Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Westmoreland County
U.S. county
Westmoreland County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	February 26, 1773
Named for	Westmorland
Seat	Greensburg
Largest city	Hempfield Township
Area
• Total	1,036 sq mi (2,680 km2)
• Land	1,028 sq mi (2,660 km2)
• Water	8.5 sq mi (22 km2)  0.8%
Population  (2020)
• Total	354,663
• Density	345/sq mi (133/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	13th, 14th

Westmoreland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, located in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 354,663. The county seat is Greensburg and the most populous community is Hempfield Township. It is named after Westmorland, a historic county of England. The county is part of the Southwest Pennsylvania region of the state.

Formed from, successively, Lancaster, Northumberland, and later Bedford counties, Westmoreland County was founded on February 26, 1773, and was the first county in the colony of Pennsylvania whose entire territorial boundary was located west of the Allegheny Mountains. Westmoreland County originally included the present-day counties of Fayette, Washington, Greene, and parts of Beaver, Allegheny, Indiana, and Armstrong counties.

History

Formed from Lancaster, Northumberland, and later Bedford counties, Westmoreland County was founded on February 26, 1773, and was the first county in the Pennsylvania colony whose entire territorial boundary was located west of the Allegheny Mountains. Westmoreland County originally included the present-day counties of Fayette, Washington, Greene, and parts of Beaver, Allegheny, Indiana, and Armstrong counties. It is named after Westmorland, a historic county of England.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,036 square miles (2,680 km²), of which 1,028 square miles (2,660 km²) is land and 8.5 square miles (22 km²) (0.8%) is water. Westmoreland County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.

Climate

Westmoreland has a humid continental climate (Dfa/Dfb). Average monthly temperatures in Greensburg range from 28.7 °F in January to 71.8 °F in July, while in Murrysville they range from 29.4 °F in January to 73.1 °F in July, in Latrobe they range from 28.9 °F in January to 72.0 °F in July, and in Ligonier they range from 28.1 °F in January to 71.1 °F in July.

Adjacent counties

• Armstrong County (north)
• Indiana County (north)
• Cambria County (east)
• Somerset County (southeast)
• Fayette County (south)
• Washington County (west)
• Allegheny County (west)
• Butler County (northwest)

Major highways

Demographics

At the 2010 census, there were 365,169 people, 153,650 households and 101,928 families residing in the county. The population density was 355.4 people per square mile (137.2 people/km²). There were 168,199 housing units at an average density of 163.7 units per square mile (63.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.3% White, 2.3% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 0.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 153,650 households, of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32, and the average family size was 2.86.

22.3% of the population were under 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 31.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

2020 census

Education

Public school districts

Map of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Public School Districts

School districts:

• Belle Vernon Area School District (Also in Fayette County)
• Blairsville-Saltsburg School District (Also in Indiana County)
• Burrell School District
• Derry Area School District
• Franklin Regional School District
• Greater Latrobe School District
• Greensburg-Salem School District
• Hempfield Area School District
• Jeannette City School District
• Kiski Area School District (Also in Armstrong County)
• Leechburg Area School District (Also in Armstrong County)
• Ligonier Valley School District
• Monessen City School District
• Mount Pleasant Area School District
• New Kensington–Arnold School District
• Norwin School District
• Penn-Trafford School District (also in Allegheny County)
• Southmoreland School District (also in Fayette County)
• Yough School District

Public charter schools

• Dr. Robert Ketterer Charter School grades 7th through 12th Latrobe (since 2008)

According to EdNA

Private high school

• Greensburg Central Catholic High School

Colleges and universities

• Penn State New Kensington
• Seton Hill University
• Saint Vincent College
• Westmoreland County Community College
• University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg
• Carlow University at Youngwood
• Triangle Tech

Additional

• Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center
• Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center
• Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center
• Valley School of Ligonier

Economy

Coal mining became a major industry in the county after the Civil War, followed by the expansion of iron, steel, and glass manufacturing. The 600-acre coke works for the Isabella Furnace were built in Cokeville (then Coketown) in the Spring of 1872. At one point, company "coal patches" (towns built for miners) represented about one-third of the county's settlements. A major strike by coal miners represented by the United Mine Workers of America took place in 1910–1911. Sixteen people were killed in the strike.

In 2020, the top industries in the county were health care and social services (16.3% of jobs), manufacturing (13.8%), and retail trade (13.7%). Mining comprised less than 1% of the jobs in the county. Westmoreland County is now believed to be the site of over 100 abandoned mines.

Volkswagen's Westmoreland plant near New Stanton in Westmoreland County was the first foreign-owned factory mass-producing automobiles in the U.S. It operated from 1978 to 1988.

Recreation

Autumn on a small state road near the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Laurel Mountains.

Westmoreland County has four Pennsylvania state parks.

• Keystone State Park
• Laurel Ridge State Park
• Laurel Summit State Park
• Linn Run State Park

Communities

Map of Westmoreland 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. The following cities, boroughs, and townships are located in Westmoreland County:

Cities

• Arnold
• Greensburg (county seat)
• Jeannette
• Latrobe
• Lower Burrell
• Monessen
• New Kensington

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 also be listed here.

Unincorporated communities

Former community

• Cokeville / Coketown
• Franklin Township - now known as Murrysville, Pennsylvania

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Westmoreland County.

† county seat

Notable people

• David Alter, born in Westmoreland County, noted inventor
• Pete Babando, former NHL Hockey player, played for 1950 Stanley Cup champions Detroit Red Wings, born in Braeburn neighborhood of the City of Lower Burrell.
• George Blanda, Hall of Fame football player, born in Youngwood.
• D.J. Coffman, comic book artist and writer, creator of Hero By Night. Born in Mt. Pleasant. Resides in Scottdale.
• Johnny Costa, jazz pianist, was born and raised in Arnold.
• Jesse Root Grant, (father of Ulysses S. Grant, General & President) born in Greensburg.
• Shirley Jones, Academy Award-winning actress and singer, grew up in Smithton.
• Sheila Kelley, American actor, born and raised in Greensburg, Pa. Founder of Sheila Kelley S Factor exercise and lifestyle program.
• Stephanie Kwolek, chemist and inventor of Kevlar, born in New Kensington.
• Bill Mazeroski, Hall of Fame baseball player
• Michael Moorer, boxer
• Arnold Palmer, golfer, was born and raised in Latrobe.
• Terrelle Pryor NFL quarterback, attended Jeannette High School.
• Fred Rogers, television personality, was born, raised, and lived in Latrobe; buried in Unity Cemetery, Unity Township, just outside Latrobe.
• Arthur St. Clair, American Revolution Major General, Patriot, 9th President of the Continental Congress, buried in Greensburg, Pa.
• Willie Thrower, football player, was born and raised in New Kensington.
• Jim White, KMOX radio talk show host, born and raised in Greensburg, Pa.
• Jacob Zimmerman (born 1831), newspaper editor, newspaper owner, Illinois politician, mine owner, real estate entrepreneur, and businessman.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Westmoreland (Pensilvania) para niños