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1922 Map of Altoona

Name: 1922 Topographic Map of Altoona
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1938
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1938

About this map

Altoona and its burgeoning northern suburbs anchor this early 20th-century survey, revealing the industrial and transit-driven development of Blair County. The Pennsylvania Railroad dominates the valley, its tracks threading through Juniata and Bellwood along the Little Junia Ta River. This corridor supported a dense network of small company towns and settlements like Tipton, Grazierville, and Reightown, while the steep slopes of Allegheny Mountain and Brush Mountain confined growth to the lowlands.

Local history is preserved in the numerous named schoolhouses and burial grounds that dotted the rural landscape outside the city center. Features such as the Sabbath Rest School, Riggles Gap School, and the sprawling Grandview Cemetery reflect the community's social structure. High on the ridge, Wopsononock stands as a notable landmark, while the northern reaches of the map show the transition toward the coal-rich plateaus of Cambria Co and Clearfield Co, through villages like Blandburg and Frugality.