Armstrong County, Pennsylvania

Armstrong County, Pennsylvania
Armstrong County Courthouse
Location in the state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location in the U.S.
Founded	March 12, 1800
Seat	Kittanning
Largest city	Kittanning
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	664 sq mi (1,720 km²) 653 sq mi (1,691 km²) 11 sq mi (28 km²), 1.58%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	68,941 105/sq mi (40.7/km²)
Website	www.co.armstrong.pa.us

The Crooked Creek Lake Recreation Area is a dam, reservoir, and park near Ford City in Armstrong County.

Armstrong County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,941. 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 represented Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress and served as a major general during the Revolutionary War.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 664 square miles (1,719.8 km²), of which 654 square miles (1,693.9 km²) is land and 11 square miles (28.5 km²) (1.58%) 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)

History

The County was named after John Armstrong, who served as a brigadier general and major general in the Revolutionary War.

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.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1800	2,399		—
1810	6,143		156.1%
1820	10,324		68.1%
1830	17,701		71.5%
1840	28,365		60.2%
1850	29,560		4.2%
1860	35,797		21.1%
1870	43,382		21.2%
1880	47,641		9.8%
1890	46,747		−1.9%
1900	52,551		12.4%
1910	67,880		29.2%
1920	75,568		11.3%
1930	79,298		4.9%
1940	81,087		2.3%
1950	80,842		−0.3%
1960	79,524		−1.6%
1970	75,590		−4.9%
1980	77,768		2.9%
1990	73,478		−5.5%
2000	72,392		−1.5%
2010	68,941		−4.8%

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.

Politics

As of November 2008, there were 45,532 registered voters in Armstrong County.

• Republican: 20,763 (45.60%)
• Democratic: 20,525 (45.08%)
• Other Parties: 4,244 (9.32%)

County government

County Commissioners:

• Patricia L. Kirkpatrick, Chair (Republican)
• Richard L. Fink, Vice-chair (Democrat)
• James V. Scahill (Republican)

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:

• Marianne Hileman (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 (Democrat)
• James Panchik (Democrat)
• Joseph A. Nickleach, Sr. Judge (Democrat)

Pennsylvania State Senate

• Jim Ferlo, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 38th Senatorial District
• Donald C. White, Republican, Pennsylvania's 41st Senatorial District

Pennsylvania House Of Representatives

• Eli Evankovich, Republican, Pennsylvania's 54th Representative District
• Jeff Pyle, Republican, Pennsylvania's 60th Representative District
• Joseph A. Petrarca, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 55th Representative District
• Donna Oberlander, Republican, Pennsylvania's 63rd Representative District
• Sam Smith, Republican, Pennsylvania's 66th Representative District

United States House of Representatives

• Mike Kelly, Republican, Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district
• Mark Critz, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district

Municipalities

Map of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing Cities and Boroughs (red), Townships (white), and Census-designated places (blue).

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:

Cities

• Parker

Boroughs

Apollo Applewold Atwood Dayton Elderton Ford City

Ford Cliff Freeport Kittanning Leechburg Manorville

North Apollo Rural Valley South Bethlehem West Kittanning Worthington

Townships

Bethel Township Boggs Township Bradys Bend Township Burrell Township Cadogan Township Cowanshannock Township East Franklin Township Gilpin Township Hovey Township Kiskiminetas Township

Kittanning Township Madison Township Mahoning Township Manor Township North Buffalo Township Parks Township Perry Township Pine Township Plumcreek Township

Rayburn Township Redbank Township South Bend Township South Buffalo Township Sugarcreek Township Valley Township Washington Township Wayne Township West Franklin Township

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.

Lenape Heights North Vandergrift-Pleasant View

Orchard Hills West Hills

Map of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania Public School Districts

Education

Colleges and universities

• Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Public school districts

• Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District (part) - ranked 448th in 2010
• Apollo-Ridge School District (part) - 437th in 2010
• Armstrong School District (part, features three high schools) - 328th in 2010
• Freeport Area School District (part) - ranked 124th in 2010
• Karns City Area School District (part) - ranked 177th in 2010
• Kiski Area School District (part) - ranked 101st in 2010
• Leechburg Area School District (part) - ranked 400th in 2010
• Redbank Valley School District (part) - ranked 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.

Private Schools

As reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Education - EdNA. April 2010.

• Divine Redeemer School - Ford City
• Evangelical Lutheran School - Worthington
• Grace Christian School - Kittanning
• Meadow View School - Dayton
• Orchard Hills Christian Academy - Apollo
• 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

See also

• List of counties in Pennsylvania
• List of municipal authorities in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania

External links

• Armstrong County Chamber of Commerce
• Armstrong County Public Libraries