Millheim, PA

Millheim is a Centre County borough in Penns Valley, built along Elk Creek and named for the millhouse that once sat on the water. The old raceway still runs through downtown, which makes this one of those Pennsylvania places where the town's name and its street plan match. Millheim's central spot connected farm country, mill work, shops, and the roads toward State College, while the borough itself remained small.

The Millheim Historic District keeps a large collection of older homes, storefronts, and civic buildings together. The old brick mill at 102 Mill Street is the only mill still standing, and it no longer operates, but Elk Creek's raceway remains part of the downtown view. That combination gives Millheim a clear local story: water supplied the work, the work gave the town its name, and the surviving buildings show how a Penns Valley borough grew around the creek. State College is part of the wider regional map, but Millheim's own center is still the raceway and the streets beside it.