Armstrong County, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Armstrong County, Pennsylvania | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Pennsylvania |
|
 Pennsylvania's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | March 12, 1800 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Kittanning |
| Largest city | Kittanning |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
664 sq mi (1,720 km²) 11 sq mi (28 km²), 1.58% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
72,392 111/sq mi (43/km²) |
| Website: www.co.armstrong.pa.us | |
Armstrong County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2000 census, the population was 72,392. 2006 Census figures had the county's population at 70,096, which represents a 3% drop since 2000.[citation needed] It is located northeast of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Armstrong County was added to the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area in 2003.
The county seat is Kittanning. The county was organized on March 12, 1800 from parts of Allegheny, Westmoreland and Lycoming Counties. It was named in honor of John Armstrong, who had represented Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress.
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[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 664 square miles (1,721 km²), of which, 654 square miles (1,694 km²) of it is land and 11 square miles (27 km²) of it (1.58%) is water.
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Clarion County (north)
- Jefferson County (northeast)
- Indiana County (east)
- Westmoreland County (south)
- Allegheny County (southwest)
- Butler County (west)
- Venango County(northwest)
[edit] History
The County was named after Brigadier-General John Armstrong.
Armstrong County is home to the City of Parker, an incorporated third-class city, which was an oil boom town with a population rumored to be approximately 20,000 in 1873, but now is the "Smallest City in America" with a population under 800. Parker is located in the extreme northwest part of the county.
Iron was made in the Brady's Bend area of the county twenty years before there was a foundry in Pittsburgh doing so. Ford City is home to the plate-glass industry, as John Ford created the company which later became Pittsburgh Plate Glass.
Kittanning once boasted more millionnaires than anywhere else in Pennsylvania during the 1880s.
Leechburg was the first place in the United States to use natural gas for metallurgical purposes, in 1869. Natural gas was found while drilling for oil, and eventually introduced into the boilers and furnaces of Siberian Iron Works here.
Freeport, Leechburg and Apollo were communities built along the Pennsylvania Canal, which passed through on the Allegheny and Kiskiminetas Rivers, at the southern border of the county.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 72,392 people, 29,005 households, and 20,535 families residing in the county. The population density was 111 people per square mile (43/km²). There were 32,387 housing units at an average density of 50 per square mile (19/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.32% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. 0.43% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 34.6% were of German, 10.8% Italian, 9.3% Irish, 8.7% American, 7.4% English and 5.7% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 29,005 households out of which 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.90% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.20% were non-families. 25.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the county, the population was spread out with 22.90% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 18.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.
[edit] Politics
[edit] County Government
County Commissioners:
- Patricia L. Kirkpatrick, Chairman (Republican)
- James V. Scahill (Republican)
- Richard L. Fink (Democrat)
District Attorney:
- Scott J. Andreassi (Democrat)
Sheriff:
- Larry Crawford (Democrat)
Controller:
- Myra "Tammy" Miller (Republican)
Treasurer:
- Sonie Mervis (Republican)
Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds:
- Beverly Claypool Casella (Republican)
Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts:
- Brenda C. George (Republican)
Jury Commissioners:
- Karen Shreckengost (Republican)
- Patricia Graff Fiorina (Democrat)
Judges:
- Kenneth G. Valasek, President Judge
- James Panchik
- Joseph A. Nickleach, Sr. Judge
[edit] Pennsylvania State Senate
- Jim Ferlo, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 38th Senatorial District
- Donald White, Republican, Pennsylvania's 41st Senatorial District
[edit] Pennsylvania House Of Representatives
- John E. Pallone, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 54th Representative District
- Jeff Pyle, Republican, Pennsylvania's 60th Representative District
- Joseph A. Petrarca, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 55th Representative District
- Fred McIlhattan, Republican, Pennsylvania's 63rd Representative District
- Sam Smith, Republican, Pennsylvania's 66th Representative District
[edit] United States House of Representatives
- Phil English, Republican, Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district
- John Murtha, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district
[edit] Municipalities
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Armstrong County:
[edit] Cities
[edit] Boroughs
[edit] Townships
[edit] Census-designated places
Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.
[edit] Education
[edit] Colleges and universities
[edit] Public School Districts
- Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District
- Apollo-Ridge School District
- Armstrong School District
- Freeport Area School District
- Karns City Area School District
- Kiski Area School District
- Leechburg Area School District
- Redbank Valley School District
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
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