Adams County, Pennsylvania


Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,407. Its county seat is Gettysburg. The county was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County, and was named for the second President of the United States, John Adams. On July 1–3, 1863, the area around Gettysburg was the site of the pivotal battle of the American Civil War, and as a result is a center for Civil War tourism.
Adams County comprises the Gettysburg, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Harrisburg-York-Lebanon, PA Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The Borough of Gettysburg is located at the center of Adams County. This county seat community is surrounded on three sides by the Gettysburg National Military Park. The Eisenhower National Historic Site adjoins GNMP on its southwest edge. Most of Adams County's rural landscapes and its mid-19th century roadway pattern remain intact today. Thirteen historic roadways converge at or near Gettysburg Borough. Two circular rings of towns surround Gettysburg; the first is typically found at a distance of about from Gettysburg. The second ring is found at a distance of 12 to from the County Seat. This "spokes and wheel" pattern is one of the few examples of Central Place Theory in the Eastern United States.
The county is in the watershed of the Chesapeake Bay and is drained by the Susquehanna and Potomac Rivers.

Adjacent counties

Adams has a hot-summer humid continental climate.

Government

Commissioners

Adams County is administered by a three-person Board of Commissioners, who serve four-year terms. Elections occur in the odd-numbered years that precede U.S. Presidential elections, with the next election falling in 2019. All three Commissioners are chosen in the same election, and voters may vote for no more than two of the candidates. The Commissioners are responsible for the management of the fiscal and administrative functions of the county.
OfficialPartyTerm ends
Randy PhielRepublican2019
Jim MartinRepublican2019
Marty QuallyDemocratic2019

Elected County Officials

As of the November 2017 election:
OfficeOfficialPartyTerm ends
Clerk of CourtsKelly A. LawverRepublican2019
ControllerSteve RennerRepublican2019
CoronerPatricia FelixRepublican2019
TreasurerChrissy ReddingRepublican2021
District AttorneyBrian SinnettRepublican2019
ProthonotaryBeverly BoydRepublican2019
Recorder of Deeds and Register of WillsKaren HeflinRepublican2019
SheriffJames W. MullerRepublican2021

Politics

Presidential politics
Adams is a consistently Republican County. In 2016 Donald Trump carried the county with 65.5% of the vote to Hillary Clinton's 29.6%. No Democratic presidential candidate has won Adams County since Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 landslide.
Adams County is staunchly Republican; the last Democratic Presidential candidate to carry the county was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, and it has gone blue only three times in the last 100 years.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Adams County consists of two Pennsylvania House Districts. The 91st district is exclusively in Adams County, comprising the southern and middle parts of the county, including Gettysburg. The 193rd District spans into Cumberland County to the north.
DistrictRepresentativeParty
91Dan MoulRepublican
193Torren EckerRepublican

Pennsylvania Senate

Adams County is entirely contained within the 33rd Senatorial District, which also includes parts of York and Franklin Counties.
DistrictRepresentativeParty
33Douglas V. MastrianoRepublican

United States House of Representatives

From 2012 until 2018, Adams County was part of the 4th Congressional District until the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the Commonwealth's Congressional Districts constituted an illegal partisan Gerrymander. As a result, Adams County was moved from the 4th District to the 13th Congressional District and elected a new Representative in the 2018 election.
DistrictRepresentativeParty
13John JoyceRepublican

United States Senate

As of November 7, 2017 there was 65,225 registered voters in the county. Republicans hold a majority of the voters. There was 35,686 registered Republicans, 19,164 registered Democrats, 9,806 voters registered to other parties, 468 to the Libertarian Party and 101 voters registered to the Green Party.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 101,407 people, 33,652 households, and 24,767 families in the county. The population density was 194 people per square mile. There were 35,831 housing units at an average density of 69 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 95.39% White, 1.21% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.71% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. 3.64% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 42.7% were of German, 14.1% American, 8.5% Irish and 7.1% English ancestry. 95.0% spoke English and 3.6% Spanish as their first language.
There were 33,652 households, of which 33.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.10% were married couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 21.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.02.
The county population was spread out with 24.90% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 28.90% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males. Adams County is one of two counties in Pennsylvania where Latter-Day Saints make up 1% of the population.
;Birth rate
Per the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Adams County's live birth rate was 1,132 births in 1990. The County's live birth rate in 2000 was 1,048 births, while in 2011 it had declined to 1,039 babies. Over the past 50 years, rural Pennsylvania saw a steady decline in both the number and proportion of residents under 18 years old. In 1960, 1.06 million rural residents, or 35 percent of the rural population, were children.
;Teen pregnancy rate
Adams County had 29 babies born to teens in 2011. In 2014, the number of teen births in Adams County was 27.
;County poverty demographics
According to research by The Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a legislative Agency of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the poverty rate for Adams County was 10.8% in 2014. The statewide poverty rate was 13.6% in 2014. The 2012 childhood poverty rate by school district was: Bermudian Springs School District – 32.4% living at 185% or below than the Federal Poverty Level, Conewago Valley School District – 37.3%, Fairfield Area School District – 19.5%, Gettysburg Area School District – 42.3%, Littlestown Area School District – 32.1%, and Upper Adams School District – 45.5%.

Metropolitan and Combined Statistical Area

The US OMB has designated Adams County as the Gettysburg, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2010 census the metropolitan area population of 101,407 ranked 19th most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 349th most populous in the United States. Adams County is also a part of the larger Harrisburg-York-Lebanon, PA Combined Statistical Area , which combines the populations of Adams County with those of Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon, Perry and York Counties in Pennsylvania. The Combined Statistical Area ranked 5th in the State of Pennsylvania and 43rd most populous in the United States with a population of 1,219,422.

Education

Colleges and universities

The 496 school districts of Pennsylvania that operate high schools were ranked for student academic achievement, as demonstrated by three years of math, reading, writing and science PSSA results.

Public charter schools

County residents may apply to attend any of the Commonwealth's 14 public, cyber charter schools at no additional cost to the parents.

Private schools

As reported by Pennsylvania Department of Education April 2015
Lincoln Intermediate Unit region includes: Adams, Franklin, and York Counties. The agency offers school districts, home schooled students and private schools many services including: Special education services, combined purchasing, and instructional technology services. It runs Summer Academy which offers both art and academic strands designed to meet the needs of gifted, talented and high achieving students. Additional services include: Curriculum Mapping, Professional Development for school employees, Adult Education, Nonpublic School Services, Business Services, Migrant & ESL, Instructional Services, Special Education, Management Services, and Technology Services. It provides a GED program for adults to earn a high school diploma, and offers literacy programs. The Lincoln Intermediate Unit is governed by a 13-member Board of Directors, each a member of a local school board from the 25 school districts. Board members are elected by school directors of all 25 school districts for three-year terms that begin July 1. There are 29 intermediate units in Pennsylvania. They are funded by school districts, state and federal program specific funding and grants; they do not have the power to tax.

Libraries

Air

There are currently no scheduled commercial flights into Adams County. The nearest airports with regular commercial service are in Hagerstown, Maryland, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Bus

Public bus service in Adams County is available through the Adams County Transit Authority.

Major Highways

Recreation

Recreational areas of Adams County include
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 Adams County, as well as unincorporated areas and CDPs:

Boroughs

s are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data, but are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Adams County.
† county seat
RankCity/Town/etc.Population Municipal typeIncorporated
1† Gettysburg7,620Borough1806
2Littlestown4,434Borough1864
3Carroll Valley3,876Borough1974
4McSherrystown3,038Borough1882
5Lake Meade2,563CDP
6Midway2,125CDP
7Bonneauville1,800Borough1961
8New Oxford1,783Borough1874
9East Berlin1,521Borough1879
10Lake Heritage1,333CDP
11Biglerville1,200Borough1903
12Abbottstown1,011Borough1835
13Arendtsville952Borough1896
14York Springs833Borough1868
15Heidlersburg707CDP
16Bendersville641Borough1866
17Hampton632CDP
18Hunterstown547CDP
19Fairfield507Borough1896
20Cashtown459CDP
21Aspers350CDP
22McKnightstown226CDP
23Idaville177CDP
24Orrtanna173CDP
25Gardners150CDP
26Table Rock62CDP
27Floradale38CDP

Notable people