Philipsburg and other areas (Altoona, York: houses, school district, college)

[silvermyst]

Can anyone tell me about Philipsburg? I did a search on this forum but didn't come up with much.
I drove through there a couple months back (on a trip to Oil City that I just had to see because of this forum ) and it looked pretty nice. From the city website it looks as if they are trying to get their mainstreet going. Can anybody tell me about this small town?

Or give me a suggestion of a town that is similar to York, Pa but not in between two big cities.

[supersoulty]

Originally Posted by silvermyst

Can anyone tell me about Philipsburg? I did a search on this forum but didn't come up with much.
I drove through there a couple months back (on a trip to Oil City that I just had to see because of this forum ) and it looked pretty nice. From the city website it looks as if they are trying to get their mainstreet going. Can anybody tell me about this small town?

Or give me a suggestion of a town that is similar to York, Pa but not in between two big cities.

Of all the towns in this part of the state (central area west of State College), Philipsburg is one of the nicest. You are correct about the downtown. They recently reconstructed 322 to go around the town (as you probably noticed) so I am unsure as to how the will effect business there. If I had to recommend a town around here to anyone, it would have to be Philipsburg, not least of which because of its proximity to State College. If you are looking for a nice small town that is seperated, but not too far away from things, I would highly recommend Boalsburg, which is on the eastside of State College, about 4 miles out. Amoung otherthings, it is home to the Columbus Chaple and family museum, as the town itself was settled by the last surviving relatives of the explorer (not sure if there are any still alive today). They have some nice artifacts there and, from what I recall, the downtown has a lot of classic 1950's charm.

[philipsburgpa]

I realize this is a late response however I am the Main Street Manager in Philipsburg and wanted to reply.

Philipsburg is an up and coming community. We just completed a million dollar streetscape project downtown and have been a Main Street Community since 1999.

With the opening of I-99, scheduled for late 2008, we expect to be even more of a bedroom community to State College.

Philipsburg is 24 miles west of State College, 18 east of Clearfield, and 30 miles north of Altoona.

For more info visit Philipsburg, PA: Home and feel free to email me!

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by philipsburgpa

I realize this is a late response however I am the Main Street Manager in Philipsburg and wanted to reply.

Philipsburg is an up and coming community. We just completed a million dollar streetscape project downtown and have been a Main Street Community since 1999.

With the opening of I-99, scheduled for late 2008, we expect to be even more of a bedroom community to State College.

Philipsburg is 24 miles west of State College, 18 east of Clearfield, and 30 miles north of Altoona.

For more info visit Philipsburg, PA: Home and feel free to email me!

Wow! You suddenly have me wanting to do a photo tour of Philipsburg to post on this forum! I'm envisioning it as being a cute small town with mom-and-pop shops and older homes---exactly the types of communities I prefer to photograph here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I'll be visiting my friends in State College on Columbus Day Weekend, so perhaps a little detour on the way home to Philipsburg is in order? I was considering doing a photo tour of Bellefonte, but I think that town gets enough recognition the way it is; I like bringing hidden gems like Philipsburg into the spotlight.

Expect a photo tour of Philipsburg to appear here on City-Data in a few weeks!

[pomounties]

Originally Posted by philipsburgpa

I realize this is a late response however I am the Main Street Manager in Philipsburg and wanted to reply.

Philipsburg is an up and coming community. We just completed a million dollar streetscape project downtown and have been a Main Street Community since 1999.

With the opening of I-99, scheduled for late 2008, we expect to be even more of a bedroom community to State College.

Philipsburg is 24 miles west of State College, 18 east of Clearfield, and 30 miles north of Altoona.

For more info visit [URL="http://www.philipsburgpa.org"]Philipsburg, PA: Home[/URL] and feel free to email me!

Hey Main st. manager i am a student of the philipsburg osceola school district. I was just wondering why did u spend a million dollars on one street?
imagine some one drivin' through its like wow this street looks nice. they turn on to presquile street and theyre like holy crap what happened here the rest of philipsburg looks like crap. why spend all of the money on just one street. you should have spent some on something we need more than a fancy street. put in some of that money into our schools. our lockers suck, our chalkboards are old, and our walls and floors have cracks all through them. way to think of the kids genius.

[gray52]

I was really glad to see this little thread about Philipsburg. My wife and I are preparing to relocate to the area in a few weeks and we're trying to get some info on these areas. My wife works in Tipton and I stay at home with the children.
I'll preface my questions by saying we're both originally from Brookville 1HR West on I-80, but have been living in Richmond, VA. Now that we have 2 children, we're ready to move closer to our families and enjoy "small town America" again (Richmond has no community feel at all and we miss that). We're just ready to slow down and enjoy life again, so a small town with a grocery store is perfect for us (and a couple good sub shops too).
So... we have it down to 3 communities. Philipsburg (closest to family, seems to have low cost of living, small town feel), State College and Hollidaysburg.
1. How are the taxes in Philipsburg compared to S.C. and HBurg? Are there "hidden" taxes (like occupational assesments based on your job title)? I thought I read somewhere that there's an extra 10mills of realestate tax in Philipsburg?
2. Where's all the housing? Are there any areas of Philipsburg that houses are being built on spec? There's only one home listed that's over $300k.
3. Now that the Port Matilda bypass is in, is traveling to S.C. any quicker?
4. School test scores aren't anywhere near S.C. or HBurgs... is P-O a good school or is it in decline?

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by pomounties

Hey Main st. manager i am a student of the philipsburg osceola school district. I was just wondering why did u spend a million dollars on one street?
imagine some one drivin' through its like wow this street looks nice. they turn on to presquile street and theyre like holy crap what happened here the rest of philipsburg looks like crap. why spend all of the money on just one street. you should have spent some on something we need more than a fancy street. put in some of that money into our schools. our lockers suck, our chalkboards are old, and our walls and floors have cracks all through them. way to think of the kids genius.

Ummmm...I hate to burst your bubble, but a Main Street Manger's job is to SPECIFICALLY focus on improving a community's MAIN STREET, hence the job title. It is generally assumed that if people passing through town notice that the main drag is attractive, warm, inviting, etc. that they'll stop for a bit and help to stimulate the town's economy by window-shopping and grabbing a bite to eat. He (or she) has no control over the town's school district.

[dinkisyourgod]

Philipsburg is a dump, plain and simple. Moving here was probably the biggest mistake I have ever made in my life. Once warmer weather comes, I'm gone.

The jobs here are non-existent, the people of Philipsburg are rude, judgmental, ignorant rednecks who constantly want to pry into your business, and there is absolutely NOTHING to do (unless you're over 60). The ONLY thing Philipsburg has going for it is semi-cheap housing, but they say you get what you pay for...

Excuse my language, but Philipsburg sucks. Ask anyone under 30 who is unfortunate enough to live in this hell hole.

[dinkisyourgod]

Originally Posted by philipsburgpa

I realize this is a late response however I am the Main Street Manager in Philipsburg and wanted to reply.

Philipsburg is an up and coming community. We just completed a million dollar streetscape project downtown and have been a Main Street Community since 1999.

With the opening of I-99, scheduled for late 2008, we expect to be even more of a bedroom community to State College.

Philipsburg is 24 miles west of State College, 18 east of Clearfield, and 30 miles north of Altoona.

For more info visit Philipsburg, PA: Home and feel free to email me!

Up and coming community? What a load of bull!

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by dinkisyourgod

Up and coming community? What a load of bull!

Well if the housing affordability crisis in the immediate State College area that i read about in an independent newspaper last year continues to worsen outlying communities like Philipsburg could see a HUGE growth spurt from middle-income families who can't afford to pay $200,000+ for a home in State College.