What to See in Danville - Top Sights and Attractions

Danville Historic District is a national historic district located in Danville, Montour County, Pennsylvania. It encompasses 291 contributing buildings, 3 contributing sites, and 1 contributing object in the central business district and surrounding residential areas of Danville. The buildings mostly date from the 1840s to the early 20th century. The district incorporates the previously listed and predominantly residential Danville West Market Street Historic District. Residential buildings are mostly of brick and frame construction, with some log and stone dwellings, and in a variety of architectural styles including Italianate, Federal, Queen Anne and Second Empire. It includes the separately listed General William Montgomery House and Thomas Beaver Free Library and Danville YMCA. Other notable non-residential buildings include the Montour County Courthouse, Mahoning Presbyterian Church, Pine Street Lutheran Church, Eli Trego Building, Heim Suspender Factory, First Ward School, Bnai Zion Temple, and Jemima Donaldson's Cross Keys Tavern.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.^[3]

School district. The Danville Area School District is a midsized, rural, public school district which spans portions of two counties in Pennsylvania. In Montour County it covers the Boroughs of Danville and Washingtonville and Cooper Township, Derry Township, Liberty Township, Mahoning Township, Mayberry Township, Valley Township and West Hemlock Township. In Northumberland County it covers the Borough of Riverside and Rush Township. The district encompasses approximately 120 square miles. According to 2000 federal census data, it served a resident population of 18,894. By 2010, the district's population declined to 18,765 people. The educational attainment levels for the Danville Area School District population were 89.8% high school graduates and 27.4% college graduates. The district is one of the 500 public school districts of Pennsylvania.

According to the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, 28.8% of the district's pupils lived at 185% or below the Federal Poverty level as shown by their eligibility for the federal free or reduced price school meal programs in 2012. In 2009, the residents' per capita income was $20,247, while the median family income was $46,435. In the Commonwealth, the median family income was $49,501 and the United States median family income was $49,445, in 2010. In Montour County, the median household income was $45,255. By 2013, the median household income in the United States rose to $52,100.

Danville Area School District officials report

The district operates Danville Area High School (Grades 9-12), Danville Middle School (Grades 6-8), Liberty Valley Intermediate Elementary School (Grades 3-5), and Danville Area Primary Elementary School (Grades K2). Of the 4 elementary schools formerly operated by the district until June 2011, only Liberty Valley remains open today. Danville Elementary School, Riverside Elementary School, and Mahoning Cooper Elementary School all closed in the 2011 consolidation of the new Danville Area Primary Elementary School. The district provides an online learning option called Danville eLearning Cyber Academy.

The district's school colors are Orange and Purple and its mascot is the Ironman. The Orange and Purple represent the colors of hot iron. Iron turns orange at forging temperatures and purple at even hotter casting temperatures. This is due to the historical significance of an iron refinery in downtown Danville. Danville Area was commissioned in 1900, within a few years of when the mill closed. The refinery stood idle for decades, but it was finally demolished in the 1930s.^[5]