Columbia County, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Columbia County
County
The Columbia County courthouse in Bloomsburg
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	March 22, 1813
Named for	Christopher Columbus
Seat	Bloomsburg
Largest town	Bloomsburg
Area
• Total	490 sq mi (1,300 km2)
• Land	483 sq mi (1,250 km2)
• Water	7.1 sq mi (18 km2)  1.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	64,727
• Density	132.1/sq mi (51.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	9th
Pennsylvania Historical Marker
Designated:	July 11, 1983

Columbia County is a special area in Pennsylvania, called a county. It's located in the northeastern part of the state. In 2020, about 64,727 people lived here.

The main town and center of the county is Bloomsburg. Columbia County was created a long time ago, on March 22, 1813. It was formed from a part of Northumberland County. The county got its name, Columbia, to honor the United States and Christopher Columbus.

Columbia County is also part of a larger area called the Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. This just means it's part of a bigger region with connected towns and cities.

Geography

View of northern Columbia County, Pennsylvania from Kramer Hill Road in Fishing Creek Township. On the horizon (about 8-10 miles away) is North Mountain. The borough of Benton is in the center of the picture.

Columbia County covers a total area of about 490 square miles. Most of this (483 square miles) is land, and a small part (7.1 square miles) is water.

The southern tip of the county is part of the Coal Region, an area known for coal mining. South of the Susquehanna River, you'll find lots of farmland and state game lands. Towns like Bloomsburg and Catawissa grew along the Susquehanna River.

North of the Susquehanna River, up to a place called Waller, there's more farmland mixed with forests. Even further north, the county becomes mostly state game lands and mountains.

The main rivers and streams in Columbia County are the Susquehanna River, Fishing Creek, Briar Creek, Catawissa Creek, and Roaring Creek.

The county has a climate with four distinct seasons. Summers are warm and humid, while winters are cold.

Mountains

Many mountains rise above 1,500 feet in Columbia County. Here are some of the tallest:

Name	Height	Image
Red Rock Mountain	2,365 feet
Central Mountain	2,247 feet
Chimneystack Rock	2,244 feet
Buck Mountain	1,942 feet
Catawissa Mountain	1,873 feet
Big Mountain	1,811 feet
Knob Mountain	1,752 feet
Nescopeck Mountain	1,604 feet
Lee Mountain	1,594 feet
McCauley Mountain	1,571 feet

Major Highways

These are the main roads that run through Columbia County:

• I-80
• US 11
• PA 42
• PA 44
• PA 54
• PA 61
• PA 93
• PA 118
• PA 239
• PA 254
• PA 339
• PA 442
• PA 487
• PA 642

Neighboring Counties

Columbia County shares borders with these other counties:

• Sullivan County (north)
• Luzerne County (east)
• Schuylkill County (southeast)
• Northumberland County (southwest)
• Montour County (west)
• Lycoming County (northwest)

State Park

A part of Ricketts Glen State Park is located in the northern area of Columbia County. This park is famous for its beautiful waterfalls.

People and Population

In 2000, there were about 64,151 people living in Columbia County. The county had about 24,915 households, which are groups of people living together.

Most people in the county are White (97.59%). Smaller groups include Black or African-American (0.80%), Asian (0.52%), and Native American (0.15%). About 0.95% of the population was Hispanic or Latino. Many people have German, Irish, Italian, Polish, or English backgrounds.

About 20.80% of the population was under 18 years old. The average age in the county was 38 years.

2020 Census

Here's a look at the different groups of people living in Columbia County, based on the 2020 census:

Metropolitan and Combined Statistical Areas

The United States Office of Management and Budget has named Columbia County as part of the Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). This means it's a region with a large population and close economic ties. In 2010, this area was the 20th most populated in Pennsylvania.

Columbia County is also part of an even larger area called the Bloomsburg-Berwick-Sunbury, PA Combined Statistical Area (CSA). This CSA includes Columbia County and several other nearby counties like Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union Counties. This larger area had a population of 264,739 in 2010.

Education

Map of Columbia County, Pennsylvania School Districts

Columbia County has many schools and learning places for students of all ages.

Colleges and Universities

• Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

Public School Districts

These are the public school districts that serve students in Columbia County:

• Benton Area School District
• Berwick Area School District (also in Luzerne County)
• Bloomsburg Area School District
• Central Columbia School District
• Millville Area School District
• Mount Carmel Area School District (also in Northumberland County)
• North Schuylkill School District (also in Schuylkill County)
• Southern Columbia Area School District (also in Northumberland County)

Technical School

• Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School - This school helps students learn job skills.

Charter School

• SusQ Cyber Charter School - Bloomsburg - This is a public school that offers online learning.

Private Schools

There are also several private schools in the county:

• Bald Hill School - Millville
• Bloomsburg Christian School - Bloomsburg
• Bloomsburg University Special Education Institute
• Columbia Co Christian School - Bloomsburg
• Greenwood Friends School - Millville
• Heritage Christian Academy - Berwick
• Holy Family Consolidate - Berwick
• Keystone National High School - Bloomsburg
• New Story - Berwick
• Pennsylvania Institute For Conservation Education - Bloomsburg
• Rainbow Hill School - Benton
• St Columba School - Bloomsburg
• Saint Matthews - Bloomsburg
• Turkey Ridge School - Bloomsburg

Libraries

Libraries are great places to read and learn. Here are some in Columbia County:

• Bloomsburg Public Library
• Columbia County Traveling Library
• McBride Memorial Library
• Orangeville Public Library

Communities

Map of Columbia County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing Towns and Boroughs (red), Townships (white), and Census-designated places (blue).

In Pennsylvania, there are different types of towns and areas. Columbia County has one "town," several "boroughs," and many "townships."

Town

• Bloomsburg (This is the county seat, meaning it's the main administrative town.)

Boroughs

Townships

Census-Designated Places (CDPs)

These are areas that the U.S. Census Bureau defines for gathering information, but they are not official towns or cities.

Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller communities that are not officially part of a town or borough.

• Central
• Elk Grove
• Mifflin Cross Roads

Population Ranking

This table shows the communities in Columbia County ranked by their population in 2010.

† county seat

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Columbia (Pensilvania) para niños