Bedford County, Pennsylvania

Bedford County Education, Geography, and History

Beaver County is a county located in the state of Pennsylvania. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 170,539. Its county seat is Beaver. The county was created on March 12, 1800, from parts of Allegheny and Washington Counties. It took its name from the Beaver River.

Beaver County is part of the Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Bedford County Name

Named for Fort Bedford, a French and Indian War era British military fortification located near the present site of Bedford, Pennsylvania. The fort was a star shaped log fortress erected in the summer of 1758. It in turn had been named in 1759 for the Duke of Bedford.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Bedford County History

Created on March 9, 1771, from part of Cumberland County. It was named for Fort Bedford that in turn had been named in 1759 for the Duke of Bedford. Bedford, the county seat, on the site of Fort Bedford, was incorporated as a borough on March 13, 1795.

First entered by Virginians in 1728, the site that became Bedford Village was a connecting point along several Indian trails and settler paths. Its location continued to lie along Pennsylvania's main East-West route until the opening of the Pennsylvania Railroad (1846); the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the 1940s placed it again on a main route. The original settlers included a large group of German descent. Rye, used often for whiskey, was the major crop until 1860, after which general farming prevailed. Dairy production flourished after 1930. One-third of the land is currently farmed. Bedford was President Washington's headquarters during the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion, and U. S. Supreme Court justices planned their proslavery Dred Scott case decision at Bedford Springs Hotel. Bedford Springs was also President Buchanan's summer residence.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,017 square miles (2,635 km²), of which, 1,015 square miles (2,628 km²) of it is land and 3 square miles (7 km²) of it (0.28%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Blair County (north)
• Huntingdon County (northeast)
• Fulton County (east)
• Allegany County, Maryland (southwest)
• Somerset County (west)
• Cambria County (northwest)

Education

Colleges and universities

Geneva College
Penn State Beaver Campus
Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry

Community, junior, and technical colleges

Community College of Beaver County

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