Neville 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, ...

Allegheny County Allegheny County () is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's second-most populous county, following Philadelphia C ...

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. Its land area consists entirely of Neville Island, which is an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An isla ...

on the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of ...

. The population was 1,084 at the 2010 census.

History

The

was formerly known as Montour's Island, named for the Native American interpreter

Andrew Montour Andrew Montour ( – 1772), also known as Sattelihu, Eghnisara,Hagedorn, 57 and Henry,Montour was also called Henry, possibly due to the similarity of sound with the French ''"Andre".'' was an important mixed interpreter and negotiator in t ...

, who lived on the land in colonial times. Before the American Revolution, the island was claimed by both Pennsylvania and Virginia. Both states awarded a claim to the island to citizens of their states. The dispute found its way to the Supreme Court in '' Irvine v. Sims's Lessee'' (1799). Charles Simms won the case and gained possession of the island. It was eventually transferred to his partner in the lawsuit, General John Neville, for whom the island, and the township, is named. Neville lived on the island in his final years. The township was incorporated on April 8, 1854, from a part of Ohio Township. It obtained first-class status in 1901. A 1903 newspaper advertisement for real estate on the island promoted it as the next Manhattan Island.

Island Sports Center

In 1998, the Hillman Company built the Island Sports Center on the western tip of Neville Island.

Robert Morris University Robert Morris University (RMU) is a private university in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1921 and is named after Robert Morris, known as the "financier of the mericanrevolution." It enrolls nearly 5,000 students and offers 60 ...

purchased the Island Sports Center in 2003. The sports center includes a 1,200-seat hockey rink, a golf range, a miniature golf course, athletic fields and a pro shop.

Geography

The township boundary encompasses Neville Island and a surrounding portion of the Ohio River. 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

has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (40.36%) is water. The island, nearly five miles long, is the largest by land area in Pennsylvania.

Government and politics

Adjacent neighborhoods

Across the Ohio River's back channel, Neville Township runs adjacent with (from northwest to southeast)

Coraopolis Coraopolis () is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The population was 5,559 at the 2020 census. In 1940, the population peaked at 11,086. Coraopolis is located west of Pittsburgh along the Ohio River and to the east of the Pittsbur ...

(with direct link via

Coraopolis Bridge The Coraopolis Bridge is a girder bridge over the back channel of the Ohio River connecting Grand Avenue on Neville Island to Ferree Street in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. It opened in 1995 to replace a structure of historic significance. The orig ...

), Robinson Township, Kennedy Township and

Stowe Township Stowe Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,362 at the 2010 census. It is located in the Sto-Rox School District, which serves both Stowe Township and the neighboring borough of McKees Ro ...

(with direct link via

Fleming Park Bridge The Fleming Park Bridge is a through truss bridge which spans the back channel of the Ohio River, between Neville Island and Stowe Township, PA. Although the Ohio River's back channel is only 590 feet wide, roughly 660 feet of this newer bridge w ...

). Across the river's main channel, Neville Township runs adjacent with (from northwest to southeast) Haysville, Glenfield (with the

Neville Island Bridge The Neville Island Bridge is a tied arch bridge which carries Interstate 79 and the Yellow Belt across the Ohio River and over Neville Island, west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Construction Opening in 1976, after five years of construction, ...

as the direct link), Kilbuck Township,

Emsworth Emsworth is a town in the Borough of Havant in the county of Hampshire, England, near the border of West Sussex and located at by the south coast of England. It lies at the north end of an arm of Chichester Harbour, a large and shallow inlet fr ...

Ben Avon Ben Avon ( gd, Beinn Athfhinn, 'mountain of the Avon') is a mountain in the Cairngorms of Scotland. It is a sprawling mountain with a broad summit plateau dotted with granite tors. One of these marks the summit, called ''Leabaidh an Daimh Bhui ...

and

Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

. The

carries

Interstate 79 Interstate 79 (I-79) is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States, designated from I-77 in Charleston, West Virginia, north to Pennsylvania Route 5 (PA 5) and PA 290 in Erie, Pennsylvania. It is a primary thoroughfar ...

and the

Yellow Belt Yellow Belt may refer to the following: * A level in the Japanese system of classification known as Kyū. * A road in the Allegheny County belt system The Allegheny County Belt System color codes miscellaneous county roads to form a unique system ...

across the

and over Neville Island, west of

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. The island is approximately a 15-minute drive from Pittsburgh, depending on driving conditions and other such factors.

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 1,232 people, 624 households, and 313 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 929.4 people per square mile (357.7/km). There were 676 housing units at an average density of 510.0/sq mi (196.2/km). The racial makeup of the township was 97.32%

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 ...

, 1.22% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.32% 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 1.06% 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 largely irrelevant. There were 624 households, out of which 20.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.8% 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, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.7% were non-families. 43.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.97 and the average family size was 2.75. In the township the population was spread out, with 18.3% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males. The median income for a household in the township was $30,625, and the median income for a family was $44,083. Males had a median income of $31,827 versus $26,838 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 $19,630. About 4.6% of families and 9.7% 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 8.6% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

Gallery

File:NevilleTownshipMunicipalBuilding.jpg, Neville Township Municipal Building, located at 5050 Grand Avenue. File:NevilleMotelBungalows.jpg, The Neville Motel Bungalows, probably date back to the 1940s or 1950s, located near the corner of Neville Road and Grand Avenue. File:IslandSportsCenter.jpg, Island Sports Center, built in 1998, located at 7600 Grand Avenue. File:NevilleIslandPA.jpg, A portion of Neville Island, PA, on October 17, 2009. File:NevilleIslandBridgePA.jpg, The

, opened in 1976. File:Coraopolis-NevilleIslandBridge.jpg, The Coraopolis-Neville Island Bridge, which opened in 1995, replaced the former

. File:FlemingParkBridgeNevilleIsland.jpg, The

, built in 1955. File:PC&YRailroadBridgeNevilleIsland.jpg, The PC&Y Railroad Bridge, built in 1894. File:NevilleTownshipMemorial.jpg, The Neville Township Memorial in Memorial Park on Grand Avenue. File:BeckyThatcheratNevilleIsland.jpg, The

Becky Thatcher Mark Twain's series of books featuring the fictional characters Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn include: #'' The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876) #''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884) #''Tom Sawyer Abroad'' (1894) #'' Tom Sawyer, Detective ...

docked on Neville Island on October 17, 2009.

References

External links

Neville Township website
{{authority control Pittsburgh metropolitan area Townships in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania