Misplaced Pages

#150849

89-631: The Friends of Schuylkill River Park is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works to improve Schuylkill River Park, the Markward Recreation Center and Taney Field. Past accomplishments include a complete renovation of Markward Playground, planting many new trees, helping to coordinate the renovation of 25th and Delancey, refurbishing Park Benches, and many others. 39°56′55″N 75°10′55″W  /  39.948749°N 75.181921°W  / 39.948749; -75.181921 This Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania state location article

178-603: A Not Guilty . Among the five defense lawyers, recruited by the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society , was U.S. Congressman Thaddeus Stevens , who had practiced law in Lancaster County since at least 1838. The oldest surviving dwelling of European settlers in the county is that of Mennonite Bishop Hans Herr , built in 1719. In 1989, Donald Kraybill counted 37 distinct religious bodies/organizations, with 289 congregations and 41,600 baptized members, among

267-653: A personal liberty law in 1847 that made it difficult for southerners to recover any enslaved persons who made their way into Pennsylvania. Lying just north of the Mason-Dixon line and bordered by the Susquehanna River , which had been a traditional route from the Chesapeake Bay watershed into the heart of what became Pennsylvania, Lancaster County was a significant destination of the Underground Railroad in

356-607: A province in the north of Ireland; Manheim was German, Lebanon came from the Bible, a basis of all the European cultures; and Earl was a translation of the German surname of Graf or Groff. Lancaster County's native son James Buchanan , a Democrat , was elected as the 15th President of the United States in 1856, the first Pennsylvania native to hold the presidency. His home Wheatland

445-486: A 3.3 magnitude earthquake was widely felt in the Susquehanna Valley but caused no damage to structures. The bog turtle was first discovered and identified in Lancaster County by botanist Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg , who discovered the turtle species while surveying the area's flora . The species was named Muhlenberg's tortoise in 1801, but renamed bog turtle, its present common name , in 1956. As of

534-537: A compromise in 1733, but Cresap ignored it and continued his raids. A deputy was sent to arrest him in 1734, and Cresap killed him at the door. The Pennsylvania governor demanded that Maryland arrest Cresap for murder; the Maryland governor instead commissioned him as a captain in the militia . In 1736, Cresap was finally arrested; he was jailed until 1737 when the King intervened. In 1750, a court decided that, by failing to develop

623-479: A further 4.97% of the population spoke Spanish. 39.8% were of German, 11.8% United States or American, 7.2% Irish and 5.7% English ancestry. Lancaster County Anabaptist community founded in c. 1760, has the world's largest Amish settlement, with 37,000 people in 220 church districts in 2017, or about 7% of the county's population. By 2021 the Amish population increased to almost 42,000. The Lancaster Amish affiliation

712-739: A government. Even though the county no longer has a government structure by law, in both the Unconsolidated Pennsylvania Statutes and The Philadelphia Code and Charter, the County of Philadelphia is still an entity within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is thus subject to the provisions and laws of the Commonwealth concerning counties. Exceptions include restrictions stated in the Home Rule Charter of Philadelphia, Act of Consolidation, 1854, and subsequent legislation. The county also

801-467: A number of other outlying townships , villages and settlements throughout the county. Over time, as the population expanded out from the City of Philadelphia, those closer to the City of Philadelphia became absorbed into Philadelphia. During this period, the city government of Philadelphia and the county government of Philadelphia acted separately. By the mid-19th century, a more structured government bureaucracy

890-634: A place where religious tolerance and the freedom to worship were ensured. Philadelphia's name is shared with an ancient city in Asia Minor mentioned by the Bible 's Book of Revelation . It was William Penn's desire, as a Quaker , that his "Holy Experiment" would be found blameless at the Last Judgment . When established, Philadelphia County consisted mainly of the area from the Delaware River west between

979-557: A rare ecosystem where toxic metals in the soil inhibit plant growth, resulting in the formation of natural grassland and savanna . These barrens include the New Texas Serpentine Barrens, privately owned land managed by The Nature Conservancy , and Rock Springs Nature Preserve, a publicly accessible preserve with hiking trails owned and managed by the Lancaster County Conservancy . Lancaster County leads

SECTION 10

#1732851677151

1068-564: A total area of 143 square miles (370 km ), of which 134 square miles (350 km ) is land and 8.6 square miles (22 km ) (6.0%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in Pennsylvania by area. Bodies of water include the Delaware River , Schuylkill River , Cobbs Creek , Wissahickon Creek , and Pennypack Creek . The lowest point in the county is 10 feet above sea level near Fort Mifflin in Southwest Philadelphia , at

1157-528: Is 34.3 °F. 40°01′N 75°08′W  /  40.01°N 75.13°W  / 40.01; -75.13 Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Lancaster County ( / ˈ l æ ŋ k ɪ s t ər / ; Pennsylvania Dutch : Lengeschder Kaundi ), sometimes nicknamed the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country , is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , United States. As of

1246-399: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania Philadelphia County is the most populous of the 67 counties of Pennsylvania and the 24th-most populous county in the nation . As of the 2020 census , the county had a population of 1,603,797. It is coextensive with Philadelphia , the nation's sixth-largest city . The county is part of

1335-512: Is a small unnamed tributary of the West Branch of Brandywine Creek that rises in eastern Salisbury Township and is part of the Delaware River watershed). The major streams in the county (with percent area drained) are: Conestoga River and Little Conestoga Creek (31.42%); Pequea Creek (15.02%); Chiques Creek (or Chickies Creek , 12.07%); Cocalico Creek (11.25%); Octoraro Creek (10.74%); and Conowingo Creek (3.73%). Lancaster County

1424-1094: Is home to Susquehannock State Park , located on 224 acres (91 ha) overlooking the Susquehanna River in Drumore Township . One of the three tracts comprising William Penn State Forest , the 10-acre (4.0 ha) Cornwall fire tower site, is located in northern Penn Township near the Lebanon County border. The site, with its 1923 fire tower, was acquired by the state in January 1935. There are six Pennsylvania State Game Lands for hunting , trapping , and fishing located in Lancaster County. They are numbers (with location and area): 46 (near Hopeland , 5,035 acres (2,038 ha)), 52 (near Morgantown, 1,447 acres (586 ha)), 136 (near Kirkwood, 91 acres (37 ha)), 156 (near Poplar Grove, 4,537 acres (1,836 ha)), 220 (near Reinholds, 96 acres (39 ha)), and 288 (near Martic Forge, 89 acres (36 ha)). The county's southern portion has some protected serpentine barrens ,

1513-665: Is now operated as a house museum in Lancaster. Thaddeus Stevens , the noted Radical Republican , represented Lancaster County in the United States House of Representatives from 1849 to 1853 and from 1859 until his death in 1868. Stevens left a $ 50,000 (~$ 1,000,000 in 2023) bequest to establish an orphanage. This property eventually was developed as the state-owned Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology . Stevens and Buchanan were both buried in Lancaster. Pennsylvania passed its gradual abolition law in 1780. The law, which freed

1602-804: Is one of the earliest educational institutions in continuous operation in the United States. In addition to the Ephrata Cloister , the United Brethren in Christ and the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) trace their beginnings to a 1767 meeting at the Isaac Long barn, near the hamlet of Oregon, in West Lampeter Township . The EUB, a German Methodist church, merged in 1968 with the traditionally English Methodist Episcopal Church to become

1691-559: Is relatively liberal concerning the use of technologies compared to other Amish affiliations. Historically speaking, the Amish population in 1970 numbered only about 7,000; that climbed to about 12,400 by 1990 and 16,900 by 2000. It has doubled since then. Lancaster also hosts other Plain Anabaptist groups. As of 2000, there are about 3,000 Old Order Mennonites of the Groffdale Conference who drive black top buggies instead of

1780-542: Is the 104th most populous metropolitan statistical area as of the 2020 census and the 102nd most populous primary statistical area in the United States as of the 2010 census. Lancaster County was the home of the final pre- American Civil War U.S. President, James Buchanan, a Democrat. Since the Civil War, however, Lancaster County has been a Republican stronghold. The GOP controls the vast majority of county and municipal elected offices in Lancaster County. Specifically,

1869-453: Is the only First Class County, meaning it had a population of 1.5 million or more at the last census, in the Commonwealth. Philadelphia has become racially and ethnically diverse over the years, and this process continues. Since 1990, (the year that immigration began increasing), thousands of immigrants from Latin America, Asia and Europe have arrived in the county. Presently, the city has some of

SECTION 20

#1732851677151

1958-473: Is water. Most of the county has a hot-summer humid continental climate ( Dfa ) and the hardiness zones are 6b and 7a. The most recent temperature averages show areas along the Susquehanna River and in the lower Conestoga Valley to have a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa .) Almost all of Lancaster County is in the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin , via the Susquehanna River watershed (the exception

2047-506: The 2020 census , the population was 552,984, making it Pennsylvania's sixth-most populous county. Its county seat is also Lancaster . Lancaster County comprises the Lancaster metropolitan statistical area . The county is part of the South Central region of the state. Lancaster County is a tourist destination with its Amish community being a major attraction. The ancestors of the Amish began to immigrate to colonial Pennsylvania in

2136-814: The Iroquoian -speaking Susquehannock , whose name was derived from the Lenape term for "Oyster River People". (The Lenape spoke an Algonquian language.) The English called them the Conestoga , after the name of their principal village, Gan'ochs'a'go'jat'ga ("Roof-place" or "town"), anglicized as "Conestoga." Other places occupied by the Susquehannock were Ka'ot'sch'ie'ra ("Place-crawfish"), where present-day Chickisalunga developed, and Gasch'guch'sa ("Great-fall-in-river"), now called Conewago Falls, Lancaster County. Other Native tribes, as well as early European settlers, considered

2225-704: The Lancaster, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area . With a population of 552,984 as of the 2020 U.S. census , the Lancaster, PA metropolitan area is the sixth most populous metropolitan area in Pennsylvania , after the Delaware Valley , Greater Pittsburgh , the Lehigh Valley , the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area , and the Wyoming Valley . On a national level, the Lancaster, PA metropolitan area

2314-710: The Reformed Mennonite Church who have retained the most conservative form of Plain dress of all Plain groups. There are 74 members of the Old German Baptist Brethren in Lancaster County. Some County residents speak with a Pennsylvania Dutch-influenced dialect. This is most common in the Lancaster, Lebanon, York, and Harrisburg areas, and incorporates influences from the Pennsylvania Dutch in dialect and in nomenclature. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has designated Lancaster County as

2403-484: The Schuylkill River to the south and the border with Bucks County to the north; the western boundary was undefined. Two counties would be formed out of Philadelphia County, Berks County which was formed in 1752 (from parts of Chester, Lancaster , and Philadelphia counties), and Montgomery County established in 1784. From these separations, as well as other border changes, was created the present-day boundaries of

2492-675: The Southeast Pennsylvania region of the state. Philadelphia County is one of the three original counties, along with Chester and Bucks counties, founded by William Penn in November 1682. Since 1854 , the county has been coextensive with the City of Philadelphia , which is also its county seat. Philadelphia County is the core county in the Philadelphia- Camden - Wilmington Combined Statistical Area (PA- NJ - DE - MD , located along

2581-536: The United Methodist Church . The first Jewish resident was Isaac Miranda , from the Sephardic Jewish community of London, who owned property before the town and county were organized in 1730. Ten years later several Jewish families had settled in the town; on February 3, 1747, a deed to Isaac Nunus Ricus (Henriques) and Joseph Simon was recorded, conveying 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) of land "in trust for

2670-676: The plain sects who are descendants of the Anabaptist Mennonite immigrants to Lancaster County. The Mennonite Central Committee in Akron supports relief in disasters and provides manpower and material to local organizations in relief efforts. The town of Lititz was originally planned as a closed community, founded early in the 1740s by members of the Moravian Church . The town eventually grew and welcomed its neighbors. The Moravian Church established Linden Hall School for Girls in 1746; it

2759-493: The "Christiana Riot", "Christiana Resistance", the "Christiana Outrage", and the "Christiana Tragedy". The Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society helped provide defense for the suspects charged in the case. The event frightened slaveholders, as black men not only fought back but prevailed. Some feared this would inspire enslaved blacks and encourage rebelliousness. The case was prosecuted in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia under

Schuylkill River Park - Misplaced Pages Continue

2848-419: The 2010 census, there were 519,445 people. The population density was 561 people per square mile (217 people/km ). There were 193,602 households. Of that number 135,401 (69.9%) were families. Of those families, 120,112 (88.7%) had children under the age of 18. There were 202,952 housing units at an average density of 215 per square mile (83/km ). The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size

2937-418: The 590,071 households, 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.1% were married couples living together, 22.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% 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 3.22. 25.3% of

3026-592: The Board of County Assessors and left its functions with the Commissioners alone, who continued to appoint the assessors and collectors of each of the county's boroughs, townships and districts. Further legislation in 1799 and 1805 formally established the Commissioners' functions of furnishing lists of voters to election officers and aiding the Sheriff in the selection of jurors , as both were based upon lists of taxpayers. During

3115-589: The Chabad Jewish Enrichment Center, a branch of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, that focuses on serving the Jewish students of Franklin and Marshall College , as well serving the general community with specific religious services. The Lancaster Mikvah Association runs a mikveh on Degel Israel's property. Central PA Kosher Stand is operated at Dutch Wonderland , a seasonal amusement park. This area

3204-578: The City Commissioners were considered County officers, they were still regulated by state laws concerning County Commissioners. The City Commissioners should not be confused with the City Council , as these are two separate entities. Even though the governments of both the City and County were effectively consolidated by the Act of Consolidation, not all offices and agencies, such as the Board of Inspectors of

3293-537: The City Commissioners' Office. The 1965 City-County Consolidation Ordinance of City Council further enabled these enactments. Philadelphia County is overwhelmingly Democratic , having given the Democratic presidential candidate their largest percentage of any county in Pennsylvania in every election since 1968 . The county has voted for the Democrat in every presidential election since 1936. However, between 1860 and 1932,

3382-484: The City of Philadelphia, such as Southwark and Moyamensing in the south, the Northern Liberties District , Kensington , Spring Garden and Penn District to the north, and West Philadelphia and Blockley to the west — which combined with the City of Philadelphia formed practically one continuously urban area, the whole group being known abroad simply as Philadelphia. Besides these, there were

3471-590: The County Prison (Philadelphia Prison System), Coroner , Recorder of Deeds, and Sheriff, that were controlled by the county prior to the consolidation were transferred to the city, though their oversight and regulation were now managed by the City Commissioners. Other offices and agencies, like that of Offices of City Tax Collector and County Tax Collector were reduced to that of clerk in the new office of Receiver of Taxes. Both Commissioners' (City and County) powers in regard to streets and City property were transferred to

3560-523: The English in Maryland and Virginia (and later, Pennsylvania). By the 1720s, the colonists considered the Conestoga Indians as a "civilized" or "friendly tribe," having been converted in large part to Christianity, speaking English as a second language, making brooms and baskets for sale, and naming children after their favorite neighbors. The outbreak of Pontiac's War in the summer of 1763, coupled with

3649-601: The Fugitive Slave Act, which required citizens to cooperate in the capture and return of fugitive slaves. The disturbance increased regional and racial tensions. In the North, it added to the push to abolish slavery. In September 1851, the grand jury returned a "true bill" (indictment) against 38 suspects, who were held at Moyamensing Prison in Philadelphia, awaiting trial. U.S. District Judge Robert Cooper Grier ruled that

Schuylkill River Park - Misplaced Pages Continue

3738-522: The Susquehanna. In 1730, the Wright's Ferry services were licensed and officially begun. Starting in mid-1730, Thomas Cresap , acting as an agent of Lord Baltimore, began confiscating the newly settled farms near present-day Peach Bottom and Columbia, Pennsylvania , which at the time this was not named but was later called Wright's Ferry. Believing he controlled this land under his grant, Lord Baltimore wanted

3827-682: The Susquehannock a mighty nation, experts in war and trade. They were beaten only by the combined power of the Five Nation Iroquois Confederacy , after colonial Maryland withdrew its support. After 1675, the Susquehannock were totally absorbed by the Iroquois. A handful were settled at "New Conestoga," located along the south bank of the Conestoga River in Conestoga Township of the county. They helped staff an Iroquois consulate to

3916-494: The antebellum years. Many residents of German descent opposed slavery and cooperated in aiding fugitive slaves. Local Lancaster County resident Charles Spotts found 17 stations. They included hiding places with trap doors, hidden vaults, a cave, and one with a brick tunnel leading to Octoraro Creek , a tributary of the Susquehanna. As a wealthy Maryland wheat farmer, Edward Gorsuch had manumitted several slaves in their 20s. He allowed his slaves to work for cash elsewhere during

4005-452: The area in 1655, but lost control to England in 1674. William Penn received his charter for Pennsylvania from Charles II of England in 1681, and in November 1682 he divided Pennsylvania into three counties. During the same year, Philadelphia was planned and was made the county seat and the capital of the Province of Pennsylvania . Penn wanted Philadelphia, meaning "love brotherly", to be

4094-469: The areas along the waterways for thousands of years, and established varying cultures. Historic Native American tribes in the area at the time of European encounter included the Shawnee , Susquehannock , Gawanese , Lenape (or Delaware), and Nanticoke peoples , who were from different language families and had distinct cultures. Among the earliest recorded inhabitants of the Susquehanna River valley were

4183-533: The children of duly registered enslaved women at the age of twenty-eight, was a compromise between anti-slavery conviction and respect for white property rights. By the time the U.S. Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 , Pennsylvania was effectively a free state, although it did not formally abolish slavery completely until the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment . It did, however, pass

4272-571: The city's Departments of Highways and City Property. From 1854 until 1867, the Commissioners also served as members of the Board of Revision of Taxes. In 1867, the City Assessors were made appointees of that Board. The powers left to the Commissioners were chiefly accounting ones concerning county institutions, regulatory duties regarding weights and measures (given them by an Act of 1895) and administrative functions in association with elections, which culminated in complete control of their conduct with

4361-407: The city, with their boundaries roughly matching their historic boundaries. In 1951, a new law known as the Home Rule Charter merged city and county offices completely. This new charter provided the city with a common structure and outlined the "strong mayor" form of government that is still used. The county offices were merged with the city government in 1952, effectively eliminating the county as

4450-427: The convergence of the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. The highest point is in Chestnut Hill , at 432 feet above sea level, near Evergreen Place, just north and west of Evergreen Avenue. Philadelphia County is Pennsylvania's second smallest county by land area, after Montour County . At the 2000 census , there were 1,517,550 people, 590,071 households and 352,272 families residing in the county. The population density

4539-399: The county always voted Republican. In 1972 , it was the only county in the state to vote for George McGovern over Richard Nixon . Even Republican Senator Arlen Specter , a Philadelphia resident, did not receive more than one-third of the Philadelphia vote in the 2004 U.S. Senate election , which he won easily. In his first senate election, in 1980 , he did win the county, which was

SECTION 50

#1732851677151

4628-456: The county at the state or federal level hold state house seats anchored in Lancaster city and its closest-in suburbs. Lancaster County has only ever voted for a Democratic presidential nominee once since James Buchanan in 1856, a resident of the city of Lancaster. In 1964, Lyndon Johnson carried Lancaster County as part of his 44-state landslide, winning by 798 votes, less than a single percentage point. Franklin D. Roosevelt failed to carry

4717-433: The county during any of his four successful runs for president, coming within 4,000 votes of carrying it in his 46-state landslide of 1936. In 2008, Barack Obama became the first Democrat to garner 40 percent of the county's vote since Johnson, and the second since Franklin D. Roosevelt. Donald Trump earned 56 percent of the vote in both campaigns, with Joe Biden becoming the third Democrat in 80 years to win 40 percent of

4806-431: The county was $ 16,509. About 18.4% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line , including 31.3% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over. Philadelphia County has no government structure. Prior to the Act of Consolidation in 1854, a Board of Commissioners governed the county in accordance with the law of Pennsylvania at the time. The origins of the Board of Commissioners are found in

4895-409: The county. Philadelphia, as planned by Penn, comprised only that portion of the present-day city situated between South and Vine Streets and the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers . Other settlements were made beyond the boundaries of the city, and in the course of time they became incorporated separately and had separate governments. Several of these settlements were situated immediately contiguous to

4984-404: The early 18th century to take advantage of the religious freedom offered by William Penn , as well as the area's rich soil and mild climate. They were joined by French Huguenots fleeing the religious persecution of Louis XIV . There were also significant numbers of English, Welsh and Ulster Scots (also known as the Scotch-Irish in the colonies). The area that became Lancaster County

5073-488: The first half of the nineteenth century, the Commissioners' duties were further increased to include the leasing of polling places, the provision of ballot boxes, and related duties. The consolidation of the City and County of Philadelphia in 1854 abolished the Board of County Commissioners, with most of its functions transferred to the popularly elected City Commissioners who, although retaining their original title and duties, were thenceforth considered County officers. Because

5162-425: The formation of the County Board of Elections under their direction in 1937. Although not mentioned in the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter, the City Commissioners' Office became part of the City government by way of the 1951 City-County Amendment to the State Constitution. Additionally, the 1963 amendment to the First Class Cities Home Rule Act gave City Council the power to pass legislation with regard to operations of

5251-409: The fugitive slaves who sought refuge in the area. Gorsuch obtained four warrants and organized four parties, which set out separately with federal marshals to recover his property—the four slaves. He was killed and others were wounded. While Gorsuch was legally entitled to recover his slaves under the Fugitive Slave Act , it is not clear who precipitated the violence. The incident was variously called

5340-418: The grey top buggies of the Amish in Lancaster County. Other buggy-using Old Order Mennonites in Lancaster County are subgroups of the Stauffer Mennonites with 283 baptized members and the Reidenbach Mennonites with 232. There are about 4,000 members of the car-driving Weaverland Old Order Mennonite Conference . A congregation of 83 members of the Old Order River Brethren lives there as well as 84 members of

5429-497: The income from the lands. He believed he had a defensible claim established on the west bank of the Susquehanna River since 1721, and that his demesne and grant extended to forty degrees north. If he allowed Pennsylvanians to settle his lands without reacting, he believed, their squatting would constitute a counter claim. Cresap established a second ferry in the upper Conejohela downriver from John Wright's , near Peach Bottom. He demanded that settlers either move out or pay Maryland for

SECTION 60

#1732851677151

5518-401: The ineffective policies of the provincial government, aroused widespread settler suspicion and hatred against all Indians in the frontier counties, without distinguishing among hostile and friendly peoples. On December 14, 1763, the Paxton Boys , led by Matthew Smith and Capt. Lazarus Stewart , attacked Conestoga, killing the six Indians present, and burning all the houses. Officials sheltered

5607-399: The land that are mutually agreed upon by the grantees and the property owner. After ceding their development rights, landowners continue to manage and own their properties and may receive significant tax breaks. The conservation easement ensures that the land will remain available for agricultural use forever. Lancaster Farmland Trust is a private, non-profit organization that works closely with

5696-689: The land with settlers, Lord Baltimore had forfeited his rights to a twenty-mile (32 km) swath of land. In 1767, a new Pennsylvania-Maryland border was officially established by the Mason-Dixon line . The names of the original Lancaster County townships reflect the diverse national origins of settlers in the new county: two had Welsh names ( Caernarvon and Lampeter ), three had Native American names ( Cocalico , Conestoga and Peshtank or Paxton), six were English ( Warwick , Lancaster , Martic , Sadsbury , Salisbury and Hempfield ); four were Irish ( Donegal , Drumore , Derry , and Leacock ), reflecting mostly Scots-Irish (or Ulster Scots ) from Ulster ,

5785-410: The largest Irish , Italian , German , Polish , Puerto Rican , Korean , Vietnamese , Russian , Ukrainian , Jamaican , Chinese , Arab , Thai , and Cambodian populations in America. The county has the fourth largest concentration of African Americans in North America , including large numbers of Liberians , Nigerians , and Sudanese . The Northeast section of the city, and more significantly

5874-457: The last time any Republican won the county in a statewide election; however, Specter switched to the Democratic Party in 2009 and was defeated in the 2010 Democratic Primary. The following districts, townships, and boroughs existed in Philadelphia County before the Act of Consolidation of 1854: According to the Köppen climate classification system, Philadelphia County has a humid subtropical climate . The average January temperature in Center City

5963-491: The lower Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, within the Northeast megalopolis . Philadelphia County is the Delaware Valley's economic and cultural anchor and the ninth-largest combined statistical area in the nation with an estimated population of 7,381,18 as of 2022. Native American tribes of Lenape were the first known occupants in the area that became Philadelphia County. The first European settlers were Swedes and Finns who arrived in 1638. The Netherlands seized

6052-576: The men could be tried for treason . The only person actually tried was Castner Hanway, a European-American man. On November 15, 1851, he was tried for liberating slaves taken into custody by U.S. Marshal Kline, as well as for resisting arrest, conspiracy, and treason. Hanway's responsibility for the violent events was unclear. He was reported as one of the first on the scene where Gorsuch and others of his party were attacked, and he and his horse provided cover for Dickerson Gorsuch and Dr. Pearce, who were wounded. The jury deliberated 15 minutes before returning

6141-446: The nation in farmland preservation. Organizations such as the Lancaster Farmland Trust, the Lancaster County Agricultural Preservation Board, and multiple municipalities work in partnership with landowners to preserve their farms and way of life for future generations by placing a conservation easement on their property. A conservation easement restricts real estate development, commercial and industrial uses, and certain other activities on

6230-416: The needs of a growing city for new public services, for example, better streets, police, transportation, sanitation, and schools. The newly integrated districts had marked characteristics between them, but over time, after the consolidation, these characteristics were generally integrated into the City of Philadelphia. Presently, the names of some of these old districts survive as the names of neighborhoods in

6319-452: The office of Tax Assessor of Philadelphia County, established by an Act of the Pennsylvania General Assembly on November 27, 1700. Tax Assessor was an office of six persons, elected annually to estimate the county's fiscal needs, to make an assessment and levy a tax to meet them, and to appoint its collectors and the County Treasurer. On March 28, 1710, the Assembly approved an act that created an appointed Board of County Commissioners, which

6408-468: The population were under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 25, 29.3% from 25 to 45, 20.3% from 45 to 65, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males. The median household income was $ 30,746 and the median family income was $ 37,036. Males had a median income of $ 34,199 compared with $ 28,477 for females. The per capita income for

6497-457: The ratio of Republicans to Democrats in Lancaster County now stands at 1.8 Republicans to 1 Democrat, down from a 3–1 advantage for the Republicans in the late 1990s. Even with these gains, the county is still powerfully Republican downballot; the only real pockets of Democratic influence are in the city of Lancaster. Reflecting this, the only elected Democrats representing a significant portion of

6586-467: The right-bank lands. Settlers believed they already had rights to these under Pennsylvania grants. Cresap drove off settlers by vandalizing farms and killing livestock; he pushed out settlers from southern York and Lancaster counties. He gave the abandoned lands to his followers. If a follower was arrested by Lancaster authorities, the Marylanders would break him out of the lockup. Lord Baltimore negotiated

6675-538: The row offices and all but one county commission seat are held by Republicans, and the GOP holds all but two state legislative seats covering the county. Republicans also hold a majority of registered voters in the county. In September 2008, the Democratic Party reached the benchmark of 100,000 registered voters for the first time in the county's history. The party had just 82,171 registered Democrats in 2004. As of 2008 ,

6764-656: The slow season. Upon finding some of his wheat missing, he thought his slaves had sold it to a local farmer. His slaves Noah Buley, Nelson Ford, George Ford, and Joshua Hammond, fearing his bad temper, fled across the Mason–Dixon line to the farm of William Parker , a mulatto free man and abolitionist who lived in Christiana, Pennsylvania . Parker, 29, was a member of the Lancaster Black Self-Protection Society and known to use violence to defend himself and

6853-603: The society of Jews settled in and about Lancaster," to be used as a place of burial. This cemetery is still used by Congregation Shaarai Shomayim; it is considered the nation's fourth-oldest Jewish cemetery. As of 2010, Lancaster County is home to three synagogues: the Orthodox Degel Israel; the Conservative Beth El; and the Reform Shaarai Shomayim. In 2003 Rabbi Elazar Green & Shira Green founded

6942-609: The southern border of the province and Lancaster County. Nine years of armed clashes accompanied the Maryland-Pennsylvania boundary dispute , which began soon after the 1730 establishment of Wright's Ferry across the Susquehanna River . Lord Baltimore believed that his grant to Maryland extended to the 40th parallel. This was about halfway between present-day Lancaster and the town of Willow Street, Pennsylvania . This line of demarcation would have resulted in Philadelphia being included in Maryland. New settlers began to cross

7031-413: The suburbs of Philadelphia, contain large numbers of Indian Americans and Mexicans . At the 2010 census , the city was 41.0% White, 43.4% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian or Alaskan Native, 6.3% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 2.8% two or more race, and 5.9% were some other race. 12.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , Philadelphia County has

7120-460: The tribe's fourteen survivors in protective custody in the county jail, but the Paxton Boys returned on December 27, broke into the jail, and massacred the remaining natives. The lack of effective government control and widespread sympathy in the frontier counties for the murderers meant they were never discovered or brought to justice. Pennsylvania had a longstanding dispute with Maryland about

7209-542: The various county projects, to participate in the appointment of the County Treasurer, and to issue warrants and levy fines against delinquent taxpayers and collectors. Other Acts passed during the eighteenth century gave the Commissioners regulatory powers and maintenance functions in regard to county lands, roads, bridges, wharves and landings, courts and the county prison. In 1780, the Assembly passed an Act that abolished

7298-682: The vast Amish and Plain-Sect communities of Lancaster County to ensure their farms will retain their agricultural value. Together with the Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board, the county has preserved more than 100,000 acres (40,000 ha) of preserved farmland in the county—a first in the nation. Lancaster County lies on the general track of the Appalachian Mountains . As a result, residual seismic activity from ancient faulting occasionally produces minor earthquakes of magnitude 3 to 4. On December 27, 2008,

7387-546: Was 11,233.6 per square mile (4,337.3/km ). There were 661,958 housing units, with an average density of 4,900.1 per square mile (1,891.9/km ). and the racial composition of the county was 45.0% White , 43.2% African American , 5.5% Asian , 0.3% Native American , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 5.8% from other races , and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.5% of the population. The five largest ancestries include Irish (13.6%), Italian (9.2%), German (8.1%), Polish (4.3%), and English (2.9%). Of

7476-410: Was 3.13. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18 and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.60 males. 5.58% of the population and 8.37% of the children aged 5–17 reported speaking Pennsylvania Dutch , German, or Dutch at home, while

7565-544: Was also settled by French Huguenots , who had fled to England and then the colonies in the late 1600s and early 1700s to escape Catholic persecution in France. Isaac LeFèvre and a group of other Huguenots settled in the Pequea Creek area. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 984 square miles (2,550 km ), of which 944 square miles (2,440 km ) is land and 40 square miles (100 km ) (4.1%)

7654-475: Was changed to a notable elected board in 1725. The Commissioners were empowered to demand accountings of the Assessors and Collectors and to appoint new collectors if necessary. Subsequent acts passed by the Assembly in 1715, 1718 and 1722 increased the power and the scope of the Board, granting the Commissioners authority to share with the assessors in the assessment process and in the allocation of tax receipts among

7743-532: Was named after the city of Lancaster in the county of Lancashire in England, the native home of John Wright , an early settler. As settlement increased, six other counties were subsequently formed from territory directly taken, in all or in part, from Lancaster County: Berks (1752), Cumberland (1750), Dauphin (1785), Lebanon (1813), Northumberland (1772), and York (1749). Many other counties were in turn formed from these six. Indigenous peoples had occupied

7832-414: Was needed. A reform charter, on February 2, 1854, defined all the boroughs, townships and districts of the County of Philadelphia as being within the City of Philadelphia, thus abolishing the patchwork of cities, boroughs, and townships that had comprised Philadelphia County since its founding. The city-county consolidation was a result of the inability of a colonial-type government by committees to adapt to

7921-410: Was part of William Penn 's 1681 charter. John Kennerly received the first recorded deed from Penn in 1691. Although Matthias Kreider was said to have been in the area as early as 1691, there is no evidence that any Europeans settled in Lancaster County before 1710. Lancaster County was part of Chester County, Pennsylvania , until May 10, 1729, when it was organized as the colony's fourth county. It

#150849