Lower Chichester 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, C ...

in Delaware 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 United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The population was 3,469 at the 2010 census. It contains the

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

Linwood Linwood may refer to: Places Many of the place names for Linwood come from the presence of linden trees. Australia *Linwood, South Australia * Linnwood, Guildford, 11-35 Byron Road, Guildford, New South Wales Canada * Linwood, Ontario * Linwood, ...

History

The first mention of Chichester township is on June 27, 1683 when Willard Hughes was appointed constable of "Chichester liberty". On March 1, 1919 part of Lower Chichester Township was incorporated as the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

of Trainer.

Geography

The township is in southern Delaware County and is bordered by Upper Chichester Township to the north, the borough of Trainer to the east, the borough of Marcus Hook to the southeast, and

New Castle County, Delaware New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of th ...

, to the southwest. The southwest border is part of the 12-mile circle border between Delaware and Pennsylvania. Linwood, a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

, occupies the eastern half of the township and has nearly all of the township's population. 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 t ...

, Lower Chichester Township has a total area of , all of it land.

Educational system

Linwood is a part of

Chichester School District The Chichester School District (CSD) is a suburban public school district located in southeastern Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It encompasses approximately , covering the Boroughs of Marcus Hook, Trainer, Lower Chichester Township, and Uppe ...

. Children within the township usually atten
Linwood Elementary School
(Grades K-4)
Chichester Middle School
(Grades 5-8), or Chichester High School (Grades 9-12). Holy Family Regional Catholic School in Aston, of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It covers the City and County of Philadelphia as well as ...

, is the area Catholic school. It formed in 2012 from a merger of Holy Savior-St. John Fisher Elementary School in Linwood and St. Joseph Catholic School in Aston. Holy Savior School opened in 1917, and changed its name after St. John Fisher Church was established in Boothwyn in 1971 as the school at that time became the parish school of St. John Fisher.

Demographics

As of Census 2010, the racial makeup of the township was 87.6%

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 o ...

, 7.9%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.5% 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 3.3% 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 forme ...

or Latino of any race were 3.9% of the populatio

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 in ...

of 2000, there were 3,591 people, 1,278 households, and 916 families residing in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was 3,224.5 people per square mile (1,249.1/km). There were 1,356 housing units at an average density of 1,217.6/sq mi (471.7/km). The racial makeup of the township was 96.35%

, 2.03%

, 0.14% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.17% from

, and 0.92% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population. There were 1,278 households, out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.32. In the township the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males. The median income for a household in the township was $38,846, and the median income for a family was $43,066. Males had a median income of $35,375 versus $22,955 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 $16,881. About 7.3% of families and 10.2% 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 t ...

, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

The

operates Catholic churches. Holy Saviour Church in

opened in January 1914. Holy Saviour Church the congregation merged with St. John Fisher Church in Upper Chichester Township, on July 1, 2013, and worship services at Holy Savior ended in 2015; the archdiocese stated that the church needed $600,000 in repairs.

References

External links

Lower Chichester Township official website
{{authority control Townships in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania