Black Creek 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, Ca ...

in Luzerne County,

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, ...

, United States. The population was 1,904 as of the 2020 census.

History

Black Creek Township was established from a section of Sugarloaf Township on August 8, 1848. It was named after Black Creek (a stream which runs through the township). The township grew slowly during its early years. Farmers had to clear away thick forests in order to utilize the land. The early lumbermen were also busy cutting down the forests which blanketed the mountainous landscape. The first

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

and

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

were built by Martin and William Rittenhouse in 1810.

Geography

According to the

United States 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 , or 0.45%, is water. The township is south of PA 93 (originally the Lehigh-Susquehanna Turnpike). It is also west of the

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

— Interstate 81 interchange. I-80 runs through the northern portion of the township. It cuts through a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...

(which was formed by Nescopeck Creek). Black Creek Township is crossed by a series of east-to-west mountains. Small farming communities are scattered throughout the many valleys which make up the township. Some of the township's villages are Mountain Grove, Rock Glen, and Weston. The small farming community of

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

is partially located in Black Creek Township (Luzerne County) and North Union Township (

Schuylkill County Schuylkill County (, ; Pennsylvania Dutch: Schulkill Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the heart of Pennsylvania's Coal Region and is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the populat ...

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 2,132 people, 832 households, and 609 families living in the township. The population density was 87.2 people per square mile (33.7/km²). There were 965 housing units at an average density of 39.5/sq mi (15.2/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 99.16% White, 0.52% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.47%. There were 832 households, 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 23.6% of households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.98. The age distribution was 22.4% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.6 males. The median household income was $35,028 and the median family income was $41,250. Males had a median income of $31,279 versus $17,382 for females. The per capita income for the township was $17,675. About 7.8% of families and 11.7% 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 12.2% of those under age 18 and 16.3% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

* {{authority control Townships in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania