Amity Township is a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

Berks County Berks County (Pennsylvania German: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading. The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware River, ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. The population was 13,435 at the 2020 census. Amity Township, especially in the Douglassville area, is seeing growth in development. The township was so named for the cordial relationship, or amity, between Swedish settlers and the local Native Americans.

History

The boundaries of Amity Township are almost identical to the boundaries of the original area known as Swedes’ tract. During December 1699, Lutheran pastor

Andreas Rudman Andreas Rudman (November 3, 1668 – September 17, 1708) was a pioneer Swedish-American Lutheran minister. He was pastor of Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church in Philadelphia. Background Anders Rudman was born in Gävle, Gästrikland Province, Swe ...

had met with Governor

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

. Pastor Rudman pointed out that many of the residents of the former Swedish colony of

New Sweden New Sweden ( sv, Nya Sverige) was a Swedish colony along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now the United States from 1638 to 1655, established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a great military power. New Sweden f ...

felt cheated by the preemption of their lands for Quaker settlement. Rudman secured an order from William Penn in October 1701 setting aside up the

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania. The river was improved by navigations into the Schuylkill Canal, and several of its tributaries drain major parts of Pennsylvania's Coal Region. It f ...

, near

Manatawny Creek Manatawny Creek is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Keystone Can ...

, for members of his congregation.''Andreas Rudman and his Family'' (by Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig . Swedish Colonial News, Volume 2, Number 1 . Winter 2000) The George Douglass House, Griesemer-Brown Mill Complex,

Old St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal Church church located in Douglassville, Pennsylvania. The church is a part of the Diocese of Bethlehem. History St. Gabriel's was founded in 1720 as a Swedish Lutheran church. In 1760 t ...

, Old Swede's House, Rhoads-Lorah House and Barn,

Weidner Mill Weidner Mill is a historic grist mill complex located on Manatawny Creek in Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. The complex consists of the -story stone-and-brick banked mill (1855); -story, stucco-over-stone farmhouse (c. 1840); -story, ...

, and White Horse Tavern are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and (0.60%) is water. It has a hot-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(''Dfa'') and is located mostly in hardiness zone 6b, with that being 7a near the river, including Douglassville. Adjacent townships * Exeter Township (west) * Oley Township (northwest) * Earl Township (north) * Douglass Township (east) * Union Township (south) The

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

of Amity Gardens and the

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

of Douglassville are both located in Amity Township, along the

Demographics

At the 2000 census, there were 8,867 people, 3,219 households, and 2,510 families in the township. The population density was 484.5 people per square mile (187.1/km²). There were 3,323 housing units at an average density of 181.6/sq mi (70.1/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the township was 95.68% White, 2.04% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.00%. There were 3,219 households, 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.0% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 17.1% of households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.12. The age distribution was 27.7% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males. The median household income was $59,595 and the median family income was $67,069. Males had a median income of $47,002 versus $31,389 for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,652. About 2.5% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable person

* Anthony Sadowski, emigre who became an interpreter, trader and agent with local natives

References

External links

Amity Township Official Website
{{authority control Townships in Berks County, Pennsylvania