Johnstown (pop. 18,411; met. area pop. 133,472) is a city in southwestern Pennsylvania. It lies in a valley of the Allegheny Mountains. Johnstown is a regional health-care center. The health-care industry is the city’s largest employer. Tourism, coal mining, and the production of steel, textiles, transportation equipment, and wood products also contribute to the city’s economy. Johnstown is the corporate headquarters for two major real estate developers. The city is the home of a campus of the University of Pittsburgh.
Johnstown was named for a Swiss immigrant, Joseph Johns, who settled there in 1793. In the 1850’s, William Kelly developed a new method of making steel there, similar to the Bessemer process. In 1889, Johnstown became a city. That same year, the dam of the South Fork Reservoir, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) east of the city, burst during heavy rains. The resulting flood killed more than 2,200 people, and destroyed property worth more than $10 million. In 1936, another flood took 25 lives and caused $40 million damage. A flood-control system was built in 1937. But in 1977, the Conemaugh River flooded Johnstown. The flood killed 85 people and caused damage of more than $300 million. Johnstown has a mayor-council form of government.
See also Johnstown Flood .
