The Appalachian Mountain chain was formed starting around 420 million years ago with the collision of the North American craton and the Iapetus Ocean and culminating with the collision of the modern-day eastern seaboard of the then Euramerican continent with Africa, then Gondwana, about 290 million years ago forming the supercontinent Pangea.

Since the collision event the mountains have been eroding from the breakup of Pangea and through sedimentation formed the coastal plains to the east and limestone plateaus to the west.

At the close of the 18th century Penns Valley was already set aside for farmland, however, the surrounding county rapidly boomed as iron ore was discovered and the first road built by Philadelphia land speculator Reuben Haines brought the rest of Pennsylvania into the heart of Penns Valley terminating at the location of Spring Mills.

In the following two hundred years the iron industry would wane, but the agricultural heritage within Penns Valley would continue, and with the growth of a small land grant university just to the west in State College, The Pennsylvania State University would give the region a new academic wave of prosperity for the 21st century.

It travels downstream linking with Sinking Creek in Spring Mills and flows to the town of Coburn.

Being fed by Sinking Creek, Colyer Lake is located on the western boundary of Penns Valley and has a surface area of 77 acres.

Rising to 1,955 ft., Egg Hill is located on the western border of Spring Mills and in the center of greater Penns Valley along PA 45.

Brush Mountain raises to an elevation of 1,936 ft[9] and has one large pass, the Millheim Narrows, cut by Elk Creek.

The following municipalities, boroughs and townships are located in Penns Valley: Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data.

[15] The HOPE Fund of Penns Valley is a volunteer, Christian based, non-denominational, non-profit organization created for financially assisting members of the community effected by medical and accidental crises.

The HOPE Fund has distributed over $250,000 from 2008 to 2013, and annually hosts many fundraising events throughout the area including festivals and banquets.

Its purview includes Penns Valley's waters, farmlands, forests, and rural heritage.

The network joins 16 businesses, ranging from accounting and banking to landscaping and personal care management, in advancing these ideals.

The district's secondary educational needs are fulfilled by Penns Valley Junior-Senior High School which combines 7th through 12th grades.

PA 144 is a north–south route that begins as a branch from US 322 in Potters Mills running through Centre Hall and crossing Nittany Mountain into Pleasant Gap and the Bellefonte area.

The only U.S. route in the area is US 322 which takes a unique form in Penns Valley as the smaller two-lane General Potter Highway linking the four-lane sections crossing the seven mountains and intersecting State College and Boalsburg.

As of June 2013 plans have been proposed to increase this smaller section of US 322 through a Pennsylvania State Senate bill for infrastructure improvement.

[22] The only private airfield in Penns Valley is Pennfield Farm located just west of Spring Mills off PA Route 45.