Punxsutawney is situated in southern Jefferson County along the banks of Mahoning Creek and is the largest borough in the county. It is located at the intersection of U.S. 119 and State Route 36, and is approximately ninety (90) miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
The town's history dates back to the 18th century, originally inhabited by the Lenape people. The name "Punxsutawney" is derived from their language, meaning "town of the sandflies." European settlers arrived in the late 1700s, and the town developed through coal mining, lumber, and railroads in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Punxsutawney officially became a borough in 1850, but it gained national fame in 1887 when local groundhog enthusiasts began the tradition of using Punxsutawney Phil to predict the weather on February 2nd each year. The tradition was further popularized by the 1993 movie Groundhog Day.
The Borough operates under a 7 member Council form of government that governs a population of 5,962 residents as of the 2020 census in a 3.4 square mile area. As with a number of municipalities of its size, the Borough has a Mayor who acts as tiebreaker and oversees the Police Department.
There are three (3) voting wards in the Borough along with three (3) volunteer fire companies under the Punxsutawney Fire Department.