Editing Juniata County, Pennsylvania (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Beale Township fields near Tuscarora Creek.jpg|thumb|right|Fields near Tuscarora Creek in Beale Township, with Limestone Ridge in the background]]

According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|394|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|391|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|2.2|sqmi}} (0.6%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_42.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 8, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref>

Juniata County is located between two major metropolitan areas. One is [[State College, Pennsylvania|State College]], which is northwest of the county. The other is [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]], which is to the southeast of the county.<ref name = "chapter01"/> [[U.S. Route 22]]/[[U.S. Route 322]], which is a four-lane highway, leads from the county to these metropolitan areas.<ref name = "chapter01">{{Citation|url = http://co.juniata.pa.us/docs/comp_plan/Chapter_01.pdf|title = Juniata County Comprehensive Plan|access-date = May 12, 2014}}</ref><ref name = "chapter06"/>

Parts of Juniata County are fairly flat, but there are areas in the county with slopes of 25% or greater. However, most development in the county is confined to areas with slopes of 15% or less. Many of the county's steepest slopes, with grades of 25% of more, are located on the edges of the county. These slopes are generally found on mountainous ridges. However, there are some similarly steep slopes in the middle of the county. All four boroughs in the county have slopes with a grade of 25% or more near them. Slopes of 15% to 25% can be found throughout the county.<ref name = "chapter02"/>

Much of Juniata County is hilly. Mountains occupy many of the county's borders. [[Tuscarora Mountain]] forms the county's border with Perry County. Shade Mountain runs from Snyder County through Juniata County and into Huntingdon County.<ref name = "a history">{{Citation|editor = John Woolf Jordan|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=_RYVAAAAYAAJ&q=%22juniata+county%22|title = A History of the Juniata Valley and Its People, Volume 1|year = 1913|access-date = May 18, 2014}}</ref> Juniata County is one of the 423 counties served by the [[Appalachian Regional Commission]],<ref name="ARC">{{cite web |title=About the Appalachian Region |url=https://www.arc.gov/about-the-appalachian-region/ |publisher=Appalachian Regional Commission |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref> and it is identified as part of the "Midlands" by Colin Woodard in his book ''[[American Nations|American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America]]''.<ref name="NYT_CW">{{cite web |last1=Woodard |first1=Colin |title=The Maps That Show That City vs. Country Is Not Our Political Fault Line |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/30/opinion/urban-rural-united-states-regions-midterms.html |work=New York Times |access-date=30 July 2018}}</ref>

There are two locations in Juniata County that the Juniata County Comprehensive Plan describes as "outstanding and unique scenic features". These are Hawstone Overlook and the Concord Narrows. Hawstone Overlook is an [[overlook]] in [[Milford Township, Juniata County, Pennsylvania|Milford Township]] on [[Pennsylvania Route 333]], from which the Juniata River between [[Shade Mountain]] and Blue Mountain can be seen, as well as the [[Lewistown Narrows]]. The Concord Narrows are a narrow [[water gap]] where the Juniata River flows past [[Tuscarora Mountain]]. [[Quartizite]] from the Silurian Period can be found in this water gap.<ref name = "chapter02"/>

===Rivers and watersheds===
There are several major streams and rivers in Juniata County. These include the [[Susquehanna River]], the [[Juniata River]], [[Tuscarora Creek (Juniata River)|Tuscarora Creek]], [[Cocolamus Creek]], [[West Branch Mahantango Creek]], [[Licking Creek (Potomac River)|Licking Creek]], and [[Lost Creek (Pennsylvania)|Lost Creek]].<ref name = "chapter02"/>

112,000 acres, or 45% of Juniata County's area is in the Tuscarora Creek watershed, including the borough of Port Royal. 59,000 acres (24% of the county's area) is in the Juniata River watershed. This area includes parts of all four of the boroughs in the county. 26,000 acres of Juniata County are in the Cocolamus Creek watershed and a similar amount of the county is in the watershed of Lost Creek. 20,000 acres (8% of the counties area) are in the West Branch Mahantango Creek watershed.<ref name = "chapter02"/>

===Land use===
Residential land makes up more than 50,000 acres, or one fifth, of Juniata County's area. The bulk of residential land is single-family dwellings, but seasonal homes and [[mobile home]]s also make up significant portions of it. The county's residential land is concentrated along in its boroughs, but occurs along roads and in villages throughout the county. Multi-family residential land is comparatively rare. Less than 1% of the county's land (430 acres) is used for manufacturing purposes. Only approximately 370 acres are used for transportation and utilities. Roughly 300 acres are used for transportation and communication and 70 acres are used for other utilities. Businesses make up 0.21% of the county's land, or 525 acres. 490 acres are devoted to [[retail]] businesses, while 35 acres are devoted to [[wholesale]] businesses. Services occupy 0.67% of the county's area.<ref name = "chapter05">{{Citation|url = http://co.juniata.pa.us/docs/comp_plan/Chapter_05.pdf|title = Juniata County Comprehensive Plan: Chapter 5 – Land Use|access-date = May 14, 2014}}</ref>

Land devoted to recreation in Juniata County makes up 0.5%, or 1000 acres, of its area. Agricultural land comprises 41% (101,000 acres) of the county.<ref name = "chapter05"/> A total of 167,500 acres, or approximately two thirds of the county's area, is forested land.<ref name = "chapter02"/> Large portions of the southwestern part of the county are forested.<ref name = "chapter04"/> 34% of the county's land is undeveloped, most of which (60,000 acres) is unused land.<ref name = "chapter05"/>

The vast majority of Juniata County is rural land. However, there are a few rural hamlets and villages (which have one to four housing units per acre) scattered throughout the county. There is also an area termed a "high growth area" by the Juniata County Comprehensive Plan near the boroughs of Mifflin and Mifflintown. It has between 8 and 17 housing units per acre. The Juniata County Comprehensive Plan also designates areas near Thompsontown and Port Royal as "rural growth area[s]". These areas have three to six housing units per acre.<ref name = "chapter05"/>

===Climate===
Juniata has a [[humid continental climate]], which is hot-summer (''Dfa''), except in higher areas where it is warm-summer (''Dfb''). Average temperatures in the Mifflin-Mifflintown vicinity range from 28.1&nbsp;°F in January to 73.2&nbsp;°F in July.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/ | title=PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University }}</ref>

===Adjacent counties===
*[[Mifflin County, Pennsylvania|Mifflin County]] (northwest)
*[[Snyder County, Pennsylvania|Snyder County]] (north)
*[[Northumberland County, Pennsylvania|Northumberland County]] (northeast)
*[[Dauphin County, Pennsylvania|Dauphin County]] (southeast)
*[[Perry County, Pennsylvania|Perry County]] (south)
*[[Franklin County, Pennsylvania|Franklin County]] (south)
*[[Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania|Huntingdon County]] (southwest)