Indiana County, Pennsylvania
Indiana County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the west central part of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 83,246. Its county seat is Indiana. Indiana County comprises the Indiana, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-WV-OH Combined Statistical Area. The county is part of the Southwest region of the commonwealth.
Prior to the Revolutionary War, some settlers proposed this as part of a larger, separate colony to be known as Vandalia, but opposing interests and the war intervened. Afterward, claims to the territory by both the states of Virginia and Pennsylvania had to be reconciled. After this land was assigned to Pennsylvania by the federal government according to the placement of the Mason–Dixon line, Indiana County was created on March 30, 1803, from parts of Westmoreland and Clearfield counties and was formally organized in 1806.
History
Indiana County derives its name from the so-called "Indiana Grant of 1768" that the Iroquois Six Nations were forced to make to "suffering traders" under the Fort Stanwix Treaty of 1768. The Iroquois had controlled much of the Ohio River valley as their hunting grounds since the 17th century, and Anglo-American colonists were moving into the area and wanted to develop it. Traders arranged to force the Iroquois to grant land under the treaty in relations to losses due to Pontiac's Rebellion.Some of the grantees joined forces with the Ohio Company, forming a larger development company based on enlarging their grant of land. They proposed that the entire large area would become a new British colony, possibly to be called Pittsylvania or Vandalia. It was to be bordered on the north and west by the Ohio River, and made up of what are now parts of eastern Kentucky, northern West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania. Anglo-European colonists from Virginia and Pennsylvania had already started to move into the area, which was identified by these various names as Indiana and the other above names on some maps of the late 1700s.
Opposition from other interest groups and the American Revolutionary War intervened before Britain approved such a colony. Afterward, some United States speculators proposed setting up a state in this area to be called Vandalia, or Westsylvania, as appears on some maps of the period.
But both the states of Virginia and Pennsylvania claimed the land based on their colonial charters. In establishing the Mason–Dixon line, the federal government assigned the Indiana Grant to Pennsylvania. As population increased after the war, this county was made up in 1803 of territory from Westmoreland and Clearfield counties; it was formally organized in 1806.
Kentucky and West Virginia continued to be associated with Virginia for some time, being separately admitted as states in the early 19th century and during the American Civil War, respectively. The area in Pennsylvania was unrelated to and was physically separated from the later named Indiana Territory established north of the Ohio River in 1800 by the new United States; that territory was eventually admitted to the Union as the State of Indiana.
Indiana County was known as a "hotbed of abolition", and was home to at least two African Methodist Episcopal Zion churches as well as other anti-slavery Protestants such as Wesleyan Methodists and Baptists. It was also in Indiana, local abolitionist leader James Moorhead published several anti-slavery newspapers. The first of these was The Clarion of Freedom, founded in 1843. Moorhead eventually sold the Clarion and founded a new anti-slavery paper, the Indiana Independent, which he published until his death in 1857. The Independent was published by his son J. W. Moorhead after his death. Blairsville was home to another abolitionist newspaper, The Appalachian, which was pro-Free Soil from 1848. Some of the nearby anti-slavery families like the Mitchells and Van Leers, became conductors or contributors in 1958. In a letter to abolitionist Theodore Parker, a local geologist Peter Lesley stated there we over 3,000 men helping the railroad in the area.
Indiana County was an active hub of the Underground Railroad. At least 90 county residents are known to have been conductors or agents, guiding fugitive slaves between hiding places on their way to freedom in Canada.
In the 21st century, Indiana County comprises the Indiana, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. This is included in the Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-WV-OH Combined Statistical Area. It is in the defined region of the Pittsburgh media market. Indiana County is served by three different area codes: 724, 814, and 582.
The county proclaims itself the "Christmas Tree Capital of the World", shipping over one million trees annually. Agriculture is a major part of its economy.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. Located in the county is the Buttermilk Falls Natural Area. The county has a humid continental climate, except along the Conemaugh, from below Strangford and the Kiskiminetas River, where it is. Average monthly temperatures in the borough of Indiana range from 27.2 °F in January to 70.9 °F in July. Indiana County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, and it is identified as part of the "Midlands" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.Adjacent counties
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 83,246. The median age was 41.5 years. 18.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.9 males age 18 and over.As of the 2020 census, the racial makeup of the county was 91.6% White, 3.0% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.8% of the population.
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | % 2000 | % 2010 | ||
| White alone | 86,493 | 83,864 | 75,718 | 96.52% | 94.35% | 90.95% |
| Black or African American alone | 1,391 | 2,374 | 2,409 | 1.55% | 2.67% | 2.89% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone | 62 | 103 | 116 | 0.06% | 0.11% | 0.13% |
| Asian alone | 662 | 768 | 816 | 0.73% | 0.86% | 0.98% |
| Pacific Islander alone | 7 | 9 | 7 | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone | 52 | 51 | 148 | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.17% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial | 481 | 764 | 2,556 | 0.53% | 0.85% | 3.07% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 457 | 947 | 1,476 | 0.51% | 1.06% | 1.77% |
| Total | 89,605 | 88,880 | 83,246 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 census, 40.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 59.8% lived in rural areas.
As of the 2020 census, there were 33,286 households in the county, of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.8% were married-couple households, 20.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
As of the 2020 census, there were 37,626 housing units, of which 11.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 69.1% were owner-occupied and 30.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.1%.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census of 2000, there were 89,605 people, 34,123 households, and 22,521 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 37,250 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 96.87% White, 1.57% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 0.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 25.9% were of German, 11.6% Italian, 10.7% Irish, 8.6% American, 7.1% English and 6.8% Polish ancestry.There were 34,123 households, out of which 27.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.00% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.10% under the age of 18, 16.60% from 18 to 24, 24.80% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.60 males.