On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Geistown is more historic than 56% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Geistown’s overall grade.
Pennsylvania towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Pennsylvania town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Geistown’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1812.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.8 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Geistown’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Peaked at 3,633 in 1970; 2,363 people lived here in 2020.
10 censuses, 1930–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Geistown’s Wikipedia page.
On the map
Geistown on the map, 1904 to 1981
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Geistown. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1904Johnstown sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Geistown.
The story so far
Geistown, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Geistown yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Geistown is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,467 at the 2010 census.
Geistown was established in 1812. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,467 to 2,363 (-4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Geistown in 1907
Passages that mention Geistown, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Shortly before his death he stated that Grosenickel came from Lancaster county and settled on the farm now occupied by Samuel I. Hershberger, near Geistown, on the Bedford road. The log house occupied by Grosenickel and his family, which was erected before the death of Samuel Adams, is still standing. It was used as a dwelling until 1895 and now does duty as a home for Mr. Hershberger 's chickens. When the trail between the Adams improvement and Geistown was opened,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Geistown, 1812 to 1970
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1812, according to Wikidata. Geistown’s post office opened in 1872, and the census of 1930 counted 871 people here.
How does Geistown rank for history?
Geistown is more historic than 56% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Geistown?
15% of Geistown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.8 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1957.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
Date?
Date?
2018
2018
