Ferguson 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 ...

with home rule status in

Centre County Centre County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,172. Its county seat is Bellefonte. Centre County comprises the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The lands ...

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 is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 19,009 at the 2020 census. Most of the agricultural research for

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

(Penn State), based in adjacent State College,

, is taking place at the Russell E. Larson Research Center located in the western part of Ferguson Township. The headquarters of

AccuWeather AccuWeather Inc. is an American media company that provides commercial weather forecasting services worldwide. AccuWeather was founded in 1962 by Joel N. Myers, then a Pennsylvania State University graduate student working on a master's degree i ...

are also located within the township. Ferguson Township is served by the Ferguson Township Police Department and the

Alpha Fire Company The Alpha Fire Company provides fire and rescue services for the Borough of State College, College Township, Ferguson Township, Patton Township, and The Pennsylvania State University. The company was formed in 1899 as the Union Fire Company ...

for police and fire protection.

History

The Bucher Ayres Farm was added to 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 1980. The township adopted a home rule charter in May 1974, effective January 5, 1976, retaining "Township of Ferguson" as its official name. Despite the "Township" designation, Ferguson is no longer governed under the state's Township Code.

Geography

The township has a total area of , all land. Ferguson Township is bordered by Halfmoon Township and

Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in Franc ...

townships to the northwest, the borough of State College and

College Township The "College Township" was the full survey township located in the northwest corner of Butler County, Ohio, now corresponding to the civil township of Oxford, designated by the Ohio General Assembly to be the site of the state university now calle ...

to the northeast, Harris Township to the east and

Huntingdon County Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cr ...

to the south.

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 2010, there were 17,690 people, 7,195 households, and 4,192 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 367.8 people per square mile (141.9/km²). There were 7,501 housing units at an average density of 155.9 per square mile (60.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 82.0%

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 ...

, 3.2% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 11.4%

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 ...

, 1.0% 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 2.3% from

two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.0% of the population. There were 7,195 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% 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, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.94. The age distribution was 19.6% under 18, 18.0% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.3 males. The median income for a household in the township was $57,459, and the median income for a family was $72,339. 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 $31,016. About 5.6% of families and 15.6% 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 11.7% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Ferguson Township official websiteParks in Ferguson Township
{{coord, 40, 44, 00, N, 77, 56, 59, W, type:city_region:US-PA_source:GNIS-enwiki, display=title Home Rule Municipalities in Pennsylvania Home Rule Municipalities in Centre County, Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1791