'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 2005
U.S. Census estimate placed the population at 795,618, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania, after
Philadelphia and
Allegheny counties. 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, Pennsylvania. 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
44th wealthiest county in the country.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,262
km² (487
mi²). 1,251 km² (483 mi²) of it is land and 11 km² (4 mi²) of it (0.89%) is water.
Adjacent counties
★
Lehigh County (north)
★
Bucks County (northeast)
★
Philadelphia County (southeast)
★
Delaware County (southwest)
★
Chester County (west)
★
Berks County (northwest)
Demographics
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 750,097 people, 286,098 households, and 197,693 families residing in the county. The
population density was 599/km² (1,553/mi²). There were 297,434 housing units at an average density of 238 units/km² (616 units/mi²). 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.
Montgomery County is home to large and growing
African American,
Korean,
Puerto Rican and
Indian populations. The county has the second largest foreign-born population in the region.
[1]
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. 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
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 nation with such a rating.
Major employers include:
★ Abington Memorial Hospital
★
Aetna/US Healthcare
★
Genuardi's Family Markets
★ Holy Redeemer Hospital
★
Jefferson Health System
★
Johnson & Johnson -
McNeil Pharmaceuticals
★
Lockheed Martin
★
Merck
★
Motorola
★
Prudential
★
Quest Diagnostics
★
Rohm and Haas
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.
[2]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.
Politics
'Presidential elections results'| Year | GOP | Dems |
|---|
| 2004 | 44.0% ''174,741 | '55.6%' ''222,048 |
| 2000 | 43.8% ''145,623 | '53.5%' ''177,990 |
| 1996 | 41.2% ''121,047 | '48.9%' ''143,664 |
| 1992 | 39.5% ''125,704 | '42.9%' ''136,572 |
| 1988 | '60.2%' ''170,294 | 38.8% ''109,834 |
| 1984 | '64.2%' ''181,426 | 35.3% ''99,741 |
| 1980 | '57.8%' ''156,996 | 31.0% ''84,289 |
| 1976 | '56.9%' ''155,480 | 41.2% ''112,644 |
| 1972 | '64.3%' ''173,662 | 34.1% ''91,959 |
| 1968 | '54.3%' ''141,621 | 39.3% ''102,464 |
| 1964 | 43.0% ''102,714 | '56.7%' ''135,657 |
| 1960 | '60.7%' ''142,796 | 39.2% ''92,212 |
As of
May 2007, there are 538,733 registered voters in Montgomery County
[3].
★
Democratic: 211,900 (39.33%)
★
Republican: 247,063 (45.86%)
★ Other Parties: 79,770 (14.81%)
While Republicans have dominated county politics, the Democratic Party has made significant gains in the county over the last 20 years. Most county-level offices are held by Republicans. However, the Republican Presidential candidate has not won Montco since 1988. In addition, the traditionally-Republican
13th Congressional District has been won by the Democrats in five of the last seven elections. Democrats have also won significant 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. outpolled
Rick Santorum in the 2006 Senate election.
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 the minority party represented. The next elections for Commissioner are in 2007.
The current commissioners are:
★
Thomas Jay Ellis - Chair - (R)
★
Jim Matthews - (R)
★
Ruth Damsker - (D)
Montgomery County contains parts of six
Congressional Districts: the
2nd,
6th,
7th,
8th,
13th, and
15th.
Municipalities
Map of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing Boroughs (red), Townships (white), and Census-designated places (blue).
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities:
cities,
boroughs, , and, in at most two cases,
towns. The following boroughs and townships are located in Montgomery County:
Boroughs
Townships
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.
Education
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 - a
commonwealth campus of
The Pennsylvania State University
★
Rosemont College
★
Temple University -
Ambler and
Ft. Washington campuses and
Tyler School of Art in
Elkins Park
★
Ursinus College
Map of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Public School Districts
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.
[4]
Private secondary schools
★
Academy Of The New Church Boys School
★
Academy Of The New Church Girls School
★
Abington Friends School
★
Akiba Hebrew Academy
★
The Baldwin School
★
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
★
Merion Mercy Academy
★
Mount Saint Joseph Academy
★
New Life Youth & Family Svcs
★
The Pathway School
★
Perkiomen School
★
Reformation Christian 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
External links
★
Official Montgomery County web site
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
![Last Minute Travel Deals: Make Sure You\](images/articles/thumbs/klastminutethumb.jpg "Last Minute Travel Deals: Make Sure You\")
![Walking in Waikiki: The Sauce-erer\](images/articles/thumbs/waikikidrinkumbrellathumb.jpg "Walking in Waikiki: The Sauce-erer\")
