Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

Dauphin County is a located in the  of  and is one of the four counties comprising the greater. As of, the population was estimated at 253,282. The county includes the city of Harrisburg, which has served as the since.

Dauphin County was created on, from part of  and was named after  the first son of. Louis-Joseph's title of signified that he was the  to the  of. The is.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,444 (558 ). 1,360 km² (525 sq mi) of it is land and 84 km² (32 sq mi) of it (5.78%) is water. The county is bound to its western border by the.

Adjacent counties

 * (north)
 * (northeast)
 * (east)
 * (south)
 * (southwest)
 * (west)
 * (west)

Major Highways

 * [[Image:I-76.svg|20px]] [[Image:Pennsylvania Turnpike logo.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:I-81.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:I-83.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:I-283.svg|20px]] [[Image:PA-283.svg|20px]] /
 * [[Image:US 22.svg|20px]]


 * [[Image:US 322.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:US 422.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:PA-39.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:PA-230.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:PA-743.svg|20px]]

Demographics
As of the of, there were 251,798 people, 102,670 households, and 66,119 families residing in the county. The was 185/km² (479/sq mi). There were 111,133 housing units at an average density of 82/km² (212/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 77.11%, 16.91% or , 0.16% , 1.96% , 0.03% , 1.97% from , and 1.85% from two or more races. 4.13% of the population were or  of any race. 29.2% were of, 7.5% , 7.3% and 7.2%  ancestry according to.

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.

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 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
As of, there are 176,760 registered voters in Dauphin County.


 * : 69,676 (39.42%)
 * : 83,567 (47.28%)
 * Other Parties: 23,517 (13.30%)

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

Unincorporated and 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, may be listed here as well.

Public School Districts

 * (also in Perry County)
 * (also in Schuylkill County)
 * (also in Perry County)
 * (also in Schuylkill County)
 * (also in Perry County)
 * (also in Schuylkill County)
 * (also in Perry County)
 * (also in Schuylkill County)
 * (also in Perry County)
 * (also in Schuylkill County)
 * (also in Schuylkill County)
 * (also in Schuylkill County)

Recreation
There are two in Dauphin County. Both of the these parks are among the newest state parks in Pennsylvania.