Greene County, Pennsylvania

Greene County Education, Geography, and History

Greene County is a county located in the state of Pennsylvania. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 38,686. Its county seat is Waynesburg. Greene County was created on February 9, 1796, from part of Washington County and named for General Nathanael Greene.

Greene County is part of the Pittsburgh DMA. It is located in the area of southwestern Pennsylvania that was formerly claimed by Virginia, the District of West Augusta.

Etymology - Origin of Greene County Name

Named for Major General Anthony Wayne, was laid out in 1796

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Greene County History

Created on February 9, 1796, from part of Washington County and named for General Nathanael Greene. Waynesburg, the county seat, named for Major General Anthony Wayne, was laid out in 1796 and incorporated as a borough on January 29, 1816.

First permanent settlement is believed to have been the Swan-VanMeter-Hughes party from Virginia, in 1767. Once the Indian hostility and Whiskey Rebellion problems had passed, this county was formed in order to benefit small farmers. Beginning with the Merino Sheep bonanza of the 1820s, wool became a major product. Although overshadowed by production elsewhere in the world, Greene still leads other Pennsylvania counties in sheep (occasionally challenged by Washington County). When the Monongahela River slackwater system reached Rice's Landing in 1857, it became easier to market products. Bituminous coal mining began in 1902; in recent years this been Pennsylvania's highest producing county, nearly all from subsurface mines. Natural gas was also found in abundance. Forty percent of the land is in farms, although cash receipts from agriculture are low. The tradition that it rains somewhere in the county every July 29 is a popular myth begun by a local pharmacist. Home of Governor Edward Martin.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 578 square miles (1,497 km²), of which, 576 square miles (1,491 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (5 km²) of it (0.36%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Washington County (north)
• Fayette County (east)
• Monongalia County, West Virginia (south)
• Wetzel County, West Virginia (southwest)
• Marshall County, West Virginia (west)

Education

Public school districts

Greene County is divided into five (5) public school districts. There are 15 public schools that serve Greene County, Pennsylvania.

Carmichaels Area School District
Central Greene School District
Jefferson-Morgan School District
Southeastern Greene School District
West Greene School District

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