Pike County

History

Pike County was named for General Zebulon Pike. It was organized on March 26, 1814, from part of Wayne County, Pennsylvania. Some English settlement in the area had started during the colonial years.

The longtime original inhabitants were the Lenape Native Americans, known by the English colonists as the Delaware Indians because their territory was along the Delaware River (as named by the colonists), as well as the coastal mid-Atlantic area. In 1694, Governor Benjamin Fletcher of the colony of New York sent Captain Arent Schuyler to investigate claims that the French were recruiting Indian allies for use against the English. In 1696, governor Fletcher authorized purchases of Indian land near the New York border by a number of citizens of Ulster County; their descendants became the first European settlers of what became Pike County.

Nicholas Depui was the first to settle in the area, in 1725. Thomas Quick [Sr] moved to the area that would become Milford in 1733. Andrew Dingman settled on the Delaware River at the future site of Dingmans Ferry in 1735. The early settlers got along well with the Lenape and traded with them. As settlement increased and their land practices encroached on Lenape uses, land disputes arose. The colonists' infamous Walking Purchase of 1737 swindled the Lenape out of more than half of present-day Pike County. As the Lenape realized what had happened, violent conflicts arose between them and the colonists. One notorious Indian killer was Tom Quick Jr of Milford, Pennsylvania; after his father Tom Quick Sr was killed by Indians, Tom Quick Jr is purported to have murdered numerous Lenape.

Early in the nineteenth century, coal was discovered nearby in the area that would become Carbondale. This became especially significant as the British restricted export of British coal to the United States after the War of 1812, creating a fuel shortage in rapidly expanding New York City. To get the coal to New York, developers proposed a gravity railroad from Carbondale to Honesdale, along with a canal from Honesdale to the Hudson River at Kingston.

The state of New York approved the canal proposal in 1823. Work on the 108-mile (174 km) Delaware and Hudson Canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1828. The canal system, which terminated at the Hudson River near present-day Kingston, proved profitable. But the barges had to cross the Delaware via a rope ferry across a "slackwater dam," which created bottlenecks in the canal traffic and added greatly to the cost of transportation.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 567 square miles (1,470 km2), of which 545 square miles (1,410 km2) is land and 22 square miles (57 km2) (3.9%) is water.

The terrain rises rapidly from the river valley in the east to the rolling foothills of the Poconos in the west. The highest point is one of two unnamed hills in Greene Township that top out at approximately 2,110 feet (643 m) above sea level. The lowest elevation is approximately 340 feet (100 m), at the confluence of the Bushkill and the Delaware rivers.

Because of its location, Pike County is the only county in Pennsylvania to border New York and New Jersey, both east of the Delaware River.

Adjacent counties

Sullivan County, New York (northeast)

Orange County, New York (east)

Sussex County, New Jersey (east)

Warren County, New Jersey (southeast)

Monroe County (southwest)

Wayne County (northwest)

Climate

Pike County has a humid continental climate that is warm-summer (Dfb), except along the Delaware River from Dingmans Ferry downriver, where it is hot-summer (Dfa). The hardiness zones are 5b and 6a. Average monthly temperatures in Milford range from 25.6 °F in January to 71.3 °F in July, while in Greentown they average from 22.8 °F in January to 68.5 °F in July.

National protected areas

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (part)

Middle Delaware National Scenic River (part)

Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River (part)

State protected areas

Delaware State Forest (part)

Promised Land State Park

Major highways

I-84

US 6

US 206

US 209

PA 191

PA 390

PA 402

PA 434

PA 447

PA 507

PA 590

PA 739

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 58,535. The median age was 48.7 years. 18.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.1 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 80.6% White, 5.6% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.3% from some other race, and 8.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 11.5% of the population.

12.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 87.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 23,635 households in the county, of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.0% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 39,676 housing units, of which 40.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 84.0% were owner-occupied and 16.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.3%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 57,369 people living in the county. The county was 88.6% Non-Hispanic White, 6.3% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.2% Asian, and 1.7% were two or more races. 10.2% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 46,302 people, 17,433 households, and 13,022 families living in the county. The population density was 85 inhabitants per square mile (33/km2). There were 34,681 housing units at an average density of 63 units per square mile (24/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.10% White, 3.27% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.30% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. 5.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 18.9% were of German, 18.6% Irish, 18.5% Italian, 6.2% English and 5.3% Polish ancestry.

There were 17,433 households, out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.50% were married couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.30% were non-families. 20.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.70% under the age of 18, 5.30% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.

Housing costs

As of Q4 2021, the median home value of all homes in Pike County is $214,981.

Politics and government

As of January 8, 2024, there were 43,777 registered voters in Pike County.

Republican: 20,799 (47.51%)

Democratic: 13,558 (30.97%)

Other parties: 2,458 (5.61%)

No party affiliation: 6,962 (15.90%)

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Pike County was one of the most Democratic counties in Pennsylvania, often second to neighboring Monroe County. Since the 1920s, however, the Republican Party has been historically dominant in county-level politics. For statewide and national-level candidates, Pike County has leaned toward the Republican Party. In 2000 Republican George W. Bush won 53% to Democrat Al Gore's 42%. In 2004 Republican George W. Bush won 58% to Democrat John Kerry's 40%. Population growth (and the ensuing influx of new residents) resulted in an increase in Democratic vote share in the county throughout the 2000s; in 2006, Democratic Governor Ed Rendell carried the county with 53% of the vote, while in 2008 Republican John McCain won by a margin of only 4% and the county split its tickets between Democratic and Republican statewide candidates. In the 2010s and 2020s, however, Pike, like much of the rest of Northeastern Pennsylvania, trended against Democratic candidates.

County commissioners

Ron Schmalzle, ViceChairman, Republican

Matthew M. Osterberg, chairman, Republican

Christa Caceres, Democrat

Other county offices

Clerk of Courts and Prothonotary, Denise Fitzpatrick, Republican

Coroner, Christopher P. Brighton, Republican

District Attorney, Raymond Tonkin, Republican

Recorder of Deeds and Register of Wills, Sharon Schroeder, Republican

Sheriff, Kerry Welsh

Treasurer, John Gilpin, Republican

State representatives

Joseph Adams, Republican (139th district) - Blooming Grove, Dingman, Greene, Lackawaxen, Milford, Palmyra, Shohola, and Westfall Townships, and Matamoras and Milford Boroughs

Tarah Probst, Democrat (189th district) - Delaware, Lehman, and Porter Townships

State Senator

Lisa Baker, Republican (20th district)

United States Representative

Rob Bresnahan, Republican (PA-8)

United States Senate

John Fetterman, Democrat

Dave McCormick, Republican

Education

Public school districts

There are three school districts in the county:

Delaware Valley School District

East Stroudsburg Area School District (also in Monroe County)

Wallenpaupack Area School District (also Wayne County)

In 2011, Porter Township residents successfully petitioned the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education to transfer the township from East Stroudsburg Area School District to Wallenpaupack Area School District. The appeal by East Stroudsburg Area School District was heard by the Commonwealth Court in April 2012.

Private

Center for Developmental Disabilities of Pike Co, Ltd. – Milford

New Life Christian Day School – Matamoras

Sunshine Academy – Milford

Kinderhaus Montessori of PA – Milford

Communities

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The following boroughs and townships are located in Pike County:

Boroughs

Matamoras

Milford (county seat)

Unincorporated community

Wild Acres Lakes

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Pike County.

† county seat

Notable natives and residents

Louis Allen, a New York Army National Guard officer killed in a fragging incident in 2005 during the Iraq War.

James Blish, Damon Knight, Judith Merril and Kate Wilhelm (Mrs. Knight), all science fiction writers]

Vanessa Carlton - (born 1980) singer/songwriter

Zane Grey - (1872-1939) author of western stories and novels including Riders of the Purple Sage

Allyn Joslyn, stage and screen actor

Robert Litzenberger, professor emeritus at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Frank McCourt, author

Charles Sanders Peirce, a philosopher and polymath, lived on a farm 3 miles from Milford, from 1887 until his 1914 death.

Mary Pickford, silent film actress

Gifford Pinchot - (1865–1946) was the first Chief of the United States Forest Service (1905–1910) and the Governor of Pennsylvania (1923–1927, 1931–1935).

Al Pitrelli, guitarist

Tom Quick, early settler

Mary Cole Walling (1838–1925), patriot, lecturer

Smoky Joe Wood, baseball pitcher.

Marie Zimmermann designer and maker of jewelry and metalwork