Penn State Cooperative Extension
County Facts	CountyStatistics

Facts about Blair County

Blair County is on the Path of Progress...Blair County is located in the Ridge and Valley Province of Central Pennsylvania. The county was founded in 1846, and the development of the area has been strongly tied to the transportation industry. Indian trails crisscrossed this region when the Allegheny Front was the western edge of the American Frontier. Travelers and goods moved over these trails and in the early 1800's the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal was established, with Hollidaysburg as the main terminus for canal boats and cargo. The railroad spurred the development of agriculture, mining and the iron industry in local villages. Today, the city of Altoona is the home of the Railroaders Memorial Museum and the Horseshoe Curve National Historic Landmark. Both of these attractions are a reminder of the tremendous role that transportation has played in the development of industry and agriculture in central Pennsylvania.

Blair County Cooperative Extension is committed to providing relevant, informal adult education to county residents...The goal of Penn State Cooperative Extension in Blair County is to helping people improve the quality of their lives. This goal will be achieved through our continuing efforts to:

Blair County Cooperative Extension is moving forward...We are actively developing new educational programs to meet the changing needs of county residents.

Agriculture programs focus on the dairy industry and the sustainable production of crops and livestock. Workshop topics include Milk Marketing, Dairy Expansion, Pesticide Applicator Training and an annual Blair Farm Economy Update.

Horticulture programs are aimed at helping local growers adopt new techniques and technology to become more profitable and efficient producers of fruits and vegetables. Workshop topics include Greenhouse Management, Cut Flowers and Strawberry Production. Our Master Gardener Program helps local gardeners learn more about growing high quality fruits, vegetables and flowers using the latest varieties and recommendations.

Family Living programs cover all areas of home economics and include workshops on parenting, child development, nutrition, financial management and food safety. We provide PA state certification training for registered child care providers.

Youth Development programs are focused on teaching youth life skills. Our 4H Program is the backbone of our youth programming. Livestock clubs are the traditional mainstay of the 4H program. We offer a variety of horse, dairy, beef, swine and lamb project to county youth. We also have clubs in home economics and shooting sports. Other projects, such as Embryology, are offered through our school enrichment program.

Expanded Food and Nutrition Programs are special food and nutrition programs aimed at low-income residents, especially single mothers with infant children. Nutrition Education Advisors are community-based educators that work directly with individual families and groups of adults. Special programs include Supercupboard and the projects in support of the Welfare to Work effort.

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Need some stats for your county? Check out these resources. Government information site on demographics, economics, and educational information: http://govinfo.library.orst.edu/ US Census Bureau United States Department of Commerce To find timely, relevant, and quality data about the people and economy of the United States, click here: http://www.census.gov/ USDA Home Page: http://www.usda.gov/ Central for Rural Pennsylvania -- http://www.ruralpa.org/ The Center for Rural Pennsylvania is a bipartisan, bicameral legislative agency that serves as a resource for rural policy within the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The Center works with executive agencies and federal, regional and community organizations to maximize resources and strategies that can better serve the needs of Pennsylvania's 3.7 million rural residents.