BUTLER

county, west-central Pennsylvania, U.S., bordered on the northeastern and southeastern corners by the Allegheny River. It constitutes a hilly region on the Allegheny Plateau just north of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Moraine and Jennings state parks surround Lake Arthur. Other waterways include Breakneck, Buffalo, and Slippery Rock creeks. The county was created in 1800 and named for Richard Butler, an officer in the American Revolution. The county seat is the city of Butler. The economy is based on steel milling, petroleum refining, retail trade, bituminous coal mining, and agriculture. Area 788 square miles (2,042 square km). Pop. (1990) 152,013; (1996 est.) 167,732.