Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Dauphin County Courthouse
Location in the state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location in the U.S.
Founded	March 4, 1785
Seat	Harrisburg
Largest city	Harrisburg
Area
• Total	558 sq mi (1,445 km2)
• Land	525 sq mi (1,360 km2)
• Water	32 sq mi (83 km2)
Population
• (2010)	268,100
• Density	510/sq mi (197.1/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.dauphincounty.org

Dauphin County /ˈdɔːfɪn/ is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 268,100.^[1] The county seat and the County's largest city is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's state/commonwealth capital and tenth largest city.^[2] Also located within the county is Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station, site of the 1979 nuclear core meltdown.

Dauphin County was created/"erected" on March 4, 1785, from part of Lancaster County and was named after Louis-Joseph, Dauphin of France^[3] the first son of Louis XVI. Louis-Joseph's title of "Dauphin" signified that he was the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of France, (similar to the British "Prince of Wales" (currently Prince Charles) for the Monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). Dauphin County is included in the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 558 square miles (1,450 km²), of which 525 square miles (1,360 km²) is land and 32 square miles (83 km²) (5.78%) is water.^[4] The county is bound to its western border by the Susquehanna River.

Adjacent counties

Major Highways

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the county was 72.7% White, 18.0% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 3.2% Asian, and 3.1% were two or more races. 7.0% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry .

As of the census^[6] of 2000, there were 251,798 people, 102,670 households, and 66,119 families residing in the county. The population density was 479 people per square mile (185/km²). There were 111,133 housing units at an average density of 212 per square mile (82/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 77.11% White, 16.91% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.96% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.97% from other races, and 1.85% from two or more races. 4.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 29.2% were of German, 7.5% Irish, 7.3% American and 7.2% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 91.8% spoke English and 3.9% Spanish as their first language.

According to 2005 estimates, 73.9% of the county's population was non-Hispanic whites. 17.8% of the population was African-Americans. 2.5% were Asians. Latinos now were 5.0% of the population.^[7]

In 2000 there were 102,670 households out of which 29.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.60% were married couples living together, 12.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.60% were non-families. 30.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.30% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 30.10% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.80 males.

Politics and government

As of November 2008, there are 192,743 registered voters in Dauphin County .

• Democratic: 86,870 (45.07%)
• Republican: 81,853 (42.47%)
• Other Parties: 24,020 (12.46%)

Like most of the rest of the Susquehanna Valley, Dauphin County was once reliably Republican, and the commissioner majority and all county row offices remain in Republican hands. However, there has been a decided shift toward the Democrats in recent years, who overtook the Republican countywide registration during the summer of 2008. Bob Casey Jr. carried the county in the 2006 Senate election when he unseated Rick Santorum. According to the Dauphin County Board of Elections, in 2008 Barack Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry Dauphin County since 1964, receiving 9.0% more of the vote than John McCain. The other three statewide winners (Rob McCord for Treasurer, Jack Wagner for Auditor General, and Tom Corbett for Attorney General) also carried Dauphin.

County commissioners

• Jeffrey Haste, Chairman, Republican
• Michael Pries, Republican
• George P. Hartwick III, Democrat

Other county offices

State Representatives

State Senate

• Rob Teplitz, Democrat, 15th district
• John Gordner, Republican, 27th district
• Mike Folmer, Republican, 48th district

US House of Representatives

• Matt Cartwright, Democrat, 17th district

United States Senate

Municipalities

Map of Dauphin 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 Dauphin County:

City

• Harrisburg is the only incorporated city in Dauphin County.

Boroughs

Townships

Unincorporated 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.

Census-designated places

Unincorporated villages

Education

Map of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania School Districts

Colleges and universities

Public School Districts (12)

Public Charter Schools (5)

Several public charter schools are established in Dauphin County ^[8]

• Infinity Charter School
• Pennsylvania Distance and Electronic Learning Charter School
• Sylvan Heights Science Charter School
• Capital Area School for the Arts
• Premier Arts and Science Charter School

Intermediate Unit

The Capital Area Intermediate Unit 15 is a state approved education agency that offers: school districts, charter schools, private schools, and home school students, a variety of services including: a completely developed K-12 curriculum that is mapped and aligned with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards (available online), shared services, a group purchasing program and a wide variety of special education and special needs services.

Library system

The Dauphin County Library System provides library service to the residents of the county through a main central library in the state capital and county seat of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and seven branch libraries. DCLS is a private, non-profit corporation. It is governed by a 17-member Board of Trustees, five appointed annually by the Dauphin County Commissioners, and twelve elected for three-year terms. The Library is a member of the Pennsylvania library system.

Private Schools

As reported by the National Center for Educational Statistics^[9]

Employment

The largest employers in Dauphin County in 2013 were:

• Commonwealth Government
• Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
• Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Co.
• The Hershey Company
• Pinnacle Health Hospitals
• PHEAA - Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency
• Federal Government
• TYCO Electronics Corp.
• Pennsylvania State University
• Dauphin County government

Source - Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Center for Workforce Information & Analysis, April 26, 2013

Recreation

There are two Pennsylvania state parks in Dauphin County.

• Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area
• Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area

See also

• Hummelstown brownstone
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

References

External links

• County of Dauphin (official website)
• The Historical Society of Dauphin County
• Dauphin County Library System

v t e Municipalities and communities of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States County seat: Harrisburg City Harrisburg Neighborhoods Allison Hill Bellevue Park Camp Curtin Capitol District Capitol Heights Central Business District City Island East Harrisburg Engleton Italian Lake Hardscrabble Hillside Village Midtown Shipoke South Harrisburg Steelton Uptown Boroughs Berrysburg Dauphin Elizabethville Gratz Halifax Highspire Hummelstown Lykens Middletown Millersburg Paxtang Penbrook Pillow Royalton Steelton Williamstown Townships Conewago Derry East Hanover Halifax Jackson Jefferson Londonderry Lower Paxton Lower Swatara Lykens Middle Paxton Mifflin Reed Rush South Hanover Susquehanna Swatara Upper Paxton Washington Wayne West Hanover Wiconisco Williams CDPs Bressler Colonial Park Enhaut Hershey Lawnton Lenkerville Linglestown Oberlin Palmdale Paxtonia Progress Rutherford Skyline View Union Deposit Wiconisco Unincorporated communities Bachmanville Beaufort Farms Dietrich Deodate Carsonville Catalina Ebenezer Edgemont Ellendale Forge Enders Enterline Estherton Fort Hunter Grantville Hanoverdale Hanover Heights Heckton Hockersville Hoernerstown Inglenook Jednota Killinger Loyalton Lucknow Manada Gap Manada Hill Matamoras Montrose Park Oakleigh Oakmont Oberlin Gardens Paxtang Manor Piketown Powells Valley Ridgeview Ritzie Village Rockville Sand Beach Shellsville Singersville Swatara Vaughn Waynesville Windsor Farms

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Coordinates: 40°25′N 76°47′W / 40.41°N 76.79°W / 40.41; -76.79