Jefferson

Formed March 26, 1804 (39^th county)

Jefferson County (44,496), Brookville (3,994), Punxsutawney (5,766)

The red brick Italianate courthouse built in 1869 was enlarged in 1927 and renovated in 1976.  It is located on a square on Main Street at Pickering Street.  United States Highway 322 is Main Street in the town.  James W. Drum provided the courthouse designs.  Jefferson County was founded on March 26, 1804 from Lycoming County as the 39^th county with Brookville as the only county seat.  The county is named for United States President Thomas Jefferson.  The county seat is named for the confluence of two creeks. 

Jefferson County government consists of a treasurer, a sheriff, an attorney, a coroner, and a clerk (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  One Common Pleas Court Judge and Three Magistrate Court Judges serve Jefferson County (judicial.)  The county is in northwest Pennsylvania.  Erie, Pennsylvania is northwest and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is southwest of the county.  The county center is 10.3 miles East of Brookville nearer Reynoldsville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Forest, Elk, Clearfield, Indiana, Armstrong, and Clarion counties. 

The area of the county is 657 square miles.  It is 35 out of 67 in the state.  It ranks 48 out of 67 in population in the state.  It has a density of 67.7 persons per square mile making it 49 out of 67 in the state.  Jefferson County has 41.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 80 travels east to west from Clearfield County to Clarion County.  United States Highway 119 enters from Clearfield County, east, and exits into Indiana County, south.  United States Highway 219 comes from Elk County, northeast, and goes to Clearfield County, east.  United States Highway 322 parallels Interstate Highway 80 from Clearfield to Clarion counties.  The county resembles a tall coffee urn.  Brookville is in the western quarter of the county.  Punxsutawney is near the southern border of the county.  Brookville is the county seat and Punxsutawney is the largest city.  Brookville is 9.0% of the county population while Punxsutawney is 13.0% of the county population.  The largest city is pronounced PUNK-SU-TA-NEE.