Cambria County, Pennsylvania Explained

County:Cambria County
State:Pennsylvania
Seal:Cambria County, Pennsylvania seal.png
Flag:Flag of Cambria County, Pennsylvania.gif
Founded Date:November 2
Founded Year:1807
Seat Wl:Ebensburg
Largest City Wl:Johnstown
Area Total Sq Mi:694
Area Land Sq Mi:688
Area Water Sq Mi:5.3
Area Percentage:0.8%
Census Estimate Yr:2020
Pop:133472
Density Sq Mi:194
Web:www.co.cambria.pa.us
Ex Image:Cambria County Courthouse - Ebensburg, PA.jpg
Ex Image Size:250
Ex Image Cap:Cambria County Courthouse, built in 1890-1891
Time Zone:Eastern
District:13th
District2:15th

Cambria County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 133,472.[1] Its county seat is Ebensburg.[2] The county was created on March 26, 1804, from parts of Bedford, Huntingdon, and Somerset counties and later organized in 1807.[3] It was named for the nation of Wales, which in Latin is known as "Cambria".[4] The county is part of the Southwest Pennsylvania region of the state.

Cambria County comprises the Johnstown, PA metropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Johnstown-Somerset, PA combined statistical area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (0.8%) is water.[5] Cambria has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) and average monthly temperatures in downtown Johnstown range from 27.8 °F in January to 71.0 °F in July, while in Ebensburg they range from 23.9 °F in January to 67.7 °F in July. PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State U Cambria County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission,[6] and it is identified as part of "Greater Appalachia" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.[7]

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Major highways

Demographics

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 152,598 people, 60,531 households, and 40,616 families residing in the county. The population density was 222/mi2. There were 65,796 housing units at an average density of 96adj=preNaNadj=pre. The racial makeup of the county was 95.80% White, 2.83% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. 0.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 27.7% were of German, 10.2% Irish, 10.1% Italian, 10.0% Polish, 6.5% Slovak, 6.2% American and 5.6% English ancestry.

There were 60,531 households, out of which 27.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.80% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.90% were non-families. 29.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.00% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 19.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.30 males.

2020 census

Cambria County Racial Composition[9] !Race!Num.!Perc.
White (NH)119,38089.44%
Black or African American (NH)5,6654.24%
Native American (NH)960.07%
Asian (NH)7640.57%
Pacific Islander (NH)350.03%
Other/Mixed (NH)5,0673.8%
Hispanic or Latino2,4651.84%

Law and government

|}

Cambria has been a swing county in statewide elections since the 1990s, with all four statewide winners carrying it in 2008. Cambria County is one of Pennsylvania's most competitive counties. That is primarily due to its mixed urban-rural ratio.

Al Gore received 50.3% of the county vote to 46.4% for George W. Bush in 2000, but Bush carried it with 50.8% of the vote to 48.7% for John Kerry in 2004–only the third time since 1928 that the county had supported a Republican for president. Cambria returned to the Democratic presidential column in 2008, with Barack Obama receiving 49.4% of the vote to 48.7% for John McCain. In 2011 the GOP won a majority on the county commissioners board and in 2012 gave Mitt Romney 58.1% of the vote to Barack Obama's 40.1%.

In 2016, Donald Trump carried the county with 66.5% of the vote to Hillary Clinton's 29.7%, winning the county by 36.8%. This broke the modern record for margin of victory in the county of 35.4% set by Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Four years later, Trump won the county with an even bigger margin of 37.34%.

Voter registration

As of April 29, 2024, there were 84,932 registered voters in Cambria County.[10]

County commissioners

Commissioner Party
Thomas C. Chernisky Democrat
Keith Rager Republican
Scott W. Hunt Republican

Other county offices

Office Official Party
District Attorney Gregory J. Neugebauer Republican
Clerk of Courts Max R. Pavlovich Republican
Controller Ed Cernic Jr. Democrat
Coroner Jeffrey Lees Republican
Prothonotary Lisa Crynock Republican
Recorder of Deeds Melissa Kimla Republican
Register of Wills Cindy Perrone Republican
Sheriff Don Robertson Republican
Treasurer Lisa Kozorosky Republican

State House of Representatives

District Representative Party
James Rigby Republican
Democrat
Republican

United States House of Representatives

District Representative Party
Republican
Republican

United States Senate

Senator Party
Democrat
Democrat

Public services

Waste management for the county is regulated by the Cambria County Solid Waste Management Authority.

Education

Colleges and universities

Community, junior, and technical colleges

Public school districts

Private schools

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Ed Names and Addresses, July 1, 2015

Vocational/Technical schools

Recreation

There are two Pennsylvania state parks in Cambria County.

Communities

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 Cambria County:

City

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 Cambria County.[11]

county seat

RankCity/Town/etc.Municipal typePopulation (2010 Census)
1JohnstownCity20,978
2WestmontBorough5,181
3Northern CambriaBorough3,835
4ElimCDP3,727
5EbensburgBorough3,351
6BelmontCDP2,784
7Nanty GloBorough2,734
8PortageBorough2,638
9GeistownBorough2,467
10SouthmontBorough2,284
11PattonBorough1,769
12CressonBorough1,711
13GallitzinBorough1,668
14Mundys CornerCDP1,651
15FerndaleBorough1,636
16OaklandCDP1,578
17University of Pittsburgh (Johnstown)CDP1,572
18VincoCDP1,305
19LorettoBorough1,302
20HastingsBorough1,278
21DaleBorough1,234
22East ConemaughBorough1,220
23SalixCDP1,149
24BeaverdaleCDP1,035
25LillyBorough968
26ColverCDP959
27South ForkBorough928
28CarrolltownBorough853
29Spring HillCDP839
30Scalp LevelBorough778
31LorainBorough759
32BrownstownBorough744
33SankertownBorough675
34RevlocCDP570
35SummerhillBorough490
36SidmanCDP431
37VintondaleBorough414
38St. MichaelCDP408
39BlandburgCDP402
40RiversideCDP381
41Tunnelhill (partially in Blair County)Borough363
42DunloCDP342
43DaisytownBorough326
44FranklinBorough323
45EhrenfeldBorough228
46AshvilleBorough227
47WilmoreBorough225
48Chest SpringsBorough149
49CassandraBorough147

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Census - Geography Profile: Cambria County, Pennsylvania . April 24, 2022 . United States Census Bureau.
  2. Web site: Find a County . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx . May 31, 2011 . June 7, 2011 . National Association of Counties.
  3. Web site: 2008 . Pennsylvania: Individual County Chronologies . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150325044238/http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/PA_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm . March 25, 2015 . March 11, 2015 . Pennsylvania Atlas of Historical County Boundaries . The Newberry Library.
  4. Book: Espenshade, A. Howry . Pennsylvania Place Names . . 1925 . . 160–161.
  5. Web site: August 22, 2012 . 2010 Census Gazetteer Files . March 5, 2015 . United States Census Bureau.
  6. Web site: About the Appalachian Region . Appalachian Regional Commission . 20 June 2024.
  7. News: Woodard . Colin . The Maps That Show That City vs. Country Is Not Our Political Fault Line . New York Times . July 30, 2018 . 30 July 2018.
  8. Web site: U.S. Census website . January 31, 2008 . United States Census Bureau.
  9. Web site: P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Cambria County, Pennsylvania .
  10. Web site: Pennsylvania Department of State . February 5, 2024 . Voter registration statistics by county . February 7, 2024 . dos.pa.gov.
  11. Web site: Decennial Census by Decades . The United States Census Bureau.