McKean County
| McKean County, Pennsylvania | |
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McKean County Courthouse
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 Location in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania |
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 Pennsylvania's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | September 1, 1826 |
| Named for | Thomas McKean |
| Seat | Smethport |
| Largest city | Bradford |
| Area | |
| • Total | 984 sq mi (2,549 km2) |
| • Land | 979 sq mi (2,536 km2) |
| • Water | 5.0 sq mi (13 km2), 0.5% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2015) | 42,412 |
| • Density | 43/sq mi (17/km²) |
| Congressional district | 5th |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Website | www |
McKean County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,450. Its county seat is Smethport. The county was created in 1804 and later organized in 1826. It was named in honor of former Pennsylvania Governor and Declaration of Independence signer Thomas McKean.
McKean County comprises the Bradford, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in a sparsely populated region known as the "Pennsylvania Wilds", including the Allegheny National Forest and borders New York. McKean County is home of "The Zippo Lighter" and boasts of being "The Black Cherry Capital of the World."
McKean County was founded because of its natural resources of oil and timber, both of which continue to provide a significant input to the economy. Today, a university, rural medical center, and a number of manufacturing companies balance the economy of this area.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 984 square miles (2,550 km2), of which 979 square miles (2,540 km2) is land and 5.0 square miles (13 km2) (0.5%) is water.
As of the 2000 census, there were 45,936 people, 18,024 households, and 12,094 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile (18/km²). There were 21,644 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.46% White, 1.87% Black, 0.32% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. 1.06% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 21.9% German, 13.3% Irish, 12.6% Italian, 11.2% American, 8.7% Swedish and 8.6% English ancestry according to Census 2000.
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