Perry County, Pennsylvania

Perry County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,842. The county seat is New Bloomfield. The county was created on March 22, 1820, and was named for Oliver Hazard Perry, a hero of the War of 1812, who had recently died. It was originally part of Cumberland County and was created in part because residents did not want to travel over the mountain to Carlisle, the county seat of Cumberland County. Landisburg became the temporary county seat before New Bloomfield was ultimately chosen.

Perry County is included in the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is served by the 717/223 area codes.

In 2010, the center of population of Pennsylvania was located in the eastern end of Perry County. Green Park, an unincorporated village located in northeastern Tyrone Township, serves as Perry County's midpoint between the Conococheague Mountain in the west and the Susquehanna River to the east.

Geography

The county terrain is formed by the folded Appalachian Mountain ridges which run from southwest to northeast across the county. The terrain slopes to the northeast, with its highest point on the Blue Mountain Ridge, which delineates the border between Perry and Cumberland counties. The ridge peaks at 0.83 mile (1.33 km) NE from Perry County's southmost corner; it measures 2,269' (692m) ASL. The county is drained by the south-flowing Susquehanna River, which forms almost all of its eastern boundary. The Juniata River enters Perry County from Juniata County near Millerstown, and flows southeast to its confluence with the Susquehanna River near Duncannon. The county also contains several creeks, runs, and lakes, which provide recreational and fishing opportunities, formerly powered mills throughout the county and provided transport venues. To this day, canoeing and kayaking are forms of recreation which utilise the Sherman Creek and other waters in the county.

The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water.

The Appalachian Trail runs through the town of Duncannon. The county is also famous for being the northern head of the Tuscarora Trail.

Perry County has a hot-summer humid continental climate (''Dfa'') and average monthly temperatures in New Bloomfield range from 28.5 °F in January to 73.2 °F in July

The hardiness zone is 6b except in Marysville where it is 7a

Common trees include Acer rubrum, red maple, Virginia pine, oak, eastern white pine, eastern hemlock, birch, shagbark hickory, and juniper, though American sycamore, ironwood, sugar maple, black walnut, elm, alder, and sassafras are also fairly common. Mosses of various species are common sights, especially on fallen tree logs, along streams, on tree trunks, and in sidewalk cracks, usually growing in shaded areas. Ferns also grow along streams and in shaded areas, and are also commonly seen in Perry County woodlands.

Adjacent counties

* Juniata County - north
* Northumberland County - northeast
* Dauphin County - east
* Cumberland County - south
* Franklin County - southwest

Major highways

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Protected areas

* Big Spring State Forest Picnic Area
* Fowlers Hollow State Park
* Little Buffalo State Park
* Colonel Denning State Park (part)
* Hoverter and Sholl Box Huckleberry Natural Area
* State Game Lands Number 88
* State Game Lands Number 170
* State Game Lands Number 256
* State Game Lands Number 281
* Tuscarora State Forest (part)

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 43,602 people, 16,695 households, and 12,320 families in the county. The population density was 79.1/sqmi (30.6/km²). There were 18,941 housing units at an average density of 34.4/sqmi (13.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.54% White, 0.43% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. 0.69% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 45.8% were of German, 16.4% American, 7.8% Irish and 5.0% English ancestry. 96.8% spoke English and 1.2% Spanish as their first language.

There were 16,695 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.6% were