| Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Pennsylvania |
|
 Pennsylvania's location in the U.S. |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | August 13, 1878 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Scranton |
| Largest city | Scranton |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
465 sq mi (1,204 km²) 459 sq mi (1,189 km²) 6 sq mi (16 km²), 1.27% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
213,295 466/sq mi (180/km²) |
| Website: www.lackawannacounty.org | |
Lackawanna County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It lies at the northern edge of the Coal Region, northwest of the Poconos. It was created on August 13, 1878, from part of Luzerne County and is Pennsylvania's most recently established county. It is named for the Lackawanna River. The county has a population of 213,295 as of 2000 and its county seat is Scranton.
Contents |
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 465 square miles (1,203 km²), of which, 459 square miles (1,188 km²) of it is land and 6 square miles (15 km²) of it (1.27%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Susquehanna County (north)
- Wayne County (east)
- Monroe County (southeast)
- Luzerne County (southwest)
- Wyoming County (west)
 |
Susquehanna County |
|
|||||
| Wyoming County |  |
Wayne County | |||||
 Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania  |
|||||||
 |
|||||||
| Luzerne County | Monroe County |
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 213,295 people, 86,218 households, and 55,783 families residing in the county. The population density was 465 people per square mile (180/km²). There were 95,362 housing units at an average density of 208 per square mile (80/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.65% White, 1.31% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 1.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 22.5% were of Italian, 21.2% Irish, 15.4% Polish and 10.2% German ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 86,218 households out of which 27.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.90% were married couples living together, 11.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.30% were non-families. 31.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the county, the population was spread out with 21.80% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 19.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.40 males.
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 Lackawanna County:
Cities
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.
Politics
As of November 2008, there are 157,307 registered voters in Lackawanna County.[2]
- Democratic: 102,306 (65.04%)
- Republican: 42,861 (27.25%)
- Other parties and independents: 12,140 (7.72%)
The Democratic Party has been historically dominant in county-level politics.[citation needed] On the state and national levels, Lackawanna County leans toward the Democratic Party. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore won 60% of the vote and Republican George W. Bush won 36%.[3] In 2004, Democrat John Kerry received 56% of the vote and Bush received 42%.[4] In 2006, Democrats Governor Ed Rendell and Senator Bob Casey, Jr. won 70% and 73% of the vote in Lackawanna County, respectively.[5] In 2008, three of four Democrats running statewide carried the county, with Barack Obama receiving 63% of the county vote to 37% for John McCain.[6]
County commissioners
- Corey D. O'Brien, Chairman, Democrat
- Michael Washo, Vice-chairman, Democrat
- Anthony "A.J." Munchak, Republican
Other county offices
- Clerk of Judicial Records, Mary Rinaldi, Democrat
- Controller, Ken McDowell, Democrat
- Coroner, Joseph Brennan, Democrat
- District Attorney, Andy Jarbola III, Republican
- Recorder of Deeds, Evie Rafalko-McNulty, Democrat
- Register of Wills, Linda Munley, Democrat
- Sheriff, John Syzmanski, Democrat
- Treasurer, Edward Karpovich, Democrat
State Representatives
- Kenneth J. Smith, Democrat, 112nd district
- Kevin Murphy, Democrat, 113rd district
- Jim Wansacz, Democrat, 114th district
- Edward Staback, Democrat, 115th district
State Senator
- Robert J. Mellow, Democrat, 22nd district
United States House of Representatives
- Chris Carney, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district
- Paul Kanjorski, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district
Education
Colleges and universities
- Baptist Bible College
- Johnson College
- Keystone College
- Lackawanna College
- Marywood University
- Penn State Worthington Scranton
- University of Scranton
Public School Districts
- Abington Heights School District
- Carbondale Area School District
- Dunmore School District
- Forest City Regional School District (also in Susquehanna and Wayne Counties)
- Lackawanna Trail School District (also in Wyoming County)
- Lakeland School District
- Mid Valley School District
- North Pocono School District (also in Wayne County)
- Old Forge School District
- Riverside School District
- Scranton School District
- Valley View School District
The county is also served by the Diocese of Scranton. The diocese operates a number of private Catholic schools, including Holy Cross High School.
References
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ http://www.dos.state.pa.us/elections/lib/elections/055_voter_registration_statistics/currentstats/currentvotestats.xls
- ^ "Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information". http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=12&ElectionID=2. Retrieved on 2009-03-10.
- ^ "Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information". http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=12&ElectionID=11. Retrieved on 2009-03-10.
- ^ "Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information". http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=12&ElectionID=24. Retrieved on 2009-03-10.
- ^ "Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information". http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?FunctionID=12&ElectionID=28. Retrieved on 2009-03-10.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
