Hereford 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, ...

in Berks 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 is the easternmost municipality within Berks County. Its population was 2,969 at the 2020 census. It is in

Upper Perkiomen School District Upper Perkiomen School District is located in the northern corner of Montgomery County and the eastern corner of Berks County in Pennsylvania. The district comprises the townships of Upper Hanover and Marlborough and the boroughs of East Gr ...

History

Hereford Township was erected on 1 Feb 1753, following a survey of its boundaries on 5 Jan 1753 by David Shultz.Morton L. Montgomery, ''History of Berks County in Pennsylvania'' (Philadelphia: Everts, Peck & Richards, 1886), p. 997. The John Gehman Farm and Hunter's Mill Complex 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 ...

Geography

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 th ...

, the township has a total area of , all land and in the Delaware watershed. The

Perkiomen Creek Perkiomen Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Schuylkill River in Berks, Lehigh and Montgomery counties, Pennsylvania.Gertler, Ed ...

begins in Hereford Township and drains it into the

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania. The river was improved by navigations into the Schuylkill Canal, and several of its tributaries drain major parts of Pennsylvania's Coal Region. It f ...

, except for a very small portion north of Seisholtzville that drains via the Little Lehigh Creek into the

Lehigh River The Lehigh River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in eastern Pennsylvania. The river flows in a generally southward pat ...

. The northern and western areas of the township are located in the South Mountains. Hereford Township has a hot-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(''Dfa'') and is in

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

6b. The average monthly temperature in Hereford ranges from 29.2 °F in January to 73.8 °F in July, and in Seisholtzville it ranges from 28.3 °F in January to 72.0 °F in July

Hereford Township's villages include Chapel, Pennsylvania, Chapel (also in Montgomery County,) Clayton (also in Washington Township), Five Points,

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester, England, Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. ...

, Huffs Church, and Seizholtzville (also in Longswamp Township). Adjacent townships * Washington Township (south) * District Township (west) * Longswamp Township (northwest) * Lower Macungie Township, Lehigh County (north) * Upper Milford Township, Lehigh County (northeast) * Lower Milford Township, Lehigh County (tangent to the east) * Upper Hanover Township, Montgomery County (southeast)

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 inc ...

of 2000, there were 3,174 people, 1,188 households, and 898 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 RosenberPopu ...

was 205.7 people per square mile (79.4/km²). There were 1,271 housing units at an average density of 82.4/sq mi (31.8/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.17%

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 ...

, 0.19%

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 ...

, 0.09% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.47% from other races, and 0.69% 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 1.29% of the population. There were 1,188 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% 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 ...

living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.05. In the township the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.1 males. The median income for a household in the township was $49,046, and the median income for a family was $52,845. Males had a median income of $40,841 versus $26,414 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 $21,661. About 4.4% of families and 6.2% 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 7.0% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Legislators

*State Representative Ryan Mackenzie, Republican, 134th district *State Senator

Judy Schwank Judith Schwank (born 1951) is an American politician. A Democrat, she was elected to the Pennsylvania Senate from the 11th district in a special election on March 15, 2011 to succeed the late Michael O'Pake. The district includes the city of R ...

, Democrat, 11th district *US Representative

Dan Meuser Daniel Philip Meuser ( ; born February 10, 1964) is an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist who is the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district. A Republican, he previously served as the secretary of re ...

, Republican, 9th district

Board of Supervisors

*John Membrino, Chairman *Keith Masemore, Vice-Chairman *Karla Dexter

Transportation

Pennsylvania Route 29 Pennsylvania Route 29 (PA 29) is a north–south state highway that runs through most of eastern Pennsylvania. The route currently exists in two segments, a southern segment and a northern segment. The southern segment runs from U.S. Route ...

and

Pennsylvania Route 100 Pennsylvania Route 100 (PA 100) is a long state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that runs from U.S. Route 202 (US 202) near West Chester north to PA 309 in Pleasant Corners. The route runs between the western suburbs of Philadelph ...

come south from Lehigh County and diverge in the village of Hereford. PA 29 continues down the Perkiomen Valley to Collegeville while PA 100 proceeds south to Bally and Pottstown. Other local roads of note include Huffs Church Road, Hunter Forge Road/St. Peters Road, Kutztown Road, Seisholtzville Road, and Tollgate Road.

Recreation

Harlem Township Park is located in the township between Harlem and Seisholtzville. A small portion of the Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 315 is located in the western part of the township.https://viewer.nationalmap.gov/advanced-viewer/ The National Map, retrieved 2 November 2018Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 315
retrieved 2 November 2018

References

{{Berks County, Pennsylvania Townships in Berks County, Pennsylvania