Ross Township is a township in

Luzerne County Luzerne County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeastern Pennsylvania's second-largest county by total area. As of ...

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 population was 2,719 at the 2020 census.

History

One of the first white settlers in modern-day Ross Township was Daniel Devore in 1793. He was followed by a

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

settler named Abram Kitchen in 1795. Timothy, Aaron, and Jacob Meeker settled west of Grassy Pond the following year. Additional settlers followed in their footsteps. The first schoolhouse was built in 1820. Ross Township was formed in January 1842 from Lehman and

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

Townships; it was named in honor of General William S. Ross (who was a Luzerne

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at the time). In 1843, John A. Hess was elected the township's justice of the peace.

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 t ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.16%, is water. Bloomingdale and Sweet Valley are two communities in Ross Township. Most of the population resides in the central and southern portions of the municipality. PA 118 runs east to west through the middle of the township.

Farmland Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bo ...

and forests make up the southern half of the community, while only thick forests and mountains make up the north. Lakes (e.g., Harris Pond and North Lake) and streams (e.g., Lick Branch and

Mitchler Run Mitchler Run is a tributary of Huntington Creek (Pennsylvania), Huntington Creek in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Ross Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Ross Township. The wat ...

) are also scattered throughout the township. The eastern section of

Ricketts Glen State Park Ricketts Glen State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 13,193 acres (5,280 ha) in Columbia, Luzerne, and Sullivan counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. Ricketts Glen is a National Natural Landmark known for its old-growth fore ...

is located in northern Ross Township.

Adjacent communities

* Forkston Township (north) * Lake Township (east) * Lehman Township (southeast) * Hunlock Township (south) * Union Township (south) * Huntington Township (southwest) * Fairmount Township (west)

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 in ...

of 2000, there were 2,742 people, 1,041 households, and 767 families living in the township. The population density was . There were 1,258 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 99.23%

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, 0.04%

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 ...

, 0.04% Asian, 0.04% 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 0.66% from two or more races.

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of any race were 0.47% of the population. There were 1,041 households, out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.7% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.10. In the township the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.3 males. The median income for a household in the township was $41,575, and the median income for a family was $48,850. Males had a median income of $35,995 versus $24,420 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 $19,694. The average housing cost is between $25,000 and $650,000. About 8.4% of families and 9.4% 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 11.1% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Gallery

Scenery of Ross Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania from Twin Brooks Road 1.JPG, Ross Township from Twin Brooks Road Scenery of Ross Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania from Twin Brooks Road 2.JPG, Ross Township from Twin Brooks Road Harris Pond in April (3).JPG, Harris Pond in Ross Township Pennsylvania Route 118 in Ross Township, Luzerne County.JPG, PA 118 in Ross Township Main Road in Sweet Valley.JPG, Main Road in Sweet Valley

References

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