CRAWFORD

county, northwestern Pennsylvania, U.S., bordered to the west by Ohio. It consists of a hilly region on the Allegheny Plateau. Pymatuning State Park borders Pymatuning Reservoir in the southwestern corner of the county. Other waterways include Conneaut, Cussewago, French, and Oil creeks and Conneaut and Tamarack lakes. The county was established in 1800 and named for William Crawford, an Indian fighter and officer in the American Revolution. Meadville, the oldest permanent settlement in northwestern Pennsylvania, was founded in 1788; it is the seat of the county and of Allegheny College (1815). County residents are employed in heavy industry and agriculture (field crops, livestock, and milk). Area 1,013 square miles (2,623 square km). Pop. (1990) 86,170; (1996 est.) 89,175.