Jefferson County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the Commonwealth of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,492. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Brookville. The county was established on March 26, 1804, from part of

Lycoming County Lycoming County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 114,188. Its county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. ...

and later organized in 1830. It is named for President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

. It is home to

Punxsutawney Phil Punxsutawney Phil is the name given to a groundhog residing in Young Township near Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, who is the central figure in Punxsutawney's annual Groundhog Day celebration. Folklore On February 2 each year, Punxsutawney holds ...

, the most famous

groundhog The groundhog (''Marmota monax''), also known as a woodchuck, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. The groundhog is a lowland creature of North America; it is found through mu ...

that predicts when spring will come every February 2 on Groundhog Day.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water. It has a warm-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(''Dfb'') and average monthly temperatures in Brookville range from 24.8 °F in January to 68.8 °F in July, while in Punxsutawney they range from 25.7 °F in January to 69.6 °F in July

Adjacent counties

* Forest County, Pennsylvania, Forest County (northwest) * Elk County (northeast) *

Clearfield County Clearfield County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,562. The county seat is Clearfield, and the largest city is DuBois. The county was created in 1804 and later organized in 1822. ...

(east) * Indiana County (south) * Armstrong County (southwest) * Clarion County (west)

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Streams

There are many named streams flowing through Jefferson County, far too many to list here. An exhaustive list is presented in a separate article. All those streams eventually flow to the Allegheny River except for Bear Run, , in the southeast which flows into the Susquehanna River. The principal streams and the area of their watersheds that lie within the county are: * Clarion River: ** Little Toby Creek: ** Clear Creek: ** Cathers Run: ** Mill Creek: * Redbank Creek: ** North Fork Creek: *** Clear Run: *** Pekin Run: **

Sandy Lick Creek Sandy Lick Creek is a tributary of Redbank Creek in northwest Pennsylvania in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Keystone Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2004. Sandy Lick Creek arises in Sandy Township north of Lake Sabula and joins North Fork Cre ...

: *** Wolf Run: *** Soldier Run: *** Trout Run: *** Mill Creek: *** Fivemile Run: *** Falls Creek: ** Little Sandy Creek: * Mahoning Creek: ** East Branch Mahoning Creek: ** Stump Creek: ** Big Run: ** Canoe Creek: ** Elk Run: ** Pine Run:

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 45,932 people, 18,375 households, and 12,862 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 70 people per square mile (27/km²). There were 22,104 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.97%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.13%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.16% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.07% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.45% from two or more races. 0.41% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race. 31.1% were of German, 13.4%

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, 10.8% American, 9.2%

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and 7.8%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

ancestry. There were 18,375 households, out of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.80% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 26.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.96. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males.

2020 Census

Law and government

Jefferson County is a very safe county for the Republican Party, which has won the vote of all but two presidential elections.

Voter Registration

As of February 21, 2022, there are 27,832 registered voters in Jefferson County. * Democratic: 6,500 (23.35%) *

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

: 18,289 (65.71%) *

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

: 1,926 (6.92%) *

Third Party Third party may refer to: Business * Third-party source, a supplier company not owned by the buyer or seller * Third-party beneficiary, a person who could sue on a contract, despite not being an active party * Third-party insurance, such as a V ...

: 1,117 (4.01%)

County Commissioners

* Herbert L. Bullers Jr.(R) * Scott E. North(R) * Jeffrey E. Pisarcik(D)

State Senate

* Cris Dush, Republican, Pennsylvania's 25th Senatorial District

State House of Representatives

* Brian Smith, Republican, Pennsylvania's 66th Representative District

United States House of Representatives

* G.T. Thompson,

Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district has been located in western Pennsylvania since February 2018. The district includes all of Warren County, McKean County, Forest County, Venango County, Elk County, Cameron County, Clarion County, ...

United States Senate

Pat Toomey Patrick Joseph Toomey Jr. (born November 17, 1961) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator for Pennsylvania since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he served three terms as the U.S. representa ...

Bob Casey Jr. Robert Patrick Casey Jr. (born April 13, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Pennsylvania, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, Casey previously served as Penn ...

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Education

Colleges and universities

Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) is a public research university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. As of fall 2021, the university enrolled 7,044 undergraduates and 1,865 postgraduates, for a total enrollment of 9,009 students. The univ ...

Clarion University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Western University, Clarion, also known as PennWest Clarion, is a public university campus in Clarion, Pennsylvania. Part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), the institution was founded in 1867 and offers ...

* Butler County Community College (Brockway)

Public school districts

Brockway Area School District The Brockway Area School District is a small, rural public school district located in north west Pennsylvania, US. The District encompasses approximately spanning portions of two counties. In Elk County it covers a small portion of Horton T ...

Brookville Area School District The Brookville Area School District is a small, rural public school district which encompasses approximately . The District serves the Boroughs of Brookville, Pennsylvania, Brookville and Summerville, Pennsylvania, Summerville and Barnett Townshi ...

Clarion-Limestone Area School District The Clarion-Limestone Area School District is a small, rural, public school district which spans portions of two counties. In Clarion County, it serves the Borough of Strattanville and Clarion Township, Limestone Township and Millcreek Town ...

* DuBois Area School District *

Punxsutawney Area School District The Punxsutawney Area School District (PASD) is a midsized, rural/suburban public school district located in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania and Indiana County, Pennsylvania. The Punxsutawney Area School District encompasses approximately . The ...

Related public entities

* Jefferson County-DuBois AVTS * Riverview Intermediate Unit #6

Private schools

* Allens Mills School - Reynoldsville * Bear Lane School - Punxsutawney * Blose Hill Amish School - Reynoldsville * Bucks Run - Reynoldsville * Canoe Ridge Amish School - Rossiter * Christ Dominion Academy * Colonial Drake - Punxsutawney * Eagles Nest Amish School - Brockway * Highland Park - Punxsutawney * Hillside School - Punxsutawney * Lone Maple School - Punxsutawney * Maple Grove School - Reynoldsville * Mountain View School - Punxsutawney * Munderf Amish School - Brockway * Oak Grove Parochial School - Smicksburg * Pine Valley Parochial School - Punxsutawney * Playhouse Children's Center - Punxsutawney * Praise Christian Academy - Reynoldsville * Punxsutawney Christian Sch - Ele Level - Punxsutawney * Spring Hollow Amish School - Reynoldsville * Spring Run School - Smickburg * Sts Cosmas & Damian School - Punxsutawney * Trout Run School - Punxsutawney * Valley View School - Punxsutawney * West Creek Road Amish School - Punxsutawney * Willow Drive School - Punxsutawney * Windy Hollow Amish School - Mayport

Libraries

* Jefferson County Library System - Brockway * Mengle Memorial Library - Brockway * Punxsutawney Memorial Library - Punxsutawney * Rebecca M Arthurs Memorial Library - Brookville * Reynoldsville Public Library - Reynoldsville * Summerville Public Library - Summerville * Sykesville Public Library - Sykesville

Licensed entities

* Full Circle Inc Boys Home - Reynolds * Jefferson County Adult Detention Center * Western Pennsylvania School of Taxidermy - Oliveburg

Recreation

Two Pennsylvania state parks are in the county. * Clear Creek State Park is in Barnett and Heath Townships. *

Cook Forest State Park Cook Forest State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Farmington Township, Clarion County, Barnett Township, Forest County and Barnett Township, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Located just south of the Allegheny Na ...

is in Barnett Township and stretches into neighboring Clarion and Forest Counties Th
Jefferson County Fair
is held annually in July.

Communities

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities:

cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

boroughs A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following boroughs and townships are located in Jefferson County:

Boroughs

* Big Run * Brockway * Brookville (county seat) * Corsica * Falls Creek (partly in

) * Punxsutawney * Reynoldsville * Summerville * Sykesville * Timblin * Worthville

Townships

* Barnett * Beaver *

Bell A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inte ...

Clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

* Eldred * Gaskill *

Heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...

* Henderson * Knox * McCalmont * Oliver *

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also mad ...

* Pine Creek *

Polk Polk may refer to: People * James K. Polk, 11th president of the United States * Polk (name), other people with the name Places * Polk (CTA), a train station in Chicago, Illinois * Polk, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Polk, Missou ...

Porter Porter may refer to: Companies * Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto * Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets * Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer * H.K. Porter, Inc., ...

* Ringgold *

Rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

* Snyder *

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Winslow Winslow may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Winslow, Buckinghamshire, England, a market town and civil parish * Winslow Rural District, Buckinghamshire, a rural district from 1894 to 1974 United States and Canada * Rural Municipality of Winslo ...

Young Young may refer to: * Offspring, the product of reproduction of a new organism produced by one or more parents * Youth, the time of life when one is young, often meaning the time between childhood and adulthood Music * The Young, an American roc ...

Census-designated place

* Crenshaw

Unincorporated communities

* Adrian Mines *

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

* Allens Mills * Anita * Baxter * Beechtree * Beechwoods * Bells Mills * Blowtown * Bowersville * Cloe * Coal Glen * Conifer *

Content Content or contents may refer to: Media * Content (media), information or experience provided to audience or end-users by publishers or media producers ** Content industry, an umbrella term that encompasses companies owning and providing mas ...

* Coolspring * Cortez * Desire * Dora * East Branch * Ella * Emerickville * Fordham * Forestville * Frostburg * Fuller * Hamilton * Hazen * Heathville *

Horatio Horatio is an English male given name, an Italianized form of the ancient Roman Latin '' nomen'' (name) '' Horatius'', from the Roman '' gens'' (clan) '' Horatia''. The modern Italian form is ''Orazio'', the modern Spanish form ''Horacio''. It app ...

* Howe * Kahletown * Knox Dale * Lanes Mills * Langville * Markton * McMinns Summit * Munderf * North Freedom * Ohl * Oliveburg *

Panic Panic is a sudden sensation of fear, which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reactio ...

* Pancoast *

Pansy The garden pansy (''Viola'' × ''wittrockiana'') is a type of large-flowered hybrid plant cultivated as a garden flower. It is derived by hybridization from several species in the section ''Melanium'' ("the pansies") of the genus ''Viola'', ...

* Pardus * Port Barnett *

* Prescottville * Ramsaytown * Rathmel * Richardsville * Ringgold * Rockdale * Roseville * Sandy Valley * Schoffner Corner * Sigel *

Soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

* Sprankle Mills * Stanton * Stump Creek * Sugar Hill * Valier * Walston *

* Westville *

Wishaw Wishaw ( sco, Wishae or Wisha ; gd, Camas Neachdain) is a large town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the edge of the Clyde Valley, south-east of Glasgow city centre. The Burgh of Wishaw was formed in 1855 within Lanarkshire. it form ...

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Jefferson County. † ''county seat''

Notable people

* John T. Morrison, sixth Governor of

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

from 1903 until 1905; born in Jefferson County. *

Sparky Lyle Albert Walter "Sparky" Lyle (born July 22, 1944) is an American former left-handed relief pitcher who spent sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1967 through 1982. He was a relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, ...

, professional baseball player * Chuck Daly, American basketball head coach * George Jenks, politician * Florence Parry Heide, author * Wilbur Good, professional baseball player *

Andy Hastings Charles Elliott "Andy" Hastings (January 24, 1893 – May 23, 1934), also known as "Sandy Hastings" in professional football records, was an American football player. He was an All-American halfback for the Pittsburgh Panthers and remains one of ...

, professional football player *

Mal Eason Malcolm Wayne (Mal) Eason (March 13, 1879 – April 16, 1970) was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Orphans (1900–1902), Boston Beaneaters (1902), Detroit Tigers (1903) and Brooklyn Superbas (1905–1906). Ea ...

, professional baseball player *

John Mizerock John Joseph Mizerock (; born December 8, 1960) is an American former Major League Baseball backup catcher for the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves. He was the eighth overall pick in the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft. He later served as a ...

, professional baseball player * Devin Mesoraco, professional baseball player * Jim Pittsley, professional baseball player *

Britt Baker Brittany Baker (born April 23, 1991) is an American professional wrestler and dentist. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs under the ring name Britt Baker where she is a former AEW Women's World Champion. Born in Punxsut ...

, professional wrestler and dentist * Laura Temple, missionary teacher and archaeologist in Mexico

References

{{Coord, 41.13, -79.00, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-PA_source:UScensus1990 Pennsylvania counties 1830 establishments in Pennsylvania Counties of Appalachia Populated places established in 1830