Danville (1983: Doomsday)

Danville is the third largest community in Susquehanna, with a population of 3,142 people. It is the capital of Montour County, and is an important industrial and medical hub for the Commonwealth.

Pre-Doomsday
The land that now makes up Danville was owned by the Iroquois tribe, who sold it to William Montgomery in 1774. He established a small trading post named Montgomery's Landing, and in 1792 he constructed a small house, which still stands today. Danville was part of Northumberland County when it was founded, and became the county seat of Columbia County in 1813 until 1845 when, after an election, the seat was moved to Bloomsburg. This caused a dispute between Bloomsburg and Danville, leading to the formation of Montour County, named after an Iroquois woman, Madame Montour. Danville was named the county seat.

In the 19th century, Danville grew in importance with several rail line and canals running into, and through the community. The discovery of iron deposits led to an industrial boom, manufacturing T-rails for railroads, claiming to be the first to roll one, occurring on October 8, 1845 at the Montour Iron Company. This was disputed by Mount Savage, Maryland, and the two communities shared a friendly rivalry.

But the iron mills began to lose their importance with the introduction of steel in the 20th century, with the last one closing in the late 1960's. The former iron mills were replaced by a State Hospital, middle school, and other buildings. Other companies would gain steam, with Geisinger Hospital (Modern day Geisinger Medical Center) opening in 1915, a TRW facility, as well as machine shops and pharmaceutical facility across the river.

But on Doomsday it all would come screeching to a halt.

Demographics
The borough lost over half of the pre-Doomsday population due to disease and refugees fleeing. The majority of people in the borough are whites of European descent, although there is a handful of blacks and Asians in the community.

Infrastructure
The infrastructure in Danville is fairly modern, with railroad tracks linking it to the rest of the nation, and roads that have been kept in fairly good shape. There is no public transit in the borough, although there is a fairly high car ownership rate in the community, with over 20 privately owned cars operating, and three government owned cars.

Bloomsburg Regional Airport serves the region with flights to Gettysburg, State College, or Hazleton. The nearest international airport is either University Park Airport in State College, or Hazleton International Airport in Hazleton, Wyoming County.

Law Enforcement
Danville has an eight officer police department. They are all full time, and many are ex-military.

Economy
There are several companies that operate out of Danville. Danville Steel Mills are on the grounds of the former Danville State Hospital. Geisinger Medical Center employs several thousand people in the community and the county.

Education
Danville is covered by Danville Area School District, having students from pre-K to 12. It is one of the better educated communities in the nation, with a literacy rate of approximately 70%, compared to the national average of 47%. There are no colleges or universities in the county, with the nearest one being Bloomsburg University, in Bloomsburg.