Built on a site long favored by pre-European peoples, Lock Haven began in 1833 as a timber town and a haven for loggers, boatmen, and other travelers on the river or the West Branch Canal. Resource extraction and efficient transportation financed much of the city's growth through the end of the 19th century. In the 20th century, a light-aircraft factory, a college, and a paper mill, along with many smaller enterprises, drove the economy. Frequent floods, especially in 1972, damaged local industry and led to a high rate of unemployment in the 1980s.
The city has three sites on the National Register of Historic Places—a significant pre-European archaeological find, a Victorian-era museum, and an historic district with a mix of 19th- and 20th-century architecture. A dike and levee, completed in 1995, protect the city from further flooding. While industry remains important to the city, about a third of its workers are employed in education, health care, or social services.
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,149 people, 3,306 households, and 1,659 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,643.9 people per square mile (1,407.4/km²). There were 3,565 housing units at an average density of 1,419.9/sq mi (548.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.26% White, 1.43% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.11% of the population.
There were 3,306 households out of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.0% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.8% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 16.7% under the age of 18, 33.2% from 18 to 24, 20.3% from 25 to 44, 14.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.5 males. Students at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania accounted for about a third of the city's population.
The median income for a household in the city was $20,731, and the median income for a family was $28,619. Males had a median income of $27,310 versus $18,463 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,948. About 18.6% of families and 30.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.4% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.
Lock Haven Taxi, based in the central downtown, has taxicabs for hire. Fullington Trailways provides daily intercity bus service between Lock Haven and nearby cities including State College, Williamsport, and Wilkes-Barre. Charter and tour buses are available through Susquehanna Trailways, based in Avis, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Lock Haven. Pennsylvania Bicycle Route G follows Pennsylvania Route 150 and links to the Pine Creek Rail Trail at the eastern end of the county near Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania. A 2.5 miles (4.0 km) walking trail on the dike-levee along the river is restricted to pedestrian use.
The Norfolk Southern Railway mainline from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Buffalo, New York, runs through the center of Lock Haven. On the east side of town, it connects to the Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad, a short line. Trains serving Lock Haven carry only freight. The City of Lock Haven operates the William T. Piper Memorial Airport at the eastern end of the city. The airport has a paved runway, runway lighting, paved taxiways, a tie-down area, and hangar spaces. No commercial, charter, or freight services are available at this airport.
Electric service to Lock Haven residents is provided by PPL, the gas division of which provides natural gas to the city. Verizon Communications handles local telephone service; long-distance service is available from several providers. Comcast offers high-speed cable modem connections to the Internet. Several companies can provide Lock Haven residents with dial-up Internet access. One of them, KCnet, has an office in Lock Haven. Comcast also provides cable television.
The City of Lock Haven owns the watersheds, reservoirs, and water distribution system for Wayne Township, Castanea Township, and the city. Water is treated at the Central Clinton County Water Filtration Authority Plant in Wayne Township before distribution. The city also provides water to the Suburban Lock Haven Water Authority, which distributes it to surrounding communities. Lock Haven operates a sewage treatment plant for waste water, industrial waste, and trucked sewage from the city and eight upstream municipalities: Bald Eagle Township, Castanea, Flemington, Lamar, Mill Hall, Porter Township, Woodward Township, and Walker Township in Centre County. Storm water runoff from within the city is transported by city-owned storm sewers. Curbside pickup of household garbage is provided by a variety of local haulers licensed by the city; recyclables are picked up once every two weeks. The Clinton County Solid Waste Authority owns and operates the Wayne Township Landfill, which serves Lock Haven.
Lock Haven Hospital is a 77-bed hospital with a 120-bed extended-care unit. It offers inpatient, outpatient, and 24-hour emergency services with heliport access. Susque-View Home, next to the hospital, offers long-term care to the elderly and other services including speech, physical, and occupational therapy for people of all ages. A 10-physician community practice clinic based in the city provides primary care and specialty services. A behavioral health clinic offers programs for children and adolescents and psychiatric outpatient care for all ages.
An 8-acre (3.2 ha) industrial area in Castanea Township adjacent to Lock Haven was placed on the National Priorities List of uncontrolled hazardous waste sites (commonly referred to as Superfund sites) in 1982. Drake Chemical, which went bankrupt in 1981, made ingredients for pesticides and other compounds at the site from the 1960s to 1981. Starting in 1982, the United States Environmental Protection Agency began a clean-up of contaminated containers, buildings, and soils at the site and by the late 1990s had replaced the soils. Equipment to treat contaminated groundwater at the site was installed in 2000 and continues to operate.