| Wayne County, Pennsylvania | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Pennsylvania |
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 Pennsylvania's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | March 21, 1798 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Honesdale |
| Largest city | Honesdale |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
751 sq mi (1,945 km²) 21 sq mi (54 km²), 2.84% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
47,722 65/sq mi (25/km²) |
| Website: www.co.wayne.pa.us | |
 Wayne County Courthouse
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Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2000, the population was 47,722. Its county seat is Honesdale[1][page needed]. The county was named for the Revolutionary War General Anthony Wayne.[2]
Contents |
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 751 square miles (1,944 km²), of which, 729 square miles (1,889 km²) of it is land and 21 square miles (55 km²) of it (2.84%) is water.
The terrain of the county is varied. In the wider northern half, it is rugged along its borders; with higher hills found along the western border, lower ones in the east near the river and a wide plain in the middle. The southern portion tends to be swampier.
The highest elevation in the county, 2,656 feet (809.5 m), is the summit of Mount Ararat in Preston Township, near Orson. Two other summits at the north end of the same ridge also exceed 2,640 feet (804.6 m) elevation. The lowest point is along the Delaware River at the Pike County line, approximately 680 feet (207.2 m).
Most of the county is drained by the Delaware River (which separates it from New York,) except for small western areas drained by the Starrucca Creek and the Lackawanna River into the Susquehanna River.
Adjacent counties
- Broome County, New York (north)
- Delaware County, New York (northeast)
- Sullivan County, New York (east)
- Pike County (south)
- Monroe County (south)
- Lackawanna County (west)
- Susquehanna County (west)
Demographics
As of the census[5][page needed] of 2000, there were 47,722 people, 18,350 households, and 12,936 families residing in the county. The population density was 65 people per square mile (25/km²). There were 30,593 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile (16/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.73% White, 1.59% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.52% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. 1.70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.2% were of German, 16.4% Irish, 11.4% Italian, 10.9% English, 8.5% Polish and 6.2% American ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 18,350 households out of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.20% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 6.10% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 17.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 100.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.50 males.
Politics
As of November 2008, there are 32,062 registered voters in Wayne County [1].
- Republican: 17,191 (53.62%)
- Democratic: 10,602 (33.07%)
- Other Parties: 4,269 (13.31%)
The Republican Party has been historically dominant in county-level politics. On the statewide and national levels Wayne County leans heavily toward the Republican Party. In 2000 Republican George W. Bush won 59% to Democrat Al Gore 37%. In 2004 Republican George W. Bush won 62% to Democrat John Kerry 37%. In 2008 Republican John McCain won 55% to Democrat Barack Obama 43%.
Wayne County was one of the only counties that Barry Goldwater won in Pennsylvania.[6]
County Commissioners
- Brian W. Smith, Chairman, Republican
- Anthony Herzog, Republican
- Wendell Kay, Democrat
Other county offices
- Coroner, Kevin Stroyen, Republican
- District Attorney, Michael Lehutsky, Republican
- Prothonotary, Ned Sandercock, Republican
- Recorder of Deeds and Register of Wills, Ginger Golden, Republican
- Sheriff, Mark Steelman (officially Chief Deputy and Sheriff elect), Republican
- Treasurer, Brian T. Field, Republican
State Representatives
- Sandra Major, Republican, 111th district
- Michael Peifer, Republican, 139th district
- Edward Staback, Democrat, 115th district, also Represents part of Lackawanna County.
State Senator
- Lisa Baker, Republican, 20th district
US Representative
- Chris Carney, Democrat, 10th district
Municipalities
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following boroughs and townships are located in Wayne County:
Boroughs
Townships
Education
Public School Districts
- Forest City Regional School District (also in Lackawanna and Susquehanna Counties)
- North Pocono School District (also in Lackawanna County)
- Susquehanna Community School District (also in Susquehanna County)
- Wallenpaupack Area School District (also in Pike County)
- Wayne Highlands School District
- Western Wayne School District
See also
External links
References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Wayne, PA". http://www.co.wayne.pa.us/. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
- ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=Search&_county=Wayne+County&_cityTown=Wayne+County&_state=05000US42127
- ^ http://www.mapzones.org/Wayne_County_Pennsylvania.html
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ David Leip's Presidential Election Atlas
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