Westmoreland 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 A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with " republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from th ...

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, Ma ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 364,663. The

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 ...

is Greensburg. Formed from, successively, Lancaster,

Northumberland Northumberland () is a ceremonial counties of England, county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Ab ...

, and later

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

counties, Westmoreland County was founded on February 26, 1773, and was the first county in the colony of Pennsylvania whose entire territorial boundary was located west of the

Allegheny Mountains The Allegheny Mountain Range (; also spelled Alleghany or Allegany), informally the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada and posed a significant barrier to land travel in less devel ...

. Westmoreland County originally included the present-day counties of Fayette, Washington, Greene, and parts of

Beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers a ...

, Allegheny,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, and Armstrong counties. It is named after Westmorland, a historic county of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. Westmoreland County is included in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Formed from Lancaster, Northumberland, and later Bedford counties, Westmoreland County was founded on February 26, 1773, and was the first county in the Pennsylvania colony whose entire territorial boundary was located west of the Allegheny Mountains. Westmoreland County originally included the present-day counties of Fayette, Washington, Greene, and parts of Beaver, Allegheny, Indiana, and Armstrong counties. It is named after Westmorland, a historic county of England.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.8%) is water. Westmoreland has a

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 freez ...

(''Dfa''/''Dfb''). Average monthly temperatures in Greensburg range from 28.7 °F in January to 71.8 °F in July, while in Murrysville they range from 29.4 °F in January to 73.1 °F in July, in Latrobe they range from 28.9 °F in January to 72.0 °F in July, and in Ligonier they range from 28.1 °F in January to 71.1 °F in July.

Adjacent counties

* Armstrong County (north) * Indiana County (northeast) * Cambria County (east) * Somerset County (southeast) * Fayette County (south) * Washington County (southwest) *

Allegheny County Allegheny County () is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's seco ...

(west) * Butler County (northwest)

Major highways

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

Demographics

At the 2010 census, there were 365,169 people, 153,650 households and 101,928 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 355.4 per square mile (137.2/km²). There were 168,199 housing units at an average density of 163.7 per square mile (63.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.3%

White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 2.3%

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 ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.03%

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 Ocea ...

, 0.2% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 0.9% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 153,650 households, of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32, and the average family size was 2.86. 22.3% of the population were under 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 31.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

2020 Census

Politics and government

As of November 7, 2022, there are 248,459 registered voters in Westmoreland County. * Republican: 122,519 (49.31%) *

Democratic 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 ...

: 95,325 (38.37%) *

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 * Independe ...

: 20,063 (8.07%) *

Minor parties A minor party is a political party that plays a smaller (in some cases much smaller, even insignificant in comparison) role than a major party in a country's politics and elections. The difference between minor and major parties can be so great ...

: 10,552 (4.25%) The Democratic Party historically dominated county-level politics between the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Con ...

realignment and the turn of the century; however, Westmoreland has trended Republican at the national and statewide levels in the 21st century (in direct lockstep with most other

Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, ...

n counties). In 2000, Republican George W. Bush became the first Republican to carry the county since 1972, and Republicans have carried the county in every election since, increasing the margin of victory in every successive election until 2020. Democratic Governor Ed Rendell lost Westmoreland in both 2002 and 2006. In 2008, Republican Tim Krieger picked up the 57th House district left open by the retirement of Democratic state representative Tom Tangretti. In 2010, both

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 ...

and Tom Corbett won Westmoreland in their statewide bids. Also, the GOP gained control of two more State House districts, the 54th with

Eli Evankovich Eli Evankovich (born 1982) is a Republican former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He represented Pennsylvania's 54th district, which includes parts of Westmoreland and Armstrong counties. Evankovich was born and raised in ...

and the 56th with George Dunbar. In 2011, the Republican Party swept all county row offices. A Democratic resurgence in 2015 gave that party a majority of the county commissioners. However, in the 2019 elections, Democratic elected officials lost that majority and carried only one row office. As of

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...

, the only majority-Dem cities within the county are

Arnold Arnold may refer to: People * Arnold (given name), a masculine given name * Arnold (surname), a German and English surname Places Australia * Arnold, Victoria, a small town in the Australian state of Victoria Canada * Arnold, Nova Scotia Uni ...

and

Monessen Monessen is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,876 at the 2020 census. In 1940, 20,257 people lived there. In 1990 the population was 13,026. Monessen is the southwestern-most municipality of Westmore ...

Presidential elections

County commissioners

* Sean Kertes, Chairman, Republican * Gina Cerilli, Democratic * Doug Chew, Republican

Other county officials

* Clerk of Courts, Megan Loughner, Republican * Controller, Jeff Balzer, Republican * Coroner, Tim Carson, Republican * District Attorney, Nicole Ziccarelli, Republican * Prothonotary, Gina O'Barto, Republican * Recorder of Deeds, Frank Schiefer, Republican * Register of Wills, Sherry Magretti-Hamilton, Republican * Sheriff, James Albert, Sheriff, Republican * Treasurer, Jared M Squires, Republican

State House of Representatives

State Senate

United States House of Representatives

United States Senate

Education

Public school districts

School districts: *

Belle Vernon Area School District The Belle Vernon Area School District is a midsized, rural, public school district located approximately southeast of Pittsburgh in rural Westmoreland County and Fayette County. The present school district was formed by a merger of the prev ...

(Also in Fayette County) *

Blairsville-Saltsburg School District River Valley School District (before 2022: Blairsville-Saltsburg School District) is a small, rural school district that spans portions of two counties. In Indiana County it covers the Boroughs of Blairsville and Saltsburg and Black Lick Towns ...

(Also in Indiana County) * Burrell School District *

Derry Area School District The Derry Area School District is a midsized, suburban public school district located in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The school district serves the municipalities of Derry Township, Derry Borough and the Borough of New Alexandria. Accor ...

Franklin Regional School District Franklin Regional School District is a midsized, suburban public school district located in Murrysville, Pennsylvania, serving Murrysville and the neighboring communities of Delmont and Export. Franklin Regional School District encompasses app ...

* Greater Latrobe School District *

Greensburg-Salem School District The Greensburg-Salem School District is a public school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most ...

Hempfield Area School District Hempfield Area School District is a large school district in western Pennsylvania. It is the largest in Westmoreland County with a resident population of over 50,000 and covers approximately and lies southeast of Pittsburgh. The school distr ...

Jeannette City School District The Jeannette City School District is a small urban school district in Southwestern Pennsylvania. It is located in Westmoreland County and is surrounded by the Penn-Trafford and Hempfield Area School Districts. The district consists of two sc ...

* Kiski Area School District (Also in Armstrong County) *

Leechburg Area School District The Leechburg Area School District is a public school district serving Pre-K through 12th grade students from Leechburg Borough, Gilpin Township and West Leechburg Borough in Westmoreland County in Pennsylvania. The district is one of the ...

(Also in Armstrong County) *

Ligonier Valley School District Ligonier Valley School District is a public school district in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The boroughs of Ligonier, Laurel Mountain, Bolivar, Seward, New Florence, as well as the townships of Cook, St. Clair, Ligonier, and Fairf ...

* Monessen City School District * Mount Pleasant Area School District *

New Kensington–Arnold School District The New Kensington–Arnold School District is a small, suburban, public school district serving the cities of Arnold and New Kensington, located in northern Westmoreland County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The New Kensington–Arnold ...

* Norwin School District * Penn-Trafford School District (also in Allegheny County) * Southmoreland School District (also in Fayette County) * Yough School District

Public charter schools

* Dr. Robert Ketterer Charter School grades 7th through 12th Latrobe (since 2008) According to EdNA

Private high school

* Greensburg Central Catholic High School

Colleges and universities

* Penn State New Kensington * Seton Hill University * Saint Vincent College * Westmoreland County Community College * University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg * Carlow College at Greensbur] *

Triangle Tech Triangle Tech is a for-profit system of technical schools with multiple locations in Pennsylvania. It offers 16-month programs for an Associate in Specialized Technology Degree in various technologies. Triangle Tech was founded in Pittsburgh in 194 ...

Additional

* Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center

Economy

Coal mining became a major industry in the county after the Civil War, followed by expansion of manufacturing of iron, steel and glass. The 600-acre coke works for the Isabella Furnace were built in Cokeville (then Coketown) in Spring of 1872. At one point, company "coal patches" (towns built for miners) represented about one-third of the county's settlements. A major strike by coal miners represented by the United Mine Workers of America took place in 1910–1911. Sixteen people were killed in the strike. In 2020 the top industries in the county were health care and social services (16.3% of jobs), manufacturing (13.8%) and retail trade (13.7%). Mining comprised less than 1% of the jobs in the county. Westmoreland County is now believed to be the site of over 100 abandoned mines. Volkswagen's Westmoreland plant near New Stanton in Westmoreland County was the first foreign-owned factory mass-producing automobiles in the U.S. It operated from 1978 to 1988.

Recreation

There are four Pennsylvania state parks in Westmoreland County. * Keystone State Park * Laurel Ridge State Park * Laurel Summit State Park * Linn Run State Park

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,

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, Ca ...

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

Cities

* Greensburg (county seat) * Jeannette * Latrobe *

Lower Burrell Lower Burrell is a city in Westmoreland County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located approximately 18 miles northeast of downtown Pittsburgh, it is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 11,761 at the 2010 census. The po ...

* New Kensington

Boroughs

* Adamsburg * Arona * Avonmore * Bolivar * Delmont * Derry * Donegal * East Vandergrift *

Export An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is an ...

* Hunker * Hyde Park * Irwin * Laurel Mountain * Ligonier * Madison *

Manor Manor may refer to: Land ownership *Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England *Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism *Man ...

* Mount Pleasant * Murrysville * New Alexandria * New Florence * New Stanton * North Belle Vernon * North Irwin * Oklahoma * Penn * Scottdale * Seward * Smithton * South Greensburg * Southwest Greensburg * Sutersville * Trafford (partly in

) * Vandergrift * West Leechburg * West Newton * Youngstown * Youngwood

Townships

* Allegheny * Bell * Cook * Derry * Donegal *

East Huntingdon East Huntingdon Township is a township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 7,712 at the 2020 census. From 1978 to 1988, the township had been home to the Volkswagen Westmoreland Assembly Plant, which later be ...

* Fairfield * Hempfield * Ligonier *

Loyalhanna Loyalhanna Township is a township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the township's total population was 2,093. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 21. ...

* Mount Pleasant * North Huntingdon * Penn * Rostraver * St. Clair *

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

* Sewickley * South Huntingdon * Unity *

Upper Burrell Upper Burrell Township is a township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 2,159 at the 2020 census. History Northern Westmoreland County was once part of the hunting gr ...

* Washington

Census-designated places

Census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, su ...

s 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. * Bradenville * Calumet * Collinsburg * Crabtree * Fellsburg * Grapeville * Harrison City * Herminie * Hostetter * Lawson Heights * Level Green *

* Lynnwood Pricedale * Mammoth * Millwood * Norvelt *

St. Vincent College St Vincent College is a co-educational sixth form (16-18) college located in Gosport, Hampshire, England. The majority of students come from the surrounding towns including Gosport, Fareham, Stubbington and Winchester. The nearby Gosport Fe ...

* Slickville * Webster * Wyano *

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

Unincorporated communities

* Acme *

Alverton :''Alverton can also be a variant of Alverston or Alton (disambiguation), Alton.'' Alverton is an English hamlet in the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire. It is joined by neighbouring Kilvington to form an area for a parish meeting ...

* Ardara * Armbrust * Baggaley * Bessemer * Blackstone * Boquet * Bovard * Brenizer *

Carbon Carbon () is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent—its atom making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds. It belongs to group 14 of the periodic table. Carbon makes ...

* Claridge * Forbes Road *

Greenwald Greenwald is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alex Greenwald (born 1979), American musician and actor * Andy Greenwald (born 1977), social commentator, specifically about popular music * Bruce Greenwald (born 1946), American ec ...

Hannastown Hannastown is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community and important historical and archaeological site located in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Although the ...

* Hopewell * Hutchinson * Jacobs Creek * Jones Mills * Kecksburg * Larimer * Laughlintown * Lloydsville * Lowber *

Luxor Luxor ( ar, الأقصر, al-ʾuqṣur, lit=the palaces) is a modern city in Upper (southern) Egypt which includes the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of ''Thebes''. Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-ai ...

* Marguerite * Morewood * Moween * New Derry * Pandora *

Peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible Seed, seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small ...

* Pleasant Unity * Reagantown *

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

* Reduction * Ruffs Dale * Salina * Scab Hill * Seger * Southwest * Stahlstown * Standard Shaft * Tarrs * Torrance * Trauger * Turkeytown * United * Wendel * Westmoreland City * Whitney * Yohoghany

Former community

* Franklin Township - now known as Murrysville, Pennsylvania

Population ranking

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

Notable people

* David Alter, born in Westmoreland County, noted inventor * Pete Babando, former NHL Hockey player, played for 1950 Stanley Cup champions

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

, born in Braeburn neighborhood of the City of

. * George Blanda, Hall of Fame football player, born in Youngwood. * D.J. Coffman, comic book artist and writer, creator of

Hero By Night D.J. Coffman (born January 17, 1976) is an American cartoonist. He is best known as the creator of the ''Hero by Night'' comic book series and the webcomic ''Yirmumah''. Coffman also has done work on the Monkey Man comic series with writer Brian L ...

. Born in Mt. Pleasant. Resides in Scottdale. * Johnny Costa, jazz pianist, was born and raised in Arnold. * Jesse Root Grant, (father of Ulysses S. Grant General and President) born in Greensburg. * Shirley Jones, Academy Award-winning actress and singer, grew up in Smithton. * Sheila Kelley, American actor, born and raised in Greensburg, Pa. Founder of Sheila Kelley S Factor exercise and lifestyle program. * Bill Mazeroski, Hall of Fame baseball player * Michael Moorer, boxer * Arnold Palmer, golfer, was born and raised in Latrobe. * Terrelle Pryor NFL quarterback, attended Jeannette high school. * Fred Rogers, television personality, was born, raised, and lived in Latrobe; buried in Unity Cemetery, Unity Township just outside Latrobe. *

Arthur St. Clair Arthur St. Clair ( – August 31, 1818) was a Scottish-American soldier and politician. Born in Thurso, Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office. During ...

, American Revolution Major General, Patriot, 9th President of the Continental Congress, buried in Greensburg, Pa. * Willie Thrower, football player, was born and raised in New Kensington. * Jim White, KMOX radio talk show host, born and raised in Greensburg, Pa. *

Jacob Zimmerman Jacob Zimmerman (September 27, 1831 – October 17, 1912) was an Illinois state legislator, newspaper editor, and businessman. Zimmerman was a pioneer in the newspaper business in Illinois and Ohio, and a businessman who invested in mining, land ...

(born 1831), newspaper editor, newspaper owner, Illinois politician, mine owner, real estate entrepreneur, and businessman.

References

External links

* {{Coord, 40.31, -79.47, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-PA_source:UScensus1990 1773 establishments in Pennsylvania Counties of Appalachia Laurel Highlands Pittsburgh metropolitan area Populated places established in 1773