Jackson Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
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Jackson Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the
Back Mountain The Back Mountain is a region and former census-designated place (CDP) in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is near the cities of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. The population was 33,551 as of 2016. The region has a total area of . The ...
, a 118 square mile region in northern Luzerne County. The population was 4,761 as of the 2020 census.


History


Settlement

In 1795, the first white settler constructed a permanent home in modern-day Jackson Township; his name was Palmer Ransom. He was followed by additional settlers (including John Lemereaux and Jesse Brown). Jackson Township was formed in 1844 from a portion of Plymouth Township. It originally covered an area of fifteen square miles. The township was named in honor of Andrew Jackson (the seventh President of the United States). Due to its thick forests, the lumber industry was one of the first major employers in the area. In the township's early days, there were roughly nine sawmills and three gristmills. By 1850, the population of Jackson increased to nearly six hundred. Over time, farming replaced
logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...
as the primary industry in the township.


Contemporary history


Vice presidential visit

In October 2005,
U.S. Vice President The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice pr ...
Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former U ...
visited the home of Ron and Rhea Simms in Jackson Township. The couple hosted Cheney at a private political fundraiser for Republican
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
Rick Santorum, who was up for re-election in 2006. Two hundred area residents attended the fundraiser ($1,000 per person). The senator raised a total of $300,000. Santorum ultimately lost the election to Bob Casey.


Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.64%, is water. There are two noteworthy communities in Jackson Township:
Chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England * Chase Co ...
and Huntsville (both are located in the eastern half of Jackson). Larksville Mountain defines the southeastern border of the municipality. The territory's interior is made up of creeks and rolling hills (which contains forests and farmland). PA 29 runs through the western half of the township.


Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,453 people, 952 households, and 767 families residing in the township. The population density was 335.4 people per square mile (129.5/km2). There were 1,004 housing units at an average density of 75.6/sq mi (29.2/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 73.01% White, 24.66% African American, 0.11% 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 ...
, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 4.15% of the population. There were 952 households, out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.3% 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, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.4% were non-families. 16.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.04. In the township the population was spread out, with 14.2% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 40.4% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 242.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 286.2 males. The median income for a household in the township was $56,464, and the median income for a family was $62,162. Males had a median income of $33,274 versus $29,643 for females. The per capita income for the township was $25,127. About 4.3% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.


References


External links

* {{authority control Townships in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania