Middle Paxton 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
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 5,046 at the 2020 census.
History
In 1729 Paxtang Township of
Lancaster County was established. The spelling "Paxtang" is from the original Indian name ''Peshtank'', which meant "standing water".
Today the word "Paxton" is used instead of Paxtang.
On March 4, 1785, Lancaster County was split to form Dauphin County, named for the
Dauphin of France
Dauphin of France (, also ; french: Dauphin de France ), originally Dauphin of Viennois (''Dauphin de Viennois''), was the title given to the heir apparent to the throne of France from 1350 to 1791, and from 1824 to 1830. The word ''dauphin'' ...
, heir apparent to the French throne, whose country the area government wanted to honor for its assistance in the
Revolutionary War. About two years later in August 1787 the legislature began to splinter Paxtang Township, first into
Upper Paxtang, Middle Paxtang and
Lower Paxtang.
The
John Ayres House was 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 1979.
Geography
Middle Paxton Township is in central and western Dauphin County, bordered to the southwest and west by 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 ...
. The township is in the
Ridge and Valley Province
The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending ...
of the
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
; four parallel mountain ridges cross the township from southwest to northeast. The northern border of the township follows the crest of
Peters Mountain
Peters Mountain is a mountain in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. It is located on the border between Alleghany County, VA, Monroe County, WV, Giles Co.,VA, and Craig Co.,VA. Its elevation ranges from on the mountaintop to a l ...
. Next to the south is Third Mountain, followed by Second Mountain, which forms part of the southern border of the township, and finally
Blue Mountain, which forms the remainder of the southern border.
The borough of
Dauphin is in the western part of the township on the Susquehanna River, but is a separate municipality. The township has unincorporated communities, including Ellendale Forge,
Fort Hunter
Fort Hunter is a hamlet in the Town of Florida in Montgomery County, New York, United States, west of the capital at Albany, on the south bank of the Mohawk River and on the northeast bank of Schoharie Creek.
The hamlet developed around a fort of ...
,
Heckton and
Singersville.
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 8.01%, is water.
Nearly all of the water surface area is part of the Susquehanna River.
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 4,823 people, 1,906 households, and 1,456 families residing in the township. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 88.4 people per square mile (34.1/km). There were 1,988 housing units at an average density of 36.4/sq mi (14.1/km). The racial makeup of the township was 98.01%
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 ...
, 0.17%
Native American, 0.41%
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 ...
, 0.02%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 0.48% 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 0.64% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...
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 0.70% of the population.
There were 1,906 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.2% 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, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the township the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 32.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $54,619, and the median income for a family was $59,007. Males had a median income of $41,037 versus $30,233 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 $28,146. About 4.2% of families and 5.2% 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 7.0% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Children in the township attend public school at the
Central Dauphin School District
The Central Dauphin School District is a large, suburban, public school district located in suburban Harrisburg, Pennsylvania serving students in central and eastern Dauphin County. It is the largest school district in the county, the largest i ...
.
References
External links
Middle Paxton Township official website
{{authority control
Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area
Townships in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Townships in Pennsylvania