Henry Clay 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 Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,764 at the 2020 census. The township was created June 9, 1824, from the eastern portion of Wharton Township. It is named for 19th-century American statesman

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...

. The northwestern corner of its territory was used to create Stewart Township on November 17, 1855. It is served by the

Uniontown Area School District Uniontown Area School District is a highly fragmented midsized, rural public school district located in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It serves the city of Uniontown and the boroughs of Ohiopyle, and Markleysburg. It also serves Wharton, H ...

. Unincorporated communities located within the township include Flat Rock, Fiketown, and Elk Park. Information can be sourced at www.henryclaytownship.com

Geography

Henry Clay Township is in the southeastern corner of Fayette County. It is bordered by Stewart Township to the north, Lower Turkeyfoot Township in Somerset County to the northeast, the borough of

Confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

and Addison Township in Somerset County to the east, and Wharton Township to the west. To the south, it borders both

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. The borough of Markleysburg is in the southern part of the township but is a separate municipality. 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 3.41%, is water. The

Youghiogheny River The Youghiogheny River , or the Yough (pronounced Yok ) for short, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 tributary of the Monongahela River in the U.S. s ...

forms the eastern border of the township, which is the border with Somerset County. The southern end of Laurel Hill is in the northern part of the township, with a high point in the township of above sea level. The Youghiogheny River cuts a gorge through Laurel Hill just to the north, where the lowest point in the township is above sea level.

U.S. Route 40 U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...

, the National Road, crosses Henry Clay Township, leading southeast to Cumberland, Maryland, and northwest to Uniontown.

Pennsylvania Route 281 Pennsylvania Route 281 (PA 281) is a state highway located in Fayette and Somerset counties in Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is the West Virginia state line near Markleysburg, where the road becomes West Virginia Route 26 (WV 26). The n ...

crosses US 40 near the center of the township, leading northeast to Confluence and southwest through Markleysburg to the

border.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, there were 1,984 people, 742 households, and 549 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,306 housing units at an average density of 25.5/sq mi (9.8/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 99.45% White, 0.35% Native American, 0.10% Asian, and 0.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.35% of the population. There were 742 households, out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.95. In the township the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males. The median income for a household in the township was $27,256, and the median income for a family was $30,417. Males had a median income of $24,602 versus $19,333 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 $12,491. About 15.5% of families and 18.4% 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 27.1% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{coord, 39, 48, 00, N, 79, 22, 28, W, type:city_region:US-PA_source:GNIS-enwiki, display=title Townships in Fayette County, Pennsylvania