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27-558: Jacks Mountain lies in Mifflin , Huntingdon , Snyder , and Union Counties, and the ridge line forms part of the border between Huntingdon and Mifflin Counties. This mountain was named for Jack Armstrong, an eighteenth-century fur trader . During the autumn of 1743, Armstrong confiscated the horse of Mushemeelin, a Delaware Indian from Shamokin who was in debt to Armstrong. Mushemeelin and two Delaware companions tracked Armstrong to

54-526: A major divided highway, connects the county to the rest of the state on its route between Harrisburg and State College . US Route 522 also connects the county to the rest of the state on its route between Selinsgrove and Mount Union . The county has a humid continental climate ( Dfa / Dfb ) and average temperatures in downtown Lewistown range from 27.8 °F in January to 72.7 °F in July. As of

81-696: A total population of 3,905 people (in 30 congregations) in 2017, or 8.5% of the county's population. The dominant form of speech in Mifflin County is the Central Pennsylvania accent . Almost everyone in Mifflin County speaks English. The Amish and some Mennonites speak Pennsylvania German , also known as Pennsylvania Dutch, a West Central German dialect, which is quite different from modern Standard German . The Amish and Mennonites also can speak English. Few non-Amish or Mennonites in Mifflin County today speak Pennsylvania German, but this

108-726: Is located on the west side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Province extends from southeastern New York in the north through northwestern New Jersey , westward into Pennsylvania through the Lehigh Valley , and southward into Maryland , West Virginia , Virginia , Kentucky , Tennessee , Georgia , and Alabama . They form a broad arc between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Plateau physiographic province, which includes

135-784: Is water. Mifflin County is located in, and has its boundaries defined by, the Ridge-and Valley Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania. The 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 . US Route 322 ,

162-492: The 2010 U.S. census , there were 46,682 people and 18,743 households in the county. The population density was 113.6 people per square mile (43.9 people/km ). There were 21,537 housing units at an average density of 52.4 units per square mile (20.2/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 97.53% White , 0.64% Black or African American , 0.11% Native American , 0.36% Asian , 0.01% Pacific Islander , 0.31% from other races , and 1.03% from two or more races. 1.14% of

189-604: The Allegheny and Cumberland plateaus. They are characterized by long, even ridges , with long, continuous valleys in between. The Valley and Ridge Province was formed during the Alleghanian orogeny , a mountain-building event that occurred between 325 and 260 million years ago. The rocks in the region were subjected to immense pressure and heat, causing them to deform and fold. The softer parts of these rock units (chiefly shale and limestone) were eroded to form

216-730: The Juniata River narrows and, in 1744, killed the trader and his two servants. The site was thereafter known as "Jack's Narrows". U.S. Route 22 (US 22), the William Penn Highway, and the former Pennsylvania Main Line , now the Norfolk Southern Railway 's Pittsburgh Line , follow the Juniata River through the Jacks Narrows water gap between Mapleton and Mount Union . U.S. Route 322 and

243-519: The New River , and the Potomac River , are older than the present mountains, having cut water gaps that are perpendicular to hard strata ridges. The evidence points to a wearing down of the entire region to a low level with little relief, so that major rivers were flowing in unconsolidated sediments unaffected by the underlying rock structure. The region was then uplifted slowly enough so that

270-746: The Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians , are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands division. The physiographic province is divided into three sections: the Hudson Valley, the Central, and the Tennessee. The river valleys were areas of indigenous settlements for thousands of years. In the historic period, the Cherokee people had towns along many of

297-709: The Kishacoquillas Valley-facing slopes of Jacks Mountain, forming a steep topographic bench below the Juniata Formation. Below the Bald Eagle Formation, the uppermost sandstone layer of the underlying Reedsville Formation contains brachiopods and other marine fossils . The Reedsville forms the less steep lower slope that becomes shallower toward the base of the ridge. Across the Kishacoquillas Valley, on

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324-754: The Learning Center opened a state-of-the-art science lab to be used by students attending the Lewistown Hospital School of Nursing. Mifflin County does not have a local television station but it is provided with local coverage from the following stations outside of the county from both the Harrisburg and Johnstown/Altoona markets: Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities , boroughs , townships , and, in at most two cases, towns . Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by

351-546: The US Census Bureau for the purpose of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities are listed here as well. The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Mifflin County. † county seat 40°37′N 77°37′W  /  40.61°N 77.62°W  / 40.61; -77.62 Ridge and valley The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , also called

378-479: The colonial era, including Cumberland Gap , Braddock's Road , and Forbes Road . These were later improved as America's first National Roads, including Wilderness Road , Cumberland Road , Lincoln Highway , designated as U.S. Route 40 and U.S. Route 30 in later years. Early settlers of Ohio Country tended to enter it via the Ohio River ; river systems were the most important transportation corridors. It

405-701: The county selected the Democratic Party candidate. Major employers in Mifflin County include: Most of the county is served by the Mifflin County School District , with the exception of Wayne Township and the boroughs of Newton-Hamilton and Kistler, which are part of the Mount Union Area School District . Head Start is a federally and state funded preschool program for low income children. The program serves 3- and 4-year-olds. In order to participate

432-437: The county's Northwest corner, just south of the county's border with Centre County . It measures 2,339 ft (713 m) Above sea level. The Juniata River flows northeast through the lower part of the county, exiting northeastward into Juniata County near Hawstone. The county has a total area of 415 square miles (1,070 km ), of which 411 square miles (1,060 km ) is land and 3.7 square miles (9.6 km ) (0.9%)

459-747: The family income must be below federal poverty guidelines. Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology located in Lewistown provides post high school degrees in nursing, auto mechanics and electrical services and other technology driven careers. The Lewistown branch of the South Hills School of Business and Technology offers associate degrees and other certifications in various areas of business, technology, and some health care. (Closed 2019) The Penn State Learning Center in Lewistown offers both two-year and four-year degrees. Recently,

486-666: The former Milroy Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad pass through the Mann Narrows Water Gap along the Kishacoquillas Creek near Reedsville . Just below the ridge crest lies the contact between the older Ordovician Juniata Formation on the northwest slope, and the younger more erosion resistant Silurian Tuscarora Formation geologic layer forming the steeper southeast slope and the crest. The Bald Eagle Formation crops out on

513-635: The opposite side of the Jacks Mountain anticline, the same rock layers are repeated in reverse order on the Stone Mountain ridge. Mifflin County, Pennsylvania Mifflin County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania . As of the 2020 census , the population was 46,143. Its county seat is Lewistown . The county was created on September 19, 1789, from parts of Cumberland County and Northumberland County . It

540-542: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 38.8% were of German , 19.2% American , 8.0% Irish and 7.5% English ancestry. 5.7% report speaking Pennsylvania Dutch , Dutch , or German at home. There were 18,743 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.60% were married couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.20% had someone living alone who

567-606: The rivers in western South Carolina and North Carolina, as well as on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains in present-day Tennessee. Similarly, the Catawba people occupied areas along the upper Catawba River in Western North Carolina , to the east of Cherokee County . The ridge and valley system presents an important obstacle to east–west land travel even with today's technology. It

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594-537: The valleys and the harder parts of the folds (quartzites) formed the mountain tops and ridges. The ridges represent the edges of the erosion-resistant strata, and the valleys portray the absence of the more erodible strata. Smaller streams have developed their valleys following the lines of the more easily eroded strata. A few major rivers, including the Delaware River , the Susquehanna River ,

621-460: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99. The county population contained 23.1% under the age of 18, 2.2% from 18 to 19, 5.1% from 20 to 24, 10.4% from 25 to 34, 20.1% from 35 to 49, 20.6% from 50 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. The population was 48.93% male, and 51.07% female. The Amish community in Mifflin County, established in 1791, had

648-555: Was a nearly insurmountable barrier to European-American migrants who walked or rode horses traveling west to settle the Ohio Country , and later the Northwest Territory and Oregon Country . In the era when animal power dominated transportation, there was no safe way to cross east–west in the middle of the range; crossing was only possible nearer its extremes except for a few rough passages opened mid-range during

675-748: Was difficult in the late 19th and 20th centuries to construct railroads and modern highways through this area. The eastern head of the Ridge and Valley region is marked by the Great Appalachian Valley , which lies just west of the Blue Ridge . The western side of the Ridge and Valley region is marked by steep escarpments such as the Allegheny Front , the Cumberland Mountains , and Walden Ridge . The Valley and Ridge

702-535: Was named for Thomas Mifflin , the first Governor of Pennsylvania. Mifflin County comprises the Lewistown, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area . The county is part of the Central Pennsylvania region of the state. The county terrain is formed by the folded Appalachian Mountain ridges which run from southwest to northeast across the county. The terrain slopes to the northeast, with its highest point (Broad Mtn) 1.25 miles (2.01 km) East Northeast from

729-686: Was not true in the past. The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Mifflin County as the Lewistown, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA) . As of the 2010 United States Census the micropolitan area ranked 10th most populous in the State of Pennsylvania and the 237th most populous in the United States with a population of 46,682. (as of January 2023) (as of January 2023) Mifflin County voters have been reliably Republican. In only one national election since 1940 has

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