Erie County, Pennsylvania: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 02:31, 18 May 2025

Template:Short description Template:For Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Erie County is the northernmost county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 270,876.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Erie.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was created in 1800 and later organized in 1803.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county is part of the Northwest Pennsylvania region of the state.Template:Efn

History

Erie County was established on March 12, 1800, from part of Allegheny County, which absorbed the lands of the disputed Erie Triangle in 1792. Prior to 1792, the region was claimed by both New York and Pennsylvania and so no county demarcations were made until the federal government intervened. Other states have also tried to bid for the Erie Triangle but ultimately Pennsylvania purchased it and it was ceded to Pennsylvania.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Since Erie County and its newly established neighboring Counties of Crawford, Mercer, Venango, and Warren were initially unable to sustain themselves, a five-county administrative organization was established at Crawford County's Meadville to temporarily manage government affairs in the region. Erie first elected its own county officials in 1803.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Unfortunately, on March 23, 1823, the Erie County Courthouse burned and all county records to that point were destroyed.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The county was originally settled by immigrants of "Yankee" stock (immigrants from New England and the western part of New York descended from the English Puritans whose ancestors settled New England in the colonial era). Erie County resembled Upstate New York more than it did Pennsylvania with its population primarily consisting of settlers from Connecticut, Rhode Island and Maine.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Roads were laid out, post routes established, public buildings erected and people were invited to move there. The original settlers were entirely of New England origins or were Yankees from upstate New York whose families had moved to that place from New England only one generation earlier, in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War. This resulted in Erie County being culturally very contiguous with early New England culture.

Erie County was part of the Underground Railroad giving slaves the ability to gain freedom through Lake Erie into Canada, East through New York State, or to stay in Erie with the help of abolitionists and the free black community.<ref>Meyer, Melinda.Journey to Freedom National Park Service. Erie County Historical Society. November 17, 2010. http://www.nps.gov. (December 6, 2012)</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 (49%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> It is the largest county in Pennsylvania by total area. With the exception of a high ridge several miles from the lake, running nearly parallel with its shore, the terrain is generally rolling and well watered.<ref>Template:Cite Americana</ref> It is the only county in the state that occupies a significant amount of land north of the 42nd parallel.

There are two cities in Erie County: the city of Erie and the city of Corry. Other notable population centers include Millcreek, Harborcreek, Summit and Fairview townships, and the boroughs of Edinboro, North East, Girard, Waterford and Union City. Erie County is bordered on the northeast by Chautauqua County, New York, on the east by Warren County, on the south by Crawford County, and on the west by Ashtabula County, Ohio. Directly north of the county is Lake Erie. This position on the water makes Erie County the only county in Pennsylvania to share a border with Canada, which is located on the far shore of the lake.

Most of the county has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb), except at lower elevations near enough to the lake, where a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) exists. Average monthly temperatures in downtown Erie range from 26.4 °F in January to 70.8 °F in July, while in Corry they range from 23.8 °F in January to 68.2 °F in July.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The hardiness zone in most of Erie County by area is 6a. It has warmed to 7a along the Lake and the area between the shore and a line a little south of Interstate 90 is 6b. [1]

Because of its location in the northwesternmost part of the state, Erie County is the only county to border both New York and Ohio, and is also the only county in the state on the Canadian border.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

Demographics

Template:US Census population

According to the 2010 census, there were 280,566 people, 110,413 households, and 70,196 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 119,138 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 88.2 percent White, 7.2 percent Black or African American, 0.2 percent Native American, 1.1 percent Asian, 0.03 percent Pacific Islander, 1.2 percent from other races, and 2.1 percent from two or more races. A further 3.4 percent of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.4% were of German, 12.5% Polish, 12.3% Italian, 10.1% Irish, 6.5% English and 6.4% American ancestry.

Of the total number of household, 27.2 percent had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4 percent were married couples living together, 13.2 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4 percent were non-families. 29.3 percent of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3 percent had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.5 percent under the age of 20. The median age was 38.6 years. For every 100 females there were 96.73 males.

2020 census

Erie County Racial Composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	219,180	81%
Black or African American (NH)	19,821	7.32%
Native American (NH)	343	0.13%
Asian (NH)	6,358	2.35%
Pacific Islander (NH)	58	0.02%
Other/Mixed (NH)	13,086	4.83%
Hispanic or Latino	12,030	4.44%

Metropolitan Statistical Area

Template:See also

File:Erie-Meadville, PA CSA 2014.jpg

Map of the Erie-Meadville, PA Combined Statistical Area (CSA), composed of: Template:Legend Template:Legend

The United States Office of Management and Budget<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> has designated Erie County as the Erie, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2010 U.S. Census<ref name="Archived copy">Template:Cite web</ref> the metropolitan area ranked 11th-most populous in Pennsylvania and the 164th-most populous in the United States with a population of 280,566.

Erie County is part of the larger Erie-Meadville, PA Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which combines the populations of Erie County as well as Crawford County to the south. The Combined Statistical Area ranked seventh in Pennsylvania and 102nd-most populous in the United States with a population of 369,331.

Largest populations in Erie County

2023 rank	City	Type	2023 estimate	2020 Census
1	Erie	City	Template:Change	138,440 (1960)
2	Millcreek	Township	Template:Change	54,256 (2013)
3	Harborcreek	Township	Template:Change	17,629 (2014)
4	Fairview	Township	Template:Change	11,270 (2023)
5	Summit	Township	Template:Change	7,339 (2020)
6	North East	Township	Template:Change	7,702 (2000)
7	Corry	City	Template:Change	7,911 (1950)
8	Edinboro	Borough	Template:Change	7,736 (1990)

Government and politics

Prior to 1960, Erie County was primarily Republican in presidential elections, only backing Democratic Party candidates in four elections from 1888 to 1956. Since 1960, it has become primarily Democratic, with only five Republican wins in the county in presidential elections from 1960 to the present. Nevertheless, since the 2016 presidential election, the county has become increasingly competitive, with Donald Trump narrowly winning the county that year, followed by Joe Biden narrowly flipping the county in 2020, and most recently Trump reclaimed it 2024.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> Since 1992, the county has voted for the statewide winner in presidential elections.

**Erie County Executives**
Name	Party	Term start	Term end
Russell Robison	Republican	1978	1982
Judith M. Lynch	Democratic	1982	2002
Richard Schenker	Republican	2002	2006
Mark A. DiVecchio	Democratic	2006	2010
Barry Grossman	Democratic	2010	2014
Kathleen Dahlkemper	Democratic	2014	2022
Brenton Davis	Republican	2022	Incumbent

Judiciary

The judiciary is made up of nine judges serving the Erie County Court of Common Pleas and fifteen magisterial district judges serve the district courts. Court administration is managed by a district court administrator, deputy court administrator, and assistant court administrator. The Erie County Courthouse is located near Perry Square in downtown Erie. Erie County also operates a County Prison, and a combined 911/Emergency Management Agency under the Erie County Department of Public Safety, which is located in Summit Township.

Politics

As of February 5, 2024, there are 173,388 registered voters in Erie County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Pie chart

Democratic: 80,042 (46.16%)
Republican: 67,856 (39.14%)
Independent: 18,041 (10.40%)
Third Party: 7,449 (4.30%)

Unlike most of northwestern Pennsylvania, Erie County tends to lean Democratic in statewide and national elections.

The county is considered a bellwether politically.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

State Senate

State House of Representatives

United States Senate

John Fetterman (D)
Dave McCormick (R)

United States House of Representatives

Mike Kelly (R), Pennsylvania's 16th congressional district

Education

Public school districts

File:Map of Erie County Pennsylvania School Districts.png

Map of Erie County, Pennsylvania School Districts

Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

Approved private schools

Barber National Institute, Erie, Pennsylvania

Community College

After years of advocacy on the issue, Erie County Council approved sponsorship of an Erie County Community College on June 28, 2017. Council Chairman Jay Breneman and colleagues Andre Horton, Kathy Fatica and Fiore Leone voted in favor of sponsoring the community college, which was later signed by County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper. The County Executive's administration took the lead in presenting the proposal to the Pennsylvania State Board of Education for approval, supported by a cross-section of business, civic, labor, and community leaders.<ref>Erie County Council approves community college sponsorship</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Recreation

There are two Pennsylvania state parks in Erie County and both are on the shores of Lake Erie.

Erie Bluffs State Park – one of Pennsylvania's newest state parks
Presque Isle State Park – one of Pennsylvania's oldest state parks and the most-visited state park in Pennsylvania.<ref>Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Presque Isle State Park: Tranquility Found. Retrieved May 8, 2014.</ref>

Recreation

Annual events

Roar on the Shore

Libraries

The foremost public library in Erie is part of the Erie County library system, which consists of five branches and a bookmobile.<ref name="erielibrary.org">Template:Cite web</ref> The Raymond M. Blasco, M. D. Memorial Library, named for its benefactor, opened in 1996.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Now called the Main Library or the Erie County Public Library, is the third-largest library in Pennsylvania.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is connected to the Erie Maritime Museum, both of which are part of a bayfront improvement project that includes the Bayfront Convention Center and the Bicentennial Tower on Dobbins Landing. The Main Library is praised for its waterfront views of the Presque Isle Bay, where the historic U.S. Brig Niagara is often located. The library was moved to this location approximately 25 years ago, from its previous home in the center of downtown Erie. The library's renovation directly contributed to the revitalization of the waterfront, which was previously underdeveloped.<ref name="theatlantic.com">Template:Cite web</ref>

The second floor of the Main Library is home to an art collection, containing historic pieces like Summer Afternoon, Isle of Shoals by Frederick Childe Hassam. The display also features several local artists.<ref name="theatlantic.com"/> The library works with the International Institute of Erie (IIE) to offer tours of the library, a collection of foreign-language books, and other practical information about immigration processes.<ref name="theatlantic.com"/> The library also provides a heritage room where one can conduct genealogy research concerning their ancestors who resided in Erie County or Northwest Pennsylvania.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The four remaining libraries within the Erie County library system are the Edinboro Branch Library, Iroquois Avenue Branch Library, Lincoln Community Center Branch Library, and Millcreek Branch Library.<ref name="erielibrary.org"/> The other public libraries of Erie County include the Albion Area Public Library, Corry Public Library, McCord Memorial Library, Rice Avenue Public Library, Union City Public Library, and Waterford Public Library.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Communities

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

Map of Erie 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. There are 38 incorporated municipalities in Erie County, including 2 cities, 14 boroughs, and 22 townships. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Erie County:

Cities

Corry
Erie (county seat)

Boroughs

Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

Townships

Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

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.

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Erie County.<ref name="Archived copy"/>

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)
1	† Erie	City	101,786
2	Northwest Harborcreek	CDP	8,949
3	Corry	City	6,605
4	Edinboro	Borough	6,438
5	North East	Borough	4,294
6	Lawrence Park	CDP	3,982
7	Wesleyville	Borough	3,341
8	Union City	Borough	3,320
9	Girard	Borough	3,104
10	Lake City	Borough	3,031
11	Fairview	CDP	2,348
12	Penn State Erie (Behrend)	CDP	1,629
13	Waterford	Borough	1,517
14	Albion	Borough	1,516
15	Avonia	CDP	1,205
16	Cranesville	Borough	638
17	Platea	Borough	430
18	Mill Village	Borough	412
19	Wattsburg	Borough	403
20	McKean	Borough	388
21	Elgin	Borough	218

References

Template:Notelist Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Geographic Location Template:Erie County, Pennsylvania Template:Erie, PA Template:Pennsylvania Template:Authority control Template:Coord