Berks County, Pennsylvania

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"Berks County" redirects here. For the county of England, see Berkshire.
Not to be confused with Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Berks County
U.S. county
The Reading area from the Pagoda
The Reading area from the Pagoda
Official seal of Berks County
Seal
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Berks County
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Map of the United States highlighting Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°25′N 75°56′W / 40.42°N 75.93°W / 40.42; -75.93
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
FoundedMarch 11, 1752
Named forBerkshire
SeatReading
Largest cityReading
Area
 • Total866 sq mi (2,240 km2)
 • Land857 sq mi (2,220 km2)
 • Water9.2 sq mi (24 km2)  1.1%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total428,849
 • Density495/sq mi (191/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts4th, 6th, 9th
Websitewww.co.berks.pa.us
Pennsylvania Historical Marker
DesignatedMay 12, 1982[1]

Berks County (Pennsylvania German: Barricks Kaundi) is a county located in the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849.[2] The county seat is Reading.[3]

Berks County comprises the Reading, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which is also included in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD Combined Statistical Area. (CSA).

History[]

Reading developed during the 1740s when the inhabitants of northern Lancaster County sent several petitions requesting that a separate county be established. With the help of German immigrant Conrad Weiser, the county was formed on March 11, 1752, from parts of Chester County, Lancaster County, and Philadelphia County.[4]

It was named after the English county in which William Penn's family home lay, Berkshire, which is often abbreviated to Berks. Berks County began much larger than it is today. The northwestern parts of the county went to the founding of Northumberland County in 1772 and Schuylkill County in 1811, when it reached its current size. In 2005, Berks County was added to the Delaware Valley Planning Area due to a fast-growing population and close proximity to the other communities.

In 2016, former Strausstown borough merged with Upper Tulpehocken township. Strausstown is now a village within Upper Tulpehocken Township.

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 866 square miles (2,240 km2), of which 857 square miles (2,220 km2) is land and 9.2 square miles (24 km2) (1.1%) is water.[5] Most of the county is drained by the Schuylkill River, but an area in the northeast is drained by the Lehigh River via the Little Lehigh Creek and areas are drained by the Susquehanna River via the Swatara Creek in the northwest and the Conestoga River (which starts in Berks County between Morgantown and Elverson) in the extreme south. It has a humid continental climate (Dfa except for some Dfb on Blue Mountain at the northern boundary and on Mount Penn) and the hardiness zone is mostly 6b with 6a in some higher areas and 7a along the Schuylkill in the SE part of the county.

Major roads and highways[]

Adjacent counties[]

  • Schuylkill County (north)
  • Lehigh County (northeast)
  • Montgomery County (east)
  • Chester County (southeast)
  • Lancaster County (southwest)
  • Lebanon County (west)

National protected area[]

  • Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site

State protected area[]

  • French Creek State Park

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
179030,189—
180032,4077.3%
181043,14633.1%
182046,2757.3%
183053,15214.9%
184064,56921.5%
185077,12919.5%
186093,81821.6%
1870106,70113.7%
1880122,59714.9%
1890137,32712.0%
1900159,61516.2%
1910183,22214.8%
1920200,8549.6%
1930231,71715.4%
1940241,8844.4%
1950255,7405.7%
1960275,4147.7%
1970296,3827.6%
1980312,5095.4%
1990336,5237.7%
2000373,63811.0%
2010411,44210.1%
2020428,8494.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8]
1990–2000[9] 2010–2019[2]

As of the 2010 census, the county was 76.9% White non-Hispanic, 4.9% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.3% Asian, and 2.5% were two or more races. 16.4% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.[10] Historically there is a large Pennsylvania Dutch population. It is known as part of Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

As of the census[11] of 2010, there were 411,442 people, 154,356 households, and 106,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 479 people per square mile (184.9/km2). There were 164,827 housing units at an average density of 191.9 per square mile (74.1/km2).

According to Muninet Guide's 2010 analysis, the median household income for Berks County is $54,105.

There were 154,356 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.1 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males.

Berks County is home to an Old Order Mennonite community consisting of about 160 families, located in the East Penn Valley near Kutztown and Fleetwood.[12] The Old Order Mennonites first bought land in the area in 1949.[13] In 2012, Old Order Mennonites bought two large farms in the Oley Valley. The Old Order Mennonites in the area belong to the Groffdale Conference Mennonite Church and use the horse and buggy as transportation. There are several farms in the area belonging to the Old Order Mennonite community and meetinghouses are located near Kutztown and Fleetwood.[14]

Metropolitan and Combined Statistical Area[]

Location of Berks County (Reading, PA) in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA
See also: List of Metropolitan Statistical Areas and List of Combined Statistical Areas

The United States Office of Management and Budget[15] has designated Berks County as the Reading, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2010 U.S. Census[16] the metropolitan area ranked 10th most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 128th most populous in the United States with a population of 413,491. Berks County is also a part of the larger Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which combines the populations of Berks County as well as several counties around Philadelphia and in the states of Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey. The Combined Statistical Area is the largest in the State of Pennsylvania and 8th most populous in the United States with a population of 7,067,807.

Government[]

County Commissioners[]

Berks County Courthouse
  • Christian Leinbach, Chair Republican
  • Kevin Barnhardt, Vice Chair Democrat
  • Michael S. Rivera, Republican

Other county offices[]

  • Clerk of Courts, James P. Troutman, Republican
  • Controller, Sandy Graffius, Republican
  • Coroner, Jonn M. Hollenbach (acting)
  • District Attorney, John T. Adams, Democrat
  • Prothonotary, Jonathan K. Del Collo, Republican
  • Recorder of Deeds, Mary Kozak, Republican
  • Register of Wills, Larry J. Medaglia Jr., Republican
  • Sheriff, Eric Weaknecht, Republican
  • Treasurer, A. Dennis Adams, Republican

State Senate[]

[17]

State House of Representatives[]

  • Barry Jozwiak, Republican, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 5
  • Jerry Knowles, Republican, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 124
  • Mark Rozzi, Democrat, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 126
  • Thomas R. Caltagirone, Democrat, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 127
  • Mark Gillen, Republican, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 128
  • Jim Cox, Republican, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 129
  • David Maloney, Republican, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 130
  • Ryan Mackenzie, Republican, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 134
  • Gary Day, Republican, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 187

[17]

United States House of Representatives[]

Politics[]

As of October 24, 2016, there were 259,918 registered voters in Berks County.[18]

  • Democratic: 120,282 (46.28%)
  • Republican: 100,813 (38.79%)
  • Other parties / No party: 38,823 (14.94%)
Presidential election results

The first time since 1964 that a Democrat carried Berks in a Presidential election occurred in November 2008, with Barack Obama receiving 53.9% of the vote to John McCain's 44.7%. The other three statewide winners (Rob McCord for treasurer, Jack Wagner for auditor general, and Tom Corbett for attorney general) also carried it.[20] While Republicans have controlled the commissioner majority most of the time and continue to control most county row offices, Democrats have become more competitive in Berks in recent years. In the 2012 Presidential election, Mitt Romney carried the county by approximately a one-percent margin, 49.6% to 48.6%, however, in 2016, Donald Trump carried Berks by a much larger margin of 52.9% to 42.7%.[21]

Education[]

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania Public School Districts

Colleges and universities[]

  • Albright College
  • Alvernia University
  • Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
  • Penn State Berks
  • Reading Area Community College

Public school districts[]

Private high schools[]

  • Berks Christian School [3] in Birdsboro
  • Blue Mountain Academy, a Seventh-day Adventist boarding school in Tilden Township
  • Conestoga Christian School in Morgantown, Pennsylvania
  • Fairview Christian School in Reading
  • Gateway Christian School in Mertztown
  • The King's Academy in Mohrsville
  • Berks Catholic High School in Reading
  • Lighthouse Christian Academy in Lyons

Technical and trade schools[]

  • Berks Technical Institute
  • Pace Institute
  • Reading Hospital School of Nursing
  • Berks Career and Technology Center (east campus in Oley, west campus in Leesport)

Arts and culture[]

The Reading Public Museum is an art, science, and history museum.

The Reading Buccaneers Drum and Bugle Corps are an all-age drum corps based in Berks County. The corps, founded in 1957, is a charter member Drum Corps Associates and an 11-time DCA World Champion.

Reading is home to one opera company, Berks Opera Company, founded in 2007 as Berks Opera Workshop. They were named Arts and Entertainment Newsmaker of the Year in 2015.

There are two Pennsylvania state parks and a Natural Area in Berks County.

  • Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center is south of Reading on land once owned by Jacob Nolde, a prominent Reading businessman and Pennsylvania environmentalist.
  • French Creek State Park, a former Recreational Demonstration Area, straddles the Berks and Chester County line.
  • , part of the William Penn Forest District in Oley.[22]

There are two Pennsylvania Historic Sites in Berks County.

The Old Morlatton Village in Douglassville is maintained by the . The village is composed of four historic structures: White Horse Inn, George Douglass Mansion, Bridge keeper's House, and the Mouns Jones House, constructed in 1716, which is the oldest recorded building in the county.[23]

West Reading in home to the annual Art on the Avenue, which reached its 25th year in 2019.[24]

Media[]

Berks County has been home to several media sources including:

  • Berks Community Television (BCTV)[25]
  • Reading Eagle, a daily printed newspaper based in Reading, Pennsylvania
  • WEEU, a local AM radio station
  • WFMZ, a Local news channel that has offices in Berks County and covers South Eastern Pennsylvania
  • WRFY-FM - (102.5 FM "Y102"), a commercial FM radio station licensed to serve Reading, Pennsylvania

Communities[]

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing Cities and Boroughs (red), Townships (white), and Census-designated places (blue).

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Berks County:

City[]

  • Reading (county seat)

Boroughs[]

  • Adamstown (mostly in Lancaster County)
  • Bally
  • Bechtelsville
  • Bernville
  • Birdsboro
  • Boyertown
  • Centerport
  • Fleetwood
  • Hamburg
  • Kenhorst
  • Kutztown
  • Laureldale
  • Leesport
  • Lenhartsville
  • Lyons
  • Mohnton
  • Mount Penn
  • New Morgan
  • Robesonia
  • St. Lawrence
  • Shillington
  • Shoemakersville
  • Sinking Spring
  • Topton
  • Wernersville
  • West Reading
  • Womelsdorf
  • Wyomissing

Townships[]

A farm in Windsor Township

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 Berks County.[16]

† county seat

CDP=census designated population

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 † Reading City 88,082
2 Wyomissing Borough 10,461
3 Blandon CDP 7,152
4 Shillington Borough 5,273
5 Birdsboro Borough 5,163
6 Kutztown Borough 5,012
7 Whitfield CDP 4,733
8 Hamburg Borough 4,289
9 Lorane CDP 4,236
10 Pennside CDP 4,215
11 West Reading Borough 4,212
12 Reiffton CDP 4,178
13 Fleetwood Borough 4,085
14 Boyertown Borough 4,055
15 Sinking Spring Borough 4,008
16 Laureldale Borough 3,911
17 West Wyomissing CDP 3,407
18 Amity Gardens CDP 3,402
19 Jacksonwald CDP 3,393
20 Riverview Park CDP 3,380
21 Mount Penn Borough 3,106
22 Mohnton Borough 3,043
23 Kutztown University CDP 2,918
24 Kenhorst Borough 2,877
25 Womelsdorf Borough 2,810
26 Flying Hills CDP 2,568
27 Hyde Park CDP 2,528
28 Wernersville Borough 2,494
29 Topton Borough 2,069
30 Robesonia Borough 2,061
31 West Hamburg CDP 1,979
32 Leesport Borough 1,918
33 Temple CDP 1,877
34 St. Lawrence Borough 1,809
35 West Lawn CDP 1,715
36 Fox Chase CDP 1,622
37 Lincoln Park CDP 1,615
38 Grill CDP 1,468
39 South Temple CDP 1,424
40 Muhlenberg Park CDP 1,420
41 Shoemakersville Borough 1,378
42 New Berlinville CDP 1,368
43 Oley CDP 1,282
44 Greenfields CDP 1,170
45 Alleghenyville CDP 1,134
46 Bally Borough 1,090
47 Colony Park CDP 1,076
48 Stony Creek Mills CDP 1,045
49 Spring Ridge CDP 1,003
50 Bernville Borough 955
51 Bechtelsville Borough 942
52 Hereford CDP 930
53 Dauberville CDP 848
54 Morgantown CDP 826
55 Pennwyn CDP 780
56 Springmont CDP 724
57 Edenburg CDP 681
58 Gibraltar CDP 680
59 Mertztown CDP 664
60 New Jerusalem CDP 649
61 Montrose Manor CDP 604
62 Stouchsburg CDP 600
63 Gouglersville CDP 548
64 Bethel CDP 499
65 Walnuttown CDP 484
T-66 Lyons Borough 478
T-66 Alsace Manor CDP 478
67 Shartlesville CDP 455
68 Douglassville CDP 448
69 Baumstown CDP 422
70 Dryville CDP 398
71 Centerport Borough 387
72 Mohrsville CDP 383
73 Frystown CDP 380
74 Mount Aetna CDP 354
75 Strausstown Borough 342
76 Bowers CDP 326
77 Rehrersburg CDP 319
78 Virginville CDP 309
79 Schubert CDP 249
80 New Schaefferstown CDP 223
81 Kempton CDP 169
82 Lenhartsville Borough 165
83 New Morgan Borough 71

Notable people[]

  • William Addams, congressman from Pennsylvania[26]
  • Priscilla Ahn, folk musician and singer-songwriter
  • Lonnie Walker, NBA player
  • John Barrasso, US Senator
  • Chad Billingsley, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers
  • Douglas Carter Beane, playwright
  • Daniel Boone, American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman (1734–1820)
  • Kenny Brightbill, NASCAR Driver
  • Steve Burns, musician and former Blue's Clues host
  • James Henry Carpenter (1846–1898), Civil War sailor, officer, founder of Carpenter Technology Corporation
  • Jack Coggins, illustrator, author and artist, lived in Boyertown from 1948 to 2006
  • Rocky Colavito, former Major League Baseball player
  • Kerry Collins, professional football player (Panthers, Saints, Giants, Raiders, Titans, and Colts)
  • Michael Constantine, actor, star of Room 222 and My Big Fat Greek Wedding
  • Amy Cuddy, Harvard psychologist and TED Talks speaker
  • Lisa Eichhorn, actress, moved to Reading as a child and graduated from Mt. Penn High School
  • Carl Furillo (1922–1989), Former Brooklyn-Los Angeles Dodgers right-fielder
  • John Henry Gilmore, Jr., professional football player (Saints, Bears, and Buccaneers)
  • Jon Gosselin of the Gosselin family, Reality TV stars of Jon & Kate Plus 8
  • Kate Gosselin of the Gosselin family, Reality TV stars of Jon & Kate Plus 8
  • Keith Haring (1958–1990), artist
  • Chad Henne, football player for the Miami Dolphins and University of Michigan
  • Chris Hero, professional wrestler
  • Joseph Hiester, governor of Pennsylvania 1820–1823
  • Tommy Hinnershitz (1912–1999), auto racing pioneer
  • Chad Hurley, co-founder of YouTube (attended Twin Valley and Albright College)
  • Mildred Jordan (1901–1982), novelist
  • Chip Kidd (born 1964), book jacket designer at Knopf Publishing Group[27]
  • Abraham Lincoln (1744-1786), grandfather of 16th U.S. president Abraham Lincoln
  • Matt Lytle (born 1975), professional football player
  • Donyell Marshall, former NBA player and graduate of Reading High School
  • James H. Maurer (1864-1944), Labor leader and two-time Vice Presidential nominee
  • Kelly McGillis, actress, [Top Gun/Witness/The Accused]
  • Gordon McKellen, Jr., former US figure skating champion and Hall of Fame member
  • Morton L. Montgomery (1846–1933), Reading attorney and author of multiple history books about Berks County[28][29]
  • Lenny Moore, NFL Hall of Fame
  • Thomas Morris, Democratic politician, served in the United States Senate[30]
  • Jillian Murray (b. June 4, 1989), model/actress
  • Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg, architect, founder of Muhlenberg Greene Architects, American military and political leader 1887–1980
  • Jacob Nolde, conservationist
  • Bodo Otto, Senior Surgeon of the Continental Army during the American Revolution (1711–1787)
  • William Sands, U.S. Medal of Honor winner (Civil War)[31]
  • Martin Cruz Smith, novelist
  • Carl Spaatz, World War II general
  • Wallace Stevens, major American Modernist poet, October 2, 1879 – August 2, 1955
  • Taylor Swift (born 1989), Grammy Award-winning country/pop singer-songwriter
  • Ross Tucker, professional football player
  • John Updike, writer, 1932–2009
  • Gus Yatron, former congressman from Pennsylvania
  • Wayne Ellington, NBA Basketball Player

See also[]

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ "PHMC Historical Markers Search" (Searchable database). Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ The Statutes at Large of Pennsylvania from 1682-1809, 18 vols. (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Wm. Stanley Ray, 1898), vol. 5 1744-1759, pages 133-140, 502-503, Chapter CCCXCII, "An Act for Erecting Part of the Counties Of Philadelphia, Chester and Lancaster into a Separate County," March 11, 1752, confirmed by the King in Council, May 10, 1753, creation of Berks County, digital images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org : July 26, 2018).
  5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  8. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  10. ^ "Census 2010: Pennsylvania - USATODAY.com".
  11. ^ http://pasdc.hbg.psu.edu/sdc/pasdc_files/census2010/Berks%20County.pdf
  12. ^ Orth, Richard L.T. (August 23, 2018). "A Look Back in History Mennonite Plain Dutch families call Kutztown area home". BerksMont News. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  13. ^ Shaner, Richard (July 24, 2009). "Kutztown welcomes Old Order Mennonites in 1949". BerksMont News. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  14. ^ Orth, Richard L.T. (September 21, 2016). "A Look Back in History: The Old Order Mennonite Sect at Kutztown also preserving the Historic Oley Valley". BerksMont News. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  15. ^ "Office of Management and Budget". February 7, 2017.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b "Decennial Census by Decades". Archived from the original on December 6, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Center, Legislativate Data Processing. "Find Your Legislator". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  18. ^ [1] Archived October 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Voting & Election Statistics
  19. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.
  20. ^ http://www.electionreturns.state.pa.us/ElectionsInformation.aspx?ElectionID=28 Archived November 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine electionreturns.state.pa.us
  21. ^ "Election Results". Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  22. ^ http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_20031119.pdf
  23. ^ [2]
  24. ^ "Art on the Avenue 2018 Photos". BerksLuxury.com. June 16, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  25. ^ Community Television Review. National Federation of Local Cable Programmers. 1986. p. 23.
  26. ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
  27. ^ "Reading Eagle". readingeagle.
  28. ^ Montgomery, Morton L. Historical Sketch of Reading Artillerists: Read Upon the Occasion of Their 102d Anniversary in Metropolitan Hall, May 25, 1896. Chicago, Illinois: J.E. Norton & Company, 1897. OCLC 16413450
  29. ^ Montgomery, Morton L. History of Berks County in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Everts, Peck & Richards, 1886. OCLC 11333191
  30. ^ "Tolleson, Arizona". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  31. ^ "Sands, William", in "Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War (S-Z):. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Army Center of Military History, retrieved online October 6, 2018.

Further reading[]

External links[]

Coordinates: 40°25′N 75°56′W / 40.42°N 75.93°W / 40.42; -75.93

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