1 of Walker Township’s places is on the National Register
More historic than 66% of U.S. towns · #525 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Most of Walker Township was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1924 on, and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Walker Township is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #525 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Walker Township’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 Walker Township’s 12.8 sits above most of its state (79% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 6 historic buildings outnumber those of 72% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.9 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Walker Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Walker Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1924Centre Hall 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 Walker Township.
The story so far
Walker Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Walker Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Walker Township is a township in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,639 at the 2020 census, an increase over the figure of 3,433 tabulated in 2010.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,433 to 4,596 (+4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Walker Township, 1827 to 1979
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Walker Township is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #525 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. 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.
What is on the National Register in Walker Township?
One place: the William Henry and Clara Singer Beck Farm (listed 2017).
How old are the homes in Walker Township?
9% of Walker Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.9 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1993.
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 (4), the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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