Clarion County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,241. Its county seat is Clarion. Clarion County is entirely defined as part of the Pittsburgh media market. The county is part of the North Central region of the commonwealth.
Contents
History
The county was formed on March 11, 1839, from parts of Venango and Armstrong counties. The county gets its name from the Clarion River, which flows through the center of the county. The river was a major source of economic growth in the early days of the area. The county relied on the lumber industry in its earliest days, and the Clarion River was used to transport lumber to the Allegheny River. The iron industry dominated the county for a short while, and Clarion County boasted an impressive 31 iron furnaces.
After Edwin Drake struck oil in 1859, many wildcatters flocked to area to drill for oil, particularly along Canoe Creek, Beaver Creek, and the Clarion River. The wildcatting in the county slowed down after the early petroleum industry crashed in 1861 and no major developments would occur until 1869. In 1869, wildcatters struck several decently producing wells across the Allegheny from Parker City. This opened up the Clarion Field, and producers moved to capitalize on these discoveries quickly, putting down wells along the Allegheny River and the Clarion River on the Grass Flats.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 610 square miles (1,600 km2), of which 601 square miles (1,560 km2) is land and 9.0 square miles (23 km2) (1.5%) is water. It has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb), and average temperatures in Clarion borough range from 24.5 °F in January to 82 °F in July. Clarion County is one of the 423 counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, and it is identified as part of the "Midlands" by Colin Woodard in his book American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.
Adjacent counties
Forest County (north)
Jefferson County (east)
Armstrong County (south)
Butler County (west)
Venango County (west)
Parks
Part of Cook Forest State Park is in Clarion County.
The Clarion County Park is located in Paint Township. Clarion County Veterans Memorial Park is located directly across Main Street (Route 322) from the Clarion County Courthouse in the center of the Borough of Clarion.
Major highways
I-80
US 322
PA 28
PA 36
PA 58
PA 66
PA 68
PA 157
PA 208
PA 338
PA 368
PA 478
PA 536
PA 861
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 37,241, a population density of 69 people per square mile (27 people/km2), 15,298 households, and 10,738 families residing in the county. The median age was 43.6 years, 19.5% of residents were under the age of 18, 21.6% were 65 years of age or older, there were 95.6 males for every 100 females, and there were 93.1 males for every 100 females age 18 and over.
Of the 15,298 households in the county, 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 49.5% were married-couple households, 18.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present; about 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 18,829 housing units, of which 18.8% were vacant, 71.5% of the occupied units were owner-occupied, and 28.5% were renter-occupied; the homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.5%.
15.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 84.8% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 94.4% White, 1.5% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 3.0% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.0% of the population.
Government
Voter registration
As of February 6, 2024, there are 23,414 registered voters in Clarion County.
Republican: 14,959 (63.89%)
Democratic: 5,788 (24.72%)
Independent: 1,946 (8.31%)
Third Party: 721 (3.08%)
County commissioners
Wayne Brosius; Republican
Ted Tharan; Republican
Braxton White; Democrat
Other county officials
Hon. James G. Arner, senior judge, Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas
Hon. Sara Seidle-Patton, president judge, Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas
Duane L. Quinn (18-3-01), district judge
Timothy P. Schill (18-3-02), district judge
Jarah L Heeter (18-3-03), district judge
Jeffery C. Miller (18-3-04), district judge
Drew Welsh; Republican, District Attorney
Shawn Zerfoss; Republican, Sheriff
Karyn Montana; Republican, Treasurer
Education
Colleges and universities
PennWest Clarion
Public school districts
Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District
Clarion Area School District
Clarion-Limestone Area School District
Karns City Area School District
Keystone School District
North Clarion County School District
Redbank Valley School District
Union School District
Intermediate unit
Public school districts and private schools in the county are served by Riverview Intermediate Unit IU6 which provides special education and professional development services.
Technical school
Clarion County Career Center is located along State Route 66 in Marianne (Shippenville address).
Private schools
Alexander Amish School - Venus
Bear Run School - Knox
Christs Dominion Academy - Summerville
Clarion Center School - Clarion
County Corner - Knox
Deer View School - Mayport
Immaculate Conception School - Clarion
Little Bird Preschool - New Bethlehem
Meadow View Amish School - Knox
New Bethlehem Mennonite School - New Bethlehem
Shady Nook Amish School - Sligo
St Josephs School - Lucinda
Zacheral Amish School - Venus
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 Clarion County:
Census-designated places
Crown
Leeper
Marianne
Tylersburg
Vowinckel
Population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Clarion County.
† county seat
Notable people
Marietta Bones (1842–1901) - suffragist, social reformer, philanthropist
Fred Caligiuri (1918–2018) - Major League Baseball pitcher (Philadelphia Athletics, 1941, 1942); as of 2018 was the oldest living major-league player; born in Forest County; former resident of Knox and Rimersburg
Hunter Corbett - pioneer American Presbyterian missionary to China, ministered in China for 56 years
Jim Kelly - NFL athlete (Buffalo Bills); grew up in East Brady
Chris Kirkpatrick - musician ('N Sync); born in Clarion
Dominick Labino - glass artist; born in Fairmount City (Redbank Township); managed the Owens-Illinois glass plant in Clarion
Ossee Schreckengost - Major League Baseball player; born in New Bethlehem
Randall Silvis - author and screenwriter; born in Madison Township
Grace M. Sloan (1902–2001), Pennsylvania state treasurer and auditor general; born in Clarion
Ernest M. Skinner - pipe organ builder, inventor; born in Clarion
Jane Wolfe - silent film actress and thelemite; born in St. Petersburg