Wayne County, Pennsylvania

Infobox U.S. County
county = Wayne County
state = Pennsylvania




map size = 225
founded = March 21, 1798
seat = Honesdale | largest city = Honesdale
area_total_sq_mi =751
area_water_sq_mi =21
area percentage = 2.84%
census yr = 2000
pop = 47722
density_km2 =25
web = www.co.wayne.pa.us
|

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 HonesdaleGR|6. The county was named for the Revolutionary War General Anthony Wayne.cite web |url= http://www.co.wayne.pa.us/ |title= Wayne, PA |accessdate= 2007-02-27]

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).

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 censusGR|2 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 2007, there are 30,191 registered voters in Wayne County [http://www.dos.state.pa.us/elections/lib/elections/055_voter_registration_statistics/2007nov.pdf] .

* Democratic: 8,970 (29.71%)
* Republican: 17,097 (56.63%)
* Other Parties: 4,124 (13.66%)

The current and newly elected Commissioners for Wayne County, as of November 2007 are Chairman,Brian Smith (R), Anthony Herzog (R), and Wendell Kay (D).

Municipalities

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, , 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

External links

* [http://www.co.wayne.pa.us Official Wayne County Website]

References