Mifflin County, Pennsylvania

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Not to be confused with Mifflin, Juniata County, Pennsylvania.
Mifflin County, Pennsylvania
Mifflin County Courthouse and War Memorial Apr 10.JPG
former Mifflin County Courthouse
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Mifflin County
Location in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Map of the United States highlighting Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location in the U.S.
Founded September 19, 1789
Named for Thomas Mifflin
Seat Lewistown
Largest borough Lewistown
Area
 • Total 415 sq mi (1,075 km2)
 • Land 411 sq mi (1,064 km2)
 • Water 3.7 sq mi (10 km2), 0.9%
Population (est.)
 • (2014) 46,552
 • Density 114/sq mi (44/km²)
Congressional district 10th
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.co.mifflin.pa.us

Mifflin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 46,682.[1] Its county seat is Lewistown.[2] The county was created on September 19, 1789, from parts of Cumberland County and Northumberland County and named after Thomas Mifflin, the first Governor of Pennsylvania.

Mifflin County comprises the Lewistown, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 415 square miles (1,070 km2), of which 411 square miles (1,060 km2) is land and 3.7 square miles (9.6 km2) (0.9%) is water.[3]

Mifflin County is located in, and has its boundaries defined by, the Ridge-and Valley Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania. US Route 322, a major divided highway, connects the county to the rest of the state on its route between Harrisburg and State College. US Route 522 also connects the county to the rest of the state on its route between Selinsgrove and Mount Union.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1790 7,562 —
1800 13,609 80.0%
1810 12,132 −10.9%
1820 16,618 37.0%
1830 21,690 30.5%
1840 13,092 −39.6%
1850 14,980 14.4%
1860 16,340 9.1%
1870 17,508 7.1%
1880 19,577 11.8%
1890 19,996 2.1%
1900 23,160 15.8%
1910 27,785 20.0%
1920 31,439 13.2%
1930 40,335 28.3%
1940 42,993 6.6%
1950 43,691 1.6%
1960 44,348 1.5%
1970 45,268 2.1%
1980 46,908 3.6%
1990 46,197 −1.5%
2000 46,486 0.6%
2010 46,682 0.4%
Est. 2014 46,552 [4] −0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]
1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7]
1990-2000[8] 2010-2013[1]

As of the census[9] of 2010, there were 46,682 people and 18,743 households within the county. The population density was 112.5 people per square mile (44/km²). There were 21,537 housing units at an average density of 51.9 per square mile (19/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.53% White, 0.64% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 38.8% were of German, 19.2% American, 8.0% Irish and 7.5% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 5.7% report speaking Pennsylvania German, Dutch, or German at home.[1]

There were 18,743 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.60% were married couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 2.2% from 18 to 19, 5.1% from 20 to 24, 10.4% from 25 to 34, 20.1% from 35 to 49, 20.6% from 50 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. The population was 48.93% male, and 51.07% female.

Dialect

The dominant form of speech in Mifflin County is the Central Pennsylvania accent. Almost everyone in Mifflin County speaks English. The Amish and some Mennonites speak Pennsylvania German also known as Pennsylvania Dutch, a West Central German dialect, which is quite different from modern Standard German. The Amish and Mennonites also can speak English. Few non-Amish or Mennonites in Mifflin County today speak Pennsylvania German, but this was not true in the past.

Micropolitan Statistical Area

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See also: List of Micropolitan Statistical Areas

The United States Office of Management and Budget[10] has designated Mifflin County as the Lewistown, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area (µSA).[11] As of the 2010 U.S. Census[12] the micropolitan area ranked 10th most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 237th most populous in the United States with a population of 46,682.

Law and government

County Commissioners

  • Stephen T. Dunkle (R)
  • Lisa Nancollas (R)
  • Kevin P. Kodish (D)

Economy

Major employers in Mifflin County include:

Education

Map of Mifflin County Pennsylvania Public School Districts

Public school districts

Most of the county is served by the Mifflin County School District, with the exception of Wayne Township and the boroughs of Newton-Hamilton and Kistler, which are part of the Mount Union Area School District.

Head Start preschool programs

Head Start is a federally and state funded preschool program for low income children. The program serves 3- and 4-year-olds. In order to participate the family income must be below federal poverty guidelines.

  • Coleman Head Start Center[13]
  • McVeytown Head Start Center

Private schools

  • Sacred Heart provides a private, Catholic education until fifth grade.
  • Belleville Mennonite School, Beth-El Christian Day School, and Valley View Christian School provide Mennonite education through grade twelve.
  • Mifflin County Christian Academy located in Decatur Township provides Christian education from kindergarten through grade twelve as well as day care.
  • Several Old Order Amish schools provide education through grade eight.

Colleges and universities

Mifflin-Juniata Career and Technology Center located in Lewistown provides post high school degrees in nursing, auto mechanics and electrical services and numerous other technology driven careers.

The Lewistown branch of the South Hills School of Business and Technology offers associate degrees and other certifications in various areas of business, technology, and some health care.

The Penn State Learning Center in Lewistown offers both two-year and four-year degrees. Recently, the Learning Center opened a state-of-the-art science lab to be used by students attending the Lewistown Hospital School of Nursing.

Media

Radio stations

AM

FM

Television

Mifflin County does not have a local television station but it is provided with local coverage from the following stations outside of the county, with a mixture of stations from the Harrisburg market and the Altoona-Johnstown-State College market:

Newspapers

Sports

Due to close proximity to the borough of State College, the most popular college sports team in Mifflin County is the Penn State football team. In professional football, loyalties divide between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles. Almost all Steelers and Eagles games are available live on network television, as Mifflin County receives stations from both the Steelers and Eagles broadcasting territories, though Baltimore Ravens games are also available through Harrisburg-based stations. The most popular baseball teams are the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies.

Historically, football has been the most popular high school sport, but over the past decade, the most successful teams have been in boys and girls basketball[citation needed]. In the past, high school wrestling was more popular than basketball. Although basketball is now more popular than wrestling, wrestling remains more popular in Mifflin County and in Central Pennsylvania in general than in most parts of the United States[citation needed].

The girls field hockey team is one of the most successful high school teams.[citation needed]. As the schools combined, the competition grew harder as they faced the mid Penn conference[citation needed].

Communities

Map of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing 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 Mifflin County:

Boroughs

Townships

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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.

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See also

Footnotes

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  10. ↑ http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb
  11. ↑ http://www.census.gov/econ/census/media/forms/pa.html
  12. ↑ http://www.census.gov/2010census/
  13. ↑ Snyder, Union, Mifflin Child Development Report. Feb 2010

Further reading

  • Raymond Martin Bell, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania: Families and Records before 1800. Washington, PA: Raymond Martin Bell, 1987.
  • Raymond Martin Bell, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, in the Revolution, 1775-1783. Washington, PA: Raymond Martin Bell, 1993.
  • Raymond Martin Bell, The Houses of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. Washington, PA: Raymond Martin Bell, 1970.
  • Forest K Fisher, Mifflin County. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2008.
  • I. Daniel Rupp, History of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. Laughlintown, PA: Southwest Pennsylvania Genealogical Services, n.d. [1983].
  • John Martin Stroup, The Amish of the Kishacoquillas Valley, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania: When Did They Come, and Why? What of the Future? Lewistown, PA: Mifflin County Historical Society, 1965.
  • John Martin Stroup and Raymond Martin Bell, The Genesis of Mifflin County Pennsylvania: Its Aborigines, Explorers, Early Settlement and Development, Indian Wars and The Revolution, and Formation as a County. Lewistown, PA: Mifflin County Historical Society, 1957.
  • John Martin Stroup and Raymond Martin Bell, The People of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, 1755-1798: Pioneer Settlers and Defenders of the Frontier During the Revolution. Lewistown, PA: Mifflin County Historical Society, 1973.
  • John Martin Stroup and Raymond Martin Bell, The Pioneers of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania: Who's Who in the Early Records with an Account of the Growth of the County before 1790. Lewistown, PA: [Mifflin County Historical Society], 1942.
  • The Cemeteries of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. Lewistown, PA: Mifflin County Historical Society, 1977.
  • Two Hundred Years: A Chronological List of Events in the History of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. Lewistown, PA: Mifflin County Historical Society, 1957.

External links

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