The land of the future Centre County was first recorded byJames Potter in 1764. Potter reached the top ofNittany Mountain and "seeing the prairies and noble forest beneath him, cried out to his attendant, 'By heavens, Thompson, I have discovered an empire!'"[5] Centre County was created on February 13, 1800 by Act 2092 of the Pennsylvania Legislature from parts ofHuntingdon,Lycoming,Mifflin, andNorthumberland counties. The act said that its inhabitants "labour under great hardships, by reason of their great distance from the present seats of justice, and the public offices" of their current counties.[6] Its population was 4,112. Centre was among ten new counties carved from the existing twenty-six in early 1800. The county was named after theCentre Furnace.[7]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,113 square miles (2,880 km2), of which 1,110 square miles (2,900 km2) is land and 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2) (0.3%) is water.[8] Centre County is one of the 423 counties served by theAppalachian Regional Commission. It is the fifth-largest county in Pennsylvania by area and itsarea code is 814.
As of the 2010 census,[11] there were 153,990 people, 57,573 households, and 31,256 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 139 people per square mile (54 people/km2). There were 63,297 housing units at an average density of 57 units per square mile (22/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.4%White, 3.0%Black orAfrican American, 0.1%Native American, 5.2%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 0.7% fromother races, and 1.5% from two or more races. 2.4% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 57,573 households, out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% weremarried couples living together, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.7% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the county, 15.9% of the population was under the age of 18, 28.9% was from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 107.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.1 males.
Centre County for many years has been a stronglyRepublican county, like most of central Pennsylvania. By the 21st century however, it became more competitive, in line withcollege towns around the country.Democratic strength is largely around theHappy Valley (home ofPenn State University Park) and county seatBellefonte, with the rest of the county being Republican.
In 2000George W. Bush defeatedAl Gore with 52% of the vote to Gore's 43%. In 2004 Bush won the county by a much smaller margin. Bush won 51% toKerry's 47%, a margin of only 4%. In 2006, GovernorEd Rendell andBob Casey Jr. both carried Centre, and DemocratScott Conklin decisively won the State House seat left open by the retirement of Republican Lynn Herman in the 77th district. In 2008, Democrats captured the countywide registration edge,Barack Obama carried the county with 55% of the vote to McCain's 44%, and Democratic statewide winners (Rob McCord for Treasurer andJack Wagner for Auditor General also carried Centre).
2020 presidential election, shaded by city and township Biden: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Trump: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%
In 2012, Barack Obama won the county in his reelection campaign by a very narrow margin, 48.9% to 48.65%, a difference of just 175 votes.[19] In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton beat Republican nominee Donald Trump 47.76% to 45.86%.[20] In the same election, incumbent Republican SenatorPat Toomey beat Democratic opponent Katie McGinty 47.91% to 46.2% in the county.[20]
Centre County's main daily newspaper is theCentre Daily Times (part of theMcClatchy Company chain). Alternative newspapers include theCentre County Gazette andState College City Guide. Newspapers ofPennsylvania State University'smain campus include the student-runDaily Collegian.[23] Magazines in the area includeTown & Gown,[24]State College Magazine,[25]Good Life in Happy Valley,[26]Blue White Illustrated,Pennsylvania Business Central, andVoices of Central Pennsylvania.[27] The radio market of Centre County is ranked #257 in the nation. Some of the more popular stations includeWPSU,WKPS,WZWW,WLEJ,WFGE,WNLI,WRSC-FM,WBHV,WOWY, andWBUS.
Centre County is part of the Johnstown/Altoona/State College television market, which is currently ranked #99 in the nation. Television stations broadcasting out of State College areWPSU (PBS) andWHVL-LD (MyNetworkTV) as well as C-NET, Centre County's Government and Education Access Television Network, which broadcasts on two channels: CGTV (Government Access TV) and CETV (Educational Access TV). Johnstown-basedWJAC-TV (NBC) and Altoona-basedWTAJ-TV (CBS) maintain satellite studios and offices.
Map of Centre County, Pennsylvania with municipal labels showing boroughs (red), townships (white), and census-designated places (blue)
Under Pennsylvania law, there are five types of incorporated municipalities:cities,home rule municipalities,boroughs,townships, and in at most two cases,towns. These are the municipalities, boroughs and townships in Centre County:
Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by theU.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.
^"PHMC Historical Markers Search".Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Archived fromthe original(Searchable database) on March 21, 2016. RetrievedJanuary 25, 2014.
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