Montour County Cooperative Extension -

Montour County Information

Situated in the east-central section of the state, Montour County is the second smallest county in the Commonwealth. It comprises two boroughs and nine townships.

Penn State Cooperative Extension in Montour County is part of the Central Susquehanna Unit which comprises Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union Counties. Located on Woodbine Lane in Danville, the office staff provides program leadership to the mulit-county for economic and community development, non-traditional and at risk youth and family programs.

The county is a semi-agricultural region with slightly over 50% in crops and pasture lands and 36% in woodlands. Manufacturing is the major industry, and health care services employ a considerable portion of the population in and around the county.

The county’s name is derived from Madame Catherine Montour who grew up as an Indian and married one retaining her own name of Montour. She was fluent in English, French and several Indian dialects and acted as an interpreter between Indians and white settlers. She was probably influential in negotiating several peace treaties between Indian tribes and white settlers.

During those early days, Montour County was part of a then much larger Northumberland County. In 1850, the area was divided, and Montour County became a separate administrative entity with Danville the county seat.

The North Branch Canal opened in 1831 and gave the area access to the outside world by a circuitous route down the Susquehanna River, across the Chesapeake Bay, up the Delaware with the boats finally mooring in New York Harbor. The canal system provided transportation for shipping coal, iron ore, manufactured iron products, pig iron, lumber, limestone, bricks, salt and foodstuffs.

The development of iron mills led to Danville’s contribution to American expansion with the manufacture of hundreds of thousands of T-rails used in the construction of railroads which brought about the decline of the canal system so recently developed. Iron furnaces and mills, the wave of immigration, construction of the canal system and then railroads all contributed to Danville’s development into an important iron manufacturing center and brought much wealth to the community.

The iron industries slowly declined in the last years of the 19th century. Today, Montour County remains stable in population and economy, with the development of a number of diverse industries and branches of national manufacturing corporations. It is the home of Penn State Geisinger Medical Center, a multi-specialty health care center serving many counties.

Need some stats for your county? Check out these resources.

Government information site on demographics, economics, and educational information:
http://govinfo.library.orst.edu/

US Census Bureau
United States Department of Commerce

To find timely, relevant, and quality data about the people and economy of the United States, click here:
http://www.census.gov/

USDA Home Page:
http://www.usda.gov/




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Montour County Information Situated in the east-central section of the state, Montour County is the second smallest county in the Commonwealth. It comprises two boroughs and nine townships. Penn State Cooperative Extension in Montour County is part of the Central Susquehanna Unit which comprises Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union Counties. Located on Woodbine Lane in Danville, the office staff provides program leadership to the mulit-county for economic and community development, non-traditional and at risk youth and family programs. The county is a semi-agricultural region with slightly over 50% in crops and pasture lands and 36% in woodlands. Manufacturing is the major industry, and health care services employ a considerable portion of the population in and around the county. The county’s name is derived from Madame Catherine Montour who grew up as an Indian and married one retaining her own name of Montour. She was fluent in English, French and several Indian dialects and acted as an interpreter between Indians and white settlers. She was probably influential in negotiating several peace treaties between Indian tribes and white settlers. During those early days, Montour County was part of a then much larger Northumberland County. In 1850, the area was divided, and Montour County became a separate administrative entity with Danville the county seat. The North Branch Canal opened in 1831 and gave the area access to the outside world by a circuitous route down the Susquehanna River, across the Chesapeake Bay, up the Delaware with the boats finally mooring in New York Harbor. The canal system provided transportation for shipping coal, iron ore, manufactured iron products, pig iron, lumber, limestone, bricks, salt and foodstuffs. The development of iron mills led to Danville’s contribution to American expansion with the manufacture of hundreds of thousands of T-rails used in the construction of railroads which brought about the decline of the canal system so recently developed. Iron furnaces and mills, the wave of immigration, construction of the canal system and then railroads all contributed to Danville’s development into an important iron manufacturing center and brought much wealth to the community. The iron industries slowly declined in the last years of the 19th century. Today, Montour County remains stable in population and economy, with the development of a number of diverse industries and branches of national manufacturing corporations. It is the home of Penn State Geisinger Medical Center, a multi-specialty health care center serving many counties. Need some stats for your county? Check out these resources. Government information site on demographics, economics, and educational information: http://govinfo.library.orst.edu/ US Census Bureau United States Department of Commerce To find timely, relevant, and quality data about the people and economy of the United States, click here: http://www.census.gov/ USDA Home Page: http://www.usda.gov/
Penn State \| College of Agricultural Sciences \| Cooperative Extension & Outreach This page last updated Monday, March 25, 2002 Copyright Information This publication is available in alternative media on request. Penn State is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity University. This site is a product of Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences. Please e-mail us with your questions, comments or suggestions at MontourExt@psu.edu.