Located in the heart of Blair County, PA, Altoona was founded in 1849 as a maintenance complex for the railroad industry, but it wasn’t until 1868 that it was incorporated as a city.

Given its beginnings as a railroad town, Altoona’s economy grew with the railway industry, but in the last few decades, as the use of trains was substituted by other means of transportation, the city faced an economic decline that led to the closing of many of its stores and offices. Even so, the city rallied and has started its financial recovery, which has resulted in it being a bustling commercial, medical, and services center. Because of everything Altoona has to offer, it is a place well worth visiting.

Interesting Facts About Altoona

• There are two completely different versions of how the city earned its name. Legend has it that it is a variation of the Latin word for “high.” Others believe that the name came from a civil engineer from the Pennsylvania Central Railway who  named the future city in honor of Altona, a city in the German province of Holstein. Regardless of this, Altoona is lovingly known as “The Mountain City” because of its location at the base of Brush Mountain.

• Altoona is known for its famous “Horseshoe Curve,” a section of the railway track built for trains to cross the Allegheny Ridge. Because of its importance as a link between the ports of New York City and Philadelphia with the Western portion of the United States, the Horseshoe Curve became a primary target for Nazi sabotage during WWII. Today it is a historical landmark and one of the area’s most important tourist attractions. It can be reached either by using the funicular railway or by climbing up the steep incline’s 194 steps.
• Another one of Altoona’s most popular attractions is called “Leap-The-Dips,” which is a wooden roller coaster built in 1902. Located at Lakemont Park, Leap-The-Dips is still operational, making it the world’s oldest roller coaster of its kind still in use. While it went out of commission in 1985 due to lack of maintenance, a fundraising effort led to its restoration. The famous roller coaster was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1996 and opened again in 1999. It has been running since.