The Penn State University Park campus is located in State College, Pennsylvania. State College is a family friendly, culturally diverse, and vibrant economic region for you and your family to enjoy.

The State College community has both a high standard of living and a low crime rate. State College has been ranked by Psychology Today as one of the least stressful communities in the nation. Public schools are cited for excellence.

Children can play safely in any of the twenty-eight parks and playgrounds open to residents of the Centre Region or they can swim in the two outdoor public pools as well as private and university-run pools. Numerous extracurricular activities are available for children of all ages including theater, music, sports, scouting, and more.

For more information on Smeal graduate student family life, please visit: Lion Partners.

The State College/University Park community is one of those rare places in the United States that can offer you the intellectual and artistic energy of an internationally known university, while nearby you can find quiet suburban streets and small communities with roots deep in history and the richness of American culture. It is an emerging city with a small-town feel, the resources of an established institution of higher learning, the bucolic traditions of rural Pennsylvania juxtaposed with a lively culture strongly influenced by young people and citizens from around the globe.

A number of corporations maintain offices or manufacturing plants within the community. Penn State's Innovation Park houses research-based and high-tech businesses. As a result, opportunities are available for partner employment in local businesses and in non-academic positions at the university.

Additional information can be found on CentreConnect.org, a Web site where local non-profit organizations and government bodies' Web sites are hosted. CentreCounty.org is another Web site where you can find information about the official business groups, public service agencies and government agencies in the Centre County region. The local community newspaper, the Centre Daily Times, circulates daily in State College and the surrounding Centre County region, providing news, editorials, job postings, and other information of local, national and world interest. Penn State's Department of Employment also posts positions for external candidates which are updated frequently.

You can learn more about our town by visiting StateCollege.com, a Web site that provides a full array of information about the town and community.