Johnstown

Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, 41 miles (66 km) west-southwest of Altoona, and 70 miles (110 km) east of Pittsburgh. The Conemaugh River forms at Johnstown from its tributaries, the Stonycreek River and the Little Conemaugh.

Understand
Like many other Rust Belt cities, Johnstown has fallen on hard times since the decline of the manufacturing industries that once provided the majority of jobs in the region. Certainly not helping matters is the fact that the area was subject to devastating floods for some time, most recently in 1977 (although modern dams and rainwater diversion systems have since been installed to mitigate further flooding). Nonetheless, for American history-minded travelers, Johnstown and the surrounding area offers a number of interesting attractions.

By car
The main highway connecting Johnstown to the Pennsylvania Turnpike is US 219. In addition, there is also State Route 56, which is an expressway from 219 until Walnut Street. From there, it provides a connection to US 22 to the north of Johnstown, which connects to Pittsburgh and Altoona.

By plane
A likely cheaper alternative (even factoring in rental car costs and tolls) would be to fly into Pittsburgh International Airport and then make the two-hour drive to Johnstown via I-376 to the PA Turnpike.

By train

 * Route stopping at Johnstown:
 * Pennsylvanian operates daily between Pittsburgh and New York City with stops in Greensburg, Latrobe, Johnstown, Altoona, Huntingdon, Lewistown, Harrisburg, Elizabethtown, Lancaster, Exton, Paoli, Philadelphia, Trenton, and Newark.
 * Pennsylvanian operates daily between Pittsburgh and New York City with stops in Greensburg, Latrobe, Johnstown, Altoona, Huntingdon, Lewistown, Harrisburg, Elizabethtown, Lancaster, Exton, Paoli, Philadelphia, Trenton, and Newark.

By bus

 * Greyhound buses also stop at CamTran's transit center.

Get around
CamTran operates the local bus service, a fleet of 51 buses on a rural and an urban fixed route system.

Go next

 * Pittsburgh is an easy two-hour drive.
 * Altoona is approximately one-hour away and home to the famous Horseshoe Curve.
 * The first railroad to circumvent the Allegheny Mountains - the finishing piece of the Pennsylvania Mainline Canal. The visitor center offers a movie that is a dramatic interpretation of what it was like to work and travel on the Portage Railroad. Other attractions include Engine House 6 Exhibit Shelter and the Lemon House, restored to its 1840s appearance.