Northern Cambria is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Northern Cambria had a population of 3,560.
History
The area was first settled by Europeans in the early-to-middle 19th century. The presence of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River allowed loggers to move their harvest downstream. Small farms developed, but the area changed in the 1890s when mining of the extensive bituminous coal fields in the area became the dominant industry. The mining companies required skilled workers, and many came from Great Britain and Eastern Europe. Railroads were built to transport the coal out, and the town flourished with the influx of money. In the 1980s, the coal industry began a decline, and there has been a subsequent decline in the population of the area. In November 1922, the Reilly Shaft No. 1 mine explosion occurred, killing 78 coal miners.
The borough of Northern Cambria was incorporated on January 1, 2000. It was formed from the merger of two smaller municipalities, Barnesboro and Spangler. The merger proposal was taken to residents in the 1997 election, passing in Spangler 410-243 and in Barnesboro 466-324.
A pumpkin weighing was grown by resident Larry Checkon in 2005 (a world record at that time).
Geography
Northern Cambria is located near the northwest corner of Cambria County at (40.655813, -78.779472), in the valley of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, near its headwaters. U.S. Route 219 passes through the borough, leading south to Ebensburg, the county seat, and north to DuBois.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Northern Cambria has a total area of , all land.
thumb|Northern Cambria Borough Hall
Geology
The valley in which Northern Cambria lies is underlain by the coal-bearing Allegheny Group of Pennsylvanian age. The hills surrounding the borough are formed by the Glenshaw Formation. The axis of the Barnesboro Syncline trends northeast and passes through the center of the former Barnesboro.
Education
The local public school district is the Northern Cambria School District. The district has one school building in operation, serving students from Pre-K to 12th grade. The previous high school ceased operation beginning in the 2025 academic school year. Surrounding public school districts include:
- Cambria Heights School District
- Central Cambria School District
- Blacklick Valley School District
- Penns Manor Area School District
- Purchase Line School District
- Harmony Area School District
Students in grades K-8 can also attend the private Northern Cambria Catholic School in Nicktown, to the south. Some students in grades 9-12 attend the private Bishop Carroll High School in Ebensburg.
Nearby colleges include Mount Aloysius College (Cresson), Saint Francis University (Loretto), Indiana University of Pennsylvania (Indiana), the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Penn State Altoona, and Pennsylvania Highlands Community College (near Johnstown).
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Northern Cambria had a population of 3,560. The median age was 44.9 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.2 males age 18 and over.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,545 households in Northern Cambria, of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.7% were married-couple households, 22.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The population density was .