Swatara 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 Dauphin County,

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, Ma ...

. The population was 27,824 at the 2020 census.

History

In 1729, the Paxtang Township of Lancaster County was established. The spelling "Paxtang" is from the original Indian name ''Peshtank'', which meant "standing water". On March 4, 1785, Dauphin County was formed from Lancaster County, with the word "Dauphin" referring to the Dauphin of France, the heir apparent to the French throne whose country the area government wanted to honor for its assistance in the Revolutionary War. In August 1787 the legislature separated Paxtang Township into Upper Paxtang, Middle Paxtang and Lower Paxtang townships. Lower Paxtang Township embraced the areas now known as

Lower Swatara Lower Swatara Township is a township in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 9,557 at the 2020 census. Harrisburg International Airport and Penn State Harrisburg are located within the township.

, Swatara, Lower Paxton,

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. Th ...

and Susquehanna townships. In 1799, a court order divided Lower Paxton Township into two equal parts. "Swatara" was the name chosen for the southern part of the area. The word is thought to be from a

Susquehannock The Susquehannock people, also called the Conestoga by some English settlers or Andastes were Iroquoian Native Americans who lived in areas adjacent to the Susquehanna River and its tributaries, ranging from its upper reaches in the southern ...

word meaning "Where we fed on eels." Swatara Township was named directly from Swatara Creek. Within Swatara Township, Calver Island in 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 ...

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 artist ...

in 2007.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 15.97%, is water.

Census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, su ...

s (unincorporated communities) in Swatara Township: * Bressler-Enhaut-Oberlin, a CDP in 2000, was split into three CDPs for the 2010 census: **

Bressler Bressler is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernard H. Bressler, Canadian physiologist and neuroscientist * Charles Bressler (1926–1996), American tenor * Clotilde Bressler-Gianoli (1875–1912), Swiss-born opera singer * Da ...

** Enhaut **

Oberlin Oberlin may refer to: ; Places in the United States * Oberlin Township, Decatur County, Kansas ** Oberlin, Kansas, a city in the township * Oberlin, Louisiana, a town * Oberlin, Ohio, a city * Oberlin, Licking County, Ohio, a ghost town * Oberlin, ...

* Lawnton * Rutherford

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, there were 27,284 people and 9,292 households. 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 2,132.11 people per square mile (832.2/km). There were 9,068 housing units at an average density of 685.2/sq mi (264.6/km). The racial makeup of the township was 61.8%

White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 23.6%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.2% Native American, 6.9% Asian, 0.2%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, and 4.6% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race were 9.0% of the population. There were 9,292 households, out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% 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, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.93. In the township, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. The female population was 52.1%. The median income for a household in the township was $61,758. 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 $29,255. About 7.6% 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 ...

Notable person

* Johann Jacob Friedrich Krebs,

fraktur Fraktur () is a calligraphic hand of the Latin alphabet and any of several blackletter typefaces derived from this hand. The blackletter lines are broken up; that is, their forms contain many angles when compared to the curves of the Anti ...

painter

References

External links

Swatara Township official website
{{authority control Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area Populated places established in 1799 Townships in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania