Armstrong County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,941. 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 represented Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress and served as a major general during the Revolutionary War.
Armstrong County is included in the Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Video Armstrong County, Pennsylvania
History
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 of just under 800. Parker is located in the extreme northwest portion 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.
Maps Armstrong County, Pennsylvania
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 664 square miles (1,720 km2), of which 653 square miles (1,690 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (1.6%) is water.
Streams
The Allegheny and Kiskiminetas rivers; Buffalo, Crooked, Cowanshannock, Redbank, and Mahoning creeks; and Carnahan Run, among others, have watersheds within the county. The Murphy, Nicholson, Ross, and Cogley islands are in the Allegheny in Armstrong County.
Adjacent counties
- Clarion County (north)
- Jefferson County (northeast)
- Indiana County (east)
- Westmoreland County (south)
- Allegheny County (southwest)
- Butler County (west)
- Venango County (northwest)
Demographics
As of the census 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.
- Birth rate
Armstrong County's live birth rate was 890 births in 1990. Armstrong County's live birth rate in 2000 was 740 births, while in 2011 it had declined further to 680 babies. Over the past 50 years (1960 to 2010), rural Pennsylvania saw a steady decline in both the number and proportion of residents under 18 years old. In 1960, 1.06 million rural residents, or 35 percent of the rural population, were children.
- Teen Pregnancy rate
Armstrong County had a 448 babies born to teens (age15-19) in 2011. In 2015, the number of teen births in Armstrong County was 418.
- County poverty demographics
According to research by The Center for Rural Pennsylvania[1], which is a legislative Agency of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the poverty rate for Armstrong County was 13.8% in 2014. The statewide poverty rate was 13.6% in 2014. The 2012 childhood poverty rate by school district was: Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District - 37.2%, Apollo-Ridge School District - 46.6% living at 185% or below than the Federal Poverty Level, Armstrong School District - 48.9%, Freeport Area School District - 27.7%, and Leechburg Area School District - 39.6.
Government and politics
Voter Registration
As of November 7th 2017 there was 41,070 registered voters in the county. Republicans hold a tiny majority of the voters. There was 21,772 registered Republican's, 14,742 registered Democrat's, 4,259 voters registered to other parties, 259 to the Libertarian Party and 38 voters registered to the Green Party.
County government
County Commissioners:
- Pat Fabian (Democrat), Chairman
- Jason Renshaw, Vice-Chairman
- George J. Skamai, Secretary
District Attorney:
- Scott J. Andreassi (Democrat)
Sheriff:
- Bill Rupert (Democrat)
Controller:
- Myra "Tammy" Miller (Republican)
Treasurer:
- Amanda Hiles
Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds:
- Marianne Hileman (Republican)
Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts:
- Brenda C. George (Republican)
Jury Commissioners:
- Karen Shreckengost (Republican)
- Paul Kijowski (Democrat)
Judges:
- Kenneth G. Valasek, President Judge (Democrat)
- James Panchik (Democrat)
- Joseph A. Nickleach, Sr. Judge (Democrat)
State Senate
- Donald C. White, Republican, Pennsylvania's 41st Senatorial District
State House Of Representatives
- Joseph A. Petrarca, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 55th Representative District
- Jeff Pyle, Republican, Pennsylvania's 60th Representative District
- Donna Oberlander, Republican, Pennsylvania's 63rd Representative District
United States House of Representatives
- Mike Kelly, Republican, Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district
Education
Colleges and universities
- Indiana University of Pennsylvania Northpointe - South Buffalo Township
Public school districts
- Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District (part) - ranked 415th (2012), 448th in 2010
- Apollo-Ridge School District (part) - ranked 406 (2012), 437th (2010)
- Armstrong School District (part, 2 high schools) - ranked 342nd (2012), 328th in 2010
- Freeport Area School District (part) - ranked 148th (2012), 124th in 2010
- Karns City Area School District (part) - ranked 193rd (2012), 177th in 2010
- Kiski Area School District (part) - ranked 96th (2012), 101st in 2010
- Leechburg Area School District (part) - ranked 416th (2012), 400th in 2010
- Redbank Valley School District (part) - ranked 298th (2012), 279th in 2010
The 498 school districts of Pennsylvania, that have high schools, were ranked for student academic achievement as demonstrated by four years of writing, science math and reading PSSA results by the Pittsburgh Business Times in 2010.
Technology school
- Lenape Technical School - Ford City
Private schools
As reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Education - EdNA. April 2012.
- Adelphoi Village Miller Home - Apollo
- Divine Redeemer School - Ford City
- Dry Knob Amish School - Smicksburg
- Evangelical Lutheran School - Worthington
- Grace Christian School - Kittanning
- Meadow View School - Dayton
- Model Education Program - Kittanning
- New Bethlehem Wesleyan Methodist School - New Bethlehem
- Orchard Hills Christian Academy - Apollo
- Owl Hollow Amish School - Smicksburg
- Shady Lane Amish School - Smicksburg
- Shady Run Amish School - Smicksburg
- Stony Acres Amish School - Smicksburg
- Stony Flat Amish School - Smicksburg
- United Cerebral Palsy Of Western Pennsylvania - Spring Church
- Whippoorwill School - Smicksburg
- Worthington Baptist Christian School - Worthington
Libraries
There are six public libraries in Armstrong County:
- Apollo Memorial Library - Apollo, PA
- Ford City Public Library - Ford City, PA
- Freeport Area Library - Freeport, PA
- Kittanning Public Library - Kittanning, PA
- Leechburg Public Library - Leechburg, PA
- Worthington West Franklin Community Library - Worthington, PA
Communities
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:
City
- Parker
Boroughs
Townships
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.
- Kiskimere
- Lenape Heights
- North Vandergrift
- Orchard Hills
- Pleasant View
- Templeton
- West Hills
Unincorporated community
- Nu Mine
Former community
- Barnard
Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Armstrong County.
+ county seat
See also
- List of counties in Pennsylvania
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania
References
External links
- Armstrong County Chamber of Commerce
- Armstrong County Public Libraries
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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