Berks County, Pennsylvania

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Berks County, Pennsylvania
View of Reading area from Pagoda.jpg
The Reading area from the Pagoda
Seal of Berks County, Pennsylvania
Seal
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Berks County
Location in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Map of the United States highlighting Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location in the U.S.
Founded March 11, 1752
Seat Reading
Largest city Reading
Area
 • Total 866 sq mi (2,243 km2)
 • Land 857 sq mi (2,220 km2)
 • Water 9.2 sq mi (24 km2), 1.1%
Population (est.)
 • (2015) 415,271
 • Density 485/sq mi (187/km²)
Congressional districts 6th, 7th, 15th, 16th
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.co.berks.pa.us
Footnotes:
Designated May 12, 1982[1]

Berks County (Pennsylvania German: Barricks Kaundi) is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 415,271 .[2] The county seat is Reading.[3]

Berks County comprises the Reading, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which is also included in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD Combined Statistical Area. (CSA).

History[edit]

Reading developed during the 1740s when the inhabitants of northern Lancaster County sent several petitions requesting that a separate county be established. With the help of German immigrant Conrad Weiser, the county was formed on March 11, 1752 from parts of Chester County, Lancaster County, and Philadelphia County.

It was named after the English county in which William Penn's family home lay - Berkshire, which is often abbreviated to Berks. Berks County began much larger than it is today. The northwestern parts of the county went to the founding of Northumberland County in 1772 and Schuylkill County in 1811, when it reached its current size. In 2005, Berks County was added to the Delaware Valley Planning Area due to a fast-growing population and close proximity to the other communities.

In 2016, former Strausstown borough merged with Upper Tulpehocken township. Strausstown is now considered a village within the county.

Geography[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 866 square miles (2,240 km2), of which 857 square miles (2,220 km2) is land and 9.2 square miles (24 km2) (1.1%) is water.[4] Most of the county is drained by the Schuylkill River, but an area in the northeast is drained by the Lehigh River via the Little Lehigh Creek and areas are drained by the Susquehanna River via the Swatara Creek in the northwest and the Conestoga River (which starts in Berks County between Morgantown and Elverson) in the extreme south.

Major highways[edit]

Adjacent counties[edit]

National protected area[edit]

State protected area[edit]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1790 30,189 —
1800 32,407 7.3%
1810 43,146 33.1%
1820 46,275 7.3%
1830 53,152 14.9%
1840 64,569 21.5%
1850 77,129 19.5%
1860 93,818 21.6%
1870 106,701 13.7%
1880 122,597 14.9%
1890 137,327 12.0%
1900 159,615 16.2%
1910 183,222 14.8%
1920 200,854 9.6%
1930 231,717 15.4%
1940 241,884 4.4%
1950 255,740 5.7%
1960 275,414 7.7%
1970 296,382 7.6%
1980 312,509 5.4%
1990 336,523 7.7%
2000 373,638 11.0%
2010 411,442 10.1%
Est. 2015 415,271 [5] 0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8]
1990–2000[9] 2010–2013[2]

As of the 2010 census, the county was 76.9% White non-Hispanic, 4.9% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.3% Asian, and 2.5% were two or more races. 16.4% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

As of the census[10] of 2010, there were 411,442 people, 154,356 households, and 106,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 479 people per square mile (184.9/km²). There were 164,827 housing units at an average density of 191.9 per square mile (74.1/km²). was 76.9% White non-Hispanic, 4.9% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.3% Asian, and 2.5% were two or more races. 16.4% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.[11] Historically there was a large Pennsylvania Dutch population. It is known as part of Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

According to Muninetguide, the median household income for Berks County, as of 2010, is $54,105. According to patchworknation.org Berks County is classified as a Monied 'Burb.

There were 154,356 households out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.1 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males.

Metropolitan and Combined Statistical Area[edit]

Location of Berks County (Reading, PA) in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA
See also: List of Metropolitan Statistical Areas and List of Combined Statistical Areas

The United States Office of Management and Budget[12] has designated Berks County as the Reading, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2010 U.S. Census[13] the metropolitan area ranked 10th most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 128th most populous in the United States with a population of 413,491. Berks County is also a part of the larger Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which combines the populations of Berks County as well as several counties around Philadelphia and in the states of Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey. The Combined Statistical Area is the largest in the State of Pennsylvania and 8th most populous in the United States with a population of 7,067,807.

Government[edit]

County Commissioners[edit]

Berks County Courthouse
  • Christian Leinbach, Chair Republican
  • Kevin Barnhardt, Vice Chair Democrat
  • Mark C. Scott, Republican

Other county offices[edit]

  • Clerk of Courts, James P. Troutman, Republican
  • Controller, Sandy Graffius, Republican
  • Coroner, Dennis J. Hess, Democrat
  • District Attorney, John T. Adams, Democrat
  • Prothonotary, Marianne Sutton, Republican, retired; Jonathan K. Del Collo, Republican, (acting)
  • Recorder of Deeds, Frederick Sheeler, Democrat
  • Register of Wills, Larry J. Medaglia Jr., Republican
  • Sheriff, Eric Weaknecht, Republican
  • Treasurer, Dennis Adams, Republican

State Senate[edit]

State House of Representatives[edit]

United States House of Representatives[edit]

United States Senate[edit]

Politics[edit]

As of October 24, 2016, there are 259,918 registered voters in Berks County.[14]

Berks County vote
by party in presidential elections
Year GOP DEM Others
2016 52.5% 96,626 42.6% 78,437 4.9% 9,022
2012 49.6% 84,702 48.6% 83,011 1.7% 2,963
2008 44.6% 80,513 53.8% 97,047 1.6% 2,951
2004 53.0% 87,122 46.4% 76,309 0.6% 1,056
2000 52.7% 71,273 43.7% 59,150 3.6% 4,874
1996 46.2% 56,289 41.0% 49,887 12.7% 15,542
1992 40.3% 52,939 35.0% 46,031 24.1% 32437
1988 62.4% 70,153 36.5% 41,040 1.1% 1,251
1984 65.9% 74,605 33.5% 37,849 0.6% 691
1980 56.4% 60,576 33.9% 36,449 1.4% 1,497
1976 50.6% 54,452 47.4%% 50,994 2.0% 2,107
1972 62.4% 66,172 34.5% 36,563 3.2% 3,392
1968 46.5% 50,623 45.8% 49,877 7.7% 1,301
1964 33.2% 36,726 66.4% 73,444 0.4% 476
1960 54.8% 61,743 44.9% 50,572 0.3% 391
  • Democratic: 120,282 (46.28%)
  • Republican: 100,813 (38.79%)
  • Other parties / No party: 38,823 (14.94%)

The first time since 1964 that a Democrat carried Berks in a Presidential election occurred in November 2008, with Barack Obama receiving 53.9% of the vote to John McCain's 44.7%. The other three statewide winners (Rob McCord for Treasurer, Jack Wagner for Auditor General, and Tom Corbett for Attorney General) also carried it.[15] While Republicans have controlled the commissioner majority most of the time and continue to control most county row offices, Democrats have become more competitive in Berks in recent years. In the 2012 Presidential election, Mitt Romney carried the county by approximately a one-percent margin, 49.6% to 48.6%, however, in 2016, Donald Trump carried Berks by a much larger margin of 52.9% to 42.7%.[16]

Education[edit]

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania Public School Districts

Colleges and universities[edit]

Public school districts[edit]

Private high schools[edit]

Technical and trade schools[edit]

  • Berks Technical Institute
  • Pace Institute
  • Reading Hospital School of Nursing
  • Berks Career and Technology Center (east campus in Oley, west campus in Leesport)

Arts and culture[edit]

The Reading Public Museum is an art, science, and history museum.

The Reading Buccaneers Drum and Bugle Corps are an all-age drum corps based in Berks County. The corps, founded in 1957, is a charter member Drum Corps Associates and an 11-time DCA World Champion.

Reading is home to one opera company, Berks Opera Company, founded in 2007 as Berks Opera Workshop. They were named Arts and Entertainment Newsmaker of the Year in 2015.

There are two Pennsylvania state parks and a Natural Area in Berks County.

There are two Pennsylvania Historic Sites in Berks County.

The Old Morlatton Village in Douglassville is maintained by the Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County. The village is composed of four historic structures: White Horse Inn, George Douglass Mansion, Bridge keeper's House, and the Mouns Jones House, constructed in 1716, which is the oldest recorded building in the county. [4]

Communities[edit]

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing Cities and Boroughs (red), Townships (white), and Census-designated places (blue).

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Berks County:

City[edit]

Boroughs[edit]

Townships[edit]

A farm in Windsor Township

Census-designated places[edit]

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.

Unincorporated communities[edit]

Population ranking[edit]

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Berks County.[13]

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 † Reading City 88,082
2 Wyomissing Borough 10,461
3 Blandon CDP 7,152
4 Shillington Borough 5,273
5 Birdsboro Borough 5,163
6 Kutztown Borough 5,012
7 Whitfield CDP 4,733
8 Hamburg Borough 4,289
9 Lorane CDP 4,236
10 Pennside CDP 4,215
11 West Reading Borough 4,212
12 Reiffton CDP 4,178
13 Fleetwood Borough 4,085
14 Boyertown Borough 4,055
15 Sinking Spring Borough 4,008
16 Laureldale Borough 3,911
17 West Wyomissing CDP 3,407
18 Amity Gardens CDP 3,402
19 Jacksonwald CDP 3,393
20 Riverview Park CDP 3,380
21 Mount Penn Borough 3,106
22 Mohnton Borough 3,043
23 Kutztown University CDP 2,918
24 Kenhorst Borough 2,877
25 Womelsdorf Borough 2,810
26 Flying Hills CDP 2,568
27 Hyde Park CDP 2,528
28 Wernersville Borough 2,494
29 Topton Borough 2,069
30 Robesonia Borough 2,061
31 West Hamburg CDP 1,979
32 Leesport Borough 1,918
33 Temple CDP 1,877
34 St. Lawrence Borough 1,809
35 West Lawn CDP 1,715
36 Fox Chase CDP 1,622
37 Lincoln Park CDP 1,615
38 Grill CDP 1,468
39 South Temple CDP 1,424
40 Muhlenberg Park CDP 1,420
41 Shoemakersville Borough 1,378
42 New Berlinville CDP 1,368
43 Oley CDP 1,282
44 Greenfields CDP 1,170
45 Alleghenyville CDP 1,134
46 Bally Borough 1,090
47 Colony Park CDP 1,076
48 Stony Creek Mills CDP 1,045
49 Spring Ridge CDP 1,003
50 Bernville Borough 955
51 Bechtelsville Borough 942
52 Hereford CDP 930
53 Dauberville CDP 848
54 Morgantown CDP 826
55 Pennwyn CDP 780
56 Springmont CDP 724
57 Edenburg CDP 681
58 Gibraltar CDP 680
59 Mertztown CDP 664
60 New Jerusalem CDP 649
61 Montrose Manor CDP 604
62 Stouchsburg CDP 600
63 Gouglersville CDP 548
64 Bethel CDP 499
65 Walnuttown CDP 484
T-66 Lyons Borough 478
T-66 Alsace Manor CDP 478
67 Shartlesville CDP 455
68 Douglassville CDP 448
69 Baumstown CDP 422
70 Dryville CDP 398
71 Centerport Borough 387
72 Mohrsville CDP 383
73 Frystown CDP 380
74 Mount Aetna CDP 354
75 Strausstown Borough 342
76 Bowers CDP 326
77 Rehrersburg CDP 319
78 Virginville CDP 309
79 Schubert CDP 249
80 New Schaefferstown CDP 223
81 Kempton CDP 169
82 Lenhartsville Borough 165
83 New Morgan Borough 71

Notable people[edit]

See also[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ "PHMC Historical Markers Search" (Searchable database). Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2014-01-25. 
  2. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 16, 2013. 
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  4. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2015. 
  5. ^ "County Totals Dataset: Population, Population Change and Estimated Components of Population Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016. 
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 22, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2015. 
  7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 5, 2015. 
  8. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 5, 2015. 
  9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved March 5, 2015. 
  10. ^ http://pasdc.hbg.psu.edu/sdc/pasdc_files/census2010/Berks%20County.pdf
  11. ^ [1]
  12. ^ http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb
  13. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-12-21. Retrieved 2016-02-13. 
  14. ^ [2] Voting & Election Statistics
  15. ^ http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?ElectionID=28 electionreturns.state.pa.us
  16. ^ http://elections.co.berks.pa.us/results/default.aspx. Retrieved 16 November 2016.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. ^ http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_20031119.pdf
  18. ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963. 
  19. ^ http://businessweekly.readingeagle.com/sheer-genius.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  20. ^ "Tolleson, Arizona". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved August 24, 2012. 

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]


 Schuylkill County Schuylkill County Lehigh County
Lebanon County Montgomery County
  Berks County, Pennsylvania  
Lancaster County Chester County

Coordinates: 40°25′N 75°56′W / 40.42°N 75.93°W / 40.42; -75.93

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