Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

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Westmoreland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, located in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 354,663.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Greensburg and the most populous community is Hempfield Township.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> It is named after Westmorland, a historic county of England. The county is part of the Southwest Pennsylvania region of the state.Template:Efn

Formed from, successively, Lancaster, Northumberland, and later Bedford counties, Westmoreland County was founded on February 26, 1773, and was the first county in the colony of Pennsylvania whose entire territorial boundary was located west of the Allegheny Mountains. Westmoreland County originally included the present-day counties of Fayette, Washington, Greene, and parts of Beaver, Allegheny, Indiana, and Armstrong counties.

History

Formed from Lancaster, Northumberland, and later Bedford counties, Westmoreland County was founded on February 26, 1773, and was the first county in the Pennsylvania colony whose entire territorial boundary was located west of the Allegheny Mountains. Westmoreland County originally included the present-day counties of Fayette, Washington, Greene, and parts of Beaver, Allegheny, Indiana, and Armstrong counties. It is named after Westmorland, a historic county of England.

On December 20th, 1785, Joseph Ross of Westmoreland County was sentenced to death for the crime of sodomy. This is the only known execution for sodomy to take place in Pennsylvania’s history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.8%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> Westmoreland County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission,<ref name="ARC">Template:Cite web</ref> and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.<ref name="NYT_CW">Template:Cite news</ref>

Climate

Westmoreland has a humid continental climate (Dfa/Dfb). Average monthly temperatures in Greensburg range from 28.7 °F in January to 71.8 °F in July, while in Murrysville they range from 29.4 °F in January to 73.1 °F in July, in Latrobe they range from 28.9 °F in January to 72.0 °F in July, and in Ligonier they range from 28.1 °F in January to 71.1 °F in July.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Adjacent counties

Armstrong County (north)
Indiana County (northeast)
Cambria County (east)
Somerset County (southeast)
Fayette County (south)
Washington County (southwest)
Allegheny County (west)
Butler County (northwest)

Major highways

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Demographics

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At the 2010 census,<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 365,169 people, 153,650 households and 101,928 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 168,199 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 95.3% White, 2.3% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 0.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 153,650 households, of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32, and the average family size was 2.86.

22.3% of the population were under 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 31.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

2020 census

Westmoreland County Racial Composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	323,114	91.1%
Black or African American (NH)	8,985	2.53%
Native American (NH)	295	0.1%
Asian (NH)	3,301	1%
Pacific Islander (NH)	36	0.01%
Other/Mixed (NH)	13,702	3.86%
Hispanic or Latino	5,230	1.47%

Politics and government

Voter registration

As of November 4, 2024, there are 255,693 registered voters in Westmoreland County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Republican: 131,903 (51.59%)
Democratic: 91,183 (35.66%)
Independent: 22,697 (8.88%)
Minor parties: 9,910 (3.88%)

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Political history

The Democratic Party historically dominated county-level politics between the New Deal realignment and the turn of the century; however, Westmoreland has trended Republican at the national and statewide levels in the 21st century (in direct lockstep with most other Appalachian counties).

In 2000, Republican George W. Bush became the first Republican to carry the county since 1972. Republicans have won the county in every election since, increasing the margin of victory in every successive election until 2020. Democratic Governor Ed Rendell lost Westmoreland in 2002 and 2006. In 2004 Republican Bob Regola flipped the 39th Senate district by beating out incumbent Allen Kukovich. Then in 2008, Republican Tim Krieger picked up the 57th House district left open by the retirement of Democratic state representative Tom Tangretti.

In 2010, both Pat Toomey and Tom Corbett won Westmoreland in their statewide bids. Also, the GOP gained control of two more State House districts, the 54th with Eli Evankovich and the 56th with George Dunbar. In 2011, the Republican Party swept all county row offices.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A Democratic resurgence in 2015 gave that party a majority of the county commissioners. However, in the 2019 elections, Democratic elected officials lost that majority and carried only one row office. In 2020 the County Sheriff who was the lone Democrat who won a row office in 2019 switched party affiliations from Democratic to Republican. In 2021 Republicans carried all of the row offices including defeating the incumbent District Attorney and County Coroner, following the 2021 election the minority County Commissioner was the only Democrat to hold Countywide office. In 2023 Republicans retained their majority on the Board of Commissioners and held every row office.

As of 2020, the only majority-Democratic cities within the county are Arnold and Monessen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> That being said, local Democrats running statewide sometimes win additional cities and boroughs. For example, in the 2022 Gubernatorial race, the cities of Greensburg, New Kensington, Latrobe, and Jeannette all voted for Democrat Josh Shapiro over Republican Doug Mastriano despite voting Republican in the 2020 Presidential election.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

County commissioners

Westmoreland County is administered by a three-member publicly elected commission. Each commissioner serves in four-year terms. Elections occur in the odd-numbered years that precede U.S. presidential elections. All three Commissioners are chosen in the same election, and voters may vote for no more than two candidates. By state law, the commission must have a minority party guaranteeing a political split on the commission. The Commissioners are responsible for the management of the fiscal and administrative functions of the county.

Commissioner	Party	Title
Sean Kertes	Republican	Chairman
Ted Kopas	Democratic	Secretary
Doug Chew	Republican	Vice Chair

County row offices

Office	Official	Party
Clerk of Courts	Megan Loughner	Republican
Controller	Jeff Balzer	Republican
Coroner	Tim Carson	Republican
District Attorney	Nicole Ziccarelli	Republican
Prothonotary	Gina O'Barto	Republican
Recorder of Deeds	Frank Schiefer	Republican
Register of Wills	Katie Pecarchik	Republican
Sheriff	James Albert	Republican
Treasurer	Jared M Squires	Republican

State House of Representatives<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

District	Representative	Party
55	Jill N. Cooper	Republican
56	George Dunbar	Republican
57	Eric Nelson	Republican
58	Eric Davanzo	Republican
59	Leslie Rossi	Republican
60	Abby Major	Republican

State Senate<ref name=":0" />

District	Senator	Party
32	Patrick J. Stefano	Republican
39	Kim Ward	Republican
41	Joe Pittman	Republican

United States House of Representatives

District	Representative	Party
12	Summer Lee	Democrat
14	Guy Reschenthaler	Republican

United States Senate

Senator	Party
John Fetterman	Democratic
Dave McCormick	Republican

Education

Public school districts

File:Map of Westmoreland County Pennsylvania School Districts.png

Map of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Public School Districts

School districts:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>

Belle Vernon Area School District (Also in Fayette County)
Blairsville-Saltsburg School District (Also in Indiana County)
Burrell School District
Derry Area School District
Franklin Regional School District
Greater Latrobe School District
Greensburg-Salem School District
Hempfield Area School District
Jeannette City School District
Kiski Area School District (Also in Armstrong County)
Leechburg Area School District (Also in Armstrong County)
Ligonier Valley School District
Monessen City School District
Mount Pleasant Area School District
New Kensington–Arnold School District
Norwin School District
Penn-Trafford School District (also in Allegheny County)
Southmoreland School District (also in Fayette County)
Yough School District

Public charter schools

Dr. Robert Ketterer Charter School grades 7th through 12th Latrobe (since 2008)

According to EdNA<ref>Pennsylvania Department of Education, Education Names and Addresses, 2012</ref>

Private high school

Colleges and universities

Additional

Economy

Coal mining became a major industry in the county after the Civil War, followed by the expansion of iron, steel, and glass manufacturing. The 600-acre coke works for the Isabella Furnace were built in Cokeville (then Coketown) in the Spring of 1872.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At one point, company "coal patches" (towns built for miners) represented about one-third of the county's settlements.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A major strike by coal miners represented by the United Mine Workers of America took place in 1910–1911. Sixteen people were killed in the strike.<ref name="Norwood">Template:Cite book</ref>

In 2020, the top industries in the county were health care and social services (16.3% of jobs), manufacturing (13.8%), and retail trade (13.7%).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Mining comprised less than 1% of the jobs in the county. Westmoreland County is now believed to be the site of over 100 abandoned mines.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Volkswagen's Westmoreland plant near New Stanton in Westmoreland County was the first foreign-owned factory mass-producing automobiles in the U.S. It operated from 1978 to 1988.

Recreation

File:LaurelMTS1.jpg

Autumn on a small state road near the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Laurel Mountains.

Westmoreland County has four Pennsylvania state parks.

Communities

File:Map of Westmoreland County Pennsylvania With Municipal and Township Labels.png

Map of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing cities and 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 Westmoreland County:

Cities

Boroughs

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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 also be listed here.

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Unincorporated communities

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Former community

Cokeville / Coketown
Livermore, Pennsylvania
Franklin Township - now known as Murrysville, Pennsylvania<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Westmoreland County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)
1	Murrysville	Municipality	20,079
2	† Greensburg	City	14,892
3	New Kensington	City	13,116
4	Lower Burrell	City	11,761
5	Jeannette	City	9,654
6	Latrobe	City	8,338
7	Monessen	City	7,720
8	Vandergrift	Borough	5,205
9	Arnold	City	5,157
10	Mount Pleasant	Borough	4,454
11	Scottdale	Borough	4,384
12	Level Green	CDP	4,020
13	Irwin	Borough	3,973
14	Loyalhanna	CDP	3,428
15	Manor	Borough	3,239
16	Trafford (partially in Allegheny County)	Borough	3,174
17	Youngwood	Borough	3,050
18	Derry	Borough	2,688
19	Delmont	Borough	2,686
20	West Newton	Borough	2,633
21	Lawson Heights	CDP	2,194
22	New Stanton	Borough	2,173
23	Southwest Greensburg	Borough	2,155
24	South Greensburg	Borough	2,117
25	Lynnwood-Pricedale	CDP	2,031
26	North Belle Vernon	Borough	1,971
27	Ligonier	Borough	1,573
28	St. Vincent College	CDP	1,357
29	West Leechburg	Borough	1,294
30	Calumet	CDP	1,241
31	Fellsburg	CDP	1,180
32	Collinsburg	CDP	1,125
33	Avonmore	Borough	1,011
34	Norvelt	CDP	948
35	Export	Borough	917
36	North Irwin	Borough	846
37	Oklahoma	Borough	809
38	Herminie	CDP	789
39	Hostetter	CDP	740
40	New Florence	Borough	689
41	Yukon	CDP	677
42	East Vandergrift	Borough	674
43	Sutersville	Borough	605
44	Millwood	CDP	566
45	New Alexandria	Borough	560
46	Bradenville	CDP	545
47	Grapeville	CDP	538
48	Mammoth	CDP	525
49	Hyde Park	Borough	500
50	Seward	Borough	495
51	Wyano	CDP	484
52	Penn	Borough	475
53	Bolivar	Borough	465
54	Smithton	Borough	399
55	Madison	Borough	397
56	Slickville	CDP	388
57	Arona	Borough	370
58	Youngstown	Borough	326
59	Hunker	Borough	291
60	Crabtree	CDP	277
61	Webster	CDP	255
62	Adamsburg	Borough	172
63	Laurel Mountain	Borough	167
64	Harrison City	CDP	134
65	Donegal	Borough	120

Notable people

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David Alter, born in Westmoreland County, noted inventor<ref name="Marquis 1607-1896">Template:Cite book</ref>
Pete Babando, former NHL Hockey player, played for 1950 Stanley Cup champions Detroit Red Wings, born in Braeburn neighborhood of the City of Lower Burrell.
George Blanda, Hall of Fame football player, born in Youngwood.
D.J. Coffman, comic book artist and writer, creator of Hero By Night. Born in Mt. Pleasant. Resides in Scottdale.
Johnny Costa, jazz pianist, was born and raised in Arnold.
Jesse Root Grant, (father of Ulysses S. Grant, General & President) born in Greensburg.
Shirley Jones, Academy Award-winning actress and singer, grew up in Smithton.
Sheila Kelley, American actor, born and raised in Greensburg, Pa. Founder of Sheila Kelley S Factor exercise and lifestyle program.
Stephanie Kwolek, chemist and inventor of Kevlar, born in New Kensington.
Bill Mazeroski, Hall of Fame baseball player
Michael Moorer, boxer
Arnold Palmer, golfer, was born and raised in Latrobe.
Terrelle Pryor NFL quarterback, attended Jeannette High School.
Fred Rogers, television personality, was born, raised, and lived in Latrobe; buried in Unity Cemetery, Unity Township, just outside Latrobe.
Arthur St. Clair, American Revolution Major General, Patriot, 9th President of the Continental Congress, buried in Greensburg, Pa.
Willie Thrower, football player, was born and raised in New Kensington.
Jim White, KMOX radio talk show host, born and raised in Greensburg, Pa.
Jacob Zimmerman (born 1831), newspaper editor, newspaper owner, Illinois politician, mine owner, real estate entrepreneur, and businessman.