Union County, Pennsylvania

Union County Education, Geography, and History

Union County is a county located in the state of Pennsylvania. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 44,947. Its county seat is Lewisburg. The county was created on March 22, 1813, from part of Northumberland County. Its name is an allusion to the federal Union.

Union County comprises the Lewisburg, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Bloomsburg-Berwick-Sunbury, PA Combined Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Union County Name

Its name is an allusion to the Federal Union.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Union County History

Created on March 22, 1813, from part of Northumberland County. Its name is an allusion to the Federal Union. Lewisburg, the county seat after 1855, was laid out in 1785 and named for Ludwig (Anglicized to "Lewis") Derr, its founder. It was incorporated as a borough on March 21, 1822. New Berlin was the county seat from 1815 to 1855.

Settlers appeared in the Buffalo Valley in 1750, and the area was raided during the French and Indian War. Indians held little girls from the LeRoy and Leininger families captive for years. At Fort Stanwix in 1768 Pennsylvania purchased the area from several Indian nations. New settlers arrived via the Tulpehocken Road, although Indians raided again in 1777. The Evangelical Association was founded in New Berlin, and its activities were centered there for many years. In 1830, the Western Branch Division of the Pennsylvania Canal linked Lewisburg to the outside world, and New Berlin ceased growing when the county seat was transferred to Lewisburg. The Panic of 1873 eclipsed Lewisburg, however. Between 1865 and 1910, Mifflinburg grew to be the horse buggy capital of America. Dinkey railroads exploited lumber in remote parts of county. Iron making from local ore was successful until 1865, but could not compete after that. Today, farms cover almost one-third of the county, and it is competitive in the production of field grains, poultry, and dairy products. Furniture and cabinet manufacture, yarn and apparel, printing, road paving materials, and cable assemblies are major businesses in the county. Governor Simon Snyder was from Selinsgrove, which was part of Union County until 1855.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 317 square miles (821 km²), of which, 317 square miles (820 km²) of it is land and 0 square miles (1 km²) of it (0.12%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Lycoming County (north)
• Northumberland County (east)
• Snyder County (south)
• Mifflin County (west)
• Centre County (northwest)

Education

Public school districts

Lewisburg Area School District
Lewisburg Area High School
Mifflinburg Area School District
Mifflinburg Area High School
Milton Area School District (also in Northumberland County)
Milton Area High School
Warrior Run School District (also in Montour and Northumberland Counties)
Warrior Run High School

Vocational school

SUN Area Technical Institute in New Berlin

Higher education

Bucknell University is in Lewisburg.

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