Northumberland County, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Northumberland County
U.S. county
Northumberland County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	March 21, 1772
Named for	Northumberland, England
Seat	Sunbury
Largest city	Sunbury
Area
• Total	478 sq mi (1,240 km2)
• Land	458 sq mi (1,190 km2)
• Water	19 sq mi (50 km2)  4.0%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	91,647
• Density	204/sq mi (79/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	9th

Northumberland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,647. Its county seat is Sunbury. The county is part of the Central Pennsylvania region of the state.

The county was formed in 1772 from parts of Lancaster, Berks, Bedford, Cumberland, and Northampton Counties and named for the county of Northumberland in northern England. Northumberland County is a fifth class county according to the Pennsylvania's County Code. Northumberland County comprises the Sunbury, Pennsylvania Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Bloomsburg-Berwick-Sunbury, PA Combined Statistical Area. Among its notable residents are Thomas L. Hamer, a Democratic member of Congress in the 1830s, and Joseph Priestley, the Enlightenment chemist and theologian, who left England in 1796 due to religious and political persecution and settled on the Susquehanna River. His former house, originally purchased by chemists from Pennsylvania State University after a colloquium that founded the American Chemical Society, is a historical museum.

History

By 1813 the area once comprising the sprawling county of Northumberland had been divided over time and allotted to other counties such that lands once occupied by Old Northumberland at its greatest extent are now found in Centre, Columbia, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Union, Clearfield, Clinton, Montour, Bradford, Lackawanna, Susquehanna, Wyoming, Tioga, Potter, McKean, Warren, Venango, Snyder, and Schuylkill Counties.

Geography

Susquehanna River from the Shikellamy State Park overlook, looking upriver. The West Branch Susquehanna River is in the foreground.

View looking northeast from the Shikellamy State Park overlook

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 478 square miles (1,240 km²), of which 458 square miles (1,190 km²) is land and 19 square miles (49 km²) (4.0%) is water.

The main river in Northumberland County is the Susquehanna River and the divergence of the 977 miles (1,572 km) long river into its two branches of navigable river and former divisions of the Pennsylvania Canal System. The Susquehanna River's tributaries in the county include the West Branch Susquehanna River, Chillisquaque Creek, Shamokin Creek, and the west flowing Mahanoy Creek, whose valley is a rail and road transportation corridor to ‹See Tfd›Tamaqua and points thereafter either east, north, or south such that: east along rail or US 209 through ‹See Tfd›Nesquehoning and historic ‹See Tfd›Jim Thorpe,; else northeast via ‹See Tfd›Beaver Meadows leading north into ‹See Tfd›Hazelton and the lower Wyoming Valley, or into the central Wyoming Valley skirting along the western Poconos via ‹See Tfd›White Haven and ‹See Tfd›Mountain Top; or otherwise head south through the Schuylkill Gap into ‹See Tfd›Port Carbon and thence west to the ‹See Tfd›Lancaster County or east via the greater ‹See Tfd›Reading area into the lower Schuylkill Valley and Philadelphia. The county has mountains in the south and north, with the rest being mostly rolling hills.

Mountains

Major highways

• Interstate 80
• Interstate 180
• U.S. Route 11
• U.S. Route 15
• Pennsylvania Route 44
• Pennsylvania Route 54
• Pennsylvania Route 61
• Pennsylvania Route 147

Adjacent counties

• Lycoming County (north)
• Montour County (northeast)
• Columbia County (east)
• Schuylkill County (southeast)
• Dauphin County (south)
• Perry County (southwest)
• Juniata County (west)
• Snyder County (west)
• Union County (west)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 94,556 people, 38,835 households, and 25,592 families residing in the county. The population density was 206 people per square mile (80 people/km²). There were 43,164 housing units at an average density of 94 units per square mile (36/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.09% White, 1.52% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 1.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.5% were of German, 12.9% Polish, 9.9% American, 8.2% Italian, 8.1% Irish and 5.8% Dutch ancestry. 95.8% spoke English and 1.5% Spanish as their first language.

There were 38,835 households, out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.40% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 30.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.90% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 19.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males.

2020 census

Micropolitan Statistical Area

Map of the Bloomsburg–Berwick-Sunbury, PA Combined Statistical Area (CSA), composed of the following parts:      Bloomsburg–Berwick, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)      Sunbury, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA)      Lewisburg, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA)      Selinsgrove, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA)

The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Northumberland County as the Sunbury, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA). As of the 2010 census the micropolitan area ranked 2nd most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 37th most populous in the United States with a population of 94,528. Northumberland County is also a part of the Bloomsburg–Berwick–Sunbury, PA Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which combines the population of Northumberland County as well as the Columbia, Montour, Snyder and Union County areas. The Combined Statistical Area ranked 8th in the State of Pennsylvania and 115th most populous in the United States with a population of 264,739.

Education

Map of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania Public School Districts

Public school districts

• Danville Area School District (also in Montour County)
• Line Mountain School District
• Milton Area School District (also in Union County)
• Mount Carmel Area School District (also in Columbia County)
• Shamokin Area School District
• Shikellamy School District
• Southern Columbia Area School District (also in Columbia County)
• Warrior Run School District (also in Montour and Union Counties)

Career Tech school

Northumberland County Career Technology Center located in Coal Township

Intermediate Unit

Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit 16 – The primary service area consists of: Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties in central Pennsylvania. Provides a wide variety of education related services to school districts, private and parochial schools and hame schooled students.

Independent schools

• Bethesda Alternative School, Milton 7–12th grade
• Keefertown Parochial School 1–8th grade
• Maranatha Mennonite Christian School K-12th grade
• Meadowbrook Christian Academy PreK-12th grade
• Meadowview Christian Academy PreK-10th grade
• Northumberland Christian School PreK-12th grade
• Northwestern Academy 5–12th grade
• Our Lady of Lourdes Regional School preK–12th grade
• Schwaben Creek School 1–8th grade
• Spring View Parochial School, Watsontown 1–9th grade
• St Louis De Monfort Academy, Herdon 7–12 grade
• Sunbury Christian Academy, Northumberland K-12th grade
• Sunny Slope Amish Parochial School 1–8th grade
• Telos Educational Services Tutoring Center, Montandon
• Transfiguration Elementary School, Shamokin PreK-8th grade
• Watsontown Christian Academy, Watsontown PreK-12th grade

Communities

Map of Northumberland 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 one case, a town. The following cities, boroughs, and townships are located in Northumberland County:

Cities

• Shamokin
• Sunbury (county seat)

Boroughs

Townships

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 Northumberland County.

† county seat

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Northumberland (Pensilvania) para niños