Centre County Overview

Located in the center of Pennsylvania, Centre County lies on a striking landscape overlaid with history. Rock and water shape the surface. The County is divided diagonally almost equally into two parts, bisected by the Allegheny Front:

• The northwestern half, the Allegheny Plateau, is a forested high plateau divided by deep valleys and fast moving streams. Despite the richness of its timber stands and the early discovery of coal, the plateau's rugged foothills north of Bald Eagle Creek served as a discouragement to westward-bound settlement and remained sparsely settled throughout much of the nineteenth century.

• The southeastern Ridge and Valley half, made up of forested sandstone ridges and gently rolling limestone valleys, is framed by Bald Eagle Ridge to the north and the Seven Mountains to the south. The eastern slope is cut by Spring Creek and its tributaries; the western slope by Spruce Creek. The discovery of high quality iron ore brought settlement to this region, as did the richness of its agricultural land.