Washington Township is a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

in Franklin County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, United States. The population was 14,897 at the 2020 census, up from 14,009 at the 2010 census.

History

Washington Township was organized by an order of the of

Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Cumberland County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 259,469. Its county seat is Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Carlis ...

about April term in 1779. The township was formed out of

Antrim Township, Pennsylvania Antrim Township is a township in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 15,778 at the 2020 census, an increase over the figure of 12,504 tabulated in 2000. It was named after County Antrim in Northern Ireland. History ...

. The township was named in honor of General

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

. Handycraft Farmstead, Harbaugh's Reformed Church, Jeremiah Burns Farm, Red Run Lodge, Monterey Historic District, Springdale Mills, Waynesboro Armory, and the Welty's Mill Bridge are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

The township occupies the southeastern corner of Franklin County, bounded to the east by Adams County and to the south by

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

and

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

counties in the state of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. The township entirely surrounds the borough of Waynesboro, a separate municipality. The western two-thirds of the township are in the

Great Appalachian Valley The Great Appalachian Valley, also called The Great Valley or Great Valley Region, is one of the major landform features of eastern North America. It is a gigantic trough, including a chain of valley lowlands, and the central feature of the Appal ...

, while the eastern third is on the ridges and valleys of South Mountain. The

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail, also called the A.T., is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tra ...

traverses South Mountain through the township. Unincorporated communities in the township include Wayne Heights, Rouzerville, Pen Mar, Blue Ridge Summit, and

Monterey Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a population of 30,218 in the 2020 census. The city was fou ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the township has a total area of , of which , or 0.02%, is water. The township is drained by the East and West Branches of

Antietam Creek Antietam Creek () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 tributary of the Potomac River located in south central Pennsylvania and western Maryland in the ...

, a south-flowing tributary of the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

. The extreme east end of the township lies east of the crest of South Mountain and is part of the

Monocacy River The Monocacy River () is a free-flowing left tributary to the Potomac River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the Chesapeake Bay. The river is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data ...

watershed, another tributary of the Potomac.

Communities

* Beartown * Blue Ridge Summit * Buena Vista Springs * Charmian * Cress * Eastland Hills * Glen Forney * Midvale *

* Pen Mar * Pennersville * Polktown * Roadside * Rouzerville * Wayne Heights * Zullinger

Neighboring Townships

* Antrim Township (west) * Hamiltonban Township ( Adams County), (east) * Liberty Township (Adams County), (east) * Quincy Township

Climate

Education

Washington Township lies within Waynesboro Area School District.

Schools serving Washington Township

*Fairview Avenue Elementary School *Hooverville Elementary School *Mowrey Elementary School *Summitville Elementary School *Waynesboro Area Middle School *Waynesboro Area Senior High School

Infrastructure

Major highways

* * * *

Utilities

*Cable TV -

Comcast Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...

*Electric - West Penn Power *Natural Gas -

UGI Corporation UGI Corporation (formerly United Gas Improvement Corp.) is a natural gas and electric power distribution company headquartered in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, with extensive operations in the United States and Europe. UGI owns AmeriGas, the ...

*Telephone - Century Link *Trash and Recycling Services -

Waste Management Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of waste, together with monitor ...

, IESI, Hoppers, Parks Garbage Service, or Worthy's Refuse Inc. *Water and Sewer Authorities - Washington Township Municipal Authority

Healthcare

* WellSpan Waynesboro Hospital (located in Waynesboro, PA)

Parks and Recreation

Washington Township owns and maintains six parks and the Rouzerville Community Center located within the Township boundaries. *Antietam Meadow Park *Happel's Meadow Wetland *Monterey Park *Pat O'Connor Nature Park *Pine Hill Recreation Area *Red Run Park

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 11,559 people, 4,577 households, and 3,469 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 4,840 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 97.08%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.01%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 0.34% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population. There were 4,577 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.90. In the township the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males. The median income for a household in the township was $45,165, and the median income for a family was $51,791. Males had a median income of $36,255 versus $25,192 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the township was $20,673. About 2.6% of families and 3.9% 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 ...

, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Washington Township official website
{{authority control Populated places established in 1735 Townships in Franklin County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania