Montour

Formed May 3, 1850 (64^th county)

Montour County (18,145), Danville (4,249)

The classic 1871 red brick Italianate courthouse stands out in this city.  It is located at Mill and Market streets.  Pennsylvania State Highway 54 is two blocks northwest of the site.  O’Malley is the architect.  The county was founded on May 3, 1850 from Columbia County as the 64^th county with Danville as the only county seat.  It is named for Native American Madame Montour.  Danville is named for Daniel Montgomery, son of American Revolutionary War General Richard Montgomery. 

Montour County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Two Common Pleas Court Judges and One Magistrate Court Judge serve Montour and Columbia counties.  Montour County is in northern Pennsylvania.  Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is south and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is southeast of the county.  The Susquehanna River is its southern border.  The county center is 6.6 miles Northwest of Danville nearer Mexico.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Lycoming, Columbia, and Northumberland counties. 

The area of the county is 132 square miles.  It is 67 out of 67 in the state.  It ranks 62 out of 67 in population in the state.  It has a density of 137.5 persons per square mile making it 34 out of 67 in the state.  Montour County has 24.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 80 crosses the county from east to west from Columbia County to Northumberland County.  United States Highway 11 parallels Interstate Highway 80 from Columbia to Northumberland counties.  The county resembles a volcano with an added leg on the southeast corner.  Danville is on the southern border of the county.  Danville is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 23.4% of the county population.  The county is pronounced MON-TOR.  This county is in the Bloomsburg-Berwick Micropolitan Statistical Area.