Bradford 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, ...

. It is part of

Northeastern Pennsylvania Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) is a geographic region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton, Nanticoke, and Ca ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 59,967. 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 ...

is Towanda. The county was created on February 21, 1810, from parts of Lycoming and Luzerne Counties. Originally called Ontario County, it was reorganized and separated from Lycoming County on October 13, 1812, and renamed Bradford County for William Bradford, who had been a chief justice of the

Pennsylvania Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme Ju ...

and

United States Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

. Bradford County comprises the Sayre, Pennsylvania micropolitan statistical area. The county is not to be confused with the city of

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 201 ...

, which is in McKean County, 141 miles to the west via U.S. Route 6.

History

As noted above, Bradford County was originally named Ontario County. The county was reorganized and renamed in 1812, but a section of north

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sin ...

in which major east–west streets are named after Pennsylvania counties retains an Ontario Street, between Westmoreland and Tioga Streets. Two short Bradford Streets are in northeast Philadelphia, about 4 miles from Ontario Street. Bradford County is the ancestral home of the

Tehotitachsae The Tehotitachsae were an indigenous people of North America originally from Bradford County, Pennsylvania. Their principal village, Gohontoto, was on the site of the present Borough of Wyalusing. History Moravian Bishop John F. Cammerhof ...

indigenous people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

of North America. Their principal village, Gohontoto, was on the site of the present Borough of Wyalusing.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (1.2%) are covered by water. It is the second-largest county in Pennsylvania by land area and third-largest by total area.

Climate

Bradford 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 freezin ...

(''Dfb'') and average monthly temperatures in Towanda range from 24.5°F in January to 70.6°F in July

Adjacent counties

* Tioga County, New York, Tioga County, New York (northeast) * Chemung County, New York (northwest) * Susquehanna County (east) * Sullivan County (south) * Lycoming County (southwest) * Tioga County (west)

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 inc ...

of 2000, there were 62,761 people, 24,453 households, and 17,312 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberP ...

was 54 people per square mile (21/km²). There were 28,664 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.94%

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 ...

, 0.40% Black or

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 ensl ...

, 0.31% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.19% 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 0.69% from two or more races. 0.63% 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 form ...

or Latino of any race. 32.4% were of

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 ...

, 19% German, 12.6% Irish and 6.4% Italian ancestry. There were 24,453 households, out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.40% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.20% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.50% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.

2020 Census

Micropolitan Statistical Area

The

United States Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, poli ...

has designated Bradford County as the Sayre, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area (µSA). As of the

2010 U.S. Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serv ...

the micropolitan area ranked 8th most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 131st most populous in the United States with a population of 62,622.

Law and government

Bradford County is a Republican Party stronghold in presidential elections. The only two instances Republican presidential candidates have failed to win the county from 1880 to the present were when

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

won it in 1912 by splitting the Republican vote & in 1964 when Lyndon B. Johnson won statewide & nationally in a landslide. Johnson is also the only Democrat to ever manage over forty percent of the county's vote.

County commissioners

*Daryl Miller, Chairman, Republican *Doug McLinko, Vice-Chairman, Republican *John Sullivan, Democrat

Other county officials

*Auditors, Jeff Warner, Eric Matthews, Sebrina Shanks *Clerk of Courts and Prothonotary, Dawn Close, Republican *Coroner, James Bowen *District Attorney, N.A. *Register of Wills and Recorder of Deeds, Sheila Johnson, Republican *Sheriff, Clinton J. Walters, Republican *Treasurer, Matthew Allen, Republican

State Senate

* Gene Yaw, Republican, Pennsylvania's 23rd Senatorial District

State House of Representatives

* Clint Owlett, Republican, Pennsylvania's 68th Representative District * Tina Pickett, Republican, Pennsylvania's 110th Representative District

United States House of Representatives

* Fred Keller, Republican,

Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, which includes Pittsburgh and much of Allegheny County. It has been represented since January 3, 2023 by Summer Lee. Prior to 2018, the 12th district was locat ...

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 ...

, Republican * Bob Casey, Democrat

Economy

Major employers are the natural gas industry, farming, logging, DuPont, Global-Tungsten and Powders (formerly Sylvania), Jeld-Wen, and Cargill Regional Beef, Wyalusing.

Education

Public school districts

* Athens Area School District * Canton Area School District (also in Lycoming and Tioga Counties) * Northeast Bradford School District * Sayre Area School District * Towanda Area School District * Troy Area School District * Wyalusing Area School District (also in Wyoming County)

Other public school entities

BLAST Intermediate Unit 17

Northern Tier Career Center
Towanda * Adult Ed Linkage Services – Troy * Lackawanna College Towanda Center

Private schools

* Canton Country School – Canton * Children's Place – Sayre * Epiphany School (Catholic) Pre-K–6 – Sayre accepting OSTCP students * Freedom Lane Academy – Milan * G&G Learning Center – Rome * Maranatha Mission Learning Community Branch 19 – Canton * North Rome Christian School * South Hill Amish School – Wyalusing * St. Agnes Elementary School – Towanda accepting OSTCP students * Union Valley Christian School – Ulster * Valley View Amish School – Pike Township * Wyalusing Valley Children's Center INC – Wyalusing Data from EdNA database maintained by Pennsylvania Department of Education 2012

Libraries

* Allen F. Pierce Free Library – Troy * Bradford County Library – Troy * Bradford County Library System – Troy * Green Free Library – Canton * Mather Memorial Library – Ulster * Monroeton Public Library – Monroeton * New Albany Community Library Inc. * Sayre Public Library * Spalding Memorial Library – Athens * Towanda Public Library * Wyalusing Public Library

Transportation

Public transportation is provided by BeST Transit.

Major Highways

* (briefly crosses the NY-PA state border, but is maintained by NYSDOT) * * * * * * * * * *

Recreation

There is one Pennsylvania state park in Bradford County. * Mt. Pisgah 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 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, and, in only one case ( Bloomsburg, Columbia County),

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an or ...

. The following boroughs and townships are located in Bradford County:

Boroughs

Alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kin ...

* Athens * Burlington *

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ente ...

* Le Raysville * Monroe * New Albany * Rome * Sayre * South Waverly * Sylvania * Towanda (county seat) * Troy * Wyalusing

Townships

* Albany *

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

* Asylum * Athens * Burlington *

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

* Granville * Herrick * Leroy * Litchfield * Monroe * North Towanda *

Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitari ...

* Overton *

Pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus ...

* Ridgebury * Rome * Sheshequin * Smithfield * South Creek * Springfield *

Standing Stone A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be fou ...

* Stevens *

Terry Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence or Terrier (masculine). People Male * Terry Albritton (1955–2005), ...

* Towanda * Troy *

Tuscarora Tuscarora may refer to the following: First nations and Native American people and culture * Tuscarora people **'' Federal Power Commission v. Tuscarora Indian Nation'' (1960) * Tuscarora language, an Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people * ...

* Ulster *

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...

* Wells * West Burlington * Wilmot * Windham * Wyalusing * Wysox

Census-designated place

* Greens Landing

Unincorporated communities

* Berrytown * Browntown

Population ranking

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

References

External links

Bradford County official websiteBradford County Historical SocietyBradford County Tourist and Visitor Guide
*[ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/pdf/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/GHS/Roadnames/bradford_GHSN.PDF Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division, "2005 General Highway Map of Bradford County".] Note: shows boroughs, townships, roads, villages, some streams. URL accessed on April 6, 2006. {{coord, 41.79, -76.52, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-PA_source:UScensus1990 Bradford County, Pennsylvania, 1810 establishments in Pennsylvania Counties of Appalachia Populated places established in 1810