Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania

Schuylkill County is a located in the  of  where the  starts. It is located in the heart of the  of Pennsylvania. Schuylkill County was created on March 1, 1811 from parts of and  Counties and named for the. As of 2000, the population was 150,336. is the county seat.

Railroad history
The and Pennsylvania railroad: In the early  southern Schuylkill County was served by the Union Canal out of  with connections west, and the  southward from. To the north, Broad Mountain was a natural barrier to navigation. Other means would be required to transport coal out of the rich basin of the Valley. Numerous railroads were begun north of the headwaters of the.

Through the 1830s and 40s, short railroads sprouted up at numerous areas in the county. Of prime importance was the Mine Hill and, which served the. Chartered in, tracks were laid from the "flats" in Schuylkill Haven along the river through and  to. The railroad eventually reached and Locust Gap via the Gordon Planes.

Construction beginning in 1829, the Little Schuylkill Railroad ran from northward to Mahanoy Junction above. It would become the keystone of the Pennsylvania and Reading system, serving as a gauntlet for its eastern and western branches. Connecting with it were four important lines. The 146 mile (235 km) Catawissa Railroad operated from Mahanoy Junction to West Milton, providing access to the Mahanoy region by joining the northern terminus of the Little Schuylkill with connections to and. At Port Clinton, it connected with the 's main line from. Its most important connection would be with the and Broad Mountain Railway via Mahanoy Tunnel and East Mahanoy Railroad.

There was once over 1,000 miles (1600 km) of railroad track in Schuylkill County.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 2,027 (783 ). 2,016 km² (778 sq mi) of it is land and 11 km² (4 sq mi) of it (0.54%) is water.

The headwaters are found in the county, starting in the, and flows through many towns and the city of  to  where it flows into the. To the south, southern Schuylkill county is home to and.

Adjacent counties

 * (north)
 * (northeast)
 * (southeast)
 * (south)
 * (southwest)
 * (southwest)
 * (northwest)
 * (northwest)

Notable natives and residents

 * and - famous jazz musicians and bandleaders were born in.


 * - a short story and best-selling novelist, brought Pottsville into the national spotlight through his "Gibbsville" stories, accounts of s Pottsville socialites. O'Hara's single family home is located at 606  Street, Pottsville.


 * The, a clandestine society of s who engaged in a violent confrontation with  mining companies in the 19th century.
 * , award-winning American novelist. Books written by Richter include and the  trilogy. He was born in.


 * , a Roman-Catholic priest, best selling author, and GULAG survivor was born to a Polish-American family in . He is currently under investigation for possible Sainthood.


 * born, (7 May 1894–2 July 1968) was a cardinal of the Catholic Church, Dean of the Sacra Rota Romana 1959-1968, and prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments 1968.   was the first American to receive an appointment to the Roman Curia, or church court, the highest honor in the.


 * , Born in Pine Grove, November 30, 1826. Moved to Kansas and became a prominent member of the, Kansas Territorial Speaker of the House of Representatives, Territorial Senator, and Mayor of Lawrence, Kansas. Most notably, he raised the  and was appointed Colonel by Kansas Territorial Governor Charles Robinson.  He went on to fight in several battles of the Civil War including Vickburg but is most famous for his leadership of the Kansas Militia in the . (Taken from Article by Christopher Alan Edwards, Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, website: suvew.org/mollus)


 * General (retired), was Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, from 1993-97. General Joulwan was born in Pottsville.


 * Boxing heavyweight great had his training camp in.


 * Judge of the 2005   trial.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 150,336 people, 60,530 households, and 40,131 families residing in the county. The was 75/km² (193/sq mi). There were 67,806 housing units at an average density of 34/km² (87/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 96.62%, 2.09% , 0.08% , 0.42% , 0.01% , 0.35% from , and 0.43% from two or more races. or of any race were 1.11% of the population. 29.0% were of, 14.1% , 9.7% , 7.5% , 5.6% and 5.1%  ancestry according to.

There were 60,530 households out of which 26.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.40% were living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were non-families. 29.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out with 20.90% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 19.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.20 males.

Schuylkill County is one of the most heavily parts of the United States. ,, , and have the highest proportions of Lithuanian Americans of all places in the country. s and s are also predominant.

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 Schuylkill 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 communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.

Colleges and Universities

 * Campus, located in Schuylkill Haven
 * , located in Pottsville
 * , located in Pottsville
 * - Morgan Center, Tamaqua

Public School Districts

 * (also in Luzerne County)
 * (also in Columbia County)
 * (also in Carbon County)
 * (also in Dauphin County)
 * (also in Columbia County)
 * (also in Carbon County)
 * (also in Dauphin County)
 * (also in Dauphin County)
 * (also in Dauphin County)
 * (also in Dauphin County)
 * (also in Dauphin County)
 * (also in Dauphin County)
 * (also in Dauphin County)
 * (also in Dauphin County)