The Borough of Centre Hall has served as the market center for the many farming communities that are located in agricultural Brush and Penns Valleys. In 1884, the Lewisburg and Tyrone Railroad (later acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad system) brought its passenger service into Centre Hall. In 1873, The Grange, an organization promoting farming and farm life, formed a local chapter. The first Grange Fair started as a basket picnic in Leech Woods, west of town, in 1874. The fair quickly evolved into an annual tradition–the Grange Fair and Encampment– (link to Grange Fair page)where families set up camps in a tent city for a week. The fair has rides, entertainment, animal and arts exhibitions, and tens of thousands of people.
Centre Hall has a total area of .6 square miles and a population of approximately 1300 inhabitants. The main street (Rte 144) is tree-lined with historic homes. It looks as if it could be right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. There are homes in a variety of styles on the outskirts of town.