University Park is the postal address used by Pennsylvania State University for its flagship campus in State College and adjacent College Township, Pennsylvania. It is not an incorporated community but exists as a postal address, with the accompanying zip code of 16802, for ease of mail delivery and to distinguish on-campus from off-campus addresses. Almost all of University Park sits within the borough of State College; the northeastern part of campus is within College Township. The campus post office was designated “University Park, Pennsylvania” in 1953 by Penn State president Milton Eisenhower, after what was then Pennsylvania State College was upgraded to university status. University Park sits within the State College Metropolitan Statistical Area (population 153,990), which encompasses all of Centre County, Pennsylvania. The ZCTA for ZIP code 16802 had a population of 12,764 at the 2010 census. The campus is served by the Penn State University Police. Federally, the University Park campus is part of Pennsylvania’s 5th congressional district, represented by Republican Glenn “G.T.” Thompson, elected in 2008.
