West Nottingham Township is a township in

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire or the County Palatine of Chester, a ceremonial county in the North Wes ...

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 United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The population was 2,722 at the 2010 census.

History

The township was originally disputed territory between Pennsylvania and Maryland, resolved eventually by the

Mason–Dixon line The Mason–Dixon line, also called the Mason and Dixon line or Mason's and Dixon's line, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (part of Virginia ...

. Established in 1718, West Nottingham Township dates back to 1701 when a group of William Penn's followers settled in the Nottingham Area. It is named after

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

, England. The township also formed part of the northern section of Susquehanna Manor later known as New Connaught, a large settlement tract established by Maryland and named after the western province of

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...

in Ireland that courted Irish settlement into the area. The dispute led to heavy Quaker and Scotch-Irish settlement of the area.

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 , or 0.29%, is water.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, the township was 88.0% non-Hispanic White, 2.0% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.3% Asian, and 2.0% were two or more races. 8.3% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. At the 2000 census there were 2,634 people, 956 households, and 741 families living in the township. The population density was 189.9 people per square mile (73.3/km). There were 1,007 housing units at an average density of 72.6/sq mi (28.0/km). 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 94.68% White, 1.94% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 1.67% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.18%. There were 956 households, 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 18.2% of households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.07. The age distribution was 28.0% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males. The median household income was $45,142 and the median family income was $49,630. Males had a median income of $33,450 versus $23,406 for females. The per capita income for the township was $17,975. About 3.3% of families and 5.0% 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 2.3% of those under age 18 and 20.2% of those age 65 or over. West Nottingham is home to Nottingham County Park. The 651 acre park sits atop an out-cropping of serpentine stone greater than one square mile in size – one of the largest serpentine barrens on the East Coast. West Nottingham is also home to several mobile home communities.

References

External links

West Nottingham Township official site
{{authority control Townships in Chester County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania