Situated in the very heart of Pennsylvania, Blair County is bounded on the west by the formidable Allegheny Mountains. It was this natural barrier that stalled westward migration and encouraged early settlers to farm its lush, fertile valleys prior to the American Revolution. Carved out of Bedford and Huntingdon Counties in 1846, Blair County was home to many iron furnaces in the 1800s and was on the chosen path of the great Pennsylvania Canal. However, it was the Pennsylvania Railroad that utilized Blair County as its base of operations, thus creating a unique transportation-based economy. Today, Blair County is bisected by Interstate 99. This highway, which parallels a great Native American path, provides travelers with views of some of the loftiest mountains and the most picturesque scenery of the state.