Punxsutawney (; Lenape: ')

is a borough in southern Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, United States. Punxsutawney is known for its annual Groundhog Day celebration held each February 2, during which thousands of attendees and media outlets visit the community for an annual weather "prediction" by the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil.

History

Shawnee wigwam villages once occupied this site on the Mahoning Creek. The first settlement that included non-indigenous people was established in 1772, when Reverend John Ettwein, a Moravian Church missionary, arrived with a band of 241 christianized Lenape. Swarms of gnats plagued early settlers and their livestock for years, and are blamed for Ettwein's failure to establish a permanent settlement there. Another story about the source of the term asserted that the indigenous people compared the insect bites to burns caused by sparks or hot ashes. The Shawnee and Delaware left Pennsylvania and had settled in Ohio by the end of the American Revolution.

Geography

Punxsutawney is located at (40.945454, -78.975175), roughly northeast of Pittsburgh and southeast of Erie. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of . One small river, Mahoning Creek, winds through the town. It is bordered on the north, west, and south by Young Township, and on the east by Bell Township.

Demographics

In the 2010 census, Students may also attend Jefferson County-DuBois Area Vocational Technical School in nearby Reynoldsville, Pennsylvania.

Punxsutawney Christian School and Cosmas & Damian School (SSCD) are two private schools in Punxsutawney.

The Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) maintains a satellite branch in Punxsutawney, including a respected culinary school.

Emergency services

The Borough of Punxsutawney employs a full-time police service made up of 12 police officers. Dispatchers and wardens are employed by the borough and work closely with police. The police station is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by both police officers and wardens.

The Punxsutawney Fire Department is made up of three volunteer stations, The Central Fire Dept. (Jefferson County Station 20), Elk Run Volunteer Fire Company (Jefferson County Station 30), and Lindsey Fire Company (Jefferson County Station 40). The president of the Punxsutawney Fire Department is Tami McFarland. The Fire Department Chief is Brian Smith.

In addition to department officers, each station elects its own officers. Scott Depp is the chief of Central Fire Dept., Doug McAfoos the chief of Elk Run VFC, and Joe DeFelice Jr. the chief of Lindsey Fire Co. The fire department responds to fires, vehicle accidents, hazardous materials incidents, and rescue situations in the borough of Punxsutawney, Bell Township, and Young Township. The Punxsutawney Fire Department maintains an active water rescue team comprising scuba divers and a boat crew.

Jefferson County EMS operates the ambulance station in Punxsutawney. Station 50 is a full advanced life support service comprising paramedics and emergency medical technicians. Station 50 serves not only the borough of Punxsutawney, but also southern Jefferson County and parts of northern Indiana County.

Media

  • Receives television programming from the Johnstown–Altoona media market.
  • WECZ-AM - news/talk
  • WPXZ-FM - adult contemporary, sports
  • Punxsutawney Hometown magazine, since 1999, is locally owned.
  • The Punxsutawney Spirit, Jefferson County's only daily newspaper, owned by Illinois-based Horizon Publications Inc.
  • Mahoning Valley Spirit (Punxsutawney, Pa.) 1873-1876
  • The Punxsutawney Spirit (Punxsutawney, Pa.) 1876-1911
  • The Punxsutawney Spirit (Punxsutawney, Pa.) 1906-1967
  • The Spirit (Punxsutawney, Pa.) 1967-Current

Notable people

  • Punxsutawney Phil (b. 1887), the central figure in Punxsutawney's annual Groundhog Day celebration.
  • Britt Baker (b. 1991), professional wrestler with All Elite Wrestling
  • Chuck Daly (1930–2009), former Basketball Hall of Fame head coach for Detroit Pistons and head coach of the gold medal winning "Dream Team" in the 1992 Summer Olympics
  • Wilbur Good (1885–1963), former professional baseball player, Philadelphia Phillies
  • Bill Hunter (b. 1928-2025) retired American shortstop, coach and manager in Major League Baseball
  • Lloyd Jordan (1900–1990), former head coach at Harvard and College Football Hall of Fame inductee
  • Devin Mesoraco (b. 1988) is a baseball coach and former professional baseball catcher, who is the current catching coach for the Pittsburgh Panthers NCAA Division I intercollegiate baseball program
  • John Mizerock (b. 1960), former professional baseball player, Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros

See also

  • Groundhog Day - 1993 film set in Punxsutawney.
  • Groundhog Day Musical - 2017 musical based on the film.

References

  • Punxsutawney Fire Department
  • Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania Information from City-Data.com
  • Punxsutawney Groundhog Club
  • Punxsutawney Spirit
  • Punxsutawney Spirit Obituaries