Montour County (1983: Doomsday)

Montour is one of the counties in the Commonwealth of Susquehanna. It is a founding member, and is a major road and rail link to the rest of the nation and State College.

History
Montour County was created from parts of Columbia County on May 3rd, 1850 after a dispute over moving the county seat from Danville to Bloomsburg. It is named after Madame Montour, a woman of both Native American and French descent. At the time of Doomsday, it was the smallest county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The population, as of the 1980 census, stood at 16,675 inhabitants, although Doomsday would wipe most of them out.

Doomsday
The county was not struck, but the EMP threw it into chaos, leading to a complete collapse of the local government. By spring of 1984, less than 3,000 people survived, and the population continued to fall as people left in a mass exodus west, away from the perceived danger of fallout from Wilkes-Barre and Scranton.

Government
The county is led by an elected County Commissioner, as well as a three man Board of Supervisors, who each serve a term of six years. Commissioners serve for four years, and elections for the Board of Supervisors is staggered every two years.

Economy
Agriculture plays a large roll in the economy, although in recent years, steel production, iron and coal mining, and the medical industry have all made a comeback. It is expected the population could double in the next few years. The Montour Coal Power Plant is slow, but surely being refurbished and repaired to come back online in the next several months.

Geisinger Health Systems as well as the Danville Steel Mills are all large employers.

Education
Montour County is covered by the Danville Area School District. The county converted the former Warrior Run Area School District buildings into an elementary school, and the other students are picked up by school bus, or horse and buggy. Students may attend Montour-Columbia Vocational Technical School. Bloomsburg University is a nearby university which many college bound students attend.

There is a small Amish run school in the county in the unincorporated community of Mexico, Montour County.

National Registry of Historical Places
There are five places in Montour County that are on the National Registry of Historical Places. Two are covered bridges, two are buildings, and one is the Danville Historical District.