenose and White Deer Hole valleys, and Bald Eagle Valley from Nittany Valley .
28-582: Bald Eagle Mountain lies in the central portion of Centre County , the southern portion of Clinton County , and the southern portion of Lycoming County , and the ridge line forms part of the border between Blair County and Huntingdon County . It runs from the water gap formed with Brush Mountain by the Little Juniata River at Tyrone , to the bend in the West Branch Susquehanna River just east of Williamsport ,
56-467: A distance of approximately 60 miles (97 km). The Julian and Unionville Pikes are paved roads that cross the ridge near State College , along with U.S. Route 322 and Interstate 99 which pass through the now enlarged wind gap known at Skytop . Most other major road crossings are through water gaps , including Interstate 80 which passes through Curtin Gap east of Milesburg . Other water gaps in
84-462: A male householder with no wife present, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.7% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.91. In the county, 15.9% of the population was under the age of 18, 28.9% was from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.3%
112-430: A strongly Republican county, like most of rural Pennsylvania. In the early 21st century, however, it has been more competitive. In 2000 George W. Bush defeated Al Gore with 52% of the vote to Gore's 43%. In 2004 Bush won the county by a much smaller margin. Bush won 51% to Kerry's 47%, a margin of only 4%. In 2006, Governor Ed Rendell and Bob Casey Jr. both carried Centre, and Democrat Scott Conklin decisively won
140-488: A very narrow margin, 48.9% to 48.65%, a difference of just 175 votes. In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton beat Republican nominee Donald Trump 47.76% to 45.86%. In that same election, incumbent Republican Senator Pat Toomey beat Democratic opponent Katie McGinty 47.91% to 46.2% in the county. As of February 7, 2024, there were 100,829 registered voters in Centre County. School districts include: As reported by
168-673: Is a lateral equivalent of the Queenston Shale in western Pennsylvania . The depositional environment of the Juniata has always been interpreted as mostly terrestrial or shallow marine deposits resulting in a molasse sequence produced by the Taconic orogeny . Very few fossils exist in the Juniata Formation, but different types of trace fossils such as tracks and burrows can commonly be found. Relative age dating of
196-808: Is a mapped bedrock unit in Pennsylvania , West Virginia , Virginia, Tennessee, and Maryland . It is a relative slope-former occurring between the two prominent ridge-forming sandstone units: the Tuscarora Formation and the Bald Eagle Formation in the Appalachian Mountains . The Juniata is defined as a grayish-red to greenish-gray, thin- to thick-bedded siltstone , shale , and very fine to medium-grained crossbedded sandstone or subgraywacke and protoquartzite with interbedded conglomerate. The Juniata
224-530: Is laced with pyrite veins, and when exposed to air and water, these minerals produce sulfuric acid , contaminating both surface runoff and groundwater . Construction of Interstate 99 where it crosses Bald Eagle Mountain has been delayed since 2004 by complaints from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection about acidic runoff from pyritic rock excavated from this formation. The planned I-99/I-80 interchange further north in
252-462: Is more resistant to erosion than Bald Eagle sandstone, and both are more durable than the Juniata Shale sandwiched in between. Softer rock layers on either side of these eroded, leaving the double crested Bald Eagle Mountain ridge, with a depression between the higher western and slightly lower eastern ridge lines. On the neighboring ridges that formed the opposite slope of the ancient mountain,
280-590: Is now Nittany Valley , where the oldest rock layers from deep within the eroded mountain are now exposed. Younger rocks from the outer layers of the arch are exposed on the west side of the ridge in the Bald Eagle Valley , with the youngest across the valley at the foot of the Allegheny Front . These sedimentary rock layers were tipped almost vertical on the side of the ancient mountain where Bald Eagle Mountain now lies. The Tuscarora Quartzite
308-518: Is one of the best sites in the eastern United States for viewing the migration of the golden eagle . The Ridge Soaring Gliderport lies at the foot of this ridge between Julian and Unionville. A mature oak and hickory forest covers Bald Eagle Mountain. Bald Eagle Mountain is in the western part of the Ridge and Valley province of the Appalachian Mountains . Brush Mountain and the neighboring Nittany Mountain and Tussey Mountain ridges are part of
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#1732781091510336-664: Is part of the Central Pennsylvania region of the state. The lands of the future Centre County were first recorded by James Potter in 1764. Potter, having reached the top of Nittany Mountain , and "...seeing the prairies and noble forest beneath him, cried out to his attendant, 'By heavens, Thompson, I have discovered an empire!'" After the American Revolutionary War, Centre County was created on February 13, 1800, from parts of Huntingdon , Lycoming , Mifflin , and Northumberland counties; it
364-1013: Is part of the Johnstown/Altoona/State College television market, which is currently ranked #99 in the nation. Television stations broadcasting out of State College include WPSU ( PBS ) and WHVL-LD ( MyNetworkTV ) as well as C-NET, Centre County's Government and Education Access Television Network, which broadcasts on two channels: CGTV (Government Access TV) and CETV (Educational Access TV). Johnstown-based WJAC-TV ( NBC ) and Altoona-based WTAJ-TV ( CBS ) also maintain satellite studios and offices here. Under Pennsylvania law, there are five types of incorporated municipalities: cities , home rule municipalities , boroughs , townships , and, in at most two cases, towns . The following municipalities, boroughs and townships are in Centre County: Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by
392-607: The 259th most populous in the United States with a population of 155,403. Centre County is also a part of the larger State College–DuBois, PA Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which combines the populations of Centre County as well as Clearfield County to the west. The Combined Statistical Area ranked ninth in the State of Pennsylvania and 123rd most populous in the United States with a population of 236,577. Chart of Voter Registration Centre County had for many years been
420-487: The U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may also be listed here. The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Centre County. † county seat 40°55′N 77°49′W / 40.91°N 77.82°W / 40.91; -77.82 Juniata Formation The Ordovician Juniata Formation
448-677: The Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America . It is the fifth-largest county in Pennsylvania by area and uses area code 814 . Centre County has a humid continental climate ( Dfb/Dfa at lower elevations). As of the 2010 census, there were 153,990 people, 57,573 households, and 31,256 families residing in the county. The population density was 139 people per square mile (54 people/km ). There were 63,297 housing units at an average density of 57 units per square mile (22/km ). The racial makeup of
476-638: The Juniata places it in the Upper Ordovician period, being deposited between 488.3 and 443.7 (±10) million years ago. It rests conformably atop the Bald Eagle Formation in Pennsylvania and the Martinsburg Formation in Maryland, and conformably below the Tuscarora Formation . The Juniata is a good source of road material, riprap and building stone. This article about a specific stratigraphic formation in Maryland
504-617: The Nittany Valley at the foot of the ridge was redesigned to avoid excavating contaminated rock from the same formation. Centre County, Pennsylvania Centre County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , United States. As of the 2020 census , the population was 158,172. Its county seat is Bellefonte . Centre County comprises the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area . The county
532-751: The Pennsylvania Department of Education 2010. State College Regional Airport operates daily commercial and general aviation flights. There are six Pennsylvania state parks in Centre County. Centre County's main daily newspaper is the Centre Daily Times (part of the McClatchy Company chain). Alternative newspapers include the Centre County Gazette and State College City Guide . Newspapers of Pennsylvania State University 's main campus include
560-480: The State House seat left open by the retirement of Republican Lynn Herman in the 77th district. In 2008, Democrats captured the countywide registration edge, Barack Obama carried the county with 55% of the vote to McCain's 44%, and Democratic statewide winners ( Rob McCord for Treasurer and Jack Wagner for Auditor General also carried Centre). In 2012, Barack Obama won the county in his reelection campaign by
588-407: The county was 89.4% White , 3.0% Black or African American , 0.1% Native American , 5.2% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 0.7% from other races , and 1.5% from two or more races. 2.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 57,573 households, out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 3.3% had
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#1732781091510616-435: The ridge are formed by Spring Creek on the south edge of Milesburg and by Fishing Creek at Mill Hall (where U.S. Route 220 crosses). U.S. Route 15 crosses through a wind gap south of Williamsport near Bald Eagle Mountain's eastern end. Bald Eagle Ridge is popular with soaring birds and glider pilots ridge soaring along its slopes. This ridge is part of a chain of ridges that stretch southwest to Tennessee . It
644-599: The ridge, where the rock layers are near vertical, exposes a series of rock layers, from summit to foot, or older to younger: Clinton Group sandstone and shale, Mifflintown Formation shale and limestone, Bloomsburg Formation shale, siltstone, sandstone, and mudstone, Wills Creek Formation shale, siltstone, limestone, and dolomite, Tonoloway Formation limestone, Keyser Formation limestone, Old Port Formation Shriver chert, Mandata shale, Corriganville chert, New Creek limestone and Ridgeley Member sandstone , and Onondaga Formation calcareous shale. The Bald Eagle sandstone
672-563: The same Paleozoic anticline , the limbs of which consist of the older Ordovician Bald Eagle Formation ( sandstone ), Juniata Formation (interbedded sandstone and shale ), and younger Silurian Tuscarora Formation (dominantly quartzite ). During the Alleghanian orogeny , these layers folded up with the underlying and overlying layers into the Nittany Arch. The arch was a Himalayan -scale mountain that towered above what
700-556: The same three rock layers are exposed in reverse order, with the oldest rocks near the hinge of the fold. Since the rock layers on these ridges are not vertical, the Tuscarora Formation underlies a much higher crest, and the Bald Eagle Formation creates a series of lower "terraces" broken by small ravines. The southeast slope of the ridge is underlaid by Juniata Formation sandstone. The northwest slope of
728-534: The student-run Daily Collegian . Numerous magazines are also published including Town & Gown , State College Magazine , Good Life in Happy Valley , Blue White Illustrated , Pennsylvania Business Central , and Voices of Central Pennsylvania . The radio market of Centre County is ranked #257 in the nation. Some of the more popular stations include WPSU , WKPS , WZWW , WLEJ , WFGE , WNLI , WRSC-FM , WBHV , WOWY , and WBUS . Centre County
756-489: Was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 107.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.1 males. The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Centre County as the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2010 U.S. Census the metropolitan area ranked 13th most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and
784-605: Was named for its central location in the state. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 1,113 square miles (2,880 km ), of which 1,110 square miles (2,900 km ) is land and 3.0 square miles (7.8 km ) (0.3%) is water. Centre County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission , and it is identified as part of the "Midlands" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of
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