Lykens 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 ...

which is located in

Dauphin County Dauphin County (; Pennsylvania Dutch: Daffin Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 286,401. The county seat and the largest city is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's state capital and ninth ...

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 1,558 at the time of the 2020 census, a decline from the figure of 1,618 tabulated in 2010.

History

The Bridge in Lykens Township No. 1 and Bridge in Lykens Township No. 2 were 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 1988.

Geography

Lykens Township occupies the northeastern corner of Dauphin County, bordered by Northumberland County to the north and Schuylkill County to the east. The borough of Gratz, a separate municipality, is located south of the township center and is entirely surrounded by the township.

Mahantango Creek Mahantango 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 Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin, Northumberland County, P ...

, a westward-flowing tributary of 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 ...

, forms the northern border of the township.

Mahantango Mountain Mahantango is an alternate spelling of ''Mahantongo'', a Lenape word, translated "where we had plenty of meat to eat" or "good hunting grounds." Mahantango may refer to: *Mahantango Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Dauphin, Northumbe ...

is a long ridge that crosses the northern length of the township south of Mahantango Creek. The southern border of the township runs along the ridge of Short Mountain/Bear Mountain, though not directly following the ridgecrest.

Pennsylvania Route 25 Pennsylvania Route 25 (PA 25) is a state highway located in Dauphin and Schuylkill counties in central Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 209 (US 209) in Millersburg. The eastern terminus is at US 209 in Newtown ...

runs east–west through the township and passes through the center of Gratz. 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 0.03%, is water.

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 1,095 people, 356 households, and 292 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 371 housing units at an average density of 14.1/sq mi (5.4/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 99.09%

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 ...

, 0.27%

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 ...

, and 0.64% from two or more races. There were 356 households, out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.7% 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, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.7% were non-families. 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 3.44. In the township the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 109.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.3 males. The median income for a household in the township was $40,417, and the median income for a family was $45,156. Males had a median income of $31,172 versus $22,625 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 $15,096. About 4.9% of families and 7.4% 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 9.5% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Lykens Township official website
{{coord, 40, 36, 00, N, 76, 45, 59, W, type:city_region:US-PA_source:GNIS-enwiki, display=title Townships in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania