{"id":7254,"date":"2023-08-28T14:55:27","date_gmt":"2023-08-28T14:55:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=7254"},"modified":"2026-08-07T18:59:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T18:59:38","slug":"erie-county-pennsylvania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/erie-county-pennsylvania\/","title":{"rendered":"Erie County, Pennsylvania"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Erie County is a county in Pennsylvania, United States, at the state&#8217;s northern tip on<br \/>\nLake Erie, about 90 miles northeast of Cleveland and 125 miles north of Pittsburgh. It had a<br \/>\npopulation of 270,876 at the 2020 census, an estimated 265,832 by 2025, and covers 799 square<br \/>\nmiles (2,070 km2) of land centred near 42\u00b006\u2032N 80\u00b006\u2032W.<\/p>\n<p>Erie is the county seat and by far its largest city; its postal code is 16501. The county holds<br \/>\n2 cities, 14 boroughs and 22 townships, and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 42049.<\/p>\n<h2>Towns &amp; Villages in Erie County<\/h2>\n<p>Erie County has 38 incorporated municipalities on record: 2 cities, 14 boroughs and 22<br \/>\ntownships. Boroughs are self-governing towns with their own elected council; townships cover the<br \/>\nsurrounding rural and suburban land and, in Millcreek&#8217;s case, some of the county&#8217;s densest<br \/>\nsuburbs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tv-table-scroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Place<\/th>\n<th>Type<\/th>\n<th>Township<\/th>\n<th>Pop.<\/th>\n<th>ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Erie<\/td>\n<td>City &middot; seat<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>94,831<\/td>\n<td>16501<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Millcreek Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Millcreek<\/td>\n<td>54,070<\/td>\n<td>16505<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Harborcreek Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Harborcreek<\/td>\n<td>16,633<\/td>\n<td>16421<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Fairview Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Fairview<\/td>\n<td>11,137<\/td>\n<td>16415<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Summit Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Summit<\/td>\n<td>7,339<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Corry<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>6,210<\/td>\n<td>16407<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Girard Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Girard<\/td>\n<td>4,872<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Greene Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Greene<\/td>\n<td>4,486<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Washington Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Washington<\/td>\n<td>4,396<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>McKean Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>McKean<\/td>\n<td>4,437<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Conneaut Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Conneaut<\/td>\n<td>4,187<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Edinboro<\/td>\n<td>Borough<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>4,964<\/td>\n<td>16412<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>North East<\/td>\n<td>Borough<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>4,106<\/td>\n<td>16428<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Lawrence Park Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Lawrence Park<\/td>\n<td>3,824<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Wesleyville<\/td>\n<td>Borough<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>3,229<\/td>\n<td>16510<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Lake City<\/td>\n<td>Borough<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>2,935<\/td>\n<td>16423<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Union City<\/td>\n<td>Borough<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>2,927<\/td>\n<td>16438<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Girard<\/td>\n<td>Borough<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>2,993<\/td>\n<td>16417<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Albion<\/td>\n<td>Borough<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>1,528<\/td>\n<td>16401<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Franklin Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Franklin<\/td>\n<td>1,507<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Waterford<\/td>\n<td>Borough<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>1,475<\/td>\n<td>16441<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Amity Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Amity<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Concord Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Concord<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Elk Creek Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Elk Creek<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Greenfield Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Greenfield<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>LeBoeuf Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>LeBoeuf<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Springfield Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Springfield<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>16442<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Union Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Union<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Venango Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Venango<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Waterford Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Waterford<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>16441<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Wayne Township<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Wayne<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Cranesville<\/td>\n<td>Borough<\/td>\n<td>Elk Creek<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>16410<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Elgin<\/td>\n<td>Borough<\/td>\n<td>Concord<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>16413<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>McKean<\/td>\n<td>Borough<\/td>\n<td>McKean<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>16426<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mill Village<\/td>\n<td>Borough<\/td>\n<td>Union<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>16427<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Platea<\/td>\n<td>Borough<\/td>\n<td>Elk Creek<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Wattsburg<\/td>\n<td>Borough<\/td>\n<td>Venango<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>16442<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Waterford has two entries on the county&#8217;s own rolls: the borough of Waterford and the<br \/>\nsurrounding Waterford Township are separate municipalities that share a name and a ZIP code,<br \/>\n16441 &mdash; a common Pennsylvania pattern where a rural township keeps the same name as the<br \/>\nborough carved out of its middle.<\/p>\n<h2>ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>16501 &mdash; Erie (downtown; the city carries a dozen more ZIPs, 16502&#8211;16565, for its<br \/>\nneighborhoods and the two universities)<\/li>\n<li>16505 &mdash; Millcreek Township (also serves the Millcreek Mall area)<\/li>\n<li>16421 &mdash; Harborcreek<\/li>\n<li>16415 &mdash; Fairview<\/li>\n<li>16412 &mdash; Edinboro<\/li>\n<li>16428 &mdash; North East<\/li>\n<li>16510 &mdash; Wesleyville (shared with part of Lawrence Park Township)<\/li>\n<li>16423 &mdash; Lake City<\/li>\n<li>16438 &mdash; Union City<\/li>\n<li>16417 &mdash; Girard (borough and township)<\/li>\n<li>16401 &mdash; Albion<\/li>\n<li>16441 &mdash; Waterford (borough and township)<\/li>\n<li>16407 &mdash; Corry<\/li>\n<li>16410 &mdash; Cranesville<\/li>\n<li>16413 &mdash; Elgin<\/li>\n<li>16426 &mdash; McKean<\/li>\n<li>16427 &mdash; Mill Village<\/li>\n<li>16442 &mdash; Wattsburg (also serves Springfield Township)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Summit, Greene, Washington, McKean, Conneaut, Franklin, Amity, Concord, Elk Creek, Greenfield,<br \/>\nLeBoeuf, Union, Venango and Wayne townships, along with Platea borough, have no ZIP code of their<br \/>\nown on the current USPS list; mail there is delivered under a neighboring town&#8217;s code.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<p>Erie County sits on the Lake Erie shore at Pennsylvania&#8217;s northern tip, the only county in<br \/>\nthe state that touches the Great Lakes. Of its 1,558 square miles, only 799 are land; the<br \/>\nremaining 759, roughly 49 percent, are Lake Erie itself under the county&#8217;s jurisdiction.<br \/>\nPresque Isle, a curving sand peninsula enclosing Presque Isle Bay in Millcreek and Erie, is the<br \/>\ncounty&#8217;s best-known natural feature and forms Presque Isle State Park. French Creek and<br \/>\nLeBoeuf Creek drain the county&#8217;s southern townships toward the Allegheny River watershed,<br \/>\nwhile Elk Creek, Walnut Creek and Twentymile Creek run north into the lake.<\/p>\n<p>Chautauqua County, New York, borders Erie County to the northeast across the state line; Warren<br \/>\nCounty, Pennsylvania, lies to the southeast; Crawford County, Pennsylvania, to the south; and<br \/>\nAshtabula County, Ohio, to the southwest. Lake Erie and the Canadian border lie to the north.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/chautauqua-county-new-york\/\">Chautauqua County<\/a>,<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/warren-county-pennsylvania\/\">Warren County<\/a>,<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/crawford-county-pennsylvania\/\">Crawford County<\/a> and<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/ashtabula-county\/\">Ashtabula County<\/a> all border Erie<br \/>\ndirectly.<\/p>\n<h2>Demographics<\/h2>\n<p>Erie County had a population of 270,876 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the<br \/>\ncounty near 265,832 residents. Erie and Millcreek Township together hold well over half the<br \/>\ncounty&#8217;s population. Density works out to about 339 people per square mile of land &mdash;<br \/>\nconcentrated almost entirely around the city and its immediate suburbs, since the outlying<br \/>\ntownships stay rural. German, Polish, Italian and Irish ancestry are the four most commonly<br \/>\nreported in the county, reflecting its 19th- and 20th-century immigration as a lake port and<br \/>\nmanufacturing center.<\/p>\n<h2>Economy &amp; Local Life<\/h2>\n<p>Erie Insurance Group, headquartered downtown, and Wabtec&#8217;s Erie locomotive plant &mdash;<br \/>\nbuilt by General Electric in Lawrence Park Township in 1910 and still one of North America&#8217;s<br \/>\nlargest locomotive factories &mdash; are the county&#8217;s two best-known employers. UPMC Hamot<br \/>\nand Saint Vincent Health System run the region&#8217;s major hospitals, and Gannon University,<br \/>\nMercyhurst University and Pennsylvania Western University Edinboro give the county four<br \/>\nfour-year colleges within its borders (Penn State Behrend, in Harborcreek, is the fourth).<br \/>\nMillcreek Township&#8217;s Millcreek Mall anchors much of the county&#8217;s retail trade, and<br \/>\nWaldameer &amp; Water World, one of the country&#8217;s oldest amusement parks, has operated on<br \/>\nthe Presque Isle peninsula since 1896. North East, at the county&#8217;s eastern edge, sits at the<br \/>\ncenter of Lake Erie Wine Country and holds a Cherry Festival every summer and a Wine Country<br \/>\nHarvest Festival every autumn.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>Pennsylvania purchased the Erie Triangle from the federal government in 1792, resolving<br \/>\ncompeting claims from New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut and giving the state its Lake Erie<br \/>\nshoreline. The legislature laid out Erie County on 12 March 1800 and organized it for local<br \/>\ngovernment on 7 November 1803. The county and its seat both take their name from the Erie people,<br \/>\nwho lived along the lake&#8217;s southern shore until the mid-17th century.<\/p>\n<p>Erie&#8217;s harbor made it the base for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry&#8217;s fleet during the<br \/>\nBattle of Lake Erie in September 1813, a decisive American naval victory in the War of 1812 that<br \/>\nPerry reported with the line &#8220;We have met the enemy and they are ours.&#8221; Corry, in the<br \/>\ncounty&#8217;s southeast, grew around the Climax Manufacturing Company&#8217;s geared steam<br \/>\nlocomotives, built there for logging railroads from the 1880s into the 20th century.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>Interstate 79 runs north into Erie from Pittsburgh and Interstate 90 crosses the county&#8217;s<br \/>\nlakeshore townships east&#8211;west; Interstate 86 enters from New York in the northeast corner.<br \/>\nUS 6, US 19 and US 20 also cross the county.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cleveland, Ohio &mdash; about 90 miles southwest<\/li>\n<li>Buffalo, New York &mdash; about 80 miles northeast<\/li>\n<li>Pittsburgh &mdash; about 125 miles south<\/li>\n<li>Jamestown, New York &mdash; about 45 miles east<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Erie International Airport, in Millcreek Township, is the county&#8217;s commercial airport,<br \/>\nwith direct service to several East Coast and Midwest hubs. There is no Amtrak station in Erie<br \/>\nCounty; the nearest stops are in Cleveland and Buffalo, both served by the Lake Shore Limited.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where is Erie County located?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt sits at Pennsylvania&#8217;s northern tip on Lake Erie, bordered by Chautauqua County, New<br \/>\nYork; Warren and Crawford counties, Pennsylvania; and Ashtabula County, Ohio.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the population of Erie County?<\/strong><br \/>\n270,876 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 265,832.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How big is Erie County?<\/strong><br \/>\n1,558 square miles (4,040 km2) in total, of which 799 square miles are land; the rest is Lake<br \/>\nErie.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the county seat of Erie County?<\/strong><br \/>\nErie is the county seat and largest city, with 94,831 residents at the 2020 census.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many towns and cities are in Erie County?<\/strong><br \/>\nTwo cities &mdash; Erie and Corry &mdash; plus 14 boroughs including Edinboro, North East,<br \/>\nGirard, Union City and Waterford, and 22 townships.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What ZIP codes does Erie County use?<\/strong><br \/>\n16501 and its extended range for the city of Erie, plus separate codes for each borough and<br \/>\nlarger township, including 16505 (Millcreek), 16428 (North East) and 16412 (Edinboro).<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is Erie County known for?<\/strong><br \/>\nPresque Isle State Park on Lake Erie, the Wabtec locomotive plant in Lawrence Park Township, and<br \/>\nLake Erie Wine Country around North East.<\/p>\n<p>More counties in this state: <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/category\/pennsylvania\/\">Towns and villages in Pennsylvania<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Erie County is a county in Pennsylvania, United States, at the state&#8217;s northern tip on Lake Erie, about 90 miles northeast of Cleveland and 125 miles north of Pittsburgh. It had a population of 270,876 at the 2020 census, an estimated 265,832 by 2025, and covers 799 square miles (2,070 km2) of land centred near [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Towns & Villages in Erie County, Pennsylvania","_seopress_titles_desc":"All 38 municipalities in Erie County, Pennsylvania - type, population and ZIP for each, plus Presque Isle, Wabtec and Erie's 1813 naval history.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-7254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-pennsylvania","tag-towns-and-cities","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7254"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7254\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9407,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7254\/revisions\/9407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}