State College is our name because 28 people said so in 1896.
Just 28 people decided to name our town State College.
State College was the name first given to our town around 1874 after “The Agricultural College of Pennsylvania” changed its name to “The Pennsylvania State College.” It was seen simply as the area surrounding and supporting the college and thus the name started to catch on.
Soon thereafter, College Township was created from parts of Harris and Benner Townships in 1875. However, over the years, the people of State College felt their tax dollars were not helping their town enough. They wanted better schools, better streets, and better lighting and they decided the best way to get it was to secede from College Township and incorporate as a borough. That process started officially on April 27, 1896 when 75 property owners petitioned the court.
Also during this time, there was a heated debate about changing the name of the town. Some people did not think State College sounded distinguished enough and suggested names such as University Heights, University Place, Barrensville, Irvinsville and State Centre.
So it went to a vote. A public meeting was held to decide the name. And the results were:
- State College — 28 votes
- University Heights — 24 votes
- State Centre – 1 vote
State College Borough was officially incorporated on Aug. 29, 1896.
Read more stories like this in “Story of the Century: The Borough of State College, Pennsylvania, 1896-1996” by Jo Chesworth
