Pike County, Pennsylvania


Pike County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,535. Its county seat is Milford. The county is part of the Northeast Pennsylvania region of the state. Pike County is part of the New York Combined Statistical Area.
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History

Pike County was named for General Zebulon Pike. It was organized on March 26, 1814, from part of Wayne County, Pennsylvania. Some English settlement in the area had started during the colonial years.
The longtime original inhabitants were the Lenape Native Americans, known by the English colonists as the Delaware Indians because their territory was along the Delaware River, as well as the coastal mid-Atlantic area. In 1694, Governor Benjamin Fletcher of the colony of New York sent Captain Arent Schuyler to investigate claims that the French were recruiting Indian allies for use against the English. In 1696, governor Fletcher authorized purchases of Indian land near the New York border by a number of citizens of Ulster County; their descendants became the first European settlers of what became Pike County.
Nicholas Depui was the first to settle in the area, in 1725. Thomas Quick moved to the area that would become Milford in 1733. Andrew Dingman settled on the Delaware River at the future site of Dingmans Ferry in 1735. The early settlers got along well with the Lenape and traded with them. As settlement increased and their land practices encroached on Lenape uses, land disputes arose. The colonists' infamous Walking Purchase of 1737 swindled the Lenape out of more than half of present-day Pike County. As the Lenape realized what had happened, violent conflicts arose between them and the colonists. One notorious Indian killer was Tom Quick Jr of Milford, Pennsylvania; after his father Tom Quick Sr was killed by Indians, Tom Quick Jr is purported to have murdered numerous Lenape.
Early in the nineteenth century, coal was discovered nearby in the area that would become Carbondale. This became especially significant as the British restricted export of British coal to the United States after the War of 1812, creating a fuel shortage in rapidly expanding New York City. To get the coal to New York, developers proposed a gravity railroad from Carbondale to Honesdale, along with a canal from Honesdale to the Hudson River at Kingston.
The state of New York approved the canal proposal in 1823. Work on the Delaware and Hudson Canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1828. The canal system, which terminated at the Hudson River near present-day Kingston, proved profitable. But the barges had to cross the Delaware via a rope ferry across a "slackwater dam," which created bottlenecks in the canal traffic and added greatly to the cost of transportation.
John Roebling proposed continuing the canal over the river as part of an aqueduct. Built in 1848, his innovative design required only three piers, where five would ordinarily have been required; this allowed ice floes and timber rafts to pass under with less damage to the bridge. Three other suspension aqueducts were subsequently built for the canal. Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct is still standing, possibly the oldest suspension bridge in America; it has been named a National Historic Landmark.
For fifty-one years, coal flowed to New York City via the canal. But the development of railroads, which were faster, cheaper, and operated even when the canals were frozen, brought the end of the canal era. The New York and Erie Railroad supplanted the canal and in 1898 the water route was abandoned.
From 1904 to 1926, Grey Towers in the borough of Milford, Pennsylvania was the site of summer field study sessions for the Master's program of the Yale School of Forestry, together with the Forester's Hall, a commercial building that was adapted and expanded for this purpose.
In 1926, PPL Corporation built a hydroelectric plant on Wallenpaupack creek at the former village of Wilsonville. The town was evacuated and now lies under Lake Wallenpaupack, created by a dam. A crew of 2,700 men worked for two years to complete the dam for the project at a cost of $1,026,000. This required the acquisition of nearly a hundred properties, and a number of farms, barns, and homes were razed or moved. In addition, of roads and telephone lines were relocated, and a cemetery was moved to make way for the project.
The largely rural area of the county made it attractive as a country destination. Several camps were developed in the area of Milford, Pennsylvania, the county seat. It has several hundred late 19th and early 20th-century buildings that contribute to a National Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Yale ran summer field studies for its Master's program in forestry there from 1904 to 1926.
Since the late 20th century, Pike County has been the fastest-growing county in Pennsylvania; between 1990 and 2000, its population increased by 65.2%, and it grew an additional 16.9% between 2000 and 2004. The area has relatively low state and county taxes, and affordable housing. Interstate 80 and Interstate 84 provide rapid commutes to New York City's northern suburbs.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
The terrain rises rapidly from the river valley in the east to the rolling foothills of the Poconos in the west. The highest point is one of two unnamed hills in Greene Township that top out at approximately 2,110 feet above sea level. The lowest elevation is approximately, at the confluence of the Bushkill and the Delaware rivers.
Because of its location, Pike County is the only county in Pennsylvania to border New York and New Jersey, both east of the Delaware River.

Adjacent counties

Climate

Pike County has a humid continental climate that is warm-summer, except along the Delaware River from Dingmans Ferry downriver, where it is hot-summer. The hardiness zones are 5b and 6a. Average monthly temperatures in Milford range from 25.6 °F in January to 71.3 °F in July, while in Greentown they average from 22.8 °F in January to 68.5 °F in July.

National protected areas

State protected areas

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 58,535. The median age was 48.7 years. 18.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.1 males.
The racial makeup of the county was 80.6% White, 5.6% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.3% from some other race, and 8.6% from two or more races. [Hispanic and Race (United States Census)|Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino] residents of any race comprised 11.5% of the population.
12.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 87.2% lived in rural areas.
There were 23,635 households in the county, of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.0% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 39,676 housing units, of which 40.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 84.0% were owner-occupied and 16.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.3%.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 41,56947,54945,37589.77%82.88%77.51%
Black or African American alone 1,4303,0503,0273.08%5.31%5.17%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 901271210.19%0.22%0.20%
Asian alone 2835838410.61%1.01%1.43%
Pacific Islander alone 313140.00%0.02%0.02%
Other race alone 87772340.18%0.13%0.39%
Mixed race or Multiracial 5257972,2041.13%1.38%3.76%
Hispanic or Latino 2,3155,1736,7194.99%9.01%11.47%
Total46,30257,36958,535100.00%100.00%100.00%

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 57,369 people living in the county. The county was 88.6% Non-Hispanic White, 6.3% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.2% Asian, and 1.7% were two or more races. 10.2% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 46,302 people, 17,433 households, and 13,022 families living in the county. The population density was. There were 34,681 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 93.10% White, 3.27% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.30% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. 5.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.9% were of German, 18.6% Irish, 18.5% Italian, 6.2% English and 5.3% Polish ancestry.
There were 17,433 households, out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.50% were married couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.30% were non-families. 20.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.70% under the age of 18, 5.30% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.

Housing costs

As of Q4 2021, the median home value of all homes in Pike County is $214,981.

Politics and government

County commissioners

  • Ron Schmalzle, ViceChairman, Republican
  • Matthew M. Osterberg, chairman, Republican
  • Christa Caceres, Democrat

Other county offices

  • Clerk of Courts and Prothonotary, Denise Fitzpatrick, Republican
  • Coroner, Christopher P. Brighton, Republican
  • District Attorney, Raymond Tonkin, Republican
  • Recorder of Deeds and Register of Wills, Sharon Schroeder, Republican
  • Sheriff, Kerry Welsh
  • Treasurer, John Gilpin, Republican

State representatives

State Senator

United States Representative

United States Senate

Education

Public school districts

There are three school districts in the county:
In 2011, Porter Township residents successfully petitioned the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education to transfer the township from East Stroudsburg Area School District to Wallenpaupack Area School District. The appeal by East Stroudsburg Area School District was heard by the Commonwealth Court in April 2012.

Private

Communities

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, [List of List of towns and boroughs in Pennsylvania|towns and List of towns and boroughs in Pennsylvania|boroughs in Pennsylvania|boroughs], [List of List of townships in Pennsylvania|townships in Pennsylvania|townships], and, in at most two cases, towns. The following boroughs and townships are located in Pike County:

Boroughs

Townships

Census-designated places

Unincorporated community

  • Wild Acres Lakes

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Pike County.
† county seat
RankCity/Town/etc.Municipal typePopulation
1Saw CreekCDP4,016
2Hemlock FarmsCDP3,271
3Pocono Woodland LakesCDP3,209
4Pine RidgeCDP2,707
5MatamorasBorough2,362
6Gold Key LakeCDP1,830
7Sunrise LakeCDP1,387
8Birchwood LakesCDP1,386
9Conashaugh LakesCDP1,294
10Pocono Ranch LandsCDP1,062
11† 'MilfordBorough1,103
12Pocono Mountain Lake EstatesCDP842
13Fawn Lake ForestCDP755
14Masthope'CDP685

Notable natives and residents