Berks County
County
Reading, the largest city in the county and fourth-largest in Pennsylvania, in October 2010
Reading, the largest city in the county and fourth-largest in Pennsylvania, in October 2010
Flag of Berks County
Flag
Official seal of Berks County
Seal
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Berks County
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Map of the United States highlighting Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°25′N 75°56′W / 40.42°N 75.93°W / 40.42; -75.93
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
FoundedMarch 11, 1752
Named forBerkshire
SeatReading
Largest cityReading
Area
 • Total866 sq mi (2,240 km2)
 • Land857 sq mi (2,220 km2)
 • Water9.2 sq mi (24 km2)  1.1%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total428,849
 • Density495/sq mi (191/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts4th, 6th, 9th
Websitewww.co.berks.pa.us
DesignatedMay 12, 1982[1]

Berks County (Pennsylvania German: Barricks Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 428,849.[2] The county seat is Reading, the fourth-most populous city in the state.[3]

The county borders Lehigh County to its north and its east, Schuylkill County to its north, Lebanon and Lancaster counties to its west, and Chester County to its south. The county is approximately 26 miles (42 km) southwest of Allentown, the state's third-largest city, and 64 miles (103 km) northwest of Philadelphia, the state's largest city.

The Schuylkill River, a 135-mile-long (217 km) tributary of the Delaware River, flows through Berks County. The county is part of the Reading, PA metropolitan statistical area (MSA), which in turn is part of the Greater Philadelphia metropolitan area known as the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD combined statistical area (CSA).

History

Reading developed during the 1740s when inhabitants of northern Lancaster County sent several petitions requesting that a separate county be established. With the help of German immigrant Conrad Weiser, the county was formed on March 11, 1752, from parts of Chester County, Lancaster County, and Philadelphia County.[4]

It was named after the English county in which William Penn's family home lay, Berkshire, which is often abbreviated to Berks. Berks County began much larger than it is today. The northwestern parts of the county went to the founding of Northumberland County in 1772 and Schuylkill County in 1811, when it reached its current size.

In 2005, Berks County was added to the Delaware Valley Planning Area due to a fast-growing population and close proximity to the other communities.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 866 square miles (2,240 km2), 857 square miles (2,220 km2) of which is land and 9.2 square miles (24 km2) (1.1%) of which is water.[5]

Most of the county is drained by the Schuylkill River, but an area in the northeast is drained by the Lehigh River via the Little Lehigh Creek and areas are drained by the Susquehanna River via the Swatara Creek in the northwest and the Conestoga River, which starts in Berks County between Morgantown and Elverson in the county's extreme south. It has a humid continental climate (Dfa except for some Dfb on Blue Mountain at the northern boundary.) The hardiness zone is mostly 7a with 6b in some higher northern and eastern areas.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

State protected area

Major roads and highways

I-78/US Route 22 eastbound in Berks County

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
179030,189—
180032,4077.3%
181043,14633.1%
182046,2757.3%
183053,15214.9%
184064,56921.5%
185077,12919.5%
186093,81821.6%
1870106,70113.7%
1880122,59714.9%
1890137,32712.0%
1900159,61516.2%
1910183,22214.8%
1920200,8549.6%
1930231,71715.4%
1940241,8844.4%
1950255,7405.7%
1960275,4147.7%
1970296,3827.6%
1980312,5095.4%
1990336,5237.7%
2000373,63811.0%
2010411,44210.1%
2020428,8494.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8]
1990–2000[9] 2010–2019[2]

As of the 2010 census, the county was 76.9% White non-Hispanic, 4.9% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.3% Asian, and 2.5% were two or more races. 16.4% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.[10] Historically there is a large Pennsylvania Dutch population. It is known as part of Pennsylvania Dutch Country. More recently there is a large Puerto Rican population centered in the city of Reading. There were 411,442 people, 154,356 households, and 106,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 479 inhabitants per square mile (185/km2). There were 164,827 housing units at an average density of 191.9 per square mile (74.1/km2).

According to Muninet Guide's 2010 analysis, the median household income for Berks County is $54,105.

There were 154,356 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.1 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males.

Berks County is home to an Old Order Mennonite community consisting of about 160 families, located in the East Penn Valley near Kutztown and Fleetwood.[11] The Old Order Mennonites first bought land in the area in 1949.[12] In 2012, Old Order Mennonites bought two large farms in the Oley Valley. The Old Order Mennonites in the area belong to the Groffdale Conference Mennonite Church and use the horse and buggy as transportation. There are several farms in the area belonging to the Old Order Mennonite community and meetinghouses are located near Kutztown and Fleetwood.[13]

2020 census

Berks County Racial Composition[14]
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 291,258 68%
Black or African American (NH) 18,087 4.22%
Native American (NH) 450 0.1%
Asian (NH) 6,225 1.5%
Pacific Islander (NH) 61 0.01%
Other/Mixed (NH) 13,218 3.1%
Hispanic or Latino 99,550 23.21%

Metropolitan and Combined Statistical Area

Location of Berks County in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA

The Office of Management and Budget[15] has designated Berks County as the Reading, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2010 U.S. census[16] the metropolitan area is the 10th-most populous in Pennsylvania and the 128th-most populous in the U.S. with a population of 413,491.

Berks County is part of the larger Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD Combined Statistical Area (CSA), the largest in Pennsylvania and eighth-most populous in the nation with a population of 7,067,807.

Government

Berks County Courthouse in Reading

State Senate

State House of Representatives

U.S. House of Representatives

Politics

As of September 21, 2023 there were 253,186 registered voters in Berks County.[18]

As of 2023, the Republican Party maintained a total registration edge over Democrats in Berks County. At the top of the Pennsylvania ticket in November 2022, Berks County split its votes, supporting Democrat Josh Shapiro for governor and Republican Mehmet Oz for U.S. Senate.

United States presidential election results for Berks County, Pennsylvania[19]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 109,926 53.22% 93,116 45.08% 3,511 1.70%
2016 96,626 52.49% 78,437 42.61% 9,022 4.90%
2012 84,702 49.63% 83,011 48.64% 2,963 1.74%
2008 80,513 44.60% 97,047 53.76% 2,951 1.63%
2004 87,122 52.97% 76,309 46.39% 1,056 0.64%
2000 71,273 52.68% 59,150 43.72% 4,874 3.60%
1996 56,289 46.25% 49,887 40.99% 15,542 12.77%
1992 52,939 40.29% 46,031 35.03% 32,437 24.68%
1988 70,153 62.39% 41,040 36.50% 1,251 1.11%
1984 74,605 65.94% 37,849 33.45% 691 0.61%
1980 60,576 56.41% 36,449 33.94% 10,360 9.65%
1976 54,452 50.63% 50,994 47.41% 2,107 1.96%
1972 66,172 62.35% 36,563 34.45% 3,392 3.20%
1968 50,623 46.48% 49,877 45.79% 8,424 7.73%
1964 36,726 33.19% 73,444 66.38% 476 0.43%
1960 61,743 54.78% 50,572 44.87% 391 0.35%
1956 57,258 57.30% 42,349 42.38% 320 0.32%
1952 51,720 52.42% 45,874 46.49% 1,074 1.09%
1948 35,608 43.57% 43,075 52.71% 3,043 3.72%
1944 35,274 43.33% 43,889 53.91% 2,247 2.76%
1940 32,111 36.93% 53,301 61.31% 1,530 1.76%
1936 26,699 30.23% 56,907 64.43% 4,721 5.34%
1932 27,073 37.07% 29,763 40.76% 16,187 22.17%
1928 47,073 64.03% 18,960 25.79% 7,481 10.18%
1924 28,186 51.35% 17,220 31.37% 9,487 17.28%
1920 22,221 47.69% 18,361 39.41% 6,009 12.90%
1916 11,937 34.33% 19,267 55.41% 3,565 10.25%
1912 3,032 8.77% 16,430 47.54% 15,098 43.69%
1908 13,642 41.01% 17,381 52.25% 2,245 6.75%
1904 15,539 46.28% 16,357 48.71% 1,683 5.01%
1900 13,952 41.53% 19,013 56.60% 628 1.87%
1896 14,318 43.28% 18,099 54.71% 665 2.01%
1892 10,077 34.76% 18,602 64.16% 312 1.08%
1888 10,626 36.65% 18,105 62.45% 261 0.90%
1884 9,587 36.46% 16,484 62.68% 226 0.86%
1880 9,225 34.99% 16,959 64.32% 181 0.69%

The first time since 1964 that a Democrat carried Berks in a Presidential election occurred in 2008, with Barack Obama receiving 53.9% of the vote to John McCain's 44.7%. The other three statewide winners (Rob McCord for treasurer, Jack Wagner for auditor general, and Tom Corbett for attorney general) also carried it.[20] While Republicans have controlled the commissioner majority most of the time and continue to control most county row offices, Democrats have become more competitive in Berks in recent years. In the 2012 Presidential election, Mitt Romney carried the county by approximately a one-percent margin, 49.6% to 48.6%, however, in 2016, Donald Trump carried Berks by a much larger margin of 52.9% to 42.7%.[21]

Chart of Voter Registration

  Republican (42.53%)
  Democratic (41.36%)
  Independent (11.78%)
  Other Parties (4.32%)

Education

Colleges and universities

Public school districts

Map of Berks County's public school districts

School districts include:[22]

Private high schools

Technical and trade schools

  • Berks Technical Institute
  • Pace Institute
  • Reading Hospital School of Nursing
  • Berks Career and Technology Center (east campus in Oley, west campus in Leesport)

Arts and culture

Reading Public Museum in Reading is an art, science, and history museum.

The Reading Buccaneers Drum and Bugle Corps are an all-age drum corps based in Berks County. Founded in 1957, the corps is a charter member Drum Corps Associates and an 11-time DCA World Champion.

Reading is home to Berks Opera Company, founded in 2007 as Berks Opera Workshop.

There are two Pennsylvania state parks and one natural area in Berks County.

There are two Pennsylvania Historic Sites in Berks County.

The Old Morlatton Village in Douglassville is maintained by the Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County. The village is composed of four historic structures: White Horse Inn, George Douglass Mansion, Bridge keeper's House, and the Mouns Jones House, constructed in 1716, which is the oldest recorded building in the county.[24]

West Reading in home to the annual Art on the Avenue, which reached its 25th year in 2019.[25]

Media

Berks County is home to several media outlets, including:

  • Berks Community Television (BCTV)[26]
  • Reading Eagle, the daily newspaper, based in Reading and founded in 1867
  • WEEU (830 AM), a radio station broadcasting news and conservative talk shows
  • WFMZ-TV, an Allentown-based news channel that covers the region
  • WRFY-FM (102.5 FM "Y102"), a commercial radio station licensed to serve Reading

Communities

Map of Berks County with municipal labels showing cities and boroughs (in red), townships (in white), and census-designated places (in blue)

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Berks County:

City

Boroughs

Townships

A farm in Windsor Township in January 2008

Census-designated places

Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.

Unincorporated communities

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Berks County.[16]

† county seat

CDP=census designated population

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 † Reading City 88,082
2 Wyomissing Borough 10,461
3 Blandon CDP 7,152
4 Shillington Borough 5,273
5 Birdsboro Borough 5,163
6 Kutztown Borough 5,012
7 Whitfield CDP 4,733
8 Hamburg Borough 4,289
9 Lorane CDP 4,236
10 Pennside CDP 4,215
11 West Reading Borough 4,212
12 Reiffton CDP 4,178
13 Fleetwood Borough 4,085
14 Boyertown Borough 4,055
15 Sinking Spring Borough 4,008
16 Laureldale Borough 3,911
17 West Wyomissing CDP 3,407
18 Amity Gardens CDP 3,402
19 Jacksonwald CDP 3,393
20 Riverview Park CDP 3,380
21 Mount Penn Borough 3,106
22 Mohnton Borough 3,043
23 Kutztown University CDP 2,918
24 Kenhorst Borough 2,877
25 Womelsdorf Borough 2,810
26 Flying Hills CDP 2,568
27 Hyde Park CDP 2,528
28 Wernersville Borough 2,494
29 Topton Borough 2,069
30 Robesonia Borough 2,061
31 West Hamburg CDP 1,979
32 Leesport Borough 1,918
33 Temple CDP 1,877
34 St. Lawrence Borough 1,809
35 West Lawn CDP 1,715
36 Fox Chase CDP 1,622
37 Lincoln Park CDP 1,615
38 Grill CDP 1,468
39 South Temple CDP 1,424
40 Muhlenberg Park CDP 1,420
41 Shoemakersville Borough 1,378
42 New Berlinville CDP 1,368
43 Oley CDP 1,282
44 Greenfields CDP 1,170
45 Alleghenyville CDP 1,134
46 Bally Borough 1,090
47 Colony Park CDP 1,076
48 Stony Creek Mills CDP 1,045
49 Spring Ridge CDP 1,003
50 Bernville Borough 955
51 Bechtelsville Borough 942
52 Hereford CDP 930
53 Dauberville CDP 848
54 Morgantown CDP 826
55 Pennwyn CDP 780
56 Springmont CDP 724
57 Edenburg CDP 681
58 Gibraltar CDP 680
59 Mertztown CDP 664
60 New Jerusalem CDP 649
61 Montrose Manor CDP 604
62 Stouchsburg CDP 600
63 Gouglersville CDP 548
64 Bethel CDP 499
65 Walnuttown CDP 484
T-66 Lyons Borough 478
T-66 Alsace Manor CDP 478
67 Shartlesville CDP 455
68 Douglassville CDP 448
69 Baumstown CDP 422
70 Dryville CDP 398
71 Centerport Borough 387
72 Mohrsville CDP 383
73 Frystown CDP 380
74 Mount Aetna CDP 354
75 Strausstown Borough 342
76 Bowers CDP 326
77 Rehrersburg CDP 319
78 Virginville CDP 309
79 Schubert CDP 249
80 New Schaefferstown CDP 223
81 Kempton CDP 169
82 Lenhartsville Borough 165
83 New Morgan Borough 71

Notable people

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "PHMC Historical Markers Search". Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on March 21, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 3, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ↑ The Statutes at Large of Pennsylvania from 1682-1809, 18 vols. (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Wm. Stanley Ray, 1898), vol. 5 1744-1759, pages 133-140, 502-503, Chapter CCCXCII, "An Act for Erecting Part of the Counties Of Philadelphia, Chester and Lancaster into a Separate County," March 11, 1752, confirmed by the King in Council, May 10, 1753, creation of Berks County, digital images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org : July 26, 2018).
  5. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  8. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 24, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Census 2010: Pennsylvania". USA Today.
  11. ↑ Orth, Richard L.T. (August 23, 2018). "A Look Back in History Mennonite Plain Dutch families call Kutztown area home". BerksMont News. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  12. ↑ Shaner, Richard (July 24, 2009). "Kutztown welcomes Old Order Mennonites in 1949". BerksMont News. Archived from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  13. ↑ Orth, Richard L.T. (September 21, 2016). "A Look Back in History: The Old Order Mennonite Sect at Kutztown also preserving the Historic Oley Valley". BerksMont News. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  14. ↑ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Berks County, Pennsylvania".
  15. ↑ "Office of Management and Budget". February 7, 2017.
  16. 1 2 "Decennial Census by Decades". Archived from the original on December 6, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  17. 1 2 Center, Legislativate Data Processing. "Find Your Legislator". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  18. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State (July 17, 2023). "Voter registration statistics by county". dos.pa.gov. Retrieved July 20, 2023. dos.pa.gov
  19. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.
  20. ↑ "2008 General Election - Pennsylvania Department of State - Elections Info". electionreturns.state.pa.us. Archived from the original on November 16, 2012.
  21. ↑ "Election Results". Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  22. ↑ "2020 census - school district reference map: Berks County, PA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2022. - Text list
  23. ↑ Article title
  24. ↑ "Historic Preservation Trust of Berks County – Dedicated to Preserving Berks County Properties". historicpreservationtrust.org.
  25. ↑ "Art on the Avenue 2018 Photos". BerksLuxury.com. June 16, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  26. ↑ Community Television Review. National Federation of Local Cable Programmers. 1986. p. 23.
  27. ↑ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
  28. ↑ "Reading Eagle". readingeagle.
  29. ↑ Montgomery, Morton L. Historical Sketch of Reading Artillerists: Read Upon the Occasion of Their 102d Anniversary in Metropolitan Hall, May 25, 1896. Chicago, Illinois: J.E. Norton & Company, 1897. OCLC 16413450
  30. ↑ Montgomery, Morton L. History of Berks County in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Everts, Peck & Richards, 1886. OCLC 11333191
  31. ↑ "Tolleson, Arizona". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  32. ↑ "Sands, William", in "Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War (S-Z):. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Army Center of Military History, retrieved online October 6, 2018.

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