Portage, Pennsylvania
Home rule municipality of Pennsylvania in Cambria County
About Portage
Portage is a borough with home rule status in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Ebensburg and 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Altoona. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,388 at the 2023 US census.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Portage is governed
Form of government not yet listed.
0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Portage
Registered voters elect the officials below.
-
Mayor
Executive
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
-
City Manager / Administrator
Executive
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
-
Police Chief
Administration & departments
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Leads the police department.
-
Fire Chief
Administration & departments
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Leads the fire and emergency services department.
-
Public Works Director
Administration & departments
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
-
Finance Director
Administration & departments
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
-
Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Land use, zoning, building permits.
-
Parks & Recreation Director
Administration & departments
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Parks, programs, and public facilities.
-
-
-
City Council
Legislative
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
-
City Clerk
Administration & departments
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
-
City Attorney
Administration & departments
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
-
Boards & Commissions
Legislative
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
-
-
Municipal Court
Judicial
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
-
Municipal Judge
Judicial
Not yet listed. Log in to add who holds this
Presides over the municipal court.
-
Looking for your county, state and federal representatives too? See who represents 15946 or everyone in Pennsylvania.
Population over time
From 2,638 in 2010 to 2,459 in 2020 (−6.8%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 2,459 |
| 2010 | 2,638 |
History
The history of Portage as a community began with the building and opening of the Allegheny-Portage Railroad (APRR) in 1834. Due to its location on the APRR, Portage was originally called “Foot of Two” as it was the located at the bottom of Inclined Plane No. 2. The APRR would build their headquarters a few hundred feet west of the foot (bottom) of Plane No. 2. The headquarters consisted of offices and a shop complex. Also near the foot of the incline was the Washington House Hotel that served as a place to stay for travelers.
“Foot of Two” was eventually renamed “Portage.” The definition of portage is: carrying boats, goods, etc., overland from one body of water to another
Today, Pennsylvania Route 53 follows the route of the APRR through Portage. With advancements in locomotive technology, Inclined Plane No. 2 was bypassed in 1852.
By 1854, the Allegheny Portage Railroad was considered obsolete due to the Pennsylvania Railroad which traveled over the Alleghenys considerably faster and safer. At the same time, another company, the New Portage Railroad, was attempting to do the same, but in 1857, the Pennsylvania Railroad bought the New Portage railroad and abandoned it.
Within a few years after the opening of the Pennsylvania Railroad, a facility was constructed for locomotives to stop to take on water and pick up wood to fire the boiler. With the abundance of lumber and coal in Portage, many companies were formed to deforest and mine in the area. As a result of the new industries, a population boom occurred, and by the 1860s, a passenger station was built by the railroad along the mainline, which at the time traveled through the center of town on what is now the Sonman Branch Line.
Portage Township was cut from Washington and Summerhill Townships on March 4, 1878. On October 7, 1890, the borough of Portage was incorporated and cut from Portage Township.
In the 1890s, the Pennsylvania Railroad was re-aligned from Lilly to Summerhill, changing the landscape of Portage and a new railroad station was built on Washington Avenue. The town continued to grow in size into the 1920s when it reached its peak population of 4,804 at the time of the 1920 United States census. The Washington Avenue PRR station remained open until 1926 when a new station was built on Lee Street.
On July 15, 1940, what is known today as the Sonman Mine Explosion occurred at the Sonman Shaft Coal Co. near Portage. A total of 63 miners would perish when a methane gas explosion occurred. In 1960, a memorial to the miners who died in the explosion was dedicated in the Jamestown section of Portage. It was later relocated to Crichton-McCormick Park in Portage. The Portage Station Museum offers a documentary about the disaster titled "63 Men Down: The Story of the Sonman Mine Explosion." The museum also offers exhibits on coal mining and railroading in the area.
On November 17, 1953, the Pennsylvania Railroad ended passenger service to Portage. The station would remain open into 1954 as a stop for the Railway Express Agency, but would close that year. The population in Portage Borough would stay steady, around 4,000, until the late 1970s. Since then, a steep drop in population would occur due to the closure of many of the coal mines in the region and much of the steel industry slowing in nearby Johnstown, as a result of the 1977 Johnstown Flood and imports of steel from foreign countries.
To celebrate the town's centennial, a town festival, known as "Summerfest", was organized. It has since been celebrated every year on the second weekend of August. The festival has many traditions including ethnic foods and a mass service on Sunday morning of that weekend. Another annual event held every year is the annual community yard sale, organized by the Portage Area Historical Society. It is held on the second Saturday in June.
The Portage Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
Portage adopted a home rule charter on May 10, 1994, that took effect on January 1, 1996. Although the community kept "Borough of Portage" as its official name, it is no longer governed under the state's Borough Code.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.