Fayette County, Pennsylvania

Fayette County, Pennsylvania

Fayette County Courthouse

Seal
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Fayette County
Location in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Map of the United States highlighting Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location in the U.S.
Founded September 26, 1783
Named for Marquis de Lafayette
Seat Uniontown
Largest city Uniontown
Area
 • Total 798 sq mi (2,067 km2)
 • Land 790 sq mi (2,046 km2)
 • Water 8.0 sq mi (21 km2), 1.0%
Population (est.)
 • (2015) 133,628
 • Density 169/sq mi (65/km²)
Congressional district 9th
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.co.fayette.pa.us

Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Fayette County is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, adjacent to Maryland and West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 136,606.[1] Its county seat is Uniontown.[2] The county was created on September 26, 1783, from part of Westmoreland County and named after the Marquis de Lafayette.[3]

Fayette County is part of the Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The first Europeans in Fayette County were explorers, who had used an ancient American Indian trail that bisected the county on their journey across the Appalachian Mountains. In 1754, when control of the area was still in dispute between France and Great Britain (both disregarding the indigenous tribes who had long occupied the territory), 22-year-old George Washington fought against the French at Jumonville Glen and Fort Necessity. British forces under Washington and General Edward Braddock improved roads throughout the region, making the future Fayette County an important supply route.

During the American Revolution, Fayette County was plagued by attacks from British-allied Indians and remained isolated as a frontier region. Also retarding settlement was a border dispute with Virginia; Virginia's District of West Augusta and Pennsylvania's Westmoreland County both claimed the area. In 1780 the dispute was settled by the federal government in favor of Pennsylvania, and Fayette County was formed from Westmoreland County in 1783.

Fayette County settlers provided the new United States government with an early test of authority in the 1793 Whiskey Rebellion, when farmers rebelled against tax collectors to protest a new liquor tax. President George Washington called out the militias to restore order. Fayette County continued to be important to travelers in the early 1800s. The National Road provided a route through the mountains of the county for settlers heading west. The shipyards in Brownsville on the Monongahela River built ships for both the domestic and international trade.

As Pittsburgh developed its industries in the mid-19th century, Fayette County become a center of coal mining and coke production. From the 1880s to the early 1900s, the area's great expansion in in steel production became nationally important, and labor unions shaped national policies. Both new European immigrants and African Americans in the Great Migration from the rural South were attracted to the Pittsburgh area for industrial jobs. The historic Scottish and German farming communities established in the earlier 19th century were soon overshadowed by the wave of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe. The region's wealth has been concentrated largely among the old English and Scottish families who had established businesses and political power in Pittsburgh prior to and in the advent of industrialization, often building the new manufacturing concerns, as did Andrew Carnegie.

By World War II, Fayette County had a new unionized working class that enjoyed increased prosperity. In the 1950s, however, the coal industry fell into decline. In the 1970s, the restructuring and collapse of American steel resulted in a massive loss of industrial jobs and hard times in the area. The population has declined since the peak in 1940, as residents have had to move elsewhere for work. The loss of union jobs caused many working families to drop out of the middle class. Only a few mines are being worked in the 21st century, but natural resources remain crucial to the local economy. The region is slowly transitioning toward the service sector, with an increase in jobs in fields such as telemarketing.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 798 square miles (2,070 km2), of which 790 square miles (2,000 km2) is land and 8.0 square miles (21 km2) (1.0%) is water.[4] The western portion of the county contains rolling foothills and two valleys along the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers. The eastern portion of the county is highly mountainous and forested. Many coal mines are located within the area.[5]

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
179013,318—
180020,15951.4%
181024,71422.6%
182027,28510.4%
183029,1726.9%
184033,57415.1%
185039,11216.5%
186039,9092.0%
187043,2848.5%
188058,84235.9%
189080,00636.0%
1900110,41238.0%
1910167,44951.7%
1920188,10412.3%
1930198,5425.5%
1940200,9991.2%
1950189,899−5.5%
1960169,340−10.8%
1970154,667−8.7%
1980159,4173.1%
1990145,351−8.8%
2000148,6452.3%
2010136,606−8.1%
Est. 2015133,628[6]−2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2013[1]

As of the census of 2010,[11] there were 136,606 people, 59,969 households, and 41,198 families residing in the county. The population density was 188 people per square mile (73/km²). There were 66,490 housing units at an average density of 84 per square mile (32/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.30% White, 4.71% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 2.33% from two or more races. 1.38% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 19.8% were of German, 13.2% Italian, 11.4% Irish, 9.2% American, 8.4% Polish, 7.9% English and 6.6% Slovak ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 59,969 households out of which 28.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.80% were married couples living together, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% were non-families. 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.70% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 18.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.60 males.

A study released in 2009 by PathWays PA, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, found that 35% of families in Fayette County were economically distressed, that is, failing to earn a wage that would adequately provide food, shelter, child care, health care, and other basic necessities.[12]

County poverty demographics

According to research by The Center for Rural Pennsylvania, which is a legislative Agency of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the poverty rate for Fayette County was 20.2% in 2014.[13] The statewide poverty rate was 13.6% in 2014. The 2012 childhood poverty rate by school district was: Albert Gallatin Area School District – 61.4%, Brownsville Area School District – 64.7%, Connellsville Area School District – 55.7%, Frazier School District – 40.5%, Laurel Highlands School District – 59.9% and Uniontown Area School District – 55.1% of pupils living at 185% or below than the Federal Poverty Level.[14]

Fayette County's live birth rate was 1,877 births in 1990. The Fayette County's live birth rate in 2000 was 1,538 births, while in 2011 it had declined to 1,366 babies.[15] Over the past 50 years (1960 to 2010), rural Pennsylvania saw a steady decline in both the number and proportion of residents under 18 years old. In 1960, 1.06 million rural residents, or 35 percent of the rural population, were children. While Fayette is included in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, 47.9% of the population in 2010 was designated as rural by the U.S. Census Bureau.[16]

Government

The County of Fayette is governed by a three-member publicly elected commission. The three commissioners serve in both executive and legislative capacities. By state law, the commission must have a minority party member, guaranteeing a political split. Each member serves a four-year term. Current commissioners are Democrat Vince Vicites and Republicans David Lohr and Angela Zimmerlink.

In October 2015, Sidney Bush, the first African American elected to county office, was sworn in as controller. He is a longtime county employee.[17]

The Fayette County Court of Common Pleas serves as the primary judicial arm in the region. Judges are elected to ten-year terms in accordance with Commonwealth law. Additionally, district judges serve throughout the county and rule on minor offenses. Current judges are President Judge John F. Wagner, Jr., Steve P. Leskinen, Nancy Vernon, Linda Cordaro, and Joseph M. George, Jr.[18]

Politics

As of November 2008, there are 91,386 registered voters in Fayette County.[19]

Fayette County tends to be Democratic-leaning in statewide and national elections. While Democratic politics are entrenched because of a strong union history, the county is generally socially conservative. Along with the rest of Western Pennsylvania, the county has been trending steadily towards the Republicans since 1996.[20] At the presidential level, the Democratic candidate won by over 15 points in every election from 1932 to 2000 except 1972, usually winning by 25 points or more. Since then, the Republican party has continued to improve in each successive elections, and the Republican nominee won the county in 2008 and 2012 even as Barack Obama carried the state and the nation.

State Representatives

Serve 2 year terms in Pennsylvania House of Representatives

State Senator

US Representatives

US Senators

Serves six year terms in US Senate

Education

Colleges and universities

Public school districts

Map of Fayette County, Pennsylvania School Districts

In October 2015, Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale reported that 23 public schools in the County are among the 561 academically challenged schools that have been overlooked by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.[22][23] He also reported the Pennsylvania Department of Education failed to take any action to remediate the poorly performing schools to raise student academic achievement or to provide them with targeted professional assistance.[24] The failing schools were operated by: Albert Gallatin Area School District 4 schools; Brownsville Area School District 3 schools; Connellsville Area School District 9 schools; Laurel Highlands School District 4 schools and Uniontown Area School District 3 schools.

Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program

Fifteen (15) public schools in Fayette County were on the bottom 15% academic achievement schools list published by the Pennsylvania Department of Education each school year. Students attending these schools may be eligible for Opportunity Scholarships to attend a better performing school in a neighboring school district or a private school.[25] The scholarships are limited to those students whose family's income is less than $60,000 annually, with another $12,000 allowed per dependent. Maximum scholarship award is $8,500, with special education students receiving up to $15,000 for a year's tuition. Parents pay any difference between the scholarship amount and the receiving school's tuition rate. Funding for the scholarships comes from donations by businesses which receive a state tax credit for donating. In 2015, Albert Gallatin Area School District had 5 schools on the list. Brownsville Area School District 3 schools on the statewide lowest achievement list. Connellsville Area School District 5 of its elementary schools on the list. Uniontown Area School District 2 schools: Lafayette Elementary School and Lafayette Middle School on the lowest achievement list.[26]

Consolidation study

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives ordered school district consolidation study, which was performed by The Education Management Group, LLC. It was provoked by a 14.30% decline of the 2000–01 pupil population in the County's six public school districts by 2011. Multiple state projections found a continual decline over the next ten years due to a declining birth rate.[27] Fayette County has two Career and Technology Centers that appear to overlap. If the Connellsville Career and Technical Center were eliminated, the savings in salaries and benefits alone would be significantly greater than $2 million, not counting the savings in utilities from closure of the facility. Savings was projected to be in the tens of million each year, largely due to shedding duplicate administration positions.[28] By 2015, no Fayette County public school district consolidations had occurred.

Public cyber charter schools

Students may attend any of the 13 public cyber charter schools operating in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 2015.[29][30] The cyber charter schools provide the pupil with a computer and internet access, as well as, other materials needed. As with all public schools in Pennsylvania, students must participate in the annual school testing of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessments (PSSAs) (3rd–8th grades) or the Keystone Exams (9th–12th grades).

Private schools

  • Apostolic Christian Academy - Dunbar
  • Bible Baptist Academy - Uniontown
  • Champion Christian School - Champion
  • Chestnut Ridge Christian Academy - Uniontown
  • Connellsville Area Catholic School - Connellsville
  • Geibel Catholic High School - Connellsville
  • Mount Carmel Christian School - Mount Pleasant
  • Mount Moriah Christian School - Smithfield
  • Mount Zion Christian Academy - Acme
  • New Meadow Run Parochial School - Farmington
  • Spring Valley School - Farmington
  • St John Evangelist School - Uniontown
  • Verna Montessori School - Prittstown

Intermediate unit

Fayette County is served by Intermediate Unit #1 which provides a wide variety of services to public, charter and private schools in the region. Early screening, special educations services, speech and hearing therapy and driver education are available. Services for children during the preschool years are provided without cost to their families when the child is determined to meet eligibility requirements. The IU1 also provides the state mandated multiple background screenings for potential school employees. A variety of professional development services are also available to the schools' employees.

Transportation

While Fayette County is a generally rural area and is not directly tied into the interstate system, it features four-lane access to the city of Pittsburgh and several of its major suburban areas. State highway plans call for the establishment of direct freeway connections with Pittsburgh to the north and Morgantown, West Virginia to the south.

Major highways

Public transportation

The primary provider of mass transportation within the region is Fayette Area Coordinated Transportation, which features local bus routes as well as four times-daily commuter service to Pittsburgh. Amtrak rail service along the Chicago-to-Washington-via-Cleveland Capitol Limited route stops at Connellsville Station. General aviation services are also provided at the Joseph A. Hardy Connellsville Airport.

Municipalities

Map of Fayette 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, in at most two cases, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Fayette County:

Cities

Boroughs

Townships

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.

Unincorporated communities

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Fayette County.[32]

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)

1 † Uniontown City 10,372
2 Connellsville City 7,637
3 Masontown Borough 3,450
4 Leith-Hatfield CDP 2,546
5 Oliver CDP 2,535
6 East Uniontown CDP 2,419
7 Brownsville Borough 2,331
8 Hopwood CDP 2,090
9 Lynnwood-Pricedale (partially in Westmoreland County) CDP 2,031
10 Fairchance Borough 1,975
11 South Connellsville Borough 1,970
12 Perryopolis Borough 1,784
13 South Uniontown CDP 1,360
14 Point Marion Borough 1,159
15 Hiller CDP 1,155
16 Fairhope CDP 1,151
17 Republic CDP 1,096
18 Belle Vernon Borough 1,093
19 Bear Rocks CDP 1,048
20 Dunbar Borough 1,042
21 Smithfield Borough 875
22 Lemont Furnace CDP 827
23 Everson Borough 793
24 Farmington CDP 767
25 Allison CDP 625
26 Star Junction CDP 616
27 Fayette City Borough 596
28 Smock CDP 583
29 New Salem CDP 579
30 Rowes Run CDP 564
31 Newell Borough 541
T-32 Arnold City CDP 498
T-32 Grindstone CDP 498
33 Deer Lake CDP 495
34 Vanderbilt Borough 476
35 Dawson Borough 367
36 Edenborn CDP 294
37 Buffington CDP 292
38 Markleysburg Borough 284
39 Ronco CDP 256
40 Chalkhill CDP 141
41 Naomi CDP 69
42 Ohiopyle Borough 59
43 Seven Springs (mostly in Somerset County) Borough 26

Fixtures

Notable residents

In 1967 Uniontown was the birthplace of the McDonald’s Big Mac sandwich.[40][41]

Marcellus shale impact fee

In 2014, Fayette County received an impact fee disbursement of $1,327,202.57. The top county recipient statewide was Washington County which received $6,512,570.65 in 2014.[42] In 2014, there were 207 marcellus shale wells in Fayette County.[43]

Fayette County is also crisscrossed (both north-south and east-west) by several major gas transmission pipelines operated by Texas Eastern.[47][48] Unlike other states, under Pennsylvania state tax policy, natural gas and oil pipelines are exempted from property taxes.[49][50] Pipeline companies prohibit development within the 100-foot-wide right-of-way, thereby limiting future development options for the landowner. This limits future potential property tax revenues for the local taxing entities including the county, the boroughs and the school districts, by constraining future land development.[51]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 10, 2015. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 124.
  4. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  5. ↑ Coal Miners Memorial Echo Mine, Fayette City, Fayette Co., PA, U.S.A. Patheoldminer.rootsweb.ancestry.com (2009-12-17). Retrieved on 2013-07-23.
  6. ↑ "County Totals Dataset: Population, Population Change and Estimated Components of Population Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  7. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  9. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  11. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  12. ↑ Zlatos, Bill (May 12, 2009). "Poverty worse in Pa. than reported: study". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved May 13, 2009.
  13. ↑ US Census Bureau (2015). "Poverty Rates by County Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates".
  14. ↑ Pennsylvania Budget; Policy Center (2012). "Student Poverty Concentration 2012".
  15. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Health, Birth Age County Reports 1990 and 2011, 2011
  16. ↑ "Percent Urban and Rural By County". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  17. ↑ Alyssa Choiniere, "First African American to hold county office sworn in", Herald-Standard, 8 October 2015; accessed 6 July 2016
  18. ↑ Fayette County Election Bureau
  19. ↑ Running for Office. Dos.state.pa.us. Retrieved on 2013-07-23.
  20. ↑ Field, Nick (23 May 2016). "MSNBC Examines Western PA's Red Trend (VIDEOS)". PoliticsPA. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  21. ↑ Pennsylvania General Assembly (2016). "Fayette County PA Legislators".
  22. ↑ Pennsylvania Auditor General Office (October 6, 2015). "561 Academically Challenged Schools Overlooked by the Department of Education" (PDF).
  23. ↑ Joe Sylvester (October 7, 2015). "8 schools in Valley jilted, audit reveals". The Daily Item.
  24. ↑ Pennsylvania Auditor General Office (October 7, 2015). "Special Performance Audit Report - Pennsylvania Department of Education" (PDF).
  25. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (April 2014). "Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program FAQ".
  26. ↑ PDE, 2015-16 OSTCP - List of Low Achieving School, May 2015
  27. ↑ PDE, Enrollments and Projections by LEA and School, July 2011
  28. ↑ The Education Management Group, LLC. (September 2011). "Fiscal Assessment Study for Proposed Merger of Fayette County School Districts" (PDF).
  29. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (2015). "Charter Schools and Cyber Charter Schools 2015-16" (PDF).
  30. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (2015). "Charter Schools".
  31. ↑ http://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=136:3:0::NO:3:P3_FID,P3_TITLE:1201600,New%20Haven
  32. ↑ http://www.census.gov/2010census/
  33. ↑ "Fort Necessity National Battlefield". National Park Service. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
  34. ↑ "The French and Indian War". Fayette County Cultural Trust. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
  35. ↑ "Bridges & Toll Houses". National Road Heritage Corridor. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
  36. ↑ "Mount Washington Tavern". National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
  37. ↑ "Wheel project makes grist mill complete". Valley Independent. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
  38. ↑ "Fallingwater". Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
  39. ↑ "Friendship Hill National Historic Site (Estate of Albert Gallatin)". National Park Service. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
  40. ↑ www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ McDonald's Celebrates 40 Years PR Newswire, Official McDonald’s News release, August 22, 2007
  41. ↑ Big Mac History
  42. ↑ Pennsylvania Utility Commission (2015). "Disbursements and Impact Fees 2014".
  43. ↑ Pennsylvania Utility Commission (2015). "County Well Count Breakdown for 2014".
  44. ↑ Pennsylvania Utility Commission (2013). "Fayette County Total distribution for year 2013".
  45. ↑ Pennsylvania Utility Commission (2012). "Fayette County Total distribution for year 2012".
  46. ↑ Pennsylvania Utility Commission (2011). "Fayette County Total distribution for year 2011".
  47. ↑ Keystone Energy Forum, PA Gas Transmission by County, 2013
  48. ↑ Nels Johnson; Tamara Gagnolet; Rachel Ralls; Jessica Stevens (December 16, 2011). "Pennsylvania Energy Impacts Assessment Natural Gas Pipelines" (PDF).
  49. ↑ Katie Colaneri (June 11, 2015). "New pipeline could mean tax bonanza for NJ towns, but for Pa.? Not so much". State Impact NPR.org.
  50. ↑ Penn State Extension (2012). "Marcellus Shale Gas Development: What Does It Mean for Pennsylvania Schools?".
  51. ↑ "The SEAB Shale Gas Production Subcommittee Ninety-Day Report" (PDF). August 11, 2011.
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