ALTOONA, fil-tooina, Pa., city in Blair County, on the Pennsylvania Railroad, 118 miles east of Pittsburg. It has an elevation of 1,182 feet above the sea; situated in the midst of a most picturesque mountain region, at the eastern base of the Alleghany Mountains. For many years Altoona has been regarded as the most typical of American railroad towns, for here are located the immense machine shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the largest railroad shops in the world, where over 17,000 workmen are engaged in manufacturing and repairing lo comotives, passenger coaches and freight cars. The normal output from the shops is five en gines a week. There are also silk mills, planing mills, a bar iron plant, brick and tile works and other important manufactories of machin ery, agricultural implements, etc. According to 1917 estimate of manufactures there were in that year 70 establishments of factory grade employing 19,165 persons, of whom 16,971 were wage earners, receiving a total of $20,301,165 in wages and salaries. Altoona is centrally situ ated in a bituminous coal region and is also the business centre of a considerable agricultural region. The city has an excellent school sys tern, a fine high school and many private schools. Among its 52 churches are marry
handsome buildings. It has three banks and three trust companies with a combined capital of' over $1,000,000; a public library building and several hospitals. The famous Horseshoe Bend, on the line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. is located near the city, and Lakemont Park is a well-known pleasure ground in Logan town ship. The city owns the water-works which was acquired in 1872 at a cost of 000, and upon which $97,000 is expended an nually. The city's expenses aggregate WM yearly, of which amount about $,M,000 is ex pended for schools, $50,000 for the police de partment and $20,000 for municipal lighting The city was founded in 1850 by the Penn,* vania Railroad Company. It was first incor porated as a borough in 1854, and chartered as a city in 1868. The commission form of govern ment was adopted in 1914. During the great railroad strike of 1877 Altoona was the centre of the disturbed section and troops we ordered out to protect railroad property here It is a growing, thriving city. There are darer daily and numerous weekly newspapers. Pop (1910) 52,127; (1916) 60,000.