In 2010, the center of population of Pennsylvania was located in the eastern end of Perry County.[5]Green Park, an unincorporated village located in northeastern Tyrone Township, serves as Perry County's midpoint between theConococheague Mountain in the west and theSusquehanna River to the east.[6]
The county terrain is formed by the foldedAppalachian Mountain ridges which run from southwest to northeast across the county. The terrain slopes to the northeast,[7] with its highest point on the Blue Mountain Ridge, which delineates the border between Perry and Cumberland counties. The ridge peaks at 0.83 miles (1.34 km) NE from Perry County's southmost corner; it measures 2,269 ft (692 m) ASL.[8] Perry County is one of the 423 counties served by theAppalachian Regional Commission,[9] and it is identified as part of the "Midlands" by Colin Woodard in his bookAmerican Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.[10]
The county is drained by the south-flowingSusquehanna River, which forms almost all of its eastern boundary. TheJuniata River enters Perry County fromJuniata County near Millerstown, and flows southeast to its confluence with the Susquehanna River near Duncannon. The county also contains several creeks, runs, and lakes,[11] which provide recreational and fishing[12] opportunities, formerly powered mills throughout the county[13] and provided transport venues. To this day, canoeing and kayaking are forms of recreation which utilize theShermans Creek and other waters in the county.[14]
The county has a total area of 556 square miles (1,440 km2), of which 551 square miles (1,430 km2) is land and 4.1 square miles (11 km2) (0.7%) is water.[15] TheAppalachian Trail runs through the town of Duncannon. The county is also famous for being the northern head of theTuscarora Trail.
There were 16,695 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.6% weremarried couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.01. There is also a high population of Anabaptist communities, such asAmish andMennonites.
The county population contained 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.
The county's emergency services are located in the basement of thePerry County Courthouse. The 911 center's coverage area includes almost all of Perry County and portions ofJuniata andDauphin counties.
In 2016,Donald J. Trump received 73.07% of the presidential vote, compared to 21.67% toHillary Clinton, and 5.26% for candidatesGary Johnson, write-ins,Jill Stein, and Darrell L. Castle, respectively. The county has voted for the Republican in everypresidential election since 1964. In 2006,Lynn Swann received 9,998 votes (69%) to 4,477 votes (31%) forEd Rendell, making itSwann's strongest county in his defeat.Rick Santorum also received more than 60% of the Perry County vote in his defeat.[38]
United States presidential election results for Perry County, Pennsylvania[38]
TheCapital Area Intermediate Unit 15 is a state approved education agency that offers to Perry County school districts, charter schools, private schools, and home school students, a variety of services including: a completely developed K-12 curriculum that is mapped and aligned with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards (available online), shared services, a joint purchasing program and a wide variety of special education and special needs services.
The county is home to four weekly newspapers, three published byAdvance Publications of Perry andJuniata Counties, Inc. associated withThe Patriot-News of Harrisburg: Duncannon Record, The News-Sun, and Perry County Times.[41] The Perry County Weekly is published by The Sentinel in Carlisle,Cumberland County, byLee Enterprises of Davenport, Iowa.[42]
There are numerous historical books written about the county, available at theCouncil of the Arts inNewport as well as other establishments. They cover various topics of the county's past, including an historical overview of theBlain area; an account of the life of the early settlers along theShermans Creek in three townships;[43] and an account of aCivil War battle on Sterrett's Gap.[44] Author and New Bloomfield residentRoy F. Chandler wrote many books about the county.
Map of Perry County, with Boroughs (red) and Townships (white)
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities:cities,boroughs,townships, and, in at most two cases,towns. The following boroughs and townships are located in Perry County:
Perry County's economy is primarilyagricultural.[49] Various farmers markets,[50] roadside stands, farm produce stands,[51] food festivals,[52] resale farm stands, meat stores, and plant nurseries[53][54] are present throughout the county. Two farms in Perry County are particularly well known, which areSpiral Path Farm and Yeehaw Farm, with the latter having been spotlighted bythe Washington Post.[55] The county's area is 38.3% farmland, of which 11.09% (thus 4.24% of all land in the county) is pastureland.[56]
Perry County also hosts a wide range of non-agricultural businesses. Historically, mills were prevalent, and the county currently has 21 known non-operational mills still standing.[57] Settlement was not allowed until 1755, and when settlement was allowed, it was not safe: in June 1755, Native Americans chased nearly all of the pioneers out, until it was considered safe to return in 1762. The first mill wastaxed in 1763, though the exact date of its completion is not known.[58]
Nearly every stream's basin hosted a sawmill, providing wood for early buildings and boardwalks.[58]
^abCenter, Legislativate Data Processing."Find Your Legislator".The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Archived fromthe original on May 6, 2017. RetrievedMay 10, 2017.
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