Potter County, Pennsylvania

Potter County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, its population was 16,396,[1] making it the fifth-least populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Coudersport.[2] The county was created in 1804 and later organized in 1836.[3] It is named after James Potter, who was a general from Pennsylvania in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Due to its remoteness and natural environment, it has been nicknamed “God's Country”.[4][5][6][7][8][9]

Potter County
County
Potter County Courthouse
Potter County Courthouse
Flag of Potter County
Flag
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Potter County
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Map of the United States highlighting Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°44′N 77°54′W
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
FoundedSeptember 1, 1826
Named forJames Potter
SeatCoudersport
Largest boroughCoudersport
Area
 • Total1,082 sq mi (2,800 km2)
 • Land1,081 sq mi (2,800 km2)
 • Water0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)  0.02%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total16,396 Decrease
 • Density15/sq mi (6/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district15th
Websitevisitpottertioga.com

Potter County is in the sparsely populated Pennsylvania Wilds region. It is also located in the Allegheny Plateau and Susquehanna Valley regions.

History

Major Isaac Lyman, an American Revolutionary war veteran was one of the first permanent settlers in Potter County. Major Lyman is recognized as the founder of Potter County. He was paid $10 for each settler he convinced to move to Potter County. He built his home in 1809 in nearby Lymansville, now known as Ladona, just east of Coudersport along Rt. 6. Major Lyman also built the first road to cross Potter County and Potter County's first sawmill and gristmill.[10]

Lyman had a colorful personal history. After the death in childbirth of his first wife, Sally Edgecombe, he remarried; later, he left his second wife and started a third family in Potter County. The second Mrs. Lyman was determined not to suffer on her own. She sought out the major, travelling from Bolton Landing, New York, to Potter County with the help of their son, Burrell, who was 18 at the time. Major Lyman lived with these two families in Potter County. Historical accounts of the living situation vary. Some say that Lyman kept both wives under one roof. Others state that two log homes for the families were on the same piece of property. Descendants of Major Lyman's three families still live and work in Potter County.

Geography
Welcome sign to Potter County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,082 square miles (2,800 km2), of which 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (0.02%) is covered by water.[11]

Three major watersheds meet, forming a triple divide, in Potter County: Chesapeake Bay, St. Lawrence River, and Mississippi River. Moreover, the main stem by volume of the entire Mississippi river system, the Allegheny River, has its source in central Potter County, near Cobb Hill.

Potter has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) and average monthly temperatures in Coudersport range from 22.0 °F in January to 66.4 °F in July.[12]

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
181029—
1820186541.4%
18301,265580.1%
18403,371166.5%
18506,04879.4%
186011,47089.6%
187011,265−1.8%
188013,79722.5%
189022,77865.1%
190030,62134.4%
191029,729−2.9%
192021,089−29.1%
193017,489−17.1%
194018,2014.1%
195016,810−7.6%
196016,483−1.9%
197016,395−0.5%
198017,7268.1%
199016,717−5.7%
200018,0808.2%
201017,457−3.4%
202016,396−6.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]
1790–1960[14] 1900–1990[15]
1990–2000[16] 2010–2017[17] 2010-2020[18]

As of the census[19] of 2000, 18,080 people, 7,005 households, and 5,001 families resided in the county. The population density was 17 people per square mile (6.6 people/km2). The 12,159 housing units had an average density of 11 units per square mile (4.2 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.06% White, 0.29% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. About 0.57% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. By ancestry, 27.3% were of English, 26.9% were of German, 9.9% Irish and 5.8% Italian.

Of the 7,005 households, 31.5% had children under 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were not families. About 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.54, and the average family size was 3.02.

In Potter County, the age distribution was 26.0% under 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 94.80 males.

2020 census
Potter County Racial Composition[20]
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 15,494 94.5%
Black or African American (NH) 43 0.26%
Native American (NH) 25 0.15%
Asian (NH) 69 0.42%
Other/mixed (NH) 518 3.16%
Hispanic or Latino 247 1.5%

Politics and government
United States presidential election results for Potter County, Pennsylvania[21]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 7,239 79.68% 1,726 19.00% 120 1.32%
2016 6,251 79.49% 1,302 16.56% 311 3.95%
2012 5,231 71.86% 1,897 26.06% 151 2.07%
2008 5,109 67.66% 2,300 30.46% 142 1.88%
2004 5,640 70.84% 2,268 28.49% 54 0.68%
2000 4,858 68.48% 2,037 28.71% 199 2.81%
1996 3,714 54.48% 2,146 31.48% 957 14.04%
1992 3,452 49.01% 1,892 26.86% 1,700 24.13%
1988 4,432 67.23% 2,119 32.15% 41 0.62%
1984 5,164 73.94% 1,789 25.62% 31 0.44%
1980 4,073 61.07% 2,299 34.47% 297 4.45%
1976 3,828 55.55% 2,983 43.29% 80 1.16%
1972 4,422 70.91% 1,710 27.42% 104 1.67%
1968 4,019 63.40% 1,860 29.34% 460 7.26%
1964 3,232 46.78% 3,652 52.86% 25 0.36%
1960 5,099 65.12% 2,715 34.67% 16 0.20%
1956 5,181 69.45% 2,257 30.25% 22 0.29%
1952 5,117 71.78% 1,974 27.69% 38 0.53%
1948 3,672 67.99% 1,729 32.01% 0 0.00%
1944 4,474 69.86% 1,894 29.58% 36 0.56%
1940 5,205 65.36% 2,731 34.30% 27 0.34%
1936 5,172 57.94% 3,553 39.81% 201 2.25%
1932 3,847 58.53% 2,271 34.55% 455 6.92%
1928 5,653 79.50% 1,416 19.91% 42 0.59%
1924 4,087 65.49% 1,161 18.60% 993 15.91%
1920 4,036 70.19% 1,106 19.23% 608 10.57%
1916 2,386 52.54% 1,733 38.16% 422 9.29%
1912 850 18.17% 1,445 30.88% 2,384 50.95%
1908 3,603 60.47% 1,932 32.43% 423 7.10%
1904 3,976 70.15% 1,074 18.95% 618 10.90%
1900 3,224 56.29% 2,147 37.49% 356 6.22%
1896 3,281 55.83% 2,446 41.62% 150 2.55%
1892 2,315 46.91% 1,699 34.43% 921 18.66%
1888 2,570 55.68% 1,692 36.66% 354 7.67%

Politics and elections

Potter County is one of the most Republican counties in Pennsylvania. In 2004, George W. Bush received 5,640 votes (71%) to 2,268 votes (29%) for John Kerry. The county has voted for the Republican in every presidential election since 1964. In 2006, Rick Santorum received 3,476 votes (63%) to 2,012 votes (37%) for Bob Casey, Jr., making it Santorum's strongest county in his defeat. Lynn Swann also received more than 60% of the Potter County vote in his defeat. In 2016, Donald Trump and Pat Toomey were overwhelmingly elected in Potter County for the U.S. presidential election and U.S. Senate election, respectively. Trump won 80.31% of the vote over Hillary Clinton, while Toomey won 77.79% of the vote over Katie McGinty. In the 2016 state attorney general race, John Rafferty won 79.15% of the vote.[22]

Voter registration

As of February 21, 2022, there are 10,961 registered voters in Potter County.[23]

Chart of Voter Registration

  Republican (69.54%)
  Democratic (19.09%)
  Independent (8.35%)
  Third Party (3.02%)

State Senate[24]

State House of Representatives[24]

United States House of Representatives

United States Senate

Local government

Potter County constitutes Judicial District 55 in the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania.[25] The Court of Common Pleas for District 55 is located in Coudersport, and staffed by a single judge, President Judge Stephen P.B. Minor.[26] Since about 2001, Potter County's Court of Common Pleas has become a center for filing no-fault divorces in Pennsylvania, most of which do not involve any Potter County residents. Under Pennsylvania's unusual venue rules, divorce cases involving a Pennsylvania resident may be filed anywhere in the state so long as neither party objects. As of 2009, the over 6,000 divorces filed per year in Potter County raised several hundred thousand dollars in revenue for the county's general fund.[27]

Education
Map of Potter County public school districts

Public school districts

Private schools
  • Chestnut Ridge School, Genesee, grades 1–8
  • Hebron Center Christian School, Coudersport, prekindergarten – grade 12
  • Meadow View School, Genesee, grades 1–8
  • Musto Hollow Amish School, Genesee, grades 1–8
  • Penn-York Camp and Retreat Center, Ulysses
  • Ulysses Amish School, Ulysses, grades 1–8

List from National Center for Education Statistics[28]

Libraries
  • Coudersport Public Library [29]
  • Galeton Public Library [30]
  • Genesee Area Library [31]
  • Oswayo Valley Memorial Library, Shinglehouse [32]
  • Ulysses Library Association [33]
  • Potter-Tioga County Library System, Coudersport

Pennsylvania EdNA – Educational Entities, 2013

Recreation
Lyman Lake at Lyman Run State Park

Potter County is home to 8 state parks and many more acres of state forest and gamelands.

The county is also the location of the annual "God's Country Marathon" race between Galeton and Coudersport.

Communities
Map of Potter County with municipal labels showing boroughs (red) and townships (white)

Under Pennsylvania law, the four types of incorporated municipalities are cities, boroughs, townships, and in at most two cases, towns. These boroughs and townships are located in Potter County:

Boroughs

Townships

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Road district (defunct)
  • East Fork Road was a former district that dissolved on January 1, 2004. The district contained only one road and 14 residents, with almost all of the district's land claimed as part of the Susquehannock State Forest. The territory that constituted the East Fork Road District is now the eastern half of Wharton Township.

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Potter County.[34]

† county seat

Rank City/town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 † Coudersport Borough 2,546
2 Galeton Borough 1,149
3 Shinglehouse Borough 1,127
4 Roulette CDP 779
5 Ulysses Borough 621
6 Austin Borough 562
7 Sweden Valley CDP 223
8 Oswayo Borough 139

See also

References
  1. "Census - Geography Profile: Potter County, Pennsylvania". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. "Pennsylvania: Individual County Chronologies". Pennsylvania Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Archived from the original on March 25, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  4. Zoe Daniel & Emily Olson (2019). "Nazis, Ku Klux Klan fliers and a dog named Adolf: Is this small US town a hotbed for white nationalism?". ABC News. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  5. Dennis B. Roddy (2002). "Aryan Nation shares its message of hate". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  6. "About August Kreis". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  7. "Aryan Nation seeks revival". Arizona Republic. November 2, 2001.
  8. Alex Davis (2016). "Neo-Nazi group plans event in Potter County". The Bradford Era. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  9. Susan Koomar (2001). "Former Bangor neo-Nazi setting up camp in Potter County". Pocono Record. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  10. "Wayback Machine" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 4, 2007.
  11. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  12. "PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University".
  13. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  14. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  15. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  16. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  17. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  18. "Census 2020".
  19. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  20. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Potter County, Pennsylvania".
  21. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  22. "Pennsylvania Elections – County Results". www.electionreturns.pa.gov. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  23. "Voter registration statistics by county". Dos.state.pa.us. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  24. Center, Legislativate Data Processing. "Find Your Legislator". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  25. "Judicial Districts". Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  26. "Judge's Chambers". Potter County, Pa. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  27. ""Untying the knot" in Potter, Cameron Counties". EndeavorNews. June 20, 2009. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017.
  28. ies, National Center for Education Statistics, US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Private School Universe Survey 2008
  29. "Coudersport Public Library". Archived from the original on January 12, 2014.
  30. "Galeton Public Library".
  31. "Genesee Area Library | More Than Just Books!". Archived from the original on January 11, 2014.
  32. "Oswayo Valley Memorial Library". Archived from the original on January 11, 2014.
  33. "Ulysses Public Library".
  34. Promotions, Center for New Media and. "US Census Bureau 2010 Census". www.census.gov. Retrieved March 23, 2018.

41.74°N 77.90°W / 41.74; -77.90

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