Clearfield

Formed March 26, 1804 (38^th county)

Clearfield County (80,564), Clearfield (5,957), Du Bois (7,511)

The red brick Italianate courthouse was erected in 1860 and enlarged in 1883.  The courthouse is at Market and 2^nd streets.  Pennsylvania State Highway 153 is 2^nd Street in this part of town.  George Thorn provided the courthouse designs.  County Offices were added to support the courthouse.  The county was founded on March 26, 1804 from parts of Huntingdon and Lycoming counties as the 38^th county.  Clearfield County and its county seat are geographical descriptions of the area reported to be cleared by local buffalo herds.  Clearfield has always been the county seat. 

Clearfield County government consists of a treasurer, a sheriff, an attorney, a coroner, and a clerk (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Two Common Pleas Court Judges and Four Magistrate Court Judges serve Clearfield County (judicial.)  The county is in the northwest part of the state.  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is southwest and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is southeast of the county.  The county center is 9.8 miles Southwest of Clearfield nearer Curwensville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Cameron, Clinton, Centre, Blair, Cambria, Indiana, Jefferson, and Elk counties. 

The area of the county is 1154 square miles.  It is 3 out of 67 in the state.  It ranks 36 out of 67 in population in the state.  It has a density of 69.8 persons per square mile making it 46 out of 67 in the state.  Clearfield County has 28.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 80 goes east to west in the county from Centre County to Jefferson County.  United States Highway 119 originates and goes southwest into Jefferson County.  United States Highway 219 comes from Jefferson County and goes south into Cambria County.  United States Highway 322 parallels Interstate Highway 80 from Centre to Jefferson counties.  The county looks like a fat small letter q.  The City of Clearfield is located near the center of the county.  Du Bois is located on the northwest border of the county.  Clearfield is the county seat and Du Bois is the largest city.  Clearfield is 7.4% of the county population while Du Bois is 9.3% of the county population.  The largest city is pronounced DOO BOY.  This county is in the Du Bois Micropolitan Statistical Area.