Port Allegany, Pennsylvania
| Port Allegany, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
| Borough | |
Downtown Port Allegany
|
|
 Port Allegany, Pennsylvania
|
|
| Coordinates: 41°48′54″N 78°16′45″W / 41.81500°N 78.27917°WCoordinates: 41°48′54″N 78°16′45″W / 41.81500°N 78.27917°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | McKean |
| Settled | 1815 |
| Incorporated | 1882 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.8 sq mi (4.7 km2) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 2,355 |
| • Density | 1,286.0/sq mi (496.9/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Zip code | 16743 |
| Area code(s) | 814 |
Port Allegany is a borough in McKean County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,355 at the 2000 census.
The town's tree-lined streets lie in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, 30 miles west of the Allegheny River's headwaters.
Originally known as Canoe Place, the town’s name was changed to Port Allegany in 1838. It is unusual among places in Pennsylvania that make reference to the Allegheny River; it used the spelling "Allegany," more commonly encountered in place names in neighboring New York.
The town developed as a port on the Allegheny River, and provided a place where travelers coming overland from the Susquehanna River could continue by boat.
In the 1800s natural gas was discovered in the area, which led to the expansion of industries including glass firms, chemical plants, cheese factories, machine shops, brick plants, sawmills, planing mills and tanneries. The area also produces crude oil and it is not unusual to see small gas or oil wells and storage tanks in fields, forests or back yards in the region. The introduction of hydraulic fracturing produced an increase in local production of gas and oil, and a boost to the local economy, in the 2000s and 2010s.
Port Allegany has long been associated with glass manufacturing. Saint-Gobain, a glass container producer, is located there, in a facility that has been owned at different stages by Pierce Glass and Ball-Incon. A concrete tower that is part of the manufacturing plant is the tallest structure in Port Allegany and is visible from most of the small downtown area. From 1937 to 2016, Port Allegany was also home to a factory of the Pittsburgh Corning Corporation. The "PC", as the factory was known locally, was the only producer of architectural glass building blocks in the United States, and also produced foamglas insulation.
Port Allegany is located at 41°48′54″N 78°16′45″W / 41.81500°N 78.27917°W (41.814919, -78.279218).
...
Wikipedia