This is a list of municipalities

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 in Sullivan County

Sullivan County, Pennsylvania

Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population is 6,428. Sullivan County was created on March 15, 1847, from part of Lycoming County and named for Charles Sullivan, leader of the Pennsylvania Senate...

, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Sullivan County's thirteen incorporated municipalities are the subject of the list, which gives their names and etymologies

Etymology

Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...

, dates settled and incorporated, what they were formed from, area, population, and location within the county. In the 2000 census, the population of Sullivan County was 6,556, making it an "Eighth Class County", defined by Pennsylvania law as "having a population of less than 20,000 inhabitants". Its county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 is Laporte

Laporte, Pennsylvania

Laporte is a borough in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 316 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sullivan County. Laporte is surrounded by Laporte Township. It was named for John Laporte...

, which is the smallest county seat in Pennsylvania by population, as of 2000.

Sullivan County is located in north central Pennsylvania, about 123 miles (198 km) northwest of Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

 and 195 miles (314 km) east-northeast of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

. As of 2008, its thirteen incorporated municipalities include four boroughs and nine townships. Sullivan County covers 452 square miles (1,170.7 km²), of which 450 square miles (1,165.5 km²) is land and 2 square miles (6 km², 0.53%) is water. Its municipalities range in size from the borough of Dushore

Dushore, Pennsylvania

Dushore is a borough in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 608 at the 2010 census. Dushore is home to Sullivan County's only traffic light.-Geography:Dushore is located at ....

 with 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) to Davidson Township

Davidson Township, Pennsylvania

Davidson Township is a township in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 626 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.Davidson Township is bordered by...

 with 78.2 square miles (202.5 km²). Cherry Township

Cherry Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania

Cherry Township is a township in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,718 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.Cherry Township is bordered by...

 has the highest population of any municipality (1,718 or 26.2% of the county total as of 2000), while the borough of Forksville

Forksville, Pennsylvania

Forksville is a borough in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 145 at the 2010 census. It is the home of the 150 year old Forksville General Store, down the road from the Sullivan County Fairgrounds, and near Worlds End State Park...

 has the lowest population (147 or 2.2%).

Under Pennsylvania law, there are two types of incorporated municipalities

Municipal corporation

A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...

 in the county: boroughs

Borough (Pennsylvania)

In the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a borough is a self-governing municipal entity that is usually smaller than a city. There are 958 boroughs in Pennsylvania. All municipalities in Pennsylvania are classified as either cities, boroughs, or townships...

 and townships

Township (Pennsylvania)

A township in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a state of the United States of America, is one of four types of municipalities in the state . Townships were established based on convenient geographical boundaries and vary in size from six to forty square miles...

. Any municipality in Pennsylvania with more than 10 persons can incorporate as a borough. Any township or borough with a population of at least 10,000 can ask the state legislature to become chartered as a city. However, as Sullivan County has a population of only 6,556, it has no cities. There are no unincorporated areas in the county, since all territory in Pennsylvania is incorporated.

History

The land which became Sullivan County was originally purchased from the Iroquois

Iroquois

The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...

 by the Province of Pennsylvania

Province of Pennsylvania

The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as Pennsylvania Colony, was founded in British America by William Penn on March 4, 1681 as dictated in a royal charter granted by King Charles II...

 in 1768, as part of the first Treaty of Fort Stanwix

Treaty of Fort Stanwix

The Treaty of Fort Stanwix was an important treaty between North American Indians and the British Empire. It was signed in 1768 at Fort Stanwix, located in present-day Rome, New York...

. It was originally part of Northumberland County

Northumberland County, Pennsylvania

There were 38,835 households out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.40% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 30.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.50% had...

, then became part of Lycoming County

Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

-Appalachian Mountains and Allegheny Plateau:Lycoming County is divided between the Appalachian Mountains in the south, the dissected Allegheny Plateau in the north and east, and the valley of the West Branch Susquehanna River between these.-West Branch Susquehanna River:The West Branch of the...

 when it was formed in 1795. Sullivan County itself was formed from the northeastern part of Lycoming County on March 15, 1847. It was the thirteenth and last county formed at least partly from Lycoming County, and the fifth entirely formed from it.

According to the official state publication Pennsylvania Local Government, Sullivan County was named for Pennsylvania state senator Charles C. Sullivan, who "took an active part in procuring passage of the bill" establishing the county. However, according to former Pennsylvania state librarian Frederic A. Godcharles

Frederic A. Godcharles

Frederic Antes Godcharles was a Pennsylvania politician, historian and author, who served as soldier and as director of the State Library of Pennsylvania and State Museum of Pennsylvania.-Personal life:...

 (1933), the county is named for General John Sullivan

John Sullivan

John Sullivan was the third son of Irish immigrants, a United States general in the Revolutionary War, a delegate in the Continental Congress and a United States federal judge....

, who led the Sullivan Expedition

Sullivan Expedition

The Sullivan Expedition, also known as the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition, was an American campaign led by Major General John Sullivan and Brigadier General James Clinton against Loyalists and the four nations of the Iroquois who had sided with the British in the American Revolutionary War.The...

 against the Iroquois in 1779.

While all four boroughs were formed after Sullivan County was established, seven of the nine townships were formed while still part of Lycoming County. The first of these was Shrewsbury Township, which encompassed all of modern Sullivan County when originally formed in 1803. Elkland Township was formed from Shrewsbury in 1804, as were Cherry (1824), Davidson (1833), and Forks Townships (1833). Plunketts Creek Township was formed from Franklin

Franklin Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

Franklin Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 915 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

 and Davidson Townships in 1838, and Fox Township was formed from Elkland in 1839. When Sullivan County was formed in 1847, both Shrewsbury and Plunketts Creek Townships were split, with each county originally having a township of that name. Plunketts Creek Township in Sullivan County changed its name to Hillsgrove Township in 1856. Sullivan County has no former townships, and no counties have been formed from it.

When formed in 1847, Sullivan County had no boroughs. The unincorporated village of Cherry Hill in Cherry Township served as the first county seat until 1850, when Laporte was founded in the geographic center of the county, and became its new county seat. In 1850 the population of the county was 3,694 and it grew steadily to a peak of 12,134 in 1900. This was just after the borough of Eagles Mere was incorporated as the last of the county's municipalities, in 1899. Much of this growth was fueled by lumber

Lumber

Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....

-based industry, but the virgin forests were almost all gone by 1900 and the population declined in seven of ten decades since then, decreasing by a total of 46% between 1900 and 2000.

Municipalities

Municipality (type)	Remarks	Settled	Incorporated	Formed from	Area	Population (2000)	Map
Dushore Dushore, Pennsylvania Dushore is a borough in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 608 at the 2010 census. Dushore is home to Sullivan County's only traffic light.-Geography:Dushore is located at ....  (borough)	Named for Aristide Aubert Du Petit Thouars Aristide Aubert Du Petit Thouars Aristide Aubert Du Petit Thouars was a French naval officer, and a hero of the Battle of Aboukir, where he died.... , a French settler who built the first cabin. Dushore is a corruption of "Du Petit Thouars".	1794	1859	Cherry Township Cherry Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania Cherry Township is a township in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,718 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.Cherry Township is bordered by...	sq mi (2.3 km²)	663
Eagles Mere Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania Eagles Mere is a borough in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 120 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....  (borough)	Named for "Eagles Mere Lake" in its center, which was itself named for Bald Eagle Bald Eagle The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle... s and Mere Mere (lake) Mere in English refers to a lake that is broad in relation to its depth, e.g. Martin Mere. A significant effect of its shallow depth is that for all or most of the time, it has no thermocline.- Etymology :... , a term for a broad and shallow lake Lake A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,... .	1877	1899	Shrewsbury Township Shrewsbury Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania Shrewsbury Township is a township in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 328 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 48.1 square miles , of which, 47.8 square miles of it is land and...	sq mi (5.8 km²)	153
Forksville Forksville, Pennsylvania Forksville is a borough in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 145 at the 2010 census. It is the home of the 150 year old Forksville General Store, down the road from the Sullivan County Fairgrounds, and near Worlds End State Park...  (borough)	Named for the confluence Confluence (geography) In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...  ("forks") of Little Loyalsock Creek Little Loyalsock Creek Little Loyalsock Creek is the major tributary of Loyalsock Creek in Lycoming and Sullivan counties, Pennsylvania, USA. The creek is long. Via Loyalsock Creek and the West Branch Susquehanna River, it is part of the Susquehanna River drainage basin, and waters from it flow ultimately into the...  with Loyalsock Creek Loyalsock Creek Loyalsock Creek is a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River located chiefly in Sullivan and Lycoming counties in Pennsylvania in the United States...  in the borough.	1794	1880	Forks Township Forks Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania Forks Township is a township in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 407 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....	sq mi (3.9 km²)	147
Laporte Laporte, Pennsylvania Laporte is a borough in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 316 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sullivan County. Laporte is surrounded by Laporte Township. It was named for John Laporte...  (borough)	County seat; named for John Laporte John Laporte John Laporte was a Jacksonian member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.John Laporte was born in Asylum, Pennsylvania. He was Auditor of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, in 1827 and 1828... , member of the U.S. House of Representatives and last surveyor general of Pennsylvania.	1850	1853	Laporte Township	sq mi (3.3 km²)	290
Cherry Township Cherry Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania Cherry Township is a township in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,718 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.Cherry Township is bordered by...	Named for stands of old growth cherry trees Cherry The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....  or the village of Cherry Hill.	1816	1824	Shrewsbury Township Shrewsbury Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Shrewsbury Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 433 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:... , while part of Lycoming County	sq mi (149.8 km²)	1,718
Colley Township	Named for William Colley, local businessman and judge.	1823	1849	Cherry Township Cherry Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania Cherry Township is a township in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,718 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.Cherry Township is bordered by...	sq mi (152.8 km²)	647
Davidson Township	Named for Asher Davidson, an associate judge of Lycoming County Lycoming County, Pennsylvania -Appalachian Mountains and Allegheny Plateau:Lycoming County is divided between the Appalachian Mountains in the south, the dissected Allegheny Plateau in the north and east, and the valley of the West Branch Susquehanna River between these.-West Branch Susquehanna River:The West Branch of the... .	1806	1833	Shrewsbury Township Shrewsbury Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Shrewsbury Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 433 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:... , while part of Lycoming County	sq mi (202.5 km²)	626
Elkland Township	Named for the elk Elk The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...  that once lived in the area.	1798	1804	Shrewsbury Township Shrewsbury Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Shrewsbury Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 433 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:... , while part of Lycoming County	sq mi (100.2 km²)	607
Forks Township Forks Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania Forks Township is a township in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 407 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....	Named for the confluence Confluence (geography) In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...  ("forks") of Little Loyalsock Creek Little Loyalsock Creek Little Loyalsock Creek is the major tributary of Loyalsock Creek in Lycoming and Sullivan counties, Pennsylvania, USA. The creek is long. Via Loyalsock Creek and the West Branch Susquehanna River, it is part of the Susquehanna River drainage basin, and waters from it flow ultimately into the...  with Loyalsock Creek Loyalsock Creek Loyalsock Creek is a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River located chiefly in Sullivan and Lycoming counties in Pennsylvania in the United States... , now in Forksville Forksville, Pennsylvania Forksville is a borough in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 145 at the 2010 census. It is the home of the 150 year old Forksville General Store, down the road from the Sullivan County Fairgrounds, and near Worlds End State Park... .	1794	1833	Shrewsbury Township Shrewsbury Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Shrewsbury Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 433 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:... , while part of Lycoming County	sq mi (113.7 km²)	407
Fox Township Fox Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania Fox Township is a township in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 332 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.Fox Township is bordered by Bradford County...	Named for George Fox George Fox George Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends.The son of a Leicestershire weaver, Fox lived in a time of great social upheaval and war... , the founder of the Religious Society of Friends Religious Society of Friends The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences... .	1800	1839	Elkland Township, while part of Lycoming County	sq mi (100.0 km²)	332
Hillsgrove Township	Named for John Hill, a prominent early settler, and the village of Hillsgrove he founded. Originally named Plunketts Creek Township, name changed in 1856.	1786	1838	Davidson and Franklin Franklin Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Franklin Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 915 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...  Townships, while part of Lycoming County	sq mi (73.6 km²)	265
Laporte Township	Named for John LaPorte, member of the U.S. House of Representatives and last surveyor general of Pennsylvania.	1830	1850	Cherry Cherry Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania Cherry Township is a township in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,718 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.Cherry Township is bordered by... , Davidson and Shrewsbury Townships Shrewsbury Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania Shrewsbury Township is a township in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 328 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 48.1 square miles , of which, 47.8 square miles of it is land and...	sq mi (139.2 km²)	373
Shrewsbury Township Shrewsbury Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania Shrewsbury Township is a township in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 328 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 48.1 square miles , of which, 47.8 square miles of it is land and...	Named for Shrewsbury Township Shrewsbury Township, New Jersey Shrewsbury Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 1,141.-History:... , New Jersey New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware... .	1799	1803	Muncy Township, while part of Lycoming County	sq mi (124.5 km²)	328

Clickable map

The map shown below is clickable; click on any municipality name to be redirected to the article for that borough or township.

External links

Official Sullivan County Website