Potter County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, its population was 16,396, making it the fifth-least populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Coudersport. The county was created in 1804 and later organized in 1836. It is named after James Potter, who was a general from Pennsylvania in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Due to its remoteness and natural environment, it has been nicknamed “God's Country”.
The county is part of the North Central Pennsylvania region of the state.
History Major Isaac Lyman, an American Revolutionary war veteran was one of the first permanent settlers in Potter County. Major Lyman is recognized as the founder of Potter County. He was paid $10 for each settler he convinced to move to Potter County. He built his home in 1809 in nearby Lymansville, now known as Ladona, just east of Coudersport along Rt. 6. Major Lyman also built the first road to cross Potter County and Potter County's first sawmill and gristmill.
Lyman had a colorful personal history. After the death in childbirth of his first wife, Sally Edgecombe, he remarried; later, he left his second wife and started a third family in Potter County. The second Mrs. Lyman was determined not to suffer on her own. She sought out the major, travelling from Bolton Landing, New York, to Potter County with the help of their son, Burrell, who was 18 at the time. Major Lyman lived with these two families in Potter County. Historical accounts of the living situation vary. Some say that Lyman kept both wives under one roof. Others state that two log homes for the families were on the same piece of property. Descendants of Major Lyman's three families still live and work in Potter County.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (0.02%) is covered by water.
Three major watersheds meet, forming a triple divide, in Potter County: Chesapeake Bay, St. Lawrence River, and Mississippi River. Moreover, the main stem by volume of the entire Mississippi river system, the Allegheny River, has its source in central Potter County, near Cobb Hill.
Potter has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) and average monthly temperatures in Coudersport range from 22.0 °F in January to 66.4 °F in July.
Adjacent counties Allegany County, New York (north) Steuben County, New York (northeast) Tioga County (east) Lycoming County (southeast) Clinton County (south) Cameron County (southwest) McKean County (west)
Major highways
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Potter County, Pennsylvania – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)17,55616,57317,66017,00015,49499.04%99.14%97.68%97.38%94.50%Black or African American alone (NH)30205261430.17%0.12%0.29%0.35%0.26%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)27253732250.15%0.15%0.20%0.18%0.15%Asian alone (NH)38279045690.21%0.16%0.50%0.26%0.42%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census510xx0.03%0.01%0.00%Other race alone (NH)12081520.07%0.00%0.04%0.01%0.32%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census125136466xx0.69%0.78%2.84%Hispanic or Latino (any race)63721031812470.36%0.43%0.57%1.04%1.51%Total17,72616,71718,08017,45716,396 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 16,396. The median age was 48.6 years. 19.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 25.2% 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 99.1 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 95.2% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 3.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.5% of the population.
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 7,052 households in the county, of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.4% were married-couple households, 19.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 12,345 housing units, of which 42.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.5% were owner-occupied and 24.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.9%.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, 18,080 people, 7,005 households, and 5,001 families resided in the county. The population density was . The 12,159 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.06% White, 0.29% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. About 0.57% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race. By ancestry, 27.3% were of English, 26.9% were of German, 9.9% Irish and 5.8% Italian.
Of the 7,005 households, 31.5% had children under 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were not families. About 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.54, and the average family size was 3.02.
In Potter County, the age distribution was 26.0% under 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 94.80 males.
Politics and government
Politics and elections Potter County is one of the most Republican counties in Pennsylvania. In 2004, George W. Bush received 5,640 votes (71%) to 2,268 votes (29%) for John Kerry. The county has voted for the Republican in every presidential election since 1964. In 2006, Rick Santorum received 3,476 votes (63%) to 2,012 votes (37%) for Bob Casey, Jr., making it Santorum's strongest county in his defeat. Lynn Swann also received more than 60% of the Potter County vote in his defeat. In 2016, Donald Trump and Pat Toomey were overwhelmingly elected in Potter County for the U.S. presidential election and U.S. Senate election, respectively. Trump won 80.31% of the vote over Hillary Clinton, while Toomey won 77.79% of the vote over Katie McGinty. In the 2016 state attorney general race, John Rafferty won 79.15% of the vote.
Voter registration As of February 21, 2022, there are 10,961 registered voters in Potter County.
Democratic: 2,093 (19.09%) Republican: 7,622 (69.54%) Independent: 915 (8.35%) Third Party: 331 (3.02%)
State Senate Cris Dush, Republican, Pennsylvania's 25th Senatorial District
State House of Representatives Source: Martin T. Causer, Republican, Pennsylvania's 67th Representative District Clinton D. Owlett, Republican, Pennsylvania's 68th Representative District
United States House of Representatives Glenn Thompson, Republican, Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district
United States Senate John Fetterman, Democrat Dave McCormick, Republican
Local government Potter County constitutes Judicial District 55 in the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. The Court of Common Pleas for District 55 is located in Coudersport, and staffed by a single judge, President Judge Stephen P.B. Minor. Since about 2001, Potter County's Court of Common Pleas has become a center for filing no-fault divorces in Pennsylvania, most of which do not involve any Potter County residents. Under Pennsylvania's unusual venue rules, divorce cases involving a Pennsylvania resident may be filed anywhere in the state so long as neither party objects. As of 2009, the over 6,000 divorces filed per year in Potter County raised several hundred thousand dollars in revenue for the county's general fund.
all areas in the county use the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) in a law enforcement capacity, either with part-time police departments or with no other police departments.
Education
Public school districts School districts include: - Text list Austin Area School District Coudersport Area School District Galeton Area School District (also in Tioga County) Keystone Central School District (also in Clinton County) Northern Potter School District Oswayo Valley School District (also in McKean County) Port Allegany School District (also in McKean County)
Private schools Chestnut Ridge School, Genesee, grades 1–8 Hebron Center Christian School, Coudersport, prekindergarten – grade 12 Meadow View School, Genesee, grades 1–8 Musto Hollow Amish School, Genesee, grades 1–8 Penn-York Camp and Retreat Center, Ulysses Ulysses Amish School, Ulysses, grades 1–8 List from National Center for Education Statisticsies, National Center for Education Statistics, US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, Private School Universe Survey 2008
Libraries Coudersport Public Library Galeton Public Library Genesee Area Library Oswayo Valley Memorial Library, Shinglehouse Ulysses Library Association Potter-Tioga County Library System, Coudersport
Pennsylvania EdNA – Educational Entities, 2013
Recreation
Potter County is home to 8 state parks and many more acres of state forest and gamelands. Cherry Springs State Park Denton Hill State Park Lyman Run State Park Ole Bull State Park Patterson State Park Prouty Place State Park Sinnemahoning State Park parts in Cameron County Sizerville State Park parts in Cameron County The county is also the location of the annual "God's Country Marathon" race between Galeton and Coudersport.
Communities
Under Pennsylvania law, the four types of incorporated municipalities are cities, boroughs, townships, and in at most two cases, towns. These boroughs and townships are located in Potter County:
Boroughs Austin Coudersport (county seat) Galeton Oswayo Shinglehouse Ulysses
Townships
Abbott Allegany Bingham Clara Eulalia Genesee Harrison Hebron Hector Homer Keating Oswayo Pike Pleasant Valley Portage Roulette Sharon Stewardson Summit Sweden Sylvania Ulysses West Branch Wharton
Census-designated places Roulette Sweden Valley
Unincorporated communities Cross Fork East Fork Road Elmer Mills Oleona
Road district (defunct) East Fork Road was a former district that dissolved on January 1, 2004. The district contained only one road and 14 residents, with almost all of the district's land claimed as part of the Susquehannock State Forest. The territory that constituted the East Fork Road District is now the eastern half of Wharton Township.
Population ranking The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Potter County.
† county seat
RankCity/town/etc.Municipal typePopulation (2010 Census) 1† Coudersport Borough 2,546 2 Galeton Borough 1,149 3 Shinglehouse Borough 1,127 4 Roulette CDP 779 5 Ulysses Borough 621 6 Austin Borough 562 7 Sweden Valley CDP 223 8 Oswayo Borough 139
See also Austin Dam (until 1911 failure, and afterward until 1942 failure) (in Pennsylvania in the US) National Register of Historic Places listings in Potter County, Pennsylvania
References
External links Official website PotterCountyPa.net Open Access edition of Victor L. Beebe's 1934 History of Potter County Pennsylvania at the Penn State University Library website