Susquehanna 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 ...

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 26,736 at the time of the 2020 census. This represents a 9.8% increase from the 2000 census count of 21,895. Susquehanna Township has the postal ZIP codes 17109 and 17110, which maintain the

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...

place name designation. The township is a suburb of Harrisburg and is connected to Marysville by the

Rockville Bridge The Rockville Bridge is the longest stone masonry arch railroad viaduct ever built, with forty-eight 70-foot (length), foot spans and a total length of . The bridge crosses the Susquehanna River about north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The east ...

, the world's longest stone-arch rail bridge at the time of its completion.

History

Susquehanna Township is located adjacent to the city of Harrisburg in Dauphin County. It was named from 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 ...

which runs along its western edge. On June 4, 1785, the state legislature created Dauphin County from part of Lancaster County. By that time, the territory of today's Dauphin County had been divided among the townships of Derry, Londonderry, Lower Paxtang and Upper Paxtang. The spelling "Paxtang" is from the original Indian name ''Peshtank'', which meant "standing water" and further morphed into "Paxton." Susquehanna Township was incorporated from part of Lower Paxtang on May 1, 1815. The first settlement where Susquehanna Township now lies was known as "Coxestown" and was laid out by Dr. John Cox Jr. of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

on October 2, 1757. In honor of his wife, Ester, the town was renamed "Estherton" and was the second oldest town in Dauphin County (behind Middletown). In 1774, a second settlement, "Rockville", and a third in 1815, "Progress" were settled. On January 2, 1952, Susquehanna became a First Class township via the Dauphin County Court.About Susquehanna Township
The

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 1975.

Geography

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 ...

, Susquehanna Township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 12.66%, is water. It is drained by the

, which separates it from

Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Cumberland, historic county *Cumberlan ...

and Perry County to the west. The north end of the township is on Blue Mountain, and Susquehanna Township's elevations range from approximately on the river to in the northeast. The township's numbered roads include

Interstate 81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island ...

U.S. Route 22 U.S. Route 22 (US 22) is a west–east route and is one of the original United States highways of 1926, running from Cincinnati, Ohio, at US 27, US 42, US 127, and US 52 to Newark, New Jersey, at U.S. Route 1/9 in the Newark Airport Interchange ...

U.S. Route 322 U.S. Route 322 (US 322) is a long, east–west United States Highway, traversing Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. The road is a spur of U.S. Route 22 and one of the original highways from 1926. A portion of it at one time was concurrent with ...

, and

Pennsylvania Route 39 Pennsylvania Route 39 (PA 39) is a state highway located in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. PA 39 runs from North Front Street near Harrisburg east to U.S. Route 322 (US 322) and US 422 near Hummelsto ...

. Other local roads include Elmerton Avenue and Progress Avenue.

Unincorporated communities and census designated places in Susquehanna Township

*Beaufort Farms * Edgemont * Estherton *

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

* Montrose Park *Paxtang Manor *

Progress Progress is the movement towards a refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. In the context of progressivism, it refers to the proposition that advancements in technology, science, and social organization have resulted, and by extension wi ...

CDP

Adjacent municipalities

* Middle Paxton Township (north) * Lower Paxton Township (east) * Swatara Township (south) *

Paxtang Paxtang is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 1,640. The borough is a suburb of Harrisburg and is one of the earliest colonial settlements in South Central Pennsylvania. History ...

(south) *

(southwest and west) *

Penbrook Penbrook is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States, founded in 1861 and incorporated July 10, 1894. Penbrook was once named East Harrisburg and still maintains a Harrisburg, Pe ...

(southwest) * East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County (west) * Marysville, Perry County (northwest)

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, the township was 60.6% White, 27.3% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 5.6% Asian, and 3.7% were two or more races. 7.0% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestr

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 2020, there were 26,736 people, 10,529 households 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 2,004.2 people per square mile (773.84/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 60.6%

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 ...

, 27.3%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 5.6%

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 ...

, 0.00%

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 ...

, and 3.7% 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 ...

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 7.0% of the population. The median income for a household in the township was $68,674. 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 $34,875. About 9.1% of the population was 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 ...

Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods in Susquehanna Township include Edgemont, Oxford Court, Beaufort Farms, Mountaindale, Apple Creek Farms, Deer Path Woods, Northwoods Crossing, Sienna Woods, Saybrook Meadows, Latshmere, Green Acres,

Crooked Hill Crooked Hill is a neighborhood in Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, and is a suburb of the city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a stat ...

, Montrose Park, Waverly Woods, Wedgewood Hills, Whitehall Terrace, Woodridge Estates, and

Attractions

* The

National Civil War Museum The National Civil War Museum, located at One Lincoln Circle at Reservoir Park in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is a permanent, nonprofit educational institution created to promote the preservation of material culture and sources of information t ...

is just inside the township boundary, though owned by the bordering municipality of the City of Harrisburg. *

Capital Area Greenbelt The Capital Area Greenbelt is a looping trail located in the area of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This 20-mile loop around Pennsylvania's capital city provides visitors and tourists with opportunities to hike, ride bicycles, skate, jog, fish, walk t ...

runs through the Township.

Politics and government

Legislators

*State Representative Sue Helm, Republican, 104th district *State Senator

John DiSanto Giovanni M. "John" DiSanto is an American politician from Pennsylvania currently serving as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senator for the 15th district since 2017. His district is based in the state capital of Harrisburg. Early ...

, Republican, 15th district *US Representative Scott Perry, Republican, 10th district

Board of Commissioners

Susquehanna Township is a first-class township and elects nine commissioners by ward.

Other municipal positions

References

External links

Susquehanna Township official website
{{Coord, 40, 20, 00, N, 76, 52, 59, W, type:city_region:US-PA_source:GNIS-enwiki, display=title Populated places established in 1815 Townships in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania 1815 establishments in Pennsylvania