Longswamp 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, C ...
in
Berks County
Berks County (Pennsylvania German: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 428,849. The county seat is Reading.
The Schuylkill River, a tributary of the Delaware River, ...
,
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, ...
. The population was 5,551 at the
2020 census.
History
The
Long-Hawerter Mill and
Mary Ann Furnace Historic District are 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 ...
.
Demographics
As of the 2000 census,
of 2000, there were 5,608 people, 2,029 households, and 1,529 families residing in the township. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
was 246.1 people per square mile (95.0/km). There were 2,097 housing units at an average density of 92.0/sq mi (35.5/km). The racial makeup of the township was 98.95%
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 o ...
, 0.32%
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 ...
, 0.09%
Native American, 0.25%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.12% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.27% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.84% of the population.
There were 2,029 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.5% were
married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the township, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $47,965, and the median income for a family was $55,238. Males had a median income of $35,434 versus $25,324 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 $21,592. About 2.9% of families and 3.9% 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 4.4% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.
Geography
According to the
U.S. 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 22.8 square miles (59.1 km), of which 22.8 square miles (59.0 km) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km) (0.09%) is water. The
Little Lehigh Creek
Little Lehigh Creek is approximately long and is located in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It is sometimes referred to as the Little Lehigh River. It is the largest tributary of the Lehigh River.
The creek flows in a windin ...
and
Swabia Creek start in Longswamp and drain most of it eastward into the
Lehigh River. The
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania. The river was improved by navigations into the Schuylkill Canal, and several of its tributaries drain major parts of Pennsylvania's Coal Region. It f ...
also drains portions of the township via the
Sacony Creek
Sacony Creek (historically Saucony Creek) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of Maiden Creek in Berks County, Pennsylvania in the United States. ...
(which also starts in Longswamp) to the west and the
Perkiomen Creek
Perkiomen Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Schuylkill River in Berks, Lehigh and Montgomery counties, Pennsylvania.Gertler, Ed ...
to the south. The southern half of Longswamp is located in the
South Mountains.
Longswamp Township's villages include Farmington, Hancock, Henningsville, Longsdale, Longswamp, Maple Grove,
Mertztown,
New Hensingersville (also in Lehigh County,) Red Lion,
Rittenhouse Gap, and
Seisholtzville (also in Hereford Township.)
Longswamp surrounds the borough of
Topton. It has a hot-summer
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(''Dfa'') and the
hardiness zone is 6b. The average monthly temperatures in Mertztown range from 29.2 °F in January to 73.8 °F in July
Recreation
Longswamp is home to
Bear Creek Mountain Resort
Bear Creek is a ski resort near the borough of Macungie, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. The resort opened in 1967 and was known as the Doe Mountain until 1999. It is a year-round resort on more than that features a va ...
, just south of
Maple Grove.
Transportation
The main east-to-west thoroughfare in Longswamp Township is State Street, which is part of an unnumbered straight chain of roads connecting northeastern and central Berks County, as well as Topton with Lyons and Fleetwood. The mountains to the south prevent through north-to-south routes, so they start on State Street and extend either north to
U.S. Route 222
U.S. Route 222 (US 222) is a U.S. Highway that is a spur of US 22 in the states of Maryland and Pennsylvania. It runs for from US 1 in Conowingo, Maryland, north to Interstate 78 (I-78)/Pennsylvania Route 309 (PA 309) in Dorneyville, Pennsylv ...
, as do Farmington Road, Topton Road, and Valley Road, or south up the mountain. Longswamp Road, Mertztown Road, and Mountain Road lead east into Lehigh County.
References
External links
Longswamp Township
{{authority control
1734 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies
Populated places established in 1734
Townships in Berks County, Pennsylvania
Townships in Pennsylvania