Somerset County, Pennsylvania
| Somerset County, Pennsylvania | ||
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Somerset 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 | April 17, 1795 | |
| Named for | Somerset | |
| Seat | Somerset | |
| Largest borough | Somerset | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 1,081 sq mi (2,800 km2) | |
| • Land | 1,074 sq mi (2,782 km2) | |
| • Water | 6.6 sq mi (17 km2), 0.6% | |
| Population (est.) | ||
| • (2015) | 75,522 | |
| • Density | 70/sq mi (27/km²) | |
| Congressional districts | 9th, 12th | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www |
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Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 77,742. Its county seat is Somerset. The county was created on April 17, 1795, from part of Bedford County and named after Somerset, United Kingdom.
Somerset County comprises the Somerset, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Johnstown-Somerset, PA Combined Statistical Area.
Southwestern Pennsylvania began as a huge area called Cumberland County. As population increased, the area was split into smaller counties. Bedford County was formed from part from Cumberland in 1771 and is referred to as "Old Bedford County" and contained what are now 20 smaller counties. In 1773 part of Bedford County was split off to form Westmoreland County. In 1787 Bedford County was split in half with northern part becoming Huntingdon County and southern part remained as a smaller Bedford County. Somerset County was split off from western part Bedford County 17 April 1795. In 1804 the northern half of Somerset County was split off to form Cambria County. No further splits from Somerset County occurred since 1804.
George Washington passed through the area of Somerset County in 1753 on a scouting expedition at the beginning of the French-Indian War. The Forbes Road cuts through Somerset County. This 200-mile stretch from Carlisle to what is now Pittsburgh was created by Brigadier General John Forbes in the British Expedition of 1758 to Fort Duquesne. Forbes Ford was one of two great western land routes cut through the wilderness to create supply lines from the east. It was later the primary route of pioneers travelling to Ohio Country.
Fur trappers and hunters were first to stay in the region. The earliest permanent white settlement in what is now Somerset County is a region known as Turkeyfoot. People of "The Jersey Settlement" emigrated from Essex and Morris Counties, New Jersey about 1770.
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