Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2000, the population was 750,097. A 2008 U.S. Census estimate placed the population at more than 780,000, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia and Allegheny counties) and the 69th most populous county in the United States. The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part of Philadelphia County. It is believed to have been either named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada, or for the Welsh county of Montgomeryshire (which was named after one of William the Conqueror's main counselors, Roger de Montgomerie), as it was part of the Welsh Tract -- an area of Pennsylvania settled by Quakers from Wales. Early histories of the county indicate the origin of the county's name as uncertain.Montgomery County is a suburban county northwest of Philadelphia. It is part of the Delaware Valley and marks the region's northern border with the Lehigh Valley region of the state. It is the 20th wealthiest county in the country (measured by personal per-capita income) and was named the 9th Best Place to Raise a Family by Forbes
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 487square miles (1,262 km²), of which 483square miles (1,251 km²) is land and 4 square miles (11 km²) (0.89%) is water.
Adjacent counties
Lehigh County(north)
Bucks County(northeast)
Philadelphia County(southeast)
Delaware County(southwest)
Chester County(west)
Berks County(northwest)
National protected area
Valley Forge National Historical Park(part)
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 750,097 people, 286,098 households, and 197,693 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,553 people per square mile (599/km²). There were 297,434 housing units at an average density of 238 units/km² (616 units/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 86.46% White, 7.46% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 4.02% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. 2.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.5% were of German, 16.7% Irish, 14.3% Italian, 6.5% English and 5.0% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000. 90.5% spoke English, 2.0% Spanish, 1.1% Korean and 1.0% Italian as their first language. Historically, much of western Montgomery County is part of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, with a great many descendants of German-speaking settlers from the 18th Century.Montgomery County is home to large and growing African American, Korean American, Puerto Rican American, Mexican American and Indian American populations. The county has the second largest foreign-born population in the region.There were 286,098 households out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.20% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.09.In the county, the population was spread out with 24.10% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.00 males.The median income for a household in the county was $60,829, and the median income for a family was $72,183 (these figures had risen to $73,701 and $89,219 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $48,698 versus $35,089 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,898. About 2.80% of families and 4.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.60% of those under age 18 and 5.10% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Montgomery County is a suburb of Philadelphia and consequently, many of its residents work in the city. However, Montco is also a major employment center with large business parks in Blue Bell, Lansdale, Fort Washington, Horsham and King of Prussia which attract thousands of workers from all over the region. The strong job base and taxes generated by those jobs have resulted in Montgomery County receiving the highest credit rating of 'AAA' from Standard & Poor's, one of fewer than 30 counties in the United States with such a rating.Major employers include:Abington Memorial Hospital
Aetna
BAE Systems
Dorman Products
Genuardi's Family Markets
Glaxo Smith-Kline
Holy Redeemer Hospital
Jefferson Health System
Johnson & Johnson-McNeil Pharmaceuticals
Lockheed Martin
Merck
Motorola
Prudential
Quest Diagnostics
Rohm and Haas
Teva Pharmaceuticals
Unisys
Population growth
Montgomery County's population grew about 10.6% as of the 2000 census with much of the growth in the western part of the county. Much of the growth is attributable to population shifts in the region. The county especially saw an increase of Asian American immigrants as well as in Mexican immigrants. Also, Montgomery County receives a large amount of immigrants, and many migrants from other urban areas, looking for cheaper real estate compared to their areas. Montgomery County provides many expressways to Philadelphia, New Jersey, and many other places in Pennsylvania. Census Bureau projections show a slowing of the growth this decade.
Politics
As of January 2010, there are 577,378 registered voters in Montgomery County .Democratic: 262,204 (45.41%)
Republican: 231,531 (40.10%)
Other parties: 83,643 (14.49%)
While Republicans have dominated county politics, the Democratic Party has made substantial gains in the county over the last 20 years and gained the registration edge early in 2008. After voting for the Republican Presidential nominee for six consecutive elections from 1968 to 1988, the Democratic Presidential nominee has carried Montgomery for the past five consecutive elections by progressively increasing margins. Most county-level offices were held by Republicans until after the 2007 election, when Democrats picked up control of five row offices. Democrats have also won significant[says who?] elections for the Pennsylvania General Assembly in recent years, including two GOP-leaning State House districts in 2004, the 148th with Mike Gerber and the 153rd with Josh Shapiro.In the 2004 US Senate election, Republican Arlen Specter won the county over Montco resident Joe Hoeffel, but Democrat Bob Casey, Jr. out-polled Rick Santorum in the 2006 Senate election. In 2006, Democrat Rick Taylor unseated incumbent Republican Eugene McGill in the 151st and, in 2008, Democrat Matthew Bradford unseated incumbent Republican Jay Moyer in the 70th. Six out of twelve of the 12 Montgomery State Representative seats are now held by Democrats, but Daylin Leach is the only Democrat in a Montgomery State Senate seat, the 17th. All four statewide Democratic candidates carried Montgomery in 2008, with Barack Obama receiving 60% of the county's vote.Montgomery County is governed by a three-person County Commission. The current composition is two Republicans and one Democrat. By law, the County Commission must have one member of a minority party represented.The current commissioners are:Jim Matthews- Chair - (R)
Joe Hoeffel- (D)
Bruce Castor- (R)
The county row officers are:Clerk of Courts -Ann Thornburg Weiss(D)
Controller - Diane Morgan (D)
Coroner - Walter Hoffman (D)
District Attorney -Risa Vetri Ferman(R)
Prothonotary - Mark Levy (D)
Recorder of Deeds - Nancy Becker (R)
Register of Wills - D. Bruce Hanes (D)
Sheriff- Al Ricci (R) *Acting
Treasurer - Thomas Jay Ellis (R)
The new officials took office in January 2008.Montgomery County contains parts of six Congressional Districts: the 2nd, 6th, 7th, 8th, 13th, and 15th. The Montgomery-based 13th district, which also includes most of Northeast Philadelphia, is represented by Democrat Allyson Schwartz.
State Representatives
Robert Godshall, Republican, 53rd district
Kate Harper, Republican, 61st district
Matthew Bradford, Democrat, 70th district
Tom Quigley, Republican, 146th district
Marcy Toepel, Republican, 147th district
Mike Gerber, Democrat, 148th district
Tim Briggs, Democrat, 149th district
Mike Vereb, Republican, 150th district
Rick Taylor, Democrat, 151st district
Thomas Murt, Republican, 152nd district
Josh Shapiro, Democrat, 153th district
Lawrence Curry, Democrat, 154th district
Paul Drucker, Democrat, 157th district
Brendan Boyle, Democrat, 170th district
Kathy Manderino, Democrat, 194th district
State Senators
LeAnna Washington, Democrat, 4th district
Vincent Hughes, Democrat, 7th district
Charles T. McIlhinney Jr., Republican, 10th district
Stewart Greenleaf, Republican, 12th district
Daylin Leach, Democrat, 17th district
Andy Dinniman, Democrat, 19th district
Bob Mensch, Republican, 24th district
John Rafferty, Jr., Republican, 44th district
US Representatives
Chaka Fattah, Democrat, 2nd district (Cheltenham only)
Jim Gerlach, Republican, 6th district
Joe Sestak, Democrat, 7th district
Patrick J. Murphy, Democrat, 8th district
Allyson Schwartz, Democrat, 13th district
Charlie Dent, Republican, 15th district
Municipalities
Under Pennsylvania law, there are five types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, Home Rule Municipalities (which can include communities that bear the name 'Borough' or 'Township') and, in at most two cases, towns. The following boroughs, townships, and Home Rule Municipalities are located in Montgomery County:
Home Rule Municipalities
Bryn Athyn(official name remains 'Borough of Bryn Athyn')
Cheltenham Township
Horsham Township
Norristown
Plymouth Township
Whitemarsh Township
Communities and 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.
Colleges and universities
Arcadia University
Bryn Athyn College of the New Church
Bryn Mawr College
Gwynedd Mercy College
Haverford College
Manor College
Montgomery County Community College
Pennsylvania College of Optometry
Penn State Abington- acommonwealth campusofThe Pennsylvania State University
Rosemont College
Temple University-AmblerandFt. Washingtoncampuses andTyler School of ArtinElkins Park
Ursinus College
Westminster Theological Seminary
Public school districts
Abington School District
Boyertown Area School District
Cheltenham Township School District
Colonial School District
Hatboro-Horsham School District
Jenkintown School District
Lower Merion School District
Lower Moreland Township School District
Methacton School District
Norristown Area School District
North Penn School District
Perkiomen Valley School District
Pottsgrove School District
Pottstown School District
Souderton Area School District
Springfield Township School District
Spring-Ford Area School District
Upper Dublin School District
Upper Merion Area School District
Upper Moreland School District
Upper Perkiomen School District
Wissahickon School District
Bryn Athyn School District- exists as an entity, but does not operate any schools. Public school students attend class in neighboring districts.
Private secondary schools
Academy Of The New Church Boys School
Academy Of The New Church Girls School
Abington Friends School
The Baldwin School
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy, formerly known as the Akiba Hebrew Academy
Bishop McDevitt High School
Calvary Baptist School
Christopher Dock Mennonite High School
Coventry Christian Schools
The Episcopal Academy
Friends' Central School
Germantown Academy
Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School
Haverford School
The Hill School
Huntingdon Valley Christian Academy
Indian Creek Mennonite School
Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic High School
Lakeside School
Lansdale Catholic High School
La Salle College High School
Lincoln Academy
Main Line Academy
Martin Luther School
Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Catholic School
Merion Mercy Academy
Mount Saint Joseph Academy
New Life Youth & Family Svcs
The Pathway School
The Perkiomen School
Pope John Paul II Catholic High School, Currently under construction in Upper Providence Township, PA to replace Kennedy-Kenrick & St. Pius X in 2011
Reformation Christian School
Saint Aloysius School
Saint Basil Academy
Saint Katherine Day School
Saint Pius X High School
Stowe Lighthouse Christ Academy
The Shipley School
Torah Academy of Greater Philadelphia
Trinity Christian Academy
Valley Forge Baptist Academy
Wyncote Academy
Night schools/adult education
Cheltenham Township Adult School
Notable civic institutions
The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential(IAHP), anonprofitorganization founded by Glenn Doman, was established inWyndmoorin 1955. The IAHP is an educational organization that teaches parents about child brain development, and is a treatment center for brain-injured children.
The Historical Society of Montgomery County, founded in 1881, preserves and promotes the history of the county and its people. It also owns and maintains historic Montgomery Cemetery, the oldest non-sectarian cemetery in Montgomery County.