Susquehanna County
County
The Susquehanna County Courthouse in Montrose
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°49′17″N 75°48′02″W / 41.82133°N 75.80068°W / 41.82133; -75.80068
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	October 13, 1812
Named for	Susquehanna River
Seat	Montrose
Largest borough	Forest City
Area
• Total	832 sq mi (2,150 km2)
• Land	823 sq mi (2,130 km2)
• Water	8.7 sq mi (23 km2)  1.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	38,434
• Density	46/sq mi (18/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	9th
Website	www.susqco.com

Susquehanna County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,434^[1] Its county seat is Montrose.^[2] The county was created on February 21, 1810, from part of Luzerne County^[3] and later organized in 1812.^[4] It is named for the Susquehanna River.

History

Settlement and conflict

The first non-Indigenous settlers began to move into the area from Philadelphia and Connecticut in the mid-1700s. At the time, the area was part of Luzerne County. As more and more people from Connecticut moved in, there began to be some conflict. Connecticut's original land grant gave it control of land within the northern and southern boundaries from present-day Connecticut to the Pacific Ocean. Their land grant overlapped with that of Pennsylvania. Soon fighting began between migrants from each state, resulting in the 1769–1799 Pennamite–Yankee Wars. In the end, the government of Connecticut surrendered its claim on the area.

Formation

In 1810, Susquehanna County was formed out of Luzerne County and later in 1812, Montrose was made the county seat.

Coal and early prosperity

After the Civil War, coal started to be mined. Following this, railways and roads were built into the county allowing for more people to come. At one point the county had nearly 50,000 people. Coal became, as with neighboring counties, the backbone of the economy. This boom in coal would allow for an age of prosperity in the county.

Great Depression

When the Great Depression hit, the coal industry suffered horribly. Within months, the coal industry was struggling. During World War II, the coal industry picked up again, but only for a short time. Soon after, the economy in the county failed. Many mines were closed, railways were torn apart, and the economy took a turn for the worse. Unemployment rose and population decline increased.^{[dubious – discuss]}

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 832 square miles (2,150 km²), of which 823 square miles (2,130 km²) is land and 8.7 square miles (23 km²) (1.0%) is water.^[5]

Susquehanna County is very mountainous, with large concentrations of mountains in the east and smaller, more hill-like mountains in the west. The highest mountain in the county is North Knob just west of Union Dale. Most people live in one of the several long and mostly narrow valleys. These valleys are good farming land.

The county has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) and average monthly temperatures in Montrose range from 21.2 °F in January to 67.7 °F in July.^[6]

Adjacent counties

• Broome County, New York (north)
• Wayne County (east)
• Lackawanna County (southeast)
• Wyoming County (southwest)
• Bradford County (west)
• Tioga County, New York (northwest)

Demographics

As of the census^[11] of 2000, there were 42,238 people, 16,529 households, and 11,785 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile (20 people/km²). There were 21,829 housing units at an average density of 26 units per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.54% White, 0.30% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 26% were of English, 16.1% were of German, 15.1% Irish, 8.6% Italian and 7.7% Polish ancestry.

There were 16,529 households, out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.50% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.80 males.

2020 census

Politics