Mifflin County, Pennsylvania

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 415 square miles (1,070 km²), of which 411 square miles (1,060 km²) is land and 3.7 square miles (9.6 km²) (0.9%) is water.

Mifflin County is located in, and has its boundaries defined by, the Ridge-and Valley Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania. US Route 322, a major divided highway, connects the county to the rest of the state on its route between Harrisburg and State College. US Route 522 also connects the county to the rest of the state on its route between Selinsgrove and Mount Union.

Adjacent counties

Major Highways

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 46,682 people and 18,743 households within the county. The population density was 112.5 people per square mile (44/km²). There were 21,537 housing units at an average density of 51.9 per square mile (19/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.53% White, 0.64% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 38.8% were of German, 19.2% American, 8.0% Irish and 7.5% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 5.7% report speaking Pennsylvania German, Dutch, or German at home.[1]

There were 18,743 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.60% were married couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 2.2% from 18 to 19, 5.1% from 20 to 24, 10.4% from 25 to 34, 20.1% from 35 to 49, 20.6% from 50 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. The population was 48.93% male, and 51.07% female.

Dialect

The dominant form of speech in Mifflin County is the Central Pennsylvania accent. Almost everyone in Mifflin County speaks English. The Amish and some Mennonites speak Pennsylvania German also known as Pennsylvania Dutch, a West Central German dialect, which is quite different from modern Standard German. The Amish and Mennonites also can speak English. Few non-Amish or Mennonites in Mifflin County today speak Pennsylvania German, but this was not true in the past.

Amish and Mennonite

For the Amish and Mennonite settlement, see Kishacoquillas Valley.

Micropolitan Statistical Area

The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Mifflin County as the Lewistown, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area (µSA). As of the 2010 U.S. Census the micropolitan area ranked 10th most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 237th most populous in the United States with a population of 46,682.

County Commissioners

In August 2016, County Commissioner Lisa Nancollas, a Tea Party Republican, came under fire for anti-Islamic rhetoric posted to her campaign's Facebook account.

Economy

Major employers in Mifflin County include:

Public school districts

Most of the county is served by the Mifflin County School District, with the exception of Wayne Township and the boroughs of Newton-Hamilton and Kistler, which are part of the Mount Union Area School District.

Head Start preschool programs

Head Start is a federally and state funded preschool program for low income children. The program serves 3- and 4-year-olds. In order to participate the family income must be below federal poverty guidelines.

Private schools

Colleges and universities

Mifflin-Juniata Career and Technology Center located in Lewistown provides post high school degrees in nursing, auto mechanics and electrical services and numerous other technology driven careers.

The Lewistown branch of the South Hills School of Business and Technology offers associate degrees and other certifications in various areas of business, technology, and some health care.

The Penn State Learning Center in Lewistown offers both two-year and four-year degrees. Recently, the Learning Center opened a state-of-the-art science lab to be used by students attending the Lewistown Hospital School of Nursing.

AM

FM

Television

Mifflin County does not have a local television station but it is provided with local coverage from the following stations outside of the countyfrom the Harrisburg market:

Newspapers

Sports

Due to close proximity to the Borough of State College, the most popular college sports team in Mifflin County is the Penn State football team. In professional football, loyalties divide between the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens. Almost all Steelers and Eagles games are available live on network television, as Mifflin County receives stations from both the Steelers and Eagles broadcasting territories, though Baltimore Ravens games are also available through Harrisburg-based stations. The most popular baseball teams are the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies.

Historically, football has been the most popular high school sport, but over the past decade, the most successful teams have been in boys and girls basketball. In the past, high school wrestling was more popular than basketball. Although basketball is now more popular than wrestling, wrestling remains more popular in Mifflin County and in Central Pennsylvania in general than in most parts of the United States.

The girls field hockey team is one of the most successful high school teams.. As the schools combined, the competition grew harder as they faced the mid Penn conference.

Communities

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

Boroughs

Census-designated places

Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Mifflin County.

† county seat