Wayne County, Pennsylvania

Wayne County, Pennsylvania
The Wayne County Courthouse in Honesdale
Location in the state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location in the U.S.
Founded	March 21, 1798
Named for	Anthony Wayne
Seat	Honesdale
Largest borough	Honesdale
Area
• Total	751 sq mi (1,945 km2)
• Land	726 sq mi (1,880 km2)
• Water	25 sq mi (65 km2), 3.3%
Population
• (2010)	52,822
• Density	73/sq mi (28/km²)
Congressional district	10th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.co.wayne.pa.us

Wayne is a sixth-class county in Pennsylvania. The county's population was 52,822 at the time of the 2010 United States Census.^[1] The County seat is Honesdale.^[2] The county was formed from part of Northampton County on March 21, 1798,^[3] and was named for the Revolutionary War General Anthony Wayne.^[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 751 square miles (1,950 km²), of which 726 square miles (1,880 km²) is land and 25 square miles (65 km²) (3.3%) is water.^[5]

The terrain of the county is varied. In the wider northern half, the land is rugged along its border with New York State, while the southern portion tends to be swampier. Higher hills and mountains are predominantly found along the county's western edge, while lower ones are more common in the east, near the Delaware River. The middle section of Wayne County is a wide plain.

The highest elevation in the county, 2,659 feet (810 m), is the summit of Mount Ararat in Orson. Two other summits at the north end of the same ridge also exceed 2,640 feet (800 m) in elevation. The county's lowest point, at approximately 680 feet (210 m)above sea level, is along the Delaware, near Wayne County's border with Pike County, Pennsylvania.

Most of Wayne County is drained by the Delaware (which separates Pennsylvania from New York), with the exception of a few small areas in the western part of the county, which are drained by either the Starrucca Creek or the Lackawanna River (which both eventually flow into the Susquehanna River).

Adjacent counties

		Broome County, New York	Sullivan County, New York
	Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania		Delaware County, New York
	Wayne County
	Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania	Monroe County, Pennsylvania	Pike County, Pennsylvania

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1800	2,562		—
1810	4,125		61.0%
1820	4,127		0.0%
1830	7,663		85.7%
1840	11,848		54.6%
1850	21,890		84.8%
1860	32,239		47.3%
1870	33,188		2.9%
1880	33,513		1.0%
1890	31,010		−7.5%
1900	30,171		−2.7%
1910	29,236		−3.1%
1920	27,435		−6.2%
1930	28,420		3.6%
1940	29,934		5.3%
1950	28,478		−4.9%
1960	28,237		−0.8%
1970	29,581		4.8%
1980	35,237		19.1%
1990	39,944		13.4%
2000	47,722		19.5%
2010	52,822		10.7%
Est. 2013	51,548		−2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2013[1]

As of the census^[10] of 2000, there were 47,722 people, 18,350 households, and 12,936 families residing in the county. The population density was 65 people per square mile (25/km²). There were 30,593 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile (16/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.73% White, 1.59% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.52% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. 1.70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.2% were of German, 16.4% Irish, 11.4% Italian, 10.9% English, 8.5% Polish and 6.2% American ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 18,350 households out of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.20% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 6.10% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 17.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 100.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.50 males.

Politics

As of October 21, 2014, there are 32,090 registered voters in Wayne County, with the following party breakdown:^[11]

• Republican: 16,588 (51.69%)
• Democratic: 10,219 (31.84%)
• Libertarian: 202 (0.63%)
• Green: 118 (0.37%)
• Other: 4,963 (15.47%)

The Republican Party has been historically dominant in county-level politics. On the statewide and national levels Wayne County leans heavily toward the Republican Party. In 2000 Republican George W. Bush won 59% to Democrat Al Gore 37%. In 2004 Republican George W. Bush won 62% to Democrat John Kerry 37%. In 2008 Republican John McCain won 55% to Democrat Barack Obama 43%.

Wayne County was one of the four counties that Barry Goldwater won in Pennsylvania.^[12]

Government and infrastructure

US senators

• Bob Casey, Jr. (senior senator), Democrat
• Pat Toomey (junior senator), Republican

US representative

• Tom Marino, Republican (PA-10)

State representatives

• Sandra Major, Republican (111th district) - Buckingham, Clinton (partially), Lebanon, Manchester, Mount Pleasant, Oregon, Preston, and Scott Townships, and Starrucca Borough
• Frank Farina, Democrat (115th district) - Canaan, Dreher, Lake, Lehigh, Salem, and Sterling Townships, and Waymart Borough
• Michael Peifer, Republican (139th district) - Berlin, Cherry Ridge, Clinton (partially), Damascus, Dyberry, Palmyra, Paupack, South Canaan, and Texas Townships, and Bethany, Hawley, Honesdale, and Prompton Boroughs

State senator

• Lisa Baker, Republican (20th district)

County commissioners

• Brian W. Smith, Republican (Chairman)^[13]
• Jonathan A. Fritz, Republican^[13]
• Wendell R. Kay, Democrat^[13]

Other county officers

• Auditors:^[14] Carla Komar, Unknown; Kathy Schloesser, Unknown; Judy O'Connell, Unknown
• Coroner:^[15] Edward R. Howell, Republican
• District Attorney:^[16] Janine Edwards, Republican
• Prothonotary:^[17] Edward "Ned" Sandercock, Republican
• Recorder of Deeds^[18] and Register of Wills:^[19] Ginger Golden, Republican
• Sheriff:^[20] Mark Steelman, Republican
• Treasurer:^[21] Brian T. Field, Republican

Healthcare services

Wayne County is served by the Wayne Memorial Health System. The Health System consists of Wayne Memorial Hospital in Honesdale and several other subsidiaries and/or affiliates. In addition, the community has a number of physicians and other professionals providing needed care. The Farview State Hospital is located in Farview.

Emergency services

Paramedic services are provided by three different agencies:

• Wayne Ambulance, an affiliate of Lackawanna Ambulance (based in Scranton) which is owned by Community Health Systems, provides advanced life support and basic life support services to most of Wayne County, from a base in Honesdale.^[22][23]
• Cottage Hose Company / Mobile 9, based in Carbondale, Lackawanna County, provides advanced life support to all of Wayne County, as well as basic life support as a mutual aid or private service. They primarily respond to calls in Waymart and South Canaan and Clinton Townships, as this area adjoins their primary service area. They also service Forest City, Pennsylvania, which is located in Susquehanna County but dispatched through Wayne County due to their coverage of Browndale.^[24]
• Pike County Advanced Life Support / Mobile 401, has a sub-station in Hawley, provides Advanced Life Support services to a small western part of the Wayne County, including Hawley and Palmyra Township

BLS services are provided as dispatched through the Wayne County Communication Center. These agencies include:

• Newfoundland Area Ambulance, a volunteer ambulance corps, provides basic life support services in Dreher Township, and portions of adjoining Sterling and Lehigh townships.
• Hawley Ambulance & Rescue Company provides BLS services.^[25]
• White Mills Community Ambulance provides BLS services.^[25]
• Northern Wayne Fire Company provides BLS service from their station on Route 370 in Lakewood.^[26]

Maplewood Fire and Rescue provides QRS "quick response service" to all medical calls in Lake and Salem townships.

Correctional facilities

The Federal Bureau of Prisons United States Penitentiary, Canaan is in Canaan Township, near Waymart.^[27][28]

Education

Public school districts

• Forest City Regional (also in Lackawanna and Susquehanna)
• North Pocono (also in Lackawanna)
• Susquehanna Community (also in Susquehanna)
• Wallenpaupack Area (also in Pike)
• Wayne Highlands
• Western Wayne

Private schools

There are five private or parochial schools in Wayne County:

• Canaan Christian Academy^[29] in Varden
• Damascus Christian Academy^[30] in Damascus
• Saint Dominic's Academy^[31] in Honesdale
• Serendipity Center Early Learning^[32] in Hawley
• Sonshine Christian Preschool and Daycare^[33] in Hawley

Libraries

The Wayne Library Alliance^[34] operates seven public libraries throughout the county:

• The Bethany Public Library^[35] in Bethany
• The Community Library of Lake & Salem Townships^[36] in Hamlin
• The Hawley Public Library^[37] in Hawley
• The Newfoundland Area Public Library^[38] in Newfoundland
• The Northern Wayne Community Library^[39] in Lakewood
• The Pleasant Mount Public Library^[40] in Pleasant Mount
• The Wayne County Public Library^[41] in Honesdale

Communities

Under Pennsylvania law, there are five types of incorporated municipalities: boroughs, cities, school districts, towns (of which there is only one in the state), and townships. Wayne County has only boroughs, school districts (which may cross county lines), and townships. The latter two types are classified based on population by the state government; all of Wayne County's school districts are third-class, and all of its townships are second-class. A complete list of the county's municipalities follows:

Boroughs

• Bethany
• Hawley
• Honesdale (county seat)
• Prompton
• Starrucca
• Waymart

Townships

Census-designated places

In addition, Pennsylvania also has a few types of unincorporated communities, namely villages and private communities. Villages are unincorporated communities within a township, often defined by ZIP code boundaries, property deeds, and local consensus, but which have no official boundaries or population, unless they are also census-designated places (CDPs), geographical areas designated by the US Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. Regardless of whether or not they are CDPs, however, they are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Private communities are gated settlements usually governed by a community association, which also often defines the boundaries of the community and may keep track of the number of its members. However, like villages, private communities have no official boundaries or populations, unless they are CDPs, and are never Pennsylvanian jurisdictions. The following is an incomplete list by necessity (including only those villages and communities with their own Wikipedia articles), but more complete lists of Wayne County's villages and private communities may be found in the corresponding township entry.

• Big Bass Lake
• Gouldsboro
• Pocono Springs
• The Hideout
• Wallenpaupack Lake Estates
• White Mills

Unincorporated communities

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County, Pennsylvania

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wayne County, Pennsylvania.

Municipalities and communities of Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States County seat: Honesdale Boroughs Bethany Hawley Honesdale Prompton Starucca Waymart Townships Berlin Buckingham Canaan Cherry Ridge Clinton Damascus Dreher Dyberry Lake Lebanon Lehigh Manchester Mount Pleasant Oregon Palmyra Paupack Preston Salem Scott South Canaan Sterling Texas CDPs Big Bass Lake Gouldsboro Pocono Springs The Hideout Wallenpaupack Lake Estates White Mills Unincorporated communities Damascus Equinunk Galilee Hamlin Jericho Hine's Corners Lake Ariel Lake Como Lakeville Lakewood Milanville Newfoundland Orson Poyntelle Preston Park Rileyville Shehawken Starlight Tallmanville

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Coordinates: 41°39′N 75°19′W / 41.65°N 75.31°W / 41.65; -75.31