O'Hara 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 ...
with
home rule statusPennsylvania Code
The ''Pennsylvania Code'' is a publication of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, listing all rules, regulations, and other administrative documents from the Government of Pennsylvania.
Citation
Title 1 section 1.2 of the ''Pennsylvania Code'' sug ...
br>Title 302, Section 21.1-101 ''et seq.''
in
Allegheny County
Allegheny County () is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's seco ...
,
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, six miles northeast of
Downtown Pittsburgh
Downtown Pittsburgh, colloquially referred to as the Golden Triangle, and officially the Central Business District, is the urban downtown center of Pittsburgh. It is located at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River whose ...
. The community was long organized as a township, and retains "Township" in its official name, but adopted a home rule charter in 1973 (taking effect on January 5, 1976)
[ and is no longer subject to the Pennsylvania Township Code. The population was 9,288 at the 2020 census.]
It is named for James O'Hara, an early American industrialist
A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...
in western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania is a region in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering the western third of the state. Pittsburgh is the region's principal city, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic ...
, and a Revolutionary War general.
Geography
O'Hara Township is located at (40.498001, -79.886789). It consists o
five non-contiguous areas
with Sharpsburg, Aspinwall and Fox Chapel
Fox Chapel is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, and is an affluent suburb of Pittsburgh located northeast of downtown. The borough continually garners national prominence and is home to many of the wealthiest and most powerful p ...
separating them. It is bordered by Shaler Township to the west, Harmar Township, Oakmont, and Verona
Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...
to the east, and Sharpsburg, Aspinwall, and Blawnox to the south.
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 4.22%, 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 8,856 people, 3,248 households, and 2,536 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 3,381 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 95.25% 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 ...
, 0.84% 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 ...
, 0.05% Native American, 3.04% 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 ...
, 0.26% 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 0.58% 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 1.14% of the population.
There were 3,248 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.5% 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, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.9% were non-families. 19.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the township the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $67,725, and the median income for a family was $77,594. Males had a median income of $58,125 versus $36,458 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 $33,356. About 2.7% of families and 3.6% 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 3.1% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
Presidential Elections Results
Township Council
*Robert John Smith, President
*Cassandra R Eccles, Vice-President, Ward 5
*John R. Denny, At-Large
*Richard S Hughs, First Ward
*George Stewart, Second Ward
*Mike Hammill, Third Ward
*Olivia T Payne, Fourth Ward
Services
The township has two volunteer fire department
A volunteer fire department (VFD) is a fire department of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction. Volunteer and retained (on-call) firefighters are expected to be on call to respond t ...
s that are responsible for portions of the township: Pleasant Valley VFD (Station 217) and Parkview VFD (Station 218). Parkview VFD also provides emergency medical services
Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to definitive care. ...
for the entire township through Parkview EMS (Station 180).
The Police Department
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and ...
(3300 units) is supervised by Police Superintendent Jay R. Davis and maintains a full-time police department
The Human Services Department is the home of the Township Social Services Coordinator, Jalen Byrd. This individual is charged with assisting the Township Police Department and other Township Departments if they believe an individual may need the assistance of social services. Residents may also seek the assistance of the Social Services Coordinator. Help with social services may include drug and alcohol treatment, mental health treatment, hoarding treatment and obtaining food and shelter.
The local Emergency Management Agency for O'Hara Township consist of one Coordinator (James Farringer) and two Deputy Coordinators (Thomas Polczynski and Thomas Heilmann).
Education
K–12 public school students attend the Fox Chapel Area School District
Fox Chapel Area School District is a public school district located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It serves the boroughs of Aspinwall, Blawnox, Fox Chapel, and Sharpsburg, along with Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the ...
.
Culture
O'Hara is home to both the Bayernhof Music Museum
Bayernhof Music Museum features a major collection of automated musical instruments from the 19th and 20th centuries. Located six miles (10 km) northeast of downtown Pittsburgh in the suburb of O'Hara Township, Pennsylvania, it is housed in ...
and the RIDC
The Regional Industrial Development Corporation of Southwestern Pennsylvania--known colloquially as the RIDC--is a privately funded non-profit serving the Pittsburgh metropolitan area to focus on a regional approach to economic development primari ...
O'Hara Research and Business Park.
References
External links
O'Hara Township
{{PA Home Rule Municipality
Townships in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Home Rule Municipalities in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania