Penn Forest Township is a township in
Carbon County,
Pennsylvania. It is part of
Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 9,581 at the
2010 census,
up from 5,439 at the 2000 census.
Geography
The township is the largest by area in Carbon County, occupying a sizable portion of the eastern side of the county. According to the
United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.40%, is water.
It is drained by the
Lehigh River
The Lehigh River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in eastern Pennsylvania. The river flows in a generally southward pat ...
, which meanders along Penn Forest's western border through the
Lehigh Gorge
Lehigh Gorge State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Luzerne and Carbon Counties, Pennsylvania. The park encompasses a gorge, which stretches along the Lehigh River from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control dam in Luzerne County to J ...
. Mud Run, a tributary of the Lehigh, forms the northern border of the township. Its villages include Christmans, Christmansville, and Meckesville, and its
census-designated places are
Albrightsville (also in Kidder Township),
Indian Mountain Lake (also in
Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe:
* Monroe County, Alabama
*Monroe County, Arkansas
* Monroe County, Florida
* Monroe County, Georgia
*Monroe County, Illinois
*Monroe County, Indian ...
), and
Towamensing Trails. A small portion of
Hickory Run State Park is in the north along Mud Run.
Neighboring municipalities
*
Kidder Township (north)
*
Lehigh Township (west)
*
Jim Thorpe (southwest)
*
Franklin Township (south)
*
Towamensing Township (south)
*
Polk Township, Monroe County (east)
*
Chestnuthill Township, Monroe County (tangent to the east)
*
Tunkhannock Township, Monroe County (northeast)
Climate
Penn Forest has a warm-summer
humid continental climate (''Dfb'') and the
hardiness zone
A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...
s are 5b and 6a. Average monthly temperatures in Meckesville range from 23.8 °F in January to 68.7 °F in July, and at Penn's Peak on Maury Road they range from 25.3 °F in January to 69.7 °F in July
Demographics
In 2010, Penn Forest Township population was reported as 9,581 people.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 5,439 people, 2,046 households, and 1,565 families residing in the township. The
population density was 73.3 people per square mile (28.3/km
2). There were 4,806 housing units at an average density of 64.8/sq mi (25.0/km
2). The racial makeup of the township was 92.48%
White, 3.36%
African American, 0.22%
Native American, 0.53%
Asian, 0.09%
Pacific Islander, 1.25% from
other races, and 2.06% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 5.39% of the population.
There were 2,046 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.1% 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, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 18.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the township the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $36,601, and the median income for a family was $40,597. Males had a median income of $39,864 versus $21,774 for females. The
per capita income for the township was $17,129. About 7.0% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
As of 2020, there were of public roads in Penn Forest Township, of which were maintained by the
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC), were maintained by the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and were maintained by the township.
(
Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension) crosses Penn Forest Township north-to-south with access at an interchange with
Pennsylvania Route 903. PA 903 crosses the township from northeast to southwest, while
Pennsylvania Route 534 crosses in the east and intersects PA 903 in Albrightsville. Other important roads include Hatchery Road, Maury Road, and Schock Mill Road.
References
External links
Penn Forest Township official website
{{Carbon County, Pennsylvania
Populated places established in 1842
Townships in Carbon County, Pennsylvania