Dennison Township is a township in

Luzerne County Luzerne County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeastern Pennsylvania's second-largest county by total area. As of ...

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 961 at the 2020 census.

History

It is believed that Israel Inman was the first white settler in the township. He traveled up

Nescopeck Creek Nescopeck Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 8, 2011 tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The creek is in the Coal Region of ...

from its mouth in 1833. The next party after Inman was the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company. In 1837, they cut a road through the township in order to get to

Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the s ...

. This was succeeded by the construction of railroads in the following decades. Dennison Township was formed from a section of the original Hanover Township in 1839. At the time, the new township included what is now Foster Township; it broke away in the 1850s. Logging was a major industry in the area due to the abundance of trees.

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 t ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.37%, is water. A vast majority of Dennison Township is made up of thick forests. The township is scarcely populated; most of its residents live in the southeastern portion of the township. A few farms are also located in this section of the community. Many small lakes and streams (e.g., Creasy Creek and

) are scattered throughout Dennison. The Lehigh River forms the township's southeastern border. Nescopeck State Park makes up the western part of the township.

Transportation

I-476 Interstate 476 (I-476) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway of I-76 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The highway runs from I-95 near Chester north to I-81 near Scranton, serving as the primary north–south Interstate corridor throu ...

travels through the northeastern section of Dennison Township.

I-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 ...

travels through the southwestern portion of the community. PA 437 travels through the heart of the township.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 908 people, 375 households, and 255 families living in the township. The population density was 26.2 people per square mile (10.1/km²). There were 492 housing units at an average density of 14.2/sq mi (5.5/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 99.01% White, 0.22% African American, 0.22% Native American, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.99%. There were 375 households, 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 27.5% of households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.96. The age distribution was 20.4% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.5 males. The median household income was $41,875 and the median family income was $51,563. Males had a median income of $36,667 versus $24,145 for females. The per capita income for the township was $21,373. About 5.8% of families and 5.7% 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 5.6% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Dennison Township is part of Crestwood School District.

Gallery

Nescopeck State Park Brush.jpg, A mountain in Dennison Township Burnished (8583935661).jpg, A lightly wooded meadow in Dennison Township Hemlock Forest (21418956998).jpg, Hemlocks near

Nescopeck Creek Valley (8583932443).jpg, Snow-covered mountains in Nescopeck State Park Nescopeck State Park Lake Frances.jpg, Lake Frances in Dennison Township Hemlock Palustrine Forest (2) (8585827903).jpg, A forest in Dennison Township

References

External links

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