Shrewsbury Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

Shrewsbury Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
Township
U.S. Route 220 in Shrewsbury Township
Map of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania highlighting Shrewsbury Township
Map of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania
Coordinates: 41°18′50″N 76°40′37″W / 41.31389°N 76.67694°WCoordinates: 41°18′50″N 76°40′37″W / 41.31389°N 76.67694°W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Lycoming
Settled	1794
Incorporated	1804
Area
• Total	17.5 sq mi (45.3 km^2)
• Land	17.5 sq mi (45.3 km^2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km^2)
Elevation[1]	965 ft (294 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	433
• Density	24.8/sq mi (9.6/km^2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
FIPS code	42-70552[2]
GNIS feature ID	1216772[1]

Shrewsbury Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 433 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Shrewsbury Township was formed from part of Muncy Township by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1804. It was originally much larger in size and included a large part of what is now Sullivan County until 1847. It is named for Shrewsbury Township, New Jersey. Some of the first settlers, The Little and Bennett families, migrated to Lycoming County from New Jersey and wanted their new home to have the same name as their old home. Peter Corson, also from New Jersey was one of the first settlers to establish a home in the area and he was quite successful. Corson and his wife had 5 sons and 3 daughters and within less than 100 years they had descendants that were numbered by the hundred.^[3]

In the late 1800s, Highland Lake, in the northern part of Shrewsbury Township was popular summer vacation destination. There were three large hotels on the lake as well as several summer cottages. The cottage holders included Pennsylvanians from as far away as Philadelphia which is approximately 100 mi (160 km) southwest of Shrewsbury Township.^[3]

Industry and farming are and always have been very limited in Shrewsbury Township, due to its mountainous terrain. The population as of the 2000 census has declined to 433 residents from 570 at the census of 1890.^[3]

Geography

Shrewsbury Township is bordered by Sullivan County to the northeast, Penn Township to the southeast, Picture Rocks to the south, Wolf Township to the west and Plunketts Creek Township to the northwest.^[4] As the crow flies, Lycoming County is about 130 miles (209 km) northwest of Philadelphia and 165 miles (266 km) east-northeast of Pittsburgh.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 17.5 square miles (45.3 km²).17.5 square miles (45.3 km²) of it is land and 0.06% is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 433 people, 181 households, and 131 families residing in the township. The population density was 24.8 people per square mile (9.6/km²). There were 252 housing units at an average density of 14.4/sq mi (5.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 99.54% White and 0.46% Native American.

There were 181 households, out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% were married couples living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the township the population was spread out, with 20.1% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 106.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.2 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $36,389, and the median income for a family was $45,417. Males had a median income of $30,208 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the township was $17,186. About 3.3% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
2. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
3. Meginness, John Franklin (1892). "Shrewsbury, Wolf, and Penn". History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania: including its aboriginal history; the colonial and revolutionary periods; early settlement and subsequent growth; organization and civil administration; the legal and medical professions; internal improvement; past and present history of Williamsport; manufacturing and lumber interests; religious, educational, and social development; geology and agriculture; military record; sketches of boroughs, townships, and villages; portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, etc. etc. (1st ed.). Chicago: Brown, Runk & Co. ISBN 0-7884-0428-8. Retrieved 2007-03-06. (Note: ISBN refers to Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to a scan of the 1892 version with some OCR typos).
4. "2007 General Highway Map Lycoming County Pennsylvania" (PDF) (Map). 1:65,000. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division. Retrieved 2009-12-26.