Somerset County, Pennsylvania

Somerset County is a county located in the state of Pennsylvania. As of 2000, the population was 80,023. Somerset County was created on April 17, 1795 from part of Bedford County and named for Somersetshire, England. Its county seat is Somerset ⁶.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,800 km² (1,081 mi²). 2,783 km² (1,075 mi²) of it is land and 17 km² (7 mi²) of it (0.60%) is water.

Somerset County is one of the snowiest inhabited locations in the United States, with parts of the county averaging 200+ inches of snow each winter. The county's elevation above sea level relative to surrounding areas causes snow from both Atlantic Ocean Nor'easters and Great Lakes lake effect to fall from October through early April. Snow has been recorded in Somerset County in every month except July, although local lore has it that even July saw snow in 1816, "the year without a summer."

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 80,023 people, 31,222 households, and 22,042 families residing in the county. The population density was 29/km² (74/mi²). There were 37,163 housing units at an average density of 13/km² (35/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.39% White, 1.59% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. 0.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 31,222 households out of which 29.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% were married couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.30% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 18.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.90 males.

Recent history

Somerset County gained worldwide attention in 2001 when a hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed near the town of Shanksville in the September 11 Terrorist Attacks.

Less than a year later, in July 2002, Somerset County again made worldwide news when nine coal miners were rescued from several hundred feet underground from the Quecreek mine after an intense multi-day struggle.

In April 2004, the Pentagon credited Joseph Darby of Jenners, Somerset County, as the lone soldier who came forward to halt and expose the Abu Ghraib prisoner-of-war abuse scandal in Baghdad, Iraq.

Somerset County in Arts and Literature

Nineteenth century poet James Whitcomb Riley , the "Hoosier Poet", immortalized Somerset County and its bucolic countryside in his poem "'Mongst the Hills of Somerset". The poem's opening line is the unforgettable "'Mongst the hills of Somerset, I wish I were a'roamin' yet." Perhaps his poems "Little Orphant Annie", "The Old Swimming Hole" are better known.

The Mountain Playhouse in Jennerstown, Pennsylvania was one of the nation's first "summer-stock" theatres. The Mountain Playhouse has maintained a full schedule of live theatre productions nightly from May through October each year for the last sixty years.