Renovo

Renovo, Pennsylvania
Borough
14th Street in Renovo, looking south during the Flaming Foliage Festival Parade
Location in Clinton County and the state of Pennsylvania.
Coordinates: 41°19′35″N 77°45′02″W / 41.32639°N 77.75056°W / 41.32639; -77.75056Coordinates: 41°19′35″N 77°45′02″W / 41.32639°N 77.75056°W / 41.32639; -77.75056
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Clinton
Settled	1825
Incorporated (borough)	1860
Government
• Type	Borough Council
Area
• Total	1.13 sq mi (2.93 km2)
• Land	1.13 sq mi (2.92 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation	668 ft (204 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,228
• Estimate (2016)	1,218
• Density	1,081.71/sq mi (417.80/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC)
ZIP code	17764
Area code(s)	570
FIPS code	42-64200

Renovo is a borough in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, United States, 28 miles (45 km) northwest of Lock Haven. In 1900, 4,082 people lived there, and in 1910, 4,621 lived there, but in the 2010 census the borough population was 1,228.

The borough is located on the West Branch Susquehanna River, and along Pennsylvania's Bucktail State Park Natural Area, centered on Pennsylvania Route 120, which winds through the surrounding mountains following the river. The town is the home of the "Flaming Foliage Festival" held each October, generally on the second weekend, celebrating the fall colors of the trees on the area's many mountains. The festival includes a parade and the crowning of a queen, usually chosen from one of the nearby high schools. The festival serves as a "homecoming" event for former residents of Renovo, many of whom return annually for the event. Various vendors from the surrounding areas sell food, clothing, and an array of novelties, memorabilia, and souvenirs.

The economy of Renovo and the surrounding area were primarily based on lumbering, until the first-growth forest was almost entirely stripped away, and the industry collapsed. There are also deposits of bituminous coal and fire clay in the region.

Renovo was built for and by the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad as the midpoint between Philadelphia and Erie. The town was laid out on a mostly-flat flood plain along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in North-Central Pennsylvania, and was incorporated in 1866. Many of the buildings of what became the sprawling Railroad Shops complex were built before, during, and after the American Civil War.

The Philadelphia and Erie Railroad, along with many other relatively smaller lines eventually became incorporated into the Pennsylvania Railroad. The Pennsylvania Railroad was the largest corporation in the world with an annual GPO larger than the federal government, and is the only corporation in history to have paid out dividends due to its profitability for 100 years.

Unlike most "rural" towns and residential areas, Renovo was laid out in an industrially-oriented urban grid with avenues given names of the Great Lakes, and "side streets" numbered from 1 to 16. Houses were mostly built close to one another or incorporated into row houses. Houses with larger lots allowing for big yards were a rare luxury.