Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
. As of 2000, the population was 280,843.
Its
county seat is Erie
.
Geography
According to the
U.S.
Census Bureau, the
county has a total area of 1,558 square miles
(4,036 km²), of which, 802 square miles (2,077 km²)
of it is land and 756 square miles (1,959 km²) of it
(48.54%) is water. There are only two cities in Erie County; the
City of Erie and the City of Corry.
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
, with the nearest landmass beyond it being the
province of Ontario
, Canada
.
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, so no county
demarcations were made until the federal government intervened.
See interactive Pennsylvania County Formation
Maps
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 elected its own county officials in 1803.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 280,843
people, 106,507 households, and 71,040 families residing in the
county. The
population density
was 350 people per square mile (135/km²). There were 114,322
housing units at an average density of 143 per square mile
(55/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.90%
White, 6.13%
Black or
African American, 0.17%
Native American, 0.69%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 0.86% from
other races, and 1.25%
from two or more races. 2.18% 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 according to Census
2000.
There were 106,507 households out of which 31.60% had children
under the age of 18 living with them, 50.50% were
married couples living together, 12.10% had a
female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were
non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals
and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family
size was 3.07.
In the county, the population was spread out with 25.00% under the
age of 18, 10.80% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from
45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median
age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For
every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.
Government and politics
The county
seat of government is in Erie, Pennsylvania
. The county has a home-rule charter and is
run by a
county executive. The Erie
County Executive as of June 2007 is Mark A. DiVecchio. The
remaining elected officials of the executive branch are the Erie
County Controller, Erie County Coroner, Erie County District
Attorney, Erie County Sheriff, and Erie County Clerk.
see latest list
The county executive appoints a chief public defender to the Erie
County Public Defender's Office and members of a Criminal Justice
Advisory Board .
Erie County Department of Public Safety and the Emergency
Management Agency (EMA) relocated to a new public safety building
located near the Erie County Vocational Technical School in
Summit Township in
January 2008.
9-1-1 dispatcher and
HAZMAT
operations will be based at the new facility. Seven new
communications towers and backup power generation will be features
of the new
reinforced concrete
building, which will be able to withstand a
Category F3 tornado.
Erie County Department of Corrections operates the
Erie County
Prison, which is located on Ash Street between East 18th Street
and the railroad tracks in Erie.
| + Erie County Executives |
| Name |
Party |
Term |
| Russell Robison |
Republican |
1978 – 1982 |
| Judith M. Lynch |
Democrat |
1982 – 2002 |
| Richard Schenker |
Republican |
2002 – 2006 |
| Mark A. DiVecchio |
Democrat |
2006 – 2010 |
| Barry Grossman (Incumbent) |
Democrat |
2010 – |
County legislature
The legislature consists of a
county
council. The Erie County Council is made up of seven councilmen
elected to represent seven geographical districts.
see map A chairman and vice chairman are chosen
among the councilmen to lead the council.
- Phil Fatica, Democrat (District 1 - west city)
- Joseph F. Giles, Democrat (Vice Chairman, District 2 - city
lakefront)
- Fiore Leone, Democrat (Chairman, District 3 - south central
city)
- Ronald Cleaver, Democrat (also known as Whitey Cleaver)
(District 4 - southeast city)
- Kyle W. Foust, Democrat (District 5 - northeast suburbs)
- David E. Mitchell, Republican (District 6 - southeast
suburbs)
- Carol J. Loll, Republican (District 7 - west suburbs).
Judiciary
The judiciary is made up of nine judges serving the Erie County
Court of Common Pleas and forty-six 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 on
Perry Square in downtown
Erie.
Row officers
- Clerk of Records, Pat Fetzner, Democrat
- Controller, Sue Weber, Democrat
- Coroner, Lyell Cook, Democrat
- District Attorney, Bradley Foulk, Republican (deceased);
currently held by Jack Daneri
- Sheriff, Bob Merski, Democrat
Politics
As of
November 2008, there are 185,081
registered voters in Erie County
[13827].
Erie County tends to be Democratic-leaning in statewide elections,
with all four statewide winners carrying it in 2008. The margins of
victory for the Democratic Presidential candidate in the 2000,
2004, and 2008 elections in Erie County were 9, 8, and 20
percentage points, respectively.
Pennsylvania State Senate
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
Municipalities
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. The
following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Erie
County:
Cities
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.
Education
Public School Districts

300 px
Recreation
There are
two Pennsylvania state
parks in Erie County and both are on the shores of Lake Erie
.
See also
References
External links