With a rich historical heritage, Montgomery County has developed into a vital county, the third most populated in the Commonwealth. The U.S. Census in 1990 showed a population of 678,111. Within the county's 483 square miles are fine residential areas, thriving multimillion dollar industries, huge modern shopping centers, and beautiful farms and woodlands. Adjoining Philadelphia on the northwest, the county is served by a modern highway network and an extensive mass transportation system.

Montgomery county has several parks and historic sites available for the enjoyment of the public. Among the most noted parks in the county is Valley Forge National Historical Park. During the American Revolution, the countryside was the scene of several skirmishes and encampments, but is noted chiefly as the scene of the encampment at Valley Forge from December 1777, to June 1778. It was here that Washington's sorely-tried men were reorganized, disciplined and strengthened for the successful campaigns which followed.

Industrially, the county has played an important role ever since the discovery of a great limestone belt. As early as the 1690s, kilns were built to make lime, an industry still operating in the County. Later, marble was quarried in large quantities along this limestone belt and for many years the marble quarries in the County were the principal ones in Pennsylvania. The first copper mine in the State was opened before 1720 near Schwenksville. Lead mines were also prevalent, particularly in the area that at the present time is now the site of the Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in Lower Providence Township.

Further industrial development of the County centered along the Schuylkill River where steel mills and heavy manufacturing industries are located. The latter part of the 19th Century saw the beginning of a population movement from Philadelphia to the suburban sections located in Montgomery County, along the Main Line and the Old York Road section.

The county was the scene of the first canal construction in the United States when work was started at Norristown in 1792 on the building of a canal to connect the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers. Several miles of canal were constructed, but it never was completed.

To learn more about the history of Montgomery County, visit the Montgomery County Home Page.

Need some stats for your county? Check out these resources:
US Census Bureau
United States Department of Commerce
USDA