Bradford, Pennsylvania
Bradford is a city of 7,683 people in McKean County, Pennsylvania, founded in 1823.
Why visit Bradford
Townapedia lists 10 museums and landmarks, 6 parks and trails, 38 places to eat, 5 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Bradford Main Street Movie House, Bradford Armory and Bradford Downtown Historic District.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 79°F; January lows average 13°F, and about 75 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Bradford
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Bradford
Bradford is a city in McKean County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located close to the border with New York state and approximately 78 miles (126 km) south of Buffalo, New York. Home to an oil refinery, Zippo headquarters and a University of Pittsburgh branch campus, Bradford is the principal city in the Bradford, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,849 at the 2020 census, down from 8,770 in 2010.
From the Wikipedia article Bradford, Pennsylvania (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks10
Bradford Armory
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
Historic building in Bradford, Pennsylvania, United States
Bradford Downtown Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.6 mi
Historic district in Pennsylvania, United States
Bradford Old City Hall
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Rathaus in Pennsylvania, United States of America
Crook Farm
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.2 mi
Building in Pennsylvania, United States
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Rufus Barrett Stone House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.5 mi
Bradford, Pennsylvania, listed on the NRHP in McKean County
Parks, trails and playgrounds6
Restaurants and cafes38
Fox's Pizza Den
Restaurant · Pizza · 0.8 mi
Fox’s Pizza Den, family owned & operated for 50+ years, serving the very best authentic pizzas, salads, nearly world famous “wedgies”,...
444 East Main Street, Bradford
Mo-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00; Su 11:00-21:00
CJ Bar-B-Que and Catering
Restaurant · Barbecue · 1.0 mi
545 East Main Street, Bradford
Tu-Sa 10:30-19:00
Pizza Napoli
Restaurant · Pizza · 0.9 mi
147 West Washington Street, Bradford
Mo-Th 11:00-20:00; Fr 11:00-21:00; Sa 16:00-21:00; Su 12:00-20:00
Togi's Family Restaurant
Restaurant · Italian · 0.7 mi
412 East Main Street, Bradford
Mo-Sa 11:00-21:00; Su 11:00-20:00
John Williams European Pastry Shop
Diner · American · 0.6 mi
20 Mechanic Street, Bradford
Mo-Fr 07:00-14:00
Papa Scoop's
Ice cream · 0.7 mi
58 West Washington Street, Bradford
Mo-Fr 11:00-21:00; Su 11:00-19:00
A Slice of the 80's
Restaurant · Pizza · 0.6 mi
Mo-Th 11:00-23:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-24:00; Su 11:00-23:00
Kabob's at the Option House
Restaurant · Indian · 0.6 mi
Mo-Th 11:00-14:00,16:00-20:00; Fr 11:00-14:00,16:00-21:00; Sa...
26 more on the map.
History
Settled in 1823, Bradford was chartered as a city in 1837 and emerged as a wild oil boomtown in the Pennsylvania oil rush in the late 19th century. The area's Pennsylvania Grade crude oil has superior qualities and is free of asphaltic constituents, contains only trace amounts of sulfur and nitrogen, and has excellent characteristics for refining into lubricants. The Bradford & Foster Brook Railway was built in 1876 as one of, if not the first, monorails in America, when Bradford was a booming oil town. World-famous Kendall racing oils were produced in Bradford.
Bradford was the site of an important step in the development of personal aviation. In the 1930s, the Taylor Brothers Aircraft Corporation produced an airplane called the Taylor Cub in Bradford. After a fire at the factory, the company was bought by William T. Piper. After relocating his factory to Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, Piper resumed production of a revised design of the airplane first produced in Bradford, which became the world-famous Piper Cub.
From the History section of Bradford, Pennsylvania on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay5
Churches and places of worship13
First Presbyterian Church
Church · Presbyterian · 0.6 mi
54 East Corydon Street, Bradford
Hill Memorial United Methodist Church
Church · United Methodist · 0.4 mi
44 Kennedy Street, Bradford
St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 1.1 mi
15 Saint Francis Drive, Bradford
Tower Church - First United Methodist
Church · 0.6 mi
23 Chambers Street, Bradford
St. Bernard's Roman Catholic Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 0.5 mi
95 East Corydon Street, Bradford
Shopping15
Gas and EV charging7
Schools, colleges and libraries15
Healthcare5
Map of Bradford
115 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°F | 13°F | 3.8 in | 20.5 in |
| Feb | 33°F | 13°F | 2.8 in | 15.6 in |
| Mar | 42°F | 21°F | 3.3 in | 10.0 in |
| Apr | 56°F | 32°F | 4.2 in | 2.9 in |
| May | 68°F | 42°F | 4.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 76°F | 51°F | 4.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 79°F | 55°F | 5.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 78°F | 54°F | 4.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 71°F | 47°F | 4.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 59°F | 37°F | 4.4 in | 0.8 in |
| Nov | 46°F | 28°F | 3.9 in | 7.0 in |
| Dec | 35°F | 20°F | 4.1 in | 18.4 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Bradford 4Sw Rsch 5 (6 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
McKean County has had 7 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2020-03-30: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2012-10-29: Hurricane Sandy (Hurricane)
- 2005-09-10: Hurricane Katrina (Hurricane)
- 2004-09-19: Tropical Depression Ivan (Hurricane)
- 2004-09-19: Severe Storms And Flooding Associated With Tropical Depression Frances (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Bradford Regional Airport (BFD) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 11 miles away.
- St. Bonaventure 12 mi northeast, about 19 min by car
- Allegany 12 mi northeast, about 19 min by car
- Olean 14 mi northeast, about 22 min by car
- Salamanca 15 mi north, about 24 min by car
- Weston Mills 16 mi northeast, about 25 min by car
- Bolivar 25 mi east, about 41 min by car
- Cuba 26 mi northeast, about 42 min by car
- Frewsburg 26 mi west, about 42 min by car
- Russell 26 mi west, about 41 min by car
- Jamestown 32 mi west, about 51 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Bradford, Pennsylvania (8479788781), Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Bradford Oil Refinery, Bradford, Pennsylvania - 20211108, Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Methodist Church in Bradford (2), Tobyc75, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Presbyterian Church in Bradford (2), Tobyc75, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Elm street in Bradford, Tobyc75, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Beefeaters Resturant in the Old Bradford Library, Tobyc75, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bradford Downtown (3), Tobyc75, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Zippo Building in Bradford (3), Tobyc75, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Zippo Building in Bradford (4), Tobyc75, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Zippo Building in Bradford, Tobyc75, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Housing Project in Bradford, Tobyc75, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Old Synagogue in Bradford, Tobyc75, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2022-06-14 12 24 15 View west along Pennsylvania State Route 346 (West Washington Street) at Interstate Parkway in Bradford, McKean County, Pennsylvania, Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bradford Armory Jun 09, Pubdog ( talk ), Public domain
- Barrett House Jun 09, Pubdog ( talk ), Public domain
- Bradford Downtown Historic District Jun 09, Pubdog ( talk ), Public domain
- Crook Farmhouse Apr 10, Pubdog ( talk ), Public domain
- Bradford Old City Hall Jun 09, Pubdog ( talk ), Public domain
- Phaeocalicium populneum 108869297, Garrett Taylor, CC0
- Phaeocalicium populneum 108869268, Garrett Taylor, CC0
- Phaeocalicium populneum 108869240, Garrett Taylor, CC0
- Phaeocalicium populneum 108869273, Garrett Taylor, CC0
- Phaeocalicium populneum 108862974, Garrett Taylor, CC0
- Phaeocalicium populneum 108869283, Garrett Taylor, CC0
- Phaeocalicium populneum 108869304, Garrett Taylor, CC0
- Phaeocalicium populneum 108869231, Garrett Taylor, CC0
- Phaeocalicium populneum 108869289, Garrett Taylor, CC0
- Phaeocalicium populneum 108869310, Garrett Taylor, CC0
- Phaeocalicium populneum 108869261, Garrett Taylor, CC0
- Phaeocalicium populneum 108869276, Garrett Taylor, CC0
- Resurrection Life Fellowship Church, Nyttend, Public domain
- Sears Hometown (9656096415), Random Retail from PA, United States, CC BY 2.0
- Conocybe apala 147912866, Garrett Taylor, CC0
- Conocybe apala 147912795, Garrett Taylor, CC0
- Dialonectria episphaeria 77526626, Garrett Taylor, CC0
- Dialonectria episphaeria 77526568, Garrett Taylor, CC0
- Dialonectria episphaeria 77526594, Garrett Taylor, CC0
- Tunungwant Creek as seen from Bolivar Drive bridge, Foster Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania - 20201108, Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Hapalopilus rutilans 21271630, Garrett Taylor, CC BY 4.0
- Steccherinum nitidum 21934901, Garrett Taylor, CC BY 4.0
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