Cresson Township is a township in Cambria 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 2,820 at the 2020 census. The township surrounds the boroughs of

Cresson ''Cresson'' is the French word for ''watercress''. It may refer to: ; Places * Battle of Cresson, a small battle fought on May 1, 1187, in what now is Israel, near Nazareth * Cresson, Pennsylvania, a United States borough * Cressona, Pennsylvania, ...

and Sankertown but is separate from them. It is part of the Johnstown,

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

History

The Benjamin F. Jones Cottage was 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 v ...

in 1995.

Geography

Cresson Township is located in eastern Cambria County and is bordered on the east by

Blair County Blair County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 122,822. Its county seat is Hollidaysburg. The county was created on February 26, 1846, from parts of Huntingdon and Bedford counties. Blai ...

. The township is east of

Ebensburg Ebensburg is a borough and the county seat of Cambria County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is located west of Altoona and surrounded by Cambria Township. It is situated in the Allegheny Mountains at about above sea level. Ebensburg is ...

, the Cambria County seat, and southwest of Altoona. The eastern edge of the township approximately follows the crest of the

Allegheny Front The Allegheny Front is the major southeast- or east-facing escarpment in the Allegheny Mountains in southern Pennsylvania, western Maryland, eastern West Virginia, and western Virginia, USA. The Allegheny Front forms the boundary between the Rid ...

, the height of land between the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

watershed to the east and the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

watershed to the west. The Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site is in the eastern part of the township. 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 ...

, Cresson Township has a total area of , of which , or 0.18%, is water.

Communities

Unincorporated communities

* Dysertown * Summit

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 4,055 people, 1,045 households, and 688 families residing in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 342.8 people per square mile (132.3/km²). There were 1,129 housing units at an average density of 95.5/sq mi (36.8/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 82.42%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 13.69%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.20% Native American, 0.25%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 2.96% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 3.48% of the population. There were 1,045 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.10. In the township the population was spread out, with 16.0% under the age of 18, 14.4% from 18 to 24, 37.4% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 168.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 181.2 males. The median income for a household in the township was $35,375, and the median income for a family was $46,908. Males had a median income of $31,836 versus $24,018 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the township was $12,575. About 7.1% of families and 11.3% 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 10.7% of those under age 18 and 18.0% of those age 65 or over.

Sewage treatment

Sewage treatment in portions of the township is provided by the Central Mainline Sewage Authority. A dedication ceremony was held on August 21, 2006, by local congressman John Murtha. The total cost of the system is $10 million, and construction took 14 years. Central-Mainline serves over 2,000 customers and is named after the "Mainline" of the former

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

that proceeds through the five municipalities. The railway is now part of the Norfolk Southern system.

References

External links

Washington Township/Central Mainline Sewer Authority
{{coord, 40, 27, 30, N, 78, 34, 58, W, type:city_region:US-PA_source:GNIS-enwiki, display=title Populated places established in 1893 Townships in Cambria County, Pennsylvania