Montour County | |
|---|---|
 Montour County Courthouse in Danville | |
 Logo | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofPennsylvania | |
 Pennsylvania's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:41°02′N76°40′W / 41.03°N 76.66°W /41.03; -76.66 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Pennsylvania |
| Founded | May 3, 1850 |
| Named after | Andrew Montour |
| Seat | Danville |
| Largest borough | Danville |
| Area | |
• Total | 132 sq mi (340 km2) |
| • Land | 130 sq mi (300 km2) |
| • Water | 2.1 sq mi (5 km2) 1.6% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 18,136 |
• Estimate (2024)[1] | 18,115 |
| • Density | 139/sq mi (54/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 9th |
| Website | www |
Montour County is acounty in theCommonwealth ofPennsylvania. As of the2020 census, the population was 18,136.[2] Itscounty seat isDanville.[3] The county is named forAndrew Montour,[4] a prominentMétis interpreter who served withGeorge Washington during theFrench and Indian War. It encompasses 132 sq mi, making it the smallest county by land area in the state.[5] The county is part of the Central Pennsylvania region of the state.[a]
Montour County is part of theBloomsburg-Berwick, PAMetropolitan Statistical Area.
Fort Bosley, located near the present day border ofDerry Township and the Borough ofWashingtonville, was the county's only fortified location during theRevolutionary War.[6]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 132 square miles (340 km2), of which 130 square miles (340 km2) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2) (1.6%) is water.[7] It is the smallest county by area in Pennsylvania. A total of 45% of Montour County iswooded. The entire county sits inside theSusquehanna River watershed. The other major streams in Montour County includeChillisquaque Creek andMahoning Creek.[8]
Montour has ahumid continental climate (Dfa/Dfb) and average monthly temperatures in Danville range from 26.9 °F in January to 72.3 °F in July.[9]
Montour County is located in theRidge-and-Valley Province of theAppalachian Mountains. A total of 65% of the soils in the county arewell-drained. TheMuncy Hills are located in the northern part of the county and Montour Ridge is located in the southern part of the county, not far from the Susquehanna River. Montour Ridge also is home to the highest elevation in the county, 1425 feetabove sea level. The lowest elevation is 440 feet above sea level, at the Susquehanna River.[8]
Thesedimentary rocks in Montour County are from either theDevonian Period or theSilurian Period. The Devonian Period rocks are more common than Silurian Period rocks, making up two thirds of the county. These rocks are prevalent in the Muncy Hills and the lowlands in the southern portion of the county. The Devonian Period rocks in Montour County include theCatskill Formation, theMarcellus Shale, the Helderburg Formation, theMahantango Formation, theOriskany Formation, the Marine Beds, and theOnondaga Formation. The other one third of the rocks in Montour County are from the Silurian Period. Rocks from this period are prevalent on Montour Ridge and the adjacentvalley and the hills to the northwest ofWashingtonville. These areas consist of the Wills Creek formation, the Tonoloway Formation, theBloomsburg Formation, theTuscarora Formation, the Clinton Group, and the McKenzie Formation.[8]
There are three majoranticlines andsynclines in Montour County. These are the White Deer Anticline, the Lackawanna Syncline, and the Milton Anticline. These are located in the northern, central, and Montour Ridge areas of the county, respectively. These features are situated in a northeast–southwest alignment. They were formed by regional compression and uplift approximately 200 million years ago, during thePermian Period. During the Pleistocene Period, the Illinoianglacial advance reached Montour County, although the Wisconsin glacial advance stopped slightly short of it. There arealluvial deposits in many of theriver valleys in the county, especially there two streams or rivers meet. These deposits were formed fairly recently, geologically speaking.[8]
Thewater supply for Montour County comes primarily from the Susquehanna River, as well aswells andsprings. The rural areas especially depend on wells for their water supply, but Danville mostly uses the Susquehanna River. Wells drilled into Silurian rock have a tendency to be highlyhard and prone to developingsinkholes. However, the Keyser, Wills Creek, and Tonoloway Formations are considerably better at producing water.[8]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 13,239 | — | |
| 1860 | 13,053 | −1.4% | |
| 1870 | 15,344 | 17.6% | |
| 1880 | 15,468 | 0.8% | |
| 1890 | 15,645 | 1.1% | |
| 1900 | 15,526 | −0.8% | |
| 1910 | 14,868 | −4.2% | |
| 1920 | 14,080 | −5.3% | |
| 1930 | 14,517 | 3.1% | |
| 1940 | 15,466 | 6.5% | |
| 1950 | 16,001 | 3.5% | |
| 1960 | 16,730 | 4.6% | |
| 1970 | 16,508 | −1.3% | |
| 1980 | 16,675 | 1.0% | |
| 1990 | 17,735 | 6.4% | |
| 2000 | 18,239 | 2.8% | |
| 2010 | 18,267 | 0.2% | |
| 2020 | 18,136 | −0.7% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 18,115 | −0.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010-2017[14]2010-2020[15] 2024[1] | |||
As of thecensus of 2000,[16] there were 18,236 people, 7,085 households, and 4,817 families residing in the county. The population density was 140 inhabitants per square mile (54/km2). There were 7,627 housing units at an average density of 58 units per square mile (22/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.67%White, 1.01%Black orAfrican American, 0.07%Native American, 1.28%Asian, 0.38% fromother races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 0.92% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 33.2% were ofGerman, 13.2% American, 8.1%Irish, 6.6%English, 5.7%Italian and 5.6%Polish ancestry.
There were 7,085 households, out of which 30.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.30% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.00% were non-families. 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.98.
In Montour County, the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.00 males.
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 16,105 | 88.8% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 320 | 1.7% |
| Native American (NH) | 27 | 0.2% |
| Asian (NH) | 668 | 3.7% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 0 | 0% |
| Other/Mixed (NH) | 529 | 3% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 487 | 2.7% |
TheUnited States Office of Management and Budget[18] has designated Montour County as theBloomsburg-Berwick, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the2010 U.S. Census[19] the metropolitan area ranked 20th most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the368th most populous in the United States with a population of 82,562. Montour County is also a part of the largerBloomsburg-Berwick-Sunbury, PA Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which combines the populations of Montour County as well asColumbia,Northumberland,Snyder andUnion Counties in Pennsylvania. TheCombined Statistical Area ranked 8th in the State of Pennsylvania and115th most populous in the United States with a population of 264,739.
There are approximately 350 farms in Montour County. The majority of these farms produce beef,hogs, anddairy.Limestone is mined in some areas in the county.[8]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 5,944 | 59.76% | 3,862 | 38.83% | 141 | 1.42% |
| 2020 | 5,844 | 59.53% | 3,771 | 38.41% | 202 | 2.06% |
| 2016 | 5,288 | 61.80% | 2,857 | 33.39% | 411 | 4.80% |
| 2012 | 4,652 | 59.19% | 3,053 | 38.85% | 154 | 1.96% |
| 2008 | 4,574 | 56.64% | 3,364 | 41.65% | 138 | 1.71% |
| 2004 | 4,903 | 64.31% | 2,666 | 34.97% | 55 | 0.72% |
| 2000 | 3,960 | 60.97% | 2,356 | 36.27% | 179 | 2.76% |
| 1996 | 2,785 | 47.93% | 2,183 | 37.57% | 843 | 14.51% |
| 1992 | 3,096 | 46.58% | 2,150 | 32.35% | 1,400 | 21.07% |
| 1988 | 3,617 | 63.50% | 2,031 | 35.66% | 48 | 0.84% |
| 1984 | 4,174 | 66.81% | 2,055 | 32.89% | 19 | 0.30% |
| 1980 | 3,399 | 55.76% | 2,272 | 37.27% | 425 | 6.97% |
| 1976 | 3,259 | 53.65% | 2,727 | 44.89% | 89 | 1.47% |
| 1972 | 4,386 | 69.64% | 1,755 | 27.87% | 157 | 2.49% |
| 1968 | 3,289 | 55.04% | 2,239 | 37.47% | 448 | 7.50% |
| 1964 | 2,527 | 40.67% | 3,683 | 59.27% | 4 | 0.06% |
| 1960 | 4,154 | 61.17% | 2,629 | 38.71% | 8 | 0.12% |
| 1956 | 3,976 | 65.71% | 2,072 | 34.24% | 3 | 0.05% |
| 1952 | 3,725 | 62.12% | 2,264 | 37.76% | 7 | 0.12% |
| 1948 | 2,690 | 57.60% | 1,964 | 42.06% | 16 | 0.34% |
| 1944 | 2,727 | 55.12% | 2,212 | 44.71% | 8 | 0.16% |
| 1940 | 2,723 | 46.89% | 3,080 | 53.04% | 4 | 0.07% |
| 1936 | 2,350 | 39.74% | 3,534 | 59.76% | 30 | 0.51% |
| 1932 | 2,159 | 44.24% | 2,677 | 54.86% | 44 | 0.90% |
| 1928 | 3,692 | 71.69% | 1,445 | 28.06% | 13 | 0.25% |
| 1924 | 2,499 | 55.83% | 1,799 | 40.19% | 178 | 3.98% |
| 1920 | 2,296 | 53.76% | 1,872 | 43.83% | 103 | 2.41% |
| 1916 | 1,068 | 40.11% | 1,530 | 57.45% | 65 | 2.44% |
| 1912 | 308 | 10.98% | 1,492 | 53.19% | 1,005 | 35.83% |
| 1908 | 1,164 | 42.34% | 1,490 | 54.20% | 95 | 3.46% |
| 1904 | 1,518 | 51.37% | 1,358 | 45.96% | 79 | 2.67% |
| 1900 | 1,292 | 39.89% | 1,875 | 57.89% | 72 | 2.22% |
| 1896 | 1,384 | 42.65% | 1,747 | 53.84% | 114 | 3.51% |
| 1892 | 1,108 | 35.97% | 1,877 | 60.94% | 95 | 3.08% |
| 1888 | 1,289 | 39.91% | 1,865 | 57.74% | 76 | 2.35% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 5,847 | 59.06% | 3,813 | 38.52% | 240 | 2.42% |
Montour County has traditionally been heavily Republican, with it voting for every Republican presidential candidate since 1944, with the exception of Barry Goldwater. Donald Trump won it by just over 21% in 2020, down from his 28-point margin in 2016 and slightly better than Mitt Romney's margin in 2012.
The county is run by three locally elected commissioners, each of whose term of office lasts for four years.
Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit #16 provides a wide variety of services to children living in Montour County. These include early intervention, special education support services, driver education on road training, speech and hearing therapy and autistic support. Services for children during the preschool years are provided without cost to their families when the child is determined to meet eligibility requirements.[23]
Danville Area Head Start[24]
As reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Education - EdNA. February 2014[25]
CSIU16 School Directory 2014[28]
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities:cities,boroughs,townships, and, in one case,towns. The following boroughs and townships are located in Montour County:
The population ranking of the following table is based on the2010 census of Montour County.[29]
†county seat
| Rank | City/Town/etc. | Municipal type | Population (2010 Census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | †Danville | Borough | 4,699 |
| 2 | Washingtonville | Borough | 273 |
ISBN refers to a 1999 reprint edition, URL is for the Susquehanna River Basin Commission's web page of Native American Place names, quoting and citing the book. Some older sources say the county was named forMadame Montour, Andrew's mother.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Municipalities and communities ofMontour County, Pennsylvania,United States | ||
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| Boroughs |  | |
| Townships | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
