Happy Valley, Pennsylvania

Not to be confused with Nittany Valley or Centre County, Pennsylvania.
This article is about the region. For the core borough, see State College, Pennsylvania.
Happy Valley
State College, PA MSA
Centre Region Council of Governments
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Clockwise from top left: Downtown State College at Allen Street, Nittany Lion Shrine, Beaver Stadium, and The HUB at Penn State

Map of Happy Valley
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
Principal cities State College, College, Harris, Patton, and Ferguson
Elevation 351 m (1,154 ft)
Population (2010)
 • Metro MSA:158,742 (US: 257th)
CSA: 236,577 (US: 124th)[1]
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EST (UTC-4)

Happy Valley, Pennsylvania, also known as the "State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area", is a region of Centre County that contains the borough of State College, and the townships of College, Harris, Patton, and Ferguson. Collectively, these municipalities comprise the "Centre Region Council of Governments." By definition, the region is bounded by Nittany Valley to the northeast, Penns Valley to the east, and Bald Eagle Valley to the north and west. The region is part of the State College-DuBois, PA Combined Statistical Area.

History

The name "Happy Valley" is the name given to the area since the Great Depression of the 1930s as the area was generally not hit hard financially because of the presence of Pennsylvania State University.[2] Though the term "Happy Valley" is generally synonymous with State College Borough, the region also includes the townships of College, Harris, Patton, and Ferguson.

Culture

Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, home of the State College Spikes

The culture of Happy Valley is largely dominated by Penn State University. The activities that occur in this region largely surround the student activities, such as "student arrivals", football Saturdays, Homecoming, and graduation.[3] Though the region is also home to the State College Spikes, a minor league baseball team, the area is most known for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team.

During the summer session, the student population is known to return to their home towns thus reducing the population significantly. During this time, the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts,[4] usually referred to as "Arts Fest", is held for five days and draws many visitors to town during what would otherwise be a quiet period. Streets are closed off and lined with booths where people can buy paintings, pottery, jewelry, and other hand-made goods. There are also numerous musical performances and plays to take in, and food vendors selling everything from funnel cakes to Indian cuisine.

The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, commonly referred to as THON, is a 46-hour Dance Marathon that takes place every February on the University Park campus with the purpose of raising money for the Four Diamonds Foundation.[5] A number of events throughout the year pave the way to February's THON weekend.

Blue-White Football Weekend occurs in April and includes a carnival, fireworks, food vendors, the student entertainment stage, live music, a parade, and more.[6] On game day, an autograph session with the football student-athletes is held in Beaver Stadium, prior to kickoff of the Blue-White football intrasquad scrimmage game.

Students sit outside Pennsylvania State College, circa 1922
Students sit outside Pennsylvania State College, circa 1922
Beaver Stadium, home of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team
Beaver Stadium, home of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team

Demographics

According to the statistics of 2010, Happy Valley has a 34% population consisting of ages 20–34 with the other age ranges below that number.[1]

Crime

In a 2014 comparison of 380 metropolitan statistical areas in the United States, Happy Valley had the lowest vehicle theft rate.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Population statistics".
  2. ↑ "Happy Valley, Centre County, Pennsylvania".
  3. ↑ "Happy Valley-Penn State".
  4. ↑ Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts
  5. ↑ "Fighting Pediatric Cancer". Penn State Hershey. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "Penn State Blue-White Game Weekend 2013". LazerPro Digital Media Group. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  7. ↑ "2014 Hot Spots Report". National Insurance Crime Bureau. Retrieved April 2016.
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