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History · Sylvan Hills

14% of Sylvan Hills’ homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1902 on.

0on the National Register
14%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Sylvan Hills’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Sylvan Hills are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19023 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1972. Watch Sylvan Hills change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sylvan Hills’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sylvan Hills’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Sylvan Hills on the map, 1902 to 1972

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sylvan Hills. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Sylvan Hills on the 1902 USGS mapSylvan Hills on the 1963 USGS mapSylvan Hills on the 1972 USGS map1902Hollidaysburg 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 Sylvan Hills.

The story so far

Sylvan Hills, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Sylvan Hills yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Sylvan Hills is a census-designated place (CDP) in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census. The CDP is in central Blair County, in the northwest part of Frankstown Township. It is bordered to the south by the borough of Hollidaysburg, the county seat, and it is 5 miles (8 km) south of Altoona, the largest city in the county.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Famous people

Famous people close to Sylvan Hills

Nobody well known was born in Sylvan Hills itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Hedda HopperAmerican gossip columnist and actress · b. 1885
Charlie CristUnited States Representative from 2017 to 2022 · b. 1956
Michael BeheAmerican biochemist, author, and intelligent de… · b. 1952
Janet BlairActress · b. 1921
A
Andrew Kevin WalkerAmerican screenwriter · b. 1964
Paul WinterAmerican saxophonist · b. 1939
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Hollidaysburg4 historic placesA+Frankstown TownshipIts storyC+

Questions about Sylvan Hills’ history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.