Fulton County, Pennsylvania

U.S. County|

 county  = Fulton County|
 state = Pennsylvania |
 seal =  |
 map = Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Fulton County.svg |
 map size = 225|

founded = April 19, 1851| seat = McConnellsburg | area = 1,134 km² (438 mi²) |

 area land  = 1,133 km² (438 mi²) |
 area water = 1 km² (0 mi²) |
 area percentage = 0.11% |
 census yr = 2000|
 pop = 14,261 |
 density = 13|

web = fulton.sapdc.org|}}

Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2000, the population is 14,261.

Fulton County was created on April 19, 1851 from part of Bedford County and named for inventor Robert Fulton.

Its county seat is McConnellsburg ⁶.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,134 km² (438 mi²). 1,133 km² (438 mi²) of it is land and 1 km² (0 mi²) of it (0.11%) is water.

Adjacent counties

*Huntingdon County (north)
*Franklin County (east)
*Washington County, Maryland (south)
*Allegany County, Maryland (southwest)
*Bedford County (west)

Geology

Fulton County is situated within the Ridge and Valley Physiographic Province, which is characterized by folded and faulted sedimentary rocks of early to middle Paleozoic age. (PA Geologic Survey Map 13)

The stratigraphic record of sedimentary rocks within the county spans from the Cambrian Shadygrove Formation outcropping just south of McConnelsburg to the Pennsylvanian Allegheny Group at the northernmost tip of the county. No igneous or metamorphic rocks of any kind exist within the county.

Town Hill and Sideling Hill, and the Meadow Grounds are synclines that trend to the northeast, and are held up by the Mississippian Pocono Formation, made of quartz sandstone and conglomerate. Broad Top, located in the northeast corner of the county, is a plateau of relatively flat-lying rocks that are stratigraphically higher, and thus younger (Mississippian and Pennsylvanian), than most of the other rocks within the county. Broad Top extends into Huntingdon County to the north and Bedford County to the west.

All of Fulton County lies far to the south of the glacial boundary, and thus it was never glaciated (PA Geologic Survey Map 59). However, during the Pleistocene epoch, or "Ice Age," periglacial (meaning "around glacier" or simply "cold") processes dominated. Most of the county was most likely a tundra at this time. The many boulder fields obvious as rocky and often treeless areas on mountainsides within the county formed as a result of seasonal freeze-thaw cycles during this time.

The Broad Top Coal Field is located in Wells Township in the northwestern corner of the county (PA Geologic Survey Map 11). The field contains bituminous coal. There are a few abandoned mines in the area, although acid mine drainage is not as much of an environmental problem in Fulton County as it is in adjacent Bedford and Huntingdon Counties. [1].

Interesting geologic features within Fulton County include some of the following:
* The Meadow Grounds syncline west of McConnellsburg.
* A transpression structure is located on the east side of the Meadow Grounds syncline. This structure consists of a complex set of up-thrust fault blocks of Silurian and Devonian rocks bounded on all sides by north-trending faults.

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 14,261 people, 5,660 households, and 4,097 families residing in the county. The population density was 13/km² (33/mi²). There were 6,790 housing units at an average density of 6/km² (16/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.25% White, 0.66% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.04% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 0.36% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,660 households out of which 31.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.60 males.

Map of Fulton County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing Boroughs (red) and Townships (white).