Penn Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Penn Township is a township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Penn Township,
Westmoreland County,
Pennsylvania
Township
Monument at the Bushy Run Battlefield
Map of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Highlighting Penn Township
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting
Westmoreland County
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountyWestmoreland
Area
 • Total30.76 sq mi (79.68 km2)
 • Land30.76 sq mi (79.68 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total20,005
 • Estimate 
(2018)[2]
19,387
 • Density650.3/sq mi (245.74/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
FIPS code42-129-58880
Websitehttps://penntwp.org/

History

Penn Township, officially known as the Township of Penn, was named after Pennsylvania founder William Penn. The township was incorporated on February 23, 1855.

In the early years after its founding, numerous Scotch-Irish Americans came to the area to farm its rich land. Later in the township's history, coal mining contributed heavily to the economy.[3]

Penn Township is also home to the Bushy Run Battlefield. The Bushy Run Battlefield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, and is designated a National Historic Landmark.[4]

In 1957 Carnegie Mellon University chose the township for a new lab facility.[5]

Geography

Penn Township is located in the western part of Westmoreland County. It is approximately 25 miles east from Pittsburgh and 7 miles west of Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The township is bordered by north by Murrysville, Pennsylvania, northeast by Salem Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, east by Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, southeast by Jeannette, Pennsylvania, southwest by North Huntingdon Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, west-southwest by Trafford, Pennsylvania, and west by Monroeville, Pennsylvania.[6]

Penn Township maintains nearly 100 miles of roadways. The township has three major transportation routes within its boundaries: Pennsylvania Route 130, Pennsylvania Route 993, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.[7]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 30.76 square miles (79.1 km²), all of it land.

Penn Township is also part of the Turtle Creek (Monongahela River tributary).

Government

Penn Township was incorporated in 1855 and became a First Class Township (Pennsylvania) in 1958.[8] The township is governed by five commissioners who are publicly elected and serve a four-year term. Penn Township also has a tax collector elected to serve a four-year term.

Like all First Class Townships, Penn Township has a fully functioning police force.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
19406,085—
19507,46122.6%
196010,70243.4%
197012,97521.2%
198016,15324.5%
199015,945−1.3%
200019,59122.9%
201020,0052.1%
Est. 201819,387[9]−3.1%

Population

As of July 1, 2018, Penn Township has a population of 19387. This is a 3.1% decrease from the 2010 US Census Population.

Age and Sex
Penn Township[10]PennsylvaniaUnited States
Persons under 5 Years, percent5.45.56.1
Persons under 18 Years, percent20.020.722.4
Persons 65 Years and over, percent18.718.216.0
Female Persons, percent50.45150.

Race and Hispanic Origin
Penn Township[11]PennsylvaniaUnited States
White alone, percent98.081.876.5
Black or African American alone, percent0.212.013.4
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent0.00.41.3
Asian alone, percent0.13.75.9
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent0.10.10.2
Two or More Races, percent1.52.12.7
Hispanic or Latino, percent0.77.618.3
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent97.676.160.4

Education

Penn Township is within the Penn-Trafford School District[12]. The district operates eight schools, six of which are in Penn Township:

  • McCullough Elementary School
  • Level Green Elementary School
  • Sunrise Estates Elementary School
  • Harrison Park Elementary School
  • Penn Middle School
  • Penn-Trafford High School

The Murrysville branch of the Westmoreland County Community College is located along Mellon Road.

Penn Township has an overall graduation rate of 96.3% and a bachelor's degree rate of 37.7%[13]

References
  1. "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Aug 14, 2017.
  2. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/penntownshipwestmorelandcountypennsylvania,PA,US/PST045218
  3. https://penntwp.org/history/
  4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  5. Bauman, Mary Lou (July 26, 1977), "Toxic Research Lab Scheduled For Penn", News Dispatch, Jeanette, PA
  6. http://www.usgwarchives.net/maps/pa/county/westmo/usgs/
  7. https://penntwp.org/about/
  8. https://penntwp.org/history/
  9. https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml
  10. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/penntownshipwestmorelandcountypennsylvania,PA,US/PST045218
  11. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/penntownshipwestmorelandcountypennsylvania,PA,US/PST045218
  12. Penn-Trafford School District
  13. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/penntownshipwestmorelandcountypennsylvania,PA,US/PST045218

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