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Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2000, the population was 750,097. A 2005 U.S. Census estimate placed the population at 795,618. The county seat is Norristown.

The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part of Philadelphia County. It is believed to have been named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada, but it is not certain that this is the origin of the name.

Montgomery County is a suburban county northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Delaware Valley and marks the region's northern border with the Lehigh Valley region of the state.

It is the third largest county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by population. It is also the 44th wealthiest county in the country.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,262 km² (487 mi²). 1,251 km² (483 mi²) of it is land and 11 km² (4 mi²) of it (0.89%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 750,097 people, 286,098 households, and 197,693 families residing in the county. The population density was 599/km² (1,553/mi²). There were 297,434 housing units at an average density of 238 units/km² (616 units/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was:

Montgomery County is home to large and growing African American, Korean, Puerto Rican and Indian populations. The county has the second largest foreign-born population in the region.*

There were 286,098 households out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.20% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.10% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $60,829, and the median income for a family was $72,183. Males had a median income of $48,698 versus $35,089 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,898. About 2.80% of families and 4.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.60% of those under age 18 and 5.10% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Montgomery County is a suburb of Philadelphia and consequently, many of its residents work in the city. However, Montco is also a major employment center with large business parks in Lansdale, Fort Washington, Horsham and King of Prussia which attract thousands of workers from all over the region. The stong job base and taxes generated by those jobs have resulted in Montgomery County receiving the highest credit rating of 'AAA' from Standard and Poor's, one of less than 30 counties in the nation with such a rating.

Major employers include:

Because of the number of high-tech companies in the region it has the nick-name "Silicon Valley Forge" or "Philicon Valley."

Population growth

Montgomery County's population is accelerating due to the presence of expressways such as the Schuylkill Expressway, Pennsylvania Turnpike, Dekalb Pike (US 202), and others. These roads carry about 1.4 million commuters through Montgomery County every day*, and allow easy commutes to Philadelphia. Many residents are drawn to the county by its low taxes, jobs, housing, and proximity to Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington D.C. The county has millions of square feet of retail and office space. Shopping Centers, high rises, corporate centers, and freeways dot the landscape of the county.

Politics

Presidential elections results
Year GOP Dems
2004 44.0% ''174,741 55.6% ''222,048
2000 43.8% ''145,623 53.5% ''177,990
1996 41.2% ''121,047 48.9% ''143,664
1992 39.5% ''125,704 42.9% ''136,572
1988 60.2% ''170,294 38.8% ''109,834
1984 64.2% ''181,426 35.3% ''99,741
1980 57.8% ''156,996 31.0% ''84,289
1976 56.9% ''155,480 41.2% ''112,644
1972 64.3% ''173,662 34.1% ''91,959
1968 54.3% ''141,621 39.3% ''102,464
1964 43.0% ''102,714 56.7% ''135,657
1960 60.7% ''142,796 39.2% ''92,212

As of November 2004, 47.6% of registered voters in Montgomery County are Republicans, 37.9% are Democrats and 14.5% are other or unaffiliated. While Republicans have dominated county politics, the Democratic Party has made significant gains in the county over the last 20 years. Most county-level offices are held by Republicans. However, the Republican Presidential candidate has not won Montco since 1988. In addition, the traditionally-Republican 13th Congressional District has been won by the Democrats in five of the last seven elections. Democrats have also won significant elections for the Pennsylvania General Assembly in recent years, including two GOP-leaning State House districts in 2004, the 148th with Mike Gerber and the 153rd with Josh Shapiro.

Montgomery County is governed by a three-person County Commission. The current composition is two Republicans and one Democrat. By law, the County Commission must have one member of the minority party represented. The next elections for Commissioner are in 2007.

The current commissioners are:

Montgomery County contains parts of six Congressional Districts: the 2nd, 6th, 7th, 8th, 13th, and 15th.

Municipalities

Boroughs

Townships

Communities and Census-Designated Places

Education

Colleges and universities

Public School Districts

Private secondary schools

Night Schools/Adult Education

External links

Pennsylvania counties | Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Montgomery County (Pennsylvania) | Condado de Montgomery (Pensilvânia)

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Montgomery County, Pennsylvania".

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