Washington 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 Franklin 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. The population was 14,009 at the 2010 census, up from 11,559 at the 2000 census.

History

Washington Township was organized by an order of the of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania 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 Th ...

. The township was named in honor of General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

. Handycraft Farmstead, Harbaugh's Reformed Church, Jeremiah Burns Farm,

Red Run Lodge The Red Run Lodge was an historic, American hotel complex that was located in Washington Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, USA. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, but was torn down in December 2017. History ...

, Monterey Historic District, Springdale Mills, Waynesboro Armory, and the

Welty's Mill Bridge Welty's Mill Bridge is a historic multi-span stone arch bridge located at Washington Township in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. It is a , two-arch bridge built of limestone. It was constructed in 1856. It crosses the East Branch of Little Antiet ...

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 ...

Geography

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

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

counties in the state of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. The township 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—a chain of valley lowlands—and the central feature of the Appalachian M ...

, 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 Tr ...

traverses South Mountain through the township. Unincorporated communities in the township include Wayne Heights, Rouzerville,

Pen Mar Pen Mar is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Maryland, and Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is one of the border towns in the United States with a portmanteau name. Pen Mar came to prominence as a resort in the 2 ...

, Blue Ridge Summit, and

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bot ...

. 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 , 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 () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...

. 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 *

* 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 The Waynesboro Area School District is a midsized, suburban public school district located in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. The district is one of the 500 public school districts of Pennsylvania. It encompasses the boroughs of Waynesboro and ...

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 American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...

*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 la ...

*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 monitoring ...

, 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 *Pat O'Connor Nature Park *Pine Hill Recreation Area *Red Run Park *Rolando Park

Demographics

Washington Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania (2009)

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 11,559 people, 4,577 households, and 3,469 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 297.2 people per square mile (114.8/km). There were 4,840 housing units at an average density of 124.4/sq mi (48.1/km). The racial makeup of the township was 97.08%

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 ...

, 1.01%

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 ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.90%

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 ...

, 0.03%

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 ...

, 0.34% 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 0.49% 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 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 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 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 $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 t ...

, 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