Bedford

Formed March 9, 1771 (9^th county)

Bedford County (47,573), Bedford (2,869)

The Greek Revival red brick courthouse in Bedford was constructed in 1828.  The courthouse is located on Juliana Street at Penn Street.  United States Highway 220 is two blocks to the east of the location.  Solomon Filler provided the courthouse designs.  The county was organized on March 9, 1771 from Cumberland County as the 9^th county and Bedford has always been the county seat.  Two Annexes support the courthouse.  There was a 1774 courthouse previously.  Bedford County and its county seat are named for the Duke of Bedford. 

Bedford County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Three Common Pleas Court Judges and Four Magistrate Court Judges serve Bedford County.  The county is located on the southwest border with Maryland.  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is northwest and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is northeast of the county.  The county center is 2.7 miles East-Northeast of Bedford.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Blair, Huntingdon, and Fulton counties and Maryland and Somerset and Cambria counties. 

The area of the county is 1015 square miles.  It is 10 out of 67 in the state.  It ranks 45 out of 67 in population in the state.  It has a density of 46.9 persons per square mile making it 56 out of 67 in the state.  Bedford County has 17.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 70 enters the county from the east, Fulton County, and exits to the west, Somerset County.  Interstate Highway 76 comes from the east, Fulton County, and joins Interstate Highway 70 into Somerset County.  Interstate Highway 99 comes from Blair County, north, and terminates.  United States Highway 30 parallels Interstate Highway 76 from Fulton to Somerset counties.  United States Highway 220 is joined with Interstate Highway 99 from Blair County, splits and continues south into Maryland.  The county resembles a tree stump leaning toward the east.  The City of Bedford is located near the center of the county.  Bedford is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 6.0% of the county population.

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