Mifflin County, Pennsylvania

Mifflin County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 46,486. Its is. It is named after, the first Governor of Pennsylvania.

Geography
Mifflin County is located in, and has its boundaries defined by, the of Pennsylvania. , a major divided highway, connects the county to the rest of the state on its route between and.

According to the, the county has a total area of 1,074 (415 ). 1,067 km² (412 sq mi) of it is land and 7 km² (3 sq mi) of it (0.66%) is water.

Adjacent counties

 * (north)
 * (northeast)
 * (east)
 * (southeast)
 * (west)

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 46,486 people, 18,413 households, and 12,907 families residing in the county. The was 44/km² (113/sq mi). There were 20,745 housing units at an average density of 19/km² (50/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 98.53%, 0.49% or , 0.08% , 0.29% , 0.18% from , and 0.43% from two or more races. 0.57% of the population were or  of any race. 5.7% report speaking, , or at home.

There were 18,413 households out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.60% were living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 17.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.

Dialect, Accent and Language
The dominant form of speech in Mifflin County is the. Almost everyone in Mifflin County speaks English. The and some  speak  also known as Pennsylvania Dutch, a  dialect, which is very remote from modern. The Amish and Mennonites also can speak English. Few non-Amish or Mennonites in Mifflin County today speak Pennsylvania German, but this was not true in the past.

The Mifflin County School District offers only two foreign languages and only four years of each, with and   being offered in grades 9 through 12. In the past, the school district also offered and, but fiscally conservative school boards, which did not view foreign languages as important subjects, slashed spending on foreign language education. There was little outrage when Latin was eliminated in 1985, but some people were offended when German was eliminated in the mid-1990s, given the county's strong German heritage.

Sports Allegiances
By far, the most popular college sports team in Mifflin County is the football team.. In professional football, the are the most popular team, with the  also enjoying a lot of support. Although Mifflin County is geographically closer to Philadelphia, it is culturally and linguistically closer to Pittsburgh. Almost all Steelers and Eagles games are available live on network television, as Mifflin County receives stations from both the Steelers and Eagles broadcasting territories, though games are also available through Harrisburg-based stations. The most popular baseball teams are the and.

Historically, football has been the most popular sport, but over the past decade, the most successful teams have been in boys and girls basketball. In the past, was more popular than. Although basketball is now more popular than wrestling, wrestling remains more popular in Mifflin County and in Central Pennsylvania in general than in most parts of the United States.

As in most parts of, is very popular in Mifflin County. Local dirt track races and drag races are widely attended on weekends.

AM Radio Stations

 * WIEZ 670 AM-
 * WKVA 920 AM-

FM Radio Stations

 * WJRC 90.9-
 * WMRF 95.7-
 * WVNW 96.7-
 * WCHX 105.5-

Television
Mifflin County does not have a local television station but it is provided with local coverage from the following stations outside of the county:

Major Employers

 * Philips
 * Lewistown Hospital
 * Standard Steel
 * Buckell Plastics
 * Trinity Packaging
 * Uni-mart
 * Marlette Homes
 * Asher’s Chocolates (Formerly Goss Candies)
 * Walmart
 * Lowe’s



Public School Districts
Most of the county is served by the, with the exception of the South-Western corner of Mifflin County, which is part of the Area School District.

Private Schools

 * Sacred Heart provides a private, Catholic education until fifth grade.
 * Belleville Mennonite School provides a Mennonite education from kindergarten through grade twelve.
 * located in Decatur Township provides a education from kindergarten through grade twelve and also provides day care.

Colleges & Universities
Mifflin-Juniata Career and Technology Center located in Lewistown provides post high school degrees in nursing, auto mechanics and electrical services and numerous other technology driven careers. The Lewistown branch of the South Hills School of Business and Technology offers associates degrees and other certifications in various areas of business, technology, and some health care.

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 Mifflin 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.