Upper Augusta 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
Northumberland 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, ...
, United States. It was formed in 1846 by the division of
Augusta Township (one of the seven original townships of Northumberland County formed in 1772) into Upper and
Lower
Lower may refer to:
*Lower (surname)
*Lower Township, New Jersey
*Lower Receiver (firearms)
*Lower Wick
Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is situated about five miles south west of Dursley, eight ...
sections. The population at the
2010 Census was 2,586,
an increase over the figure of 2,556 tabulated in 2000.
History
The
Keefer Station Covered Bridge and
Sunbury Armory are 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 ...
.
Voters rejected a tax referendum in May 2007 which would have increased local earned income tax by 0.5 percent to reduce property taxes for homeowners and farmers by $176.
Geography
![Upper Augusta Township south of Sunbury](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Upper_Augusta_Township_south_of_Sunbury.JPG)
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 23.3 square miles (60.3 km
2), of which 20.3 square miles (52.5 km
2) is land and 3.0 square miles (7.8 km
2) (12.97%) 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 2,556 people, 1,022 households, and 781 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 126.2 people per square mile (48.7/km
2). There were 1,058 housing units at an average density of 52.2/sq mi (20.2/km
2). The racial makeup of the township was 98.16%
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 ...
, 0.51%
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 ...
, 0.08%
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 ...
, 0.12%
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 ...
, 0.47% 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 0.67% 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 0.74% of the population.
There were 1,022 households, out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.6% 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, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the township the population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $41,875, and the median income for a family was $48,875. Males had a median income of $35,489 versus $21,389 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 $22,433. About 2.9% of families and 5.1% 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 9.6% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The local public school system is the
Shikellamy School District
Shikellamy School District is a midsized, suburban/rural, public school district in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. It serves Northumberland Borough, Point Township, Rockefeller Township, Snydertown Borough, the City of Sunbury, and U ...
. The administrative offices are located at Administration Center, 200 Island Blvd,
Sunbury,
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, ...
.
Shikellamy High School
Shikellamy High School is a public high school located in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, United States. The building was built in 1929. It is part of the Shikellamy School District. It is the sole public high school for the communities of Northumberland, ...
has a 78% graduation rate according to the district report card 2005–2006. In 11th grade, 49% were proficient in math. For reading 62% were proficient in 2005–2006. The high school is ranked rank 384th out of 606 public high schools in Pennsylvania.
In 2007, the
Pittsburgh Business Times
American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor News ...
ranked the Shikellamy School District 434th out of 499 Pennsylvania school districts based on three years of Pennsylvania System of Student Assessment test scores.
The Shikellamy School Board set the budget at $34.62 million for 2007–2008. The board levies a variety of taxes to support its programs. Taxes include 62.5 mills real estate tax in 2007. Per capita taxes are $5 per resident. An earned income taxes of one-half of 1 percent of income yields a revenue of approximately $1.8 million. Additionally, the real estate transfer tax of one-half percent (Northumberland Borough, Point Township, Rockefeller Township) and one percent (Snydertown borough) is levied on real estate transfers.
SUN Area Career & Technology Center is a regional vocational school, offering adult education classes, vocational education, and technical career training. SUN Tech serves over 1500 people annually. ISO9001 and Middle States Accredited. SUN Tech was presented with the Significant Achievement Award in Education for raising their
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program criteria score to 648 points, a 345-point increase from 303 points in August, 2000.
Residents also have a wide selection of alternative schools. By law, the local public school must provide transportation to schools within of the borders of the school district at no charge to the student.
[24 PS 17-1726-A Transportation to charter schools http://www.pde.state.pa.us/transportation/lib/transportation/SchoolCode_Transportation_7-17-06.pdf]
Parochial schools
*St. Monica's School provides a parochial education program for kindergarten to 8th grades. The school is a member of the National Christian Schools Association. Noncatholics seek admission to this school.
*Sunbury Christian Academy offers pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The campus is located just north of the borough of Northumberland. The student population is nearing 160. Programs and student accomplishments are noted regularly in local media.
* Northumberland Christian School was founded in 1972 and is a ministry of the First Regular Baptist Church of Northumberland, Pa. The school offers an educational program for students from preschool through high school.
References
{{authority control
Populated places established in 1701
Townships in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania
1701 establishments in Pennsylvania
Townships in Pennsylvania