Erie County, Pennsylvania

Erie County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 280,843. Its is.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 4,036 (1,558 ). 2,077 km² (802 sq mi) of it is land and 1,959 km² (756 sq mi) of it (48.54%) is water. There are only two cities in Erie County; the City of Erie and the City of Corry.

Erie County is bordered on the northeast by, on the east by , on the south by , and on the west by. Directly north of the county is, with the nearest landmass beyond it being the province of ,.

History
Erie County was established on 12 March 1800 from part of, which absorbed the lands of the disputed in 1792. Prior to 1792, the region was claimed by both New York and Pennsylvania, so no county demarcations were made until the federal government intervened. See interactive Pennsylvania County Formation Maps

Since Erie County and its newly-established neighboring counties of Crawford,, , and Warren were initially unable to sustain themselves, a five-county administrative organization was established at Crawford County's to temporarily manage government affairs in the region. Erie elected its own county officials in 1803.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 280,843 people, 106,507 households, and 71,040 families residing in the county. The was 135/km² (350/sq mi). There were 114,322 housing units at an average density of 55/km² (143/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 90.90%, 6.13% or , 0.17% , 0.69% , 0.02% , 0.86% from , and 1.25% from two or more races. 2.18% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 106,507 households out of which 31.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.50% were living together, 12.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.00% under the age of 18, 10.80% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.

Government
The county seat of government is in.

Executive
The county is run by a. The Erie County Executive as of June 2007 is Mark A. DiVecchio. The remaining elected officials of the executive branch are the Erie County Controller, Erie County Coroner, Erie County District Attorney, Erie County Sheriff, and Erie County Clerk. see latest list

The county executive appoints a chief public defender to the Erie County Public Defender's Office and members of a Criminal Justice Advisory Board.

Erie County Department of Public Safety and Office of Emergency Management (OEM) expect to relocate to a new public safety building located near the Erie County Vocational Technical School in by mid-September 2007. and operations will be based at the new facility. Seven new communications towers and backup power generation will be features of the new building, which will be able to withstand a  ..

Erie County Department of Corrections operates the Erie County Prison, which is located on Ash Street between East 18th Street and the railroad tracks in Erie.

Legislature
The legislature consists of a. The Erie County Council is made up of seven councilmen elected to represent seven geographical districts. see map A chairman and vice chairman are chosen among the councilmen to lead the council. The council as of June 2007 consists of Fiore Leone (Chairman, District 3 - south central city), Joseph F. Giles (Vice Chairman, District 2 - city lakefront), Charley T. Augustine (District 1 - west city), Ronald Cleaver (also known as Whitey Cleaver) (District 4 - southeast city), Kyle W. Foust (District 5 - northeast suburbs), David E. Mitchell (District 6 - southeast suburbs), and Carol J. Loll (District 7 - west suburbs).

Judiciary
The judiciary is made up of nine judges serving the Erie County Court of Common Pleas and forty-six magisterial district judges serve the district courts. Court administration is managed by a district court administrator, deputy court administrator, and assistant court administrator. The Erie County Courthouse is located on in downtown Erie.

Municipalities
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities:, , townships, and, in at most two cases,. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Erie County:

Townships

 * (the only "first class township" in the county)

Census-designated places
s are geographical areas designated by the 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.

Recreation
There are two in Erie County and both are on the shores of.
 * - one of Pennsylvania's newest state parks
 * - one of Pennsylvania's oldest state parks