While during the middle of the 20th-century many U.S. towns and cities were leveling their historic buildings to make way for modern structures,  Bellefonte was preserving its architectural heritage.   Downtown streets lined with handsome, exquisitely-restored Victorian homes and limestone commercial buildings are what first impress when arriving here, and it is easy to imagine for just a bit that the 21st-century has been left behind.  Queen Anne, Renaissance Revival and Eastlake architectural styles are common and hark to an earlier era.  Curtin and Linn streets are perhaps the most desirable areas, boasting large, colorful 19th-century homes with wrap around porches, dormer windows, mansard roofs and turrets.   Just a block away, on Lamb Street, 1890s working-class rowhouses in the Folk Victorian style are found.   Not all residences, however, are more than 110 years old.   In many neighborhoods, including Parkview Heights, newer homes are prevalent, and on the edges of town, there are brand new residences.   There are also some condos and town homes.  The median home price is $151,000, below the national median price, but expect to pay in the mid-$100,000s to low-$200,000s for a nice home.   There really are no "bad" neighborhoods, but generally residences on the north side of town are in a little better shape.

Real estate taxes average roughly 1.5% of a property's fair market value.  Rebates of paid property tax or rent, up to a maximum of $650 per year, are available.  To qualify, annual household income must not exceed $35,000, excluding Social Security income.  Pennsylvania does not tax retirement income after age 59 1/2 if the resident is actually retired.  The sales tax is 6%.

This is an interactive map.  Click on the arrows in the upper left hand corner to move the map to the East, West, North or South, and click (more than once if necessary) on the +/- signs to zoom in and out.

Bellefonte's downtown has cute, locally owned shops, and good restaurants are easy to find.  The gorgeous Gamble Mill Tavern, an imposing 1892 iron mill, made of red brick and three stories tall, has been lovingly restored and is probably the town's finest dining establishment and a delight (the owners like to note that it was the first Bellefonte building to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places).  Jim's Italian Cuisine, a cozy eatery hidden off an alley, also receives rave reviews.   

The Bellefonte Historical and Cultural Association (BHCA) is responsible for maintaining the town's architectural integrity, and its walking tour is a fun way to soak up Bellefonte's history (the BHCA is also a rewarding place to volunteer).   Many of the town's structures were erected in a post-Civil War building boom, and the impressive Bush House Hotel was one of the first hotels in the country to have electric lights (the hotel, unfortunately, burned to the ground in 2006).   The 1890 Garman House is today a movie house, with some theatrical performances, but was once host to Houdini, George Burns and Gracie Allen.   

Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, Continued....