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- source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
- source: Family History Library Catalog
- the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia
Berks County (Pennsylvania German: Barricks Kaundi) is a county located in the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading.
Berks County comprises the Reading, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which is also included in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD Combined Statistical Area. (CSA).
History
- the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia
Reading developed during the 1740s when the inhabitants of northern Lancaster County sent several petitions requesting that a separate county be established. With the help of German immigrant Conrad Weiser, the county was formed on March 11, 1752, from parts of Chester County, Lancaster County, and Philadelphia County.
It was named after the English county in which William Penn's family home lay, Berkshire, which is often abbreviated to Berks. Berks County began much larger than it is today. The northwestern parts of the county went to the founding of Northumberland County in 1772 and Schuylkill County in 1811, when it reached its current size. In 2005, Berks County was added to the Delaware Valley Planning Area due to a fast-growing population and close proximity to the other communities.
In 2016, former Strausstown borough merged with Upper Tulpehocken township. Strausstown is now a village within Upper Tulpehocken Township.
Timeline
Population History
- source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
Census Year | Population
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1790 | 30,179
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1800 | 32,407
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1810 | 43,146
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1820 | 46,275
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1830 | 53,152
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1840 | 64,569
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1850 | 77,129
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1860 | 93,818
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1870 | 106,701
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1880 | 122,597
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1890 | 137,327
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1900 | 159,615
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1910 | 183,222
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1920 | 200,854
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1930 | 231,717
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1940 | 241,884
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1950 | 255,740
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1960 | 275,414
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1970 | 296,382
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1980 | 312,509
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1990 | 336,523
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Research Tips
External links
- Outstanding guide to Berks County family history and genealogy resources (FamilySearch Research Wiki). Birth, marriage, and death records, censuses, wills, deeds, county histories, cemeteries, churches, newspapers, libraries, and genealogical societies.
- www.co.berks.pa.us
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