Indiana County, Pennsylvania

Indiana County Education, Geography, and History

Indiana County is a county located in the state of Pennsylvania. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 88,880.Its county seat is Indiana. The county was created on March 30, 1803, from parts of Westmoreland and Lycoming counties and later organized in 1806. It is probably named for the Indiana Territory.

Indiana County comprises the Indiana, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV Combined Statistical Area. It is in the defined region of the Pittsburgh media market. Indiana County is served by three different area codes: 724, 814, and 582.

Etymology - Origin of Indiana County Name

Probably named for the Territory of Indiana.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Indiana County History

Created on March 30, 1803 from parts of Westmoreland and Lycoming Counties and probably named for the Territory of Indiana. It was attached to Westmoreland County until 1806. Indiana, the county seat, was laid out in 1805 and incorporated as a borough on March 11, 1816.

The southern region was acquired from Indians at the Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768 (the "New Purchase"), the northern region by the Treaty of Fort Stanwix of 1784 (the "Last Purchase"). First permanent settlement was about 1765. Blairsville arose in 1818 and was a turnpike and canal center. The Pennsylvania Railroad arrived in 1851. Salt production was the first industry. Iron furnaces were unsuccessful. Timber cutting flourished from the 1840s to about 1890 when the trees were depleted. A coal mining boom began in 1900 and dominated the economy until 1924, boosting the population to nearly 80,000. Coal mining revived in the 1970s; Indiana is the state's fifth highest bituminous producer, three-quarters of which is subsurface mined. Dairy farming and Christmas tree sales buttress the economy today; 31 percent of the land is farmed. The legendary Cherry Tree Joe McCreery and the actor Jimmy Stewart are cherished local myths. Governor John S. Fisher, a Republican, was a county native.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 834 square miles (2,161 km²), of which, 829 square miles (2,148 km²) of it is land and 5 square miles (13 km²) of it (0.60%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Jefferson County (north)
• Clearfield County (northeast)
• Cambria County (southeast)
• Westmoreland County (south)
• Armstrong County (west)

Education

Public school districts

Armstrong School District (part)
Apollo-Ridge School District (part)
Blairsville-Saltsburg School District (part)
Harmony Area School District (part)
Homer-Center School District
Indiana Area School District
Marion Center Area School District
Penns Manor Area School District
Punxsutawney Area School District (part)
Purchase Line School District (part)
United School District

Post-secondary education

Cambria-Rowe Business College – Indiana
Indiana University of Pennsylvania – Indiana
Westmoreland County Community College – Indiana
WyoTech – Blairsville

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