Mont Alto is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

in Franklin County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, United States. The population was 1,580 at the 2020 census.

History

John Funk built the first house in the borough (then unestablished) in 1817 on what is now Main Street. At this time the town was known as "Funkstown". Eventually the town of Altodale and the surrounding area, called Mont Alto, combined into what is now known as Mont Alto. In 1915 the town of Mont Alto was incorporated with a population of 800. In the beginning of the 20th century, Mont Alto contained one of the largest sanatoriums in the area for treatment of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

Geography

Mont Alto is located in southeastern Franklin County at (39.843234, -77.555023). It sits at the western base of South Mountain along the headwaters of the West Branch of

Antietam Creek Antietam Creek () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 tributary of the Potomac River located in south central Pennsylvania and western Maryland in the ...

Mont Alto State Park Mont Alto State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Quincy Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is on Pennsylvania Route 233 one mile from Mont Alto. History Mont Alto Iron Company Mont Alto State Park i ...

is located in the creek valley, east of the borough.

Pennsylvania Route 997 Pennsylvania Route 997 (PA 997) is a route in Franklin and Cumberland counties in central Pennsylvania. The route runs from the Maryland state line south of Waynesboro, where the road continues into that state as Maryland Route 64 (MD 64), north ...

passes through the center of town as Main Street; it leads north to

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

near Fayetteville and south to Waynesboro.

Pennsylvania Route 233 Pennsylvania Route 233 (PA 233) is a north–south state highway in south central Pennsylvania. It runs from PA 997 in Mont Alto north to PA 274 in Green Park. PA 233 heads northeast from Mont Alto through forested areas in the South Mou ...

runs east out of the borough as Park Street, leading northeast to US 30 at

Caledonia State Park Caledonia State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Greene Township, Franklin County and Franklin Township, Adams County in southern Pennsylvania. The park is named for the Caledonia Furnace, an iron furnace that was owned by Thaddeus St ...

. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the borough has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

, of 2000, there were 1,357 people, 541 households, and 413 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 576 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 97.72%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.96%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.81%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.07% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.29% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.22% of the population. There were 541 households, out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.87. In the borough, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $37,163, and the median income for a family was $41,705. Males had a median income of $32,169 versus $21,579 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the borough was $17,216. About 4.0% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Colleges and universities

Penn State Mont Alto Penn State Mont Alto is a residential commonwealth campus of the Pennsylvania State University. Located in Mont Alto, Pennsylvania, the campus offers nine four-year and seven two-year degree programs, including nursing, forest technology, occup ...

is located at the intersection of Slabtown Road and Campus Drive; Route 233 passes by the university.

Points of interest

Mont Alto Arboretum Penn State Mont Alto is a residential commonwealth campus of the Pennsylvania State University. Located in Mont Alto, Pennsylvania, the campus offers nine four-year and seven two-year degree programs, including nursing, forest technology, occup ...

, on the campus of Penn State Mont Alto *

* Mont Alto Railroad * Penn National Golf course * Twin Kiss

References

External links

Borough of Mont Alto official website

Mont Alto Volunteer Fire Department
{{authority control Populated places established in 1762 Boroughs in Franklin County, Pennsylvania 1915 establishments in Pennsylvania