York County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
. As of 2004, the estimated population was
401,613. York County is located in the
Susquehanna Valley, a large fertile
agricultural region in
South
Central Pennsylvania.
York
County was created on August 19, 1749, from part of Lancaster
County
and named either for the Duke of York, an early
patron of the Penn family, or for the city and shire of York in
England. Its county seat is
the city of York
.
Based on the
Articles of
Confederation having been adopted in York by the
Second Continental Congress on
November 15, 1777, the local government and business community
began referring to York in the 1960s as the first capital of the
United States of America. The designation has been debated by
historians ever since.
Congress considered York, and the borough of
Wrightsville
, located on the eastern side of York County along
the Susquehanna River, as a permanent capital of the United States
before Washington, D.C. was selected.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total
area of 910
square miles
(2,358
km²), of which, 904 square
miles (2,343 km²) of it is land and 6 square miles
(15 km²) of it (0.64%) is water. The county is bound to its
eastern border by the
Susquehanna
River.
Its southern border is the Mason-Dixon
Line
, which separates Pennsylvania and Maryland
.
Adjacent counties
Demographics

250 px
As of the
census of 2000, there were 381,751
people, 148,219 households, and 105,531 families residing in the
county. The
population density
was 422 people per square mile (163/km²). There were 156,720
housing units at an average density of 173 per square mile
(67/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.76%
White, 3.69%
African American, 0.18%
Native American, 0.86%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 1.39% from
other races, and 1.10%
from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 2.96% of the
population.
42.0% were of German, 12.6% American
, 7.7% Irish, 6.4%
English and 5.1% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 94.8% spoke
English and 2.9%
Spanish as their first language.
There were 148,219 households out of which 32.50% had children
under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% were
married couples living together, 9.00% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families.
23.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.20% had
someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average
household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.60% under the
age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 30.30% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from
45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median
age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For
every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males.
The York-Hanover Metropolitan Statistical Area is the
fastest-growing metro area in the Northeast region, and is ranked
nationally among the fastest-growing in the nation, according to
the "2006 Population Estimates for Metropolitan and Micropolitan
Statistical Areas" (U.S. Census Bureau). The estimates listed
York-Hanover as the 95th fastest-growing metro area in the nation,
increasing 9.1 percent between 2000 and 2006.
York
County is home to Martin's Potato
Chips in Thomasville
, Utz Quality
Foods, Inc. in Hanover
, Snyder's of
Hanover in Hanover
, Gibble's Potato Chips in York
, Wolfgang Candy in York
, The Bon-Ton in York
, Dentsply in York
, and a major manufacturing branch of Harley-Davidson Motor
Company.
Politics and government
As of
November 2008, there are 299,414
registered voters in York County
[13792].
County commissioners
- M. Steve Chronister, Chairman, Republican
- Christopher B. Reilly, Vice-chairman, Republican
- Doug Hoke, Democrat
Other county offices
- Clerk of Courts, Don O'Shell, Republican
- Controller, Robb Green, Republican
- Coroner, Barry Bloss, Republican
- District Attorney, H. Stanley Rebert, Republican
- Prothonotary, Pamela S. Lee, Republican
- Recorder of Deeds, Randy Reisinger, Republican
- Register of Wills, Bradley C. Jacobs, Republican
- Sheriff, Richard P. Keuerleber III, Republican
- Treasurer, Barbara Bair, Republican
Pennsylvania State Senate
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
United States Senate
Municipalities in York County
Map of York 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 York
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

300 px
Public School Districts
Notable residents
See also
References
External links