Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania

Susquehanna County is a county in the Commonwealth of 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. The county is part of the Northeast Pennsylvania region of the state.^[a]

Susquehanna County
County
The Susquehanna County Courthouse in Montrose
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°49′17″N 75°48′02″W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	October 13, 1812
Named after	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

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

Milk Can Corners in Hallstead

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

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	9,960		—
1830	16,787		68.5%
1840	21,195		26.3%
1850	28,688		35.4%
1860	36,267		26.4%
1870	37,523		3.5%
1880	40,354		7.5%
1890	40,093		−0.6%
1900	40,043		−0.1%
1910	37,746		−5.7%
1920	34,763		−7.9%
1930	33,806		−2.8%
1940	33,893		0.3%
1950	31,970		−5.7%
1960	33,137		3.7%
1970	34,344		3.6%
1980	37,876		10.3%
1990	40,380		6.6%
2000	42,238		4.6%
2010	43,356		2.6%
2020	38,434		−11.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010-2017[1]

Susquehanna Depot Main Street

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

Susquehanna County Racial Composition^[12]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	35,799	93.14%
Black or African American (NH)	138	0.36%
Native American (NH)	59	0.15%
Asian (NH)	135	0.35%
Pacific Islander (NH)	0	0%
Other/Mixed (NH)	1,456	3.8%
Hispanic or Latino	847	2.2%

Politics

United States presidential election results for Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania^[13][14]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	16,114	71.71%	6,093	27.11%	264	1.17%
2020	15,207	69.72%	6,236	28.59%	370	1.70%
2016	12,891	67.69%	5,123	26.90%	1,029	5.40%
2012	10,800	59.62%	6,935	38.28%	381	2.10%
2008	10,633	54.77%	8,381	43.17%	401	2.07%
2004	11,573	60.78%	7,351	38.61%	116	0.61%
2000	10,226	59.21%	6,481	37.53%	564	3.27%
1996	7,354	47.03%	5,912	37.81%	2,370	15.16%
1992	7,356	44.02%	5,368	32.13%	3,985	23.85%
1988	9,077	64.58%	4,871	34.65%	108	0.77%
1984	10,566	69.95%	4,471	29.60%	67	0.44%
1980	8,994	61.23%	4,660	31.72%	1,035	7.05%
1976	8,331	56.74%	6,075	41.38%	276	1.88%
1972	9,476	67.79%	4,154	29.72%	349	2.50%
1968	8,705	62.04%	4,364	31.10%	963	6.86%
1964	6,567	45.55%	7,838	54.37%	12	0.08%
1960	10,201	63.88%	5,760	36.07%	9	0.06%
1956	10,752	71.42%	4,293	28.52%	10	0.07%
1952	10,529	73.97%	3,653	25.66%	52	0.37%
1948	7,945	67.81%	3,621	30.91%	150	1.28%
1944	8,819	67.42%	4,212	32.20%	49	0.37%
1940	9,520	63.71%	5,383	36.03%	39	0.26%
1936	9,745	58.94%	6,520	39.43%	269	1.63%
1932	6,884	55.99%	5,171	42.06%	240	1.95%
1928	9,445	68.14%	4,353	31.40%	63	0.45%
1924	7,266	67.38%	2,208	20.47%	1,310	12.15%
1920	6,572	66.41%	2,905	29.36%	419	4.23%
1916	3,891	53.08%	3,145	42.91%	294	4.01%
1912	1,988	26.87%	2,588	34.98%	2,822	38.15%
1908	4,999	57.30%	3,230	37.02%	496	5.68%
1904	4,988	61.20%	2,573	31.57%	589	7.23%
1900	5,019	55.24%	3,527	38.82%	539	5.93%
1896	5,310	56.73%	3,618	38.65%	432	4.62%
1892	4,531	53.14%	3,383	39.67%	613	7.19%
1888	5,019	55.30%	3,328	36.67%	729	8.03%

United States Senate election results for Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania1^[15]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	15,545	69.97%	6,129	27.59%	542	2.44%

As of January 9, 2023, there are 27,049 registered voters in Susquehanna County.^[16]

• Republican: 16,538 (61.1%)
• Democratic: 6,856 (25.4%)
• Independent: 2,385 (8.8%)
• Third Party: 1,270 (4.7%)

County commissioners

• Alan M. Hall, Chairman
• David Darrow, Vice-Chair
• Robert G. McNamara, Commissioner

https://www.susqco.com/departments/county-commissioners

Law enforcement

As of 2016^[update] all areas in the county use the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) in a law enforcement capacity, either with part-time police departments or with no other police departments.^[17]

Row offices

• Clerk of Courts and Prothonotary, Jan Krupinski, Republican
• Coroner, Tony Conarton, Republican
• District Attorney, Marion O'Malley, Republican ^[18]
• Recorder of Deeds and Register of Wills, Michelle Estabrook, Republican
• Sheriff, Lance Benedict, Republican
• Treasurer, Jason Miller, Republican
• Auditor, George Starzec, Republican
• Auditor, Susan Jennings, Democrat

State Representatives^[19]

• Tina Pickett, Republican (110th district) - Apolacon, Auburn, Dimock, Forest Lake, Jessup, Middletown, and Rush Townships, and Little Meadows Borough
• Jonathan Fritz, Republican (111th district) - Ararat, Bridgewater, Brooklyn, Choconut, Clifford, Franklin, Gibson, Great Bend, Harford, Harmony, Herrick, Jackson, Lathrop, Lenox, Liberty, New Milford, Oakland, Silver Lake, Springville, and Thompson Townships, and Friendsville, Great Bend, Hallstead, Hop Bottom, Lanesboro, Montrose, New Milford, Oakland, Susquehanna Depot, Thompson, and Union Dale Boroughs

State Senators^[19]

• Lisa Baker, Republican (20th district) - Ararat, Auburn, Brooklyn, Clifford, Gibson, Great Bend, Harford, Harmony, Herrick, Jackson, Lathrop, Lenox, New Milford, Oakland, Springville, and Thompson Townships, and Forest City, Great Bend, Hallstead, Hop Bottom, Lanesboro, New Milford, Oakland, Susquehanna Depot, Thompson, and Union Dale Boroughs
• Gene Yaw, Republican (23rd district) - Apolacon, Bridgewater, Choconut, Dimock, Forest Lake, Franklin, Jessup, Liberty, Middletown, Rush and Silver Lake Townships, and Friendsville, Little Meadows, and Montrose Boroughs

U.S. Representative

• Dan Meuser, Republican (PA-09)

United States Senate

• John Fetterman, Democrat
• David McCormick, Republican

Economy

The economy in the county is mainly made up of retail, health care industry, public school employment, small businesses, and government officials.^[20]

Major employers

2018

Listed in order of number of employees at the end of 2018, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry May 2019 monthly report:^[21]

• Montrose Area School District
• Barnes-Kasson County Hospital
• Pennsylvania State Government
• Endless Mountains Health Systems
• Susquehanna County government
• Mountain View School District
• Elk Lake School District
• Gassearch Drilling Services Corp
• Blue Ridge School District
• Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation

2015^[22]

• Barnes-Kasson County Hospital
• Montrose Area School District
• Endless Mountains Health Systems
• C & G Construction Inc
• Elk Lake School District
• Susquehanna County government
• Mountain View School District
• Pennsylvania State Government
• Gassearch Drilling Services Corp
• Blue Ridge School District

2014^[23]

• Montrose Area School District
• Barnes-Kasson County Hospital
• Gassearch Drilling Services Corp
• Endless Mountains Health Systems
• Elk Lake School District
• Blue Ridge School District
• Susquehanna County government
• Mountain View School District
• Elk Mountain Ski Resort INC
• Forest City Regional School District

Natural gas

Since unconventional drilling for natural gas began in 2008. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in Susquehanna County was 6.1 percent in January 2008. It has since fluctuated between a high of 11.1 percent and a low of 3.1 percent. As of January 2018, the unemployment rate was 5.7 percent.^[24] After decades of population growth since the 1950s, the population in Susquehanna County has since begun to decline, concurrent with the expansion of natural gas drilling and accompanying infrastructure. Between 2010 and 2016, there was an estimated population decline of 5.8 percent. As of 2011, there were 1,079 active natural gas wells in the county which had collectively been issued 795 notices of violations by the Department of Environmental Protection of Pennsylvania.^[25]

Tourism

Susquehanna County's natural environment, skiing, and small villages make it a growing tourist destination.^{[citation needed]}

Education

Map of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, school districts

Public school districts

School districts include:^[26]

• Blue Ridge School District (New Milford)
• Elk Lake School District (Dimock) (also in Wyoming County)
• Forest City Regional School District (Forest City) (also in Lackawanna and Wayne Counties)
• Montrose Area School District (Montrose)
• Mountain View School District (Kingsley)
• Susquehanna Community School District (also in Wayne County)

Public libraries

• Susquehanna County Historical Society & Free Library Association
• Pratt Memorial Library
• Forest City Library
• Hallstead Public Library
• Hallstead-Great Bend Library
• Susquehanna Free Library

Vocational schools

• Susquehanna County Career and Technology Center (Dimock Township)

Intermediate unit

• Luzerne Intermediate Unit 18

Northeast Intermediate Unit 19 (NEIU 19)

Private schools

• Faith Mountain Christian Academy (New Milford)

Transportation

Major highways

• I-81
• US 11
• PA 29
• PA 92
• PA 106
• PA 167
• PA 171
• PA 247
• PA 267
• PA 367
• PA 370
• PA 371
• PA 374
• PA 407
• PA 492
• PA 547
• PA 706
• PA 848
• PA 858

Rail

Susquehanna County's last mainline passenger train services, through New Milford and Hallstead, ended in January 1970. Since then, freight trains (presently Norfolk Southern) use the railroad line.

Air

Although Susquehanna County boasts several airstrips, they are strictly recreational. The closest main airports are in Binghamton, New York and Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Recreation

There is one Pennsylvania state park in Susquehanna County:

• Salt Springs State Park is 7 miles (11 km) north of Montrose, just off Pennsylvania Route 29.

The Nature Conservancy manages two protected wildlife areas:

• The Woodbourne Forest and Wildlife Preserve is a 648 acres (262 ha) area located along Route 29 south of Montrose.^[27]
• The Florence Shelly Preserve is a 380 acres (150 ha) area located along Route 171 in Thompson Township.^[28]

There are nine properties/districts listed on National Register of Historic Places in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania

Communities

Map of Susquehanna County with municipalities labeled

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in two cases at most, towns. The following boroughs and townships are located in Susquehanna County:

Boroughs

• Forest City
• Friendsville
• Great Bend
• Hallstead
• Hop Bottom
• Lanesboro
• Little Meadows
• Montrose (county seat)
• New Milford
• Oakland
• Susquehanna Depot
• Thompson
• Union Dale

Townships

• Apolacon
• Ararat
• Auburn
• Bridgewater
• Brooklyn
• Choconut
• Clifford
• Dimock
• Forest Lake
• Franklin
• Gibson
• Great Bend
• Harford
• Harmony
• Herrick
• Jackson
• Jessup
• Lathrop
• Lenox
• Liberty
• Middletown
• New Milford
• Oakland
• Rush
• Silver Lake
• Springville
• Thompson

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Susquehanna County.^[29]

† county seat

Rank	Borough/Township	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)
1	Bridgewater	Township	2,844
2	Clifford	Township	2,408
3	New Milford	Township	2,042
4	Great Bend	Township	1,949
5	Auburn	Township	1,939
6	Lenox	Township	1,934
7	Forest City	Borough	1,911
8	Silver Lake	Township	1,716
9	Susquehanna Depot	Borough	1,643
10	Springville	Township	1,641
11	† Montrose	Borough	1,617
12	Dimock	Township	1,497
13	Harford	Township	1,430
14	Hallstead	Borough	1,303
15	Liberty	Township	1,292
16	Rush	Township	1,267
17	Gibson	Township	1,221
18	Forest Lake	Township	1,193
19	Brooklyn	Township	963
20	Franklin	Township	937
21	New Milford	Borough	868
22	Jackson	Township	848
23	Lathrop	Township	841
24	Great Bend	Borough	734
25	Choconut	Township	713
26	Herrick	Township	713
27	Oakland	Borough	616
28	Oakland	Township	564
29	Ararat	Township	563
30	Jessup	Township	536
31	Harmony	Township	528
32	Lanesboro	Borough	506
33	Apolacon	Township	500
34	Thompson	Township	410
35	Middletown	Township	382
36	Hop Bottom	Borough	337
37	Thompson	Borough	299
38	Little Meadows	Borough	273
39	Union Dale	Borough	267
40	Friendsville	Borough	111

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania
• Woodbourne Forest and Wildlife Preserve