Tioga County, Pennsylvania

Tioga County
County
Tioga County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°46′N77°15′W / 41.77°N 77.25°W / 41.77; -77.25
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
Founded	October 13, 1812
Named for	Tioga River
Seat	Wellsboro
Largest borough	Mansfield
Area
• Total	1,137 sq mi (2,940 km2)
• Land	1,134 sq mi (2,940 km2)
• Water	3.2 sq mi (8 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	41,045
• Density	36/sq mi (14/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	15th
Website	www.tiogacountypa.us

Tioga County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,045. ^[1] Its county seat is Wellsboro. ^[2] The county was created on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County ^[3] and later organized in 1812. ^[4] It is named for the Tioga River. Tioga County is in the sparsely populated Pennsylvania Wilds region.

History

The county was colonized by people of Yankee stock (colonists from New England and the western part of New York who were descended from the English Puritans of colonial New England). With the opening of a rough wagon road to the source of the Tioga River, New England colonists poured over the Allegheny Mountains. Tioga County resembled upstate New York more than it did eastern Pennsylvania, as its population primarily consisted of colonists from New England. ^[5] Developers and land speculators laid out roads, established post routes, erected public buildings, and invited people to move there. The original colonists were entirely of New England origins or were Yankees from upstate New York, whose families had recent ancestors in New England, with colonization taking place in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War. Tioga County was largely culturally contiguous with New England culture, which was influential across the Northern Tier of the United States through its migrants.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the county accepted more immigrants from Ireland, Germany and eastern Europe, who came to work in the coal mines. A number of them were Roman Catholic, introducing more diversity into the mixture of religions here.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,137 square miles (2,940 km²), of which 1,134 square miles (2,940 km²) is land and 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²) (0.3%) is water. ^[6] It is the fourth-largest county in Pennsylvania by land area and fifth-largest by total area. It has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) and average monthly temperatures in Wellsboro range from 22.8 °F in January to 68.2 °F in July. ^[7]

Adjacent counties

• Steuben County, New York (north)
• Chemung County, New York (northeast)
• Bradford County (east)
• Lycoming County (south)
• Potter County (west)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1810	1,687		—
1820	4,021		138.4%
1830	8,978		123.3%
1840	15,498		72.6%
1850	23,987		54.8%
1860	31,044		29.4%
1870	35,097		13.1%
1880	45,814		30.5%
1890	52,313		14.2%
1900	49,086		−6.2%
1910	42,829		−12.7%
1920	37,118		−13.3%
1930	31,871		−14.1%
1940	35,004		9.8%
1950	35,474		1.3%
1960	36,614		3.2%
1970	39,691		8.4%
1980	40,973		3.2%
1990	41,126		0.4%
2000	41,372		0.6%
2010	41,981		1.5%
2020	41,045		−2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [8] 1790–1960 [9] 1900–1990 [10] 1990–2000 [11] 2010–2017 [12] 2010-2020 [13]

As of the census ^[14] of 2000, there were 41,373 people, 15,925 households, and 11,195 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile (14 people/km²). There were 19,893 housing units at an average density of 18 units per square mile (6.9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.11% White, 0.60% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. 0.52% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Residents of Tioga County were of 31.9% English, 23.1% German, 10.1% Irish, 6.0% Polish and 5.3% Italian ancestry.

There were 15,925 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were married couples living together, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% were non-families. 24.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.70% under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 25.40% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 16.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males.

2020 census

Tioga County Racial Composition ^[15]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	38,257	93.2%
Black or African American (NH)	321	0.8%
Native American (NH)	73	0.17%
Asian (NH)	189	0.46%
Pacific Islander (NH)	7	0.02%
Other/Mixed (NH)	1,558	3.8%
Hispanic or Latino	640	1.56%

Politics and government

United States presidential election results for Tioga County, Pennsylvania ^[16]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	15,742	74.51%	4,955	23.45%	429	2.03%
2016	13,614	73.56%	3,901	21.08%	992	5.36%
2012	11,342	66.35%	5,357	31.34%	395	2.31%
2008	11,326	62.48%	6,390	35.25%	410	2.26%
2004	12,019	68.40%	5,437	30.94%	115	0.65%
2000	9,635	65.22%	4,617	31.26%	520	3.52%
1996	7,382	51.18%	4,961	34.39%	2,082	14.43%
1992	7,823	47.29%	4,868	29.43%	3,852	23.28%
1988	9,471	66.00%	4,807	33.50%	72	0.50%
1984	10,532	71.92%	4,060	27.72%	52	0.36%
1980	8,770	63.33%	4,273	30.85%	806	5.82%
1976	8,417	58.43%	5,795	40.23%	193	1.34%
1972	10,028	72.05%	3,733	26.82%	157	1.13%
1968	9,298	67.07%	3,488	25.16%	1,077	7.77%
1964	7,064	48.73%	7,415	51.16%	16	0.11%
1960	11,082	73.04%	4,076	26.86%	15	0.10%
1956	10,827	76.72%	3,280	23.24%	6	0.04%
1952	11,203	78.65%	3,006	21.10%	35	0.25%
1948	10,016	77.03%	2,986	22.97%	0	0.00%
1944	10,381	75.73%	3,248	23.69%	79	0.58%
1940	11,645	72.23%	4,434	27.50%	43	0.27%
1936	12,567	69.40%	5,442	30.05%	99	0.55%
1932	9,583	75.00%	3,004	23.51%	191	1.49%
1928	11,774	87.23%	1,688	12.51%	36	0.27%
1924	8,452	81.22%	1,271	12.21%	683	6.56%
1920	9,718	83.28%	1,258	10.78%	693	5.94%
1916	5,347	66.41%	2,294	28.49%	411	5.10%
1912	1,895	22.40%	1,901	22.48%	4,662	55.12%
1908	6,947	71.28%	2,321	23.81%	478	4.90%
1904	7,410	79.32%	1,541	16.50%	391	4.19%
1900	7,458	71.02%	2,638	25.12%	406	3.87%
1896	7,922	71.42%	2,828	25.50%	342	3.08%
1892	6,706	64.77%	2,921	28.21%	726	7.01%
1888	7,808	69.23%	2,972	26.35%	499	4.42%

Tioga County is one of the most heavily Republican represented counties in Pennsylvania. This has a long history as Abraham Lincoln reportedly received 78.57% of the county's vote in the 1860 Presidential election. ^[17] Since Abraham Lincoln the county has voted for the non-Republican presidential candidate only two times. The first was Theodore Roosevelt's 1912 run as a Progressive and the second was Lyndon B. Johnson's landslide in 1964. ^[18] In 2004, George W. Bush received 12,019 votes (68%) to 5,437 votes (31%) for John Kerry. In 2008 John McCain received 62.7% of the vote. ^[19] In 2006, Rick Santorum and Lynn Swann both had significant victories in Tioga County despite their defeats statewide. The last two sitting Board of Commissioners have been all Republican candidates, and Tioga County is the only county in Pennsylvania with all three sitting commissioners being from a single party. This was due to the success of write in campaigns conducted by Roger Bunn in 2011 and Mark Hamilton in 2015.

Elected officials

United States senator

• Robert "Bob" P. Casey, Jr (Democrat)
• John Fetterman (Democrat)

United States Congress

• Fred Keller (Republican) – 12th Pennsylvania Congressional District (Includes all of Tioga County).

Pennsylvania state senator

• Gene Yaw – 23rd District, Pennsylvania State Senate

Pennsylvania state representative

• Clint Owlett (Republican) – 68th District, Pennsylvania House of Representatives

County commissioners

• Roger C. Bunn, chair (Republican)
• Erick J. Coolidge (Republican)
• Mark L. Hamilton, vice-chair (Republican)

Court of Common Pleas judge, 4th Judicial District of Pennsylvania

• George W. Wheeler (Republican/Democrat)

Magisterial district judge

• James E. Carlson – District Court 04-3-02 (Mansfield)
• Robert Repard – District Court 04-3-02 (Wellsboro)
• James Edgecomb – District Court 04-3-01 (Elkland)

District attorney

• Krista Deats (Republican)

Register of wills / recorder of deeds

• Jane E. Wetherbee (Republican)

Prothonotary / clerk of courts

• Marie Seymour (Republican)

County treasurer

• Kera Hackett (Republican)

Sheriff

• Frank Levindoski (Republican)

Coroner

• James Dougherty

Auditors

• Rebecca B. Briggs (Republican)
• Elizabeth T. Craig (Republican)
• Amy Kane Perry (Republican)

Education

Map of Tioga County, Pennsylvania Public School Districts

Colleges and universities

• Mansfield University in Mansfield is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

Public school districts

• Canton Area School District (also in Bradford County and Lycoming County)
• Galeton Area School District (also in Potter County)
• Northern Tioga School District
• Southern Tioga School District (also in Lycoming County)
• Wellsboro Area School District

Private schools

As reported by EdNA, Pennsylvania Department of Education, June 2010.

• Covington Community DCC, Covington
• Irvin Comstock Seventh-Day Adventist School, Wellsboro
• Laurel Youth Services, Blossburg
• Lauries Bright Beginnings CCC, Millerton
• Mansfield Area Nursery School, Mansfield
• Maranatha Mission Learning Community Branch 20, Trout Run
• New Covenant Academy, Mansfield
• Presbyterian Child Development Center, Wellsboro
• Stony Fork Mennonite School, Wellsboro
• Trinity Lutheran School, Wellsboro
• Toddler University, Blossburg
• Toddler University, Trinity
• Wellsboro Montessori Children's Center, Wellsboro
• Wesley Academy, Elkland

Public libraries

• Blossburg Memorial Library
• Elkland Area Community Library
• Green Free Library – Wellsboro
• Knoxville Public Library
• Mansfield Free Public Library
• Potter-Tioga County Lib System
• Westfield Public Library

Transportation

Public transportation is provided by BeST Transit.

Major highways

• Future I-99
• US 6
• US 15
• 
  US 15 Bus.
• PA 14
• PA 49
• PA 249
• PA 287
• PA 328
• PA 349
• PA 362
• PA 414
• PA 549
• PA 660

Recreation

There are three Pennsylvania state parks in Tioga County.

• Hills Creek State Park is several miles north of U.S. Route 6 between Wellsboro and Mansfield in Charleston Township.
• Colton Point State Park and Leonard Harrison State Park are both part of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon that is carved by Pine Creek.

Communities

Map of Tioga County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing 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 Tioga County:

Boroughs

• Blossburg
• Elkland
• Knoxville
• Lawrenceville
• Liberty
• Mansfield
• Roseville
• Tioga
• Wellsboro (county seat)
• Westfield

Townships

• Bloss
• Brookfield
• Charleston
• Chatham
• Clymer
• Covington
• Deerfield
• Delmar
• Duncan
• Elk
• Farmington
• Gaines
• Hamilton
• Jackson
• Lawrence
• Liberty
• Middlebury
• Morris
• Nelson
• Osceola
• Putnam
• Richmond
• Rutland
• Shippen
• Sullivan
• Tioga
• Union
• Ward
• Westfield

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.

• Arnot
• Millerton

Ghost towns

Tioga County is historically home to several ghost towns for a variety of reasons, chiefly the decline of the lumber and coal industry. Most prominently is Leetonia, a former timber company town. Some small hamlets, such as Mardin and Olde Corner, who relied on Rural Free Delivery for trade met their downfall. Former borough Fall Brook was a site of coal discovered in 1856, and Landrus first was settled to build a sawmill. ^[20]

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Tioga County. ^[21]

†county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2010 Census)
1	Mansfield	Borough	3,625
2	† Wellsboro	Borough	3,263
3	Elkland	Borough	1,821
4	Blossburg	Borough	1,538
5	Westfield	Borough	1,064
6	Tioga	Borough	666
7	Knoxville	Borough	629
8	Lawrenceville	Borough	581
9	Arnot	CDP	332
10	Millerton	CDP	316
11	Liberty	Borough	249
12	Roseville	Borough	189

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Tioga County, Pennsylvania

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Tioga County, Pennsylvania". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved December 18, 2022.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. An outline history of Tioga and Bradford counties in Pennsylvania, Chemung, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins and Schuyler in New York: by townships, villages, boro's and cities, John L. Sexton. The Gazette Company, 1885, p3. 1885. p.  3 . Retrieved September 17, 2010. tioga county, pa. sexton.
4. "Pennsylvania: Individual County Chronologies". Pennsylvania Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Archived from the original on March 25, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
5. The Expansion of New England: The Spread of New England Settlement and Institutions to the Mississippi River, 1620–1865, pp. 151-152
6. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
7. "PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University".
8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
10. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
12. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
13. "Census 2020".
14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
15. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Tioga County, Pennsylvania".
16. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
17. "David Leip Presidential Election Atlas for 1860". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
18. "Presidential election of 1912 – Map by counties". geoelections.free.fr. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
19. "President Map – Election Results 2008 – The New York Times". elections.nytimes.com. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
20. Randel, William Peirce (1939). "The Place Names of Tioga County, Pennsylvania". American Speech. 14 (3): 181–190. doi:10.2307/451417. ISSN   0003-1283.
21. Promotions, Center for New Media and. "US Census Bureau 2010 Census". www.census.gov. Retrieved April 3, 2018.

External links

• Tioga County, Pennsylvania
• Map 562 *Augmented by Williams, J. H., Taylor, L. E., and Low, D. J. (1993), Surficial geologic map of major glaciated valleys of Bradford, Tioga, and Potter Counties, Pennsylvania, showing locations of wells, test holes, and data-collection sites, Pennsylvania Geological Survey, 4th ser., Water Resource Report 68.

41°46′N77°15′W / 41.77°N 77.25°W / 41.77; -77.25