Larimer 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 Somerset 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 543 at the 2020 census. It is part of the

Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, Johnstown is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropol ...

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 ...

. Larimer Township was named for General William Larimer, Jr., president of the Pittsburgh & Connellsville Railroad.

History

Brigadier General John Forbes's Expedition of 1758 passed through the area that became Larimer Township, near Will's Creek, as they hacked

Forbes Road The Forbes Road, a historic military roadway in what was then British America, was initially completed in 1758 from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to the French Fort Duquesne at the junction of the Allegheny River, Allegheny and Monongahela River, Monon ...

out of the western Pennsylvania wilderness. (The reference that it was Major General Edward Braddock's Expedition of 1755 that passed through this area seems to have mixed up these two expeditions, since Braddock's Road passes through the extreme southwest corner of Somerset County.) Jonathan Long arrived in the area as early as 1783, and Richard Geiger was another early settler, possibly around the same time as Long. Daniel Lepley moved into Larimer Township in 1849 and built a gristmill here in 1850. The township was officially organized in 1854.

Geography

It is located approximately at 39.8015 by -78.9488. 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 , all land. Larimer Township is bordered by Northampton Township to the northeast, Southampton Township to the southeast, Greenville Township to the southwest, and

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used ...

& Brothersvalley Townships to the northwest.

Pennsylvania Route 160 Pennsylvania Route 160 (PA 160) is a north–south state highway in Somerset and Cambria counties in western Pennsylvania, United States. Its southern terminus is at the Mason-Dixon line south of Wellersburg, where the road contin ...

passes through Larimer Township, heading northwest from Wellersburg & Southampton Township on its way to Northampton Township & Brothersvalley Township. The

Eastern Continental Divide The Eastern Continental Divide, Eastern Divide or Appalachian Divide is a hydrographic divide in eastern North America that separates the easterly Atlantic Seaboard watershed from the westerly Gulf of Mexico watershed. The divide nearly span ...

passes through Larimer Township, along the mountain summit above Sand Patch Tunnel. Wills Creek begins in the township and flows into Northampton Township, passing through Glencoe and Fairhope on its course eastward.

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 590 people, 213 households, and 172 families living in the township. The population density was . There were 257 housing units at an average density of 15.4/sq mi (5.9/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 99.32%

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 ...

, 0.51% Native American, and 0.17% from two or more races. There were 213 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.9% 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, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.8% were non-families. 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.11. In the township the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.3 males. The median income for a household in the township was $31,333, and the median income for a family was $35,500. Males had a median income of $27,422 versus $18,417 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 $13,301. About 11.0% of families and 15.1% 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 18.2% of those under age 18 and 25.0% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{coord, 39, 44, 00, N, 78, 53, 59, W, type:city_region:US-PA_source:GNIS-enwiki, display=title Townships in Somerset County, Pennsylvania