Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

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Montgomery County (known colloquially as "Montco") 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, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia and Allegheny counties. 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 either named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada, or for the Welsh county of Montgomeryshire (which was named after one of William the Conqueror's main counselors, Roger de Montgomerie), as it was part of the Welsh Tract -- an area of Pennsylvania settled by Quakers from Wales. Early histories of the county indicate the origin of the county's name as uncertain.

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 44th wealthiest county in the country.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 487 square miles (1,262 km²), of which, 483 square miles (1,251 km²) of it is land and 4 square miles (11 km²) of it (0.89%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Lehigh County (north)
Bucks County (northeast)
Philadelphia County (southeast)
Delaware County (southwest)
Chester County (west)
Berks County (northwest)

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 750,097 people, 286,098 households, and 197,693 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,553 people per square mile (599/km²). There were 297,434 housing units at an average density of 238 units/km² (616 units/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 86.46% White, 7.46% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 4.02% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. 2.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.5% were of German, 16.7% Irish, 14.3% Italian, 6.5% English and 5.0% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000. 90.5% spoke English, 2.0% Spanish, 1.1% Korean and 1.0% Italian as their first language.

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 Blue Bell, Lansdale, Fort Washington, Horsham and King of Prussia which attract thousands of workers from all over the region. The strong job base and taxes generated by those jobs have resulted in Montgomery County receiving the highest credit rating of 'AAA' from Standard & Poor's, one of fewer than 30 counties in the nation with such a rating.

Major employers include:

Abington Memorial Hospital
Aetna
Genuardi's Family Markets
Holy Redeemer Hospital
Jefferson Health System
Johnson & Johnson - McNeil Pharmaceuticals
Merck
Motorola
Prudential
Quest Diagnostics
Rohm and Haas

Population growth

Montgomery County's population grew about 10.6% as of the 2000 census with much of the growth in the western part of the county. Much of the growth is attributable to population shifts in the region. The county especially saw an increase of Asian American immigrants.

Also, Montgomery County receives a large amount of immigrants, and many migrants from other urban areas, looking for cheaper real estate compared to their areas. Montgomery County provides many expressways to Philadelphia, New Jersey, and many other places in Pennsylvania.

Politics

Presidential elections results
Year	Republican	Democrat
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 2007, there are 546,614 registered voters in Montgomery County

Democratic: 217,036 (39.71%)
Republican: 247,828 (45.33%)
Other Parties: 81,750 (14.96%)

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. But 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. In the 2004 US Senate election, Republican Arlen Specter won the county over Montco resident Joe Hoeffel, but Democrat Bob Casey, Jr. outpolled Rick Santorum in the 2006 Senate election.

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 current commissioners are:

Jim Matthews - Chair - (R)
Joe Hoeffel - (D)
Bruce Castor - (R)

The county row officers are: District Attorney - Risa Vetri Ferman Sheriff - John Durante Controller - Diane Morgan Clerk of Courts - Ann Thornburg Weiss Recorder of Deeds - Nancy Becker Register of Wills - D. Bruce Hanes Prothonotary - Mark Levy Coroner - Walter Hofman Treasurer - Garrett Page

The new officials took office in January 2008.

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

Municipalities

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

Boroughs

Telford (lies partly in Bucks County

Trappe

West Conshohocken

Townships

Lower Providence Township

Lower Salford Township

Upper Dublin Township

Upper Frederick Township

Upper Gwynedd Township

Upper Hanover Township

Upper Merion Township

Upper Moreland Township

Upper Pottsgrove Township

Upper Providence Township

Upper Salford Township

West Norriton Township

West Pottsgrove Township

Whitemarsh Township

Whitpain Township

Worcester Township

Communities and 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.